XML Resources

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On The Web

General XML Sites

A Technical Introduction to XML by Norman Walsh (http://www.xml.com/pub/a/98/10/guide0.html)

A good, very basic introduction to XML and associated standards.

Cafe Con Leche XML News & Resources (http://www.ibiblio.org/xml/)

Web site tirelessly maintained by Elliott Rusty Harold, author of The XML Bible and XML in a Nutshell. Includes chapters of the former.

Cover Pages (http://www.oasis-open.org/cover/sgml-xml.html)

A wonderfully comprehensive (to the point of overwhealming) site on all things related to XML. One of the best places to investigate specific XML applications.

W3C (http://www.w3.org/)

This W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) is the organization that developed XML and is the closest thing there is to a body that is “in charge of” the Web. All of the formal specifications are available on this site, as well as some tutorials and guidelines.

Xml.com (http://www.xml.com/)

This site is produced by O’Reilly (the publisher that brings us all those computer books with the animal woodcuts on the covers) and is a great site for keeping up with XML news and the ever-expanding constellation of technologies that surround XML.

Specific XML Applications

XHTML (http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/)

This is our old friend HTML, but written to conform to XML rules of well-formedness (which makes it easier to manipulate with XML tools).

Encoded Archival Description (http://www.loc.gov/ead/)

This is an example of a very specific XML application, designed for use with archival finding aids.

The Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org/)

Very flexible XML application designed for the scholarly analysis of texts. The DTD is huge, but users may customize the DTD by choosing the exact sections that they need for specific types of texts (e.g., poetry, plays, etc.).

DocBook (http://www.docbook.org/)

A general schema for encoding texts, designed especially for technical documentation. Lots easier than TEI, but doesn’t allow for the elaborate analytical tricks.

MODS – Metadata Object Description Schema (http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/)

A metadata standard for what we might think of as “information objects” (i.e., the kinds of things that would be represented in a library catalog). Maps easily to and from MARC.

METS – Metadata Encoding & Transmission Standard (http://www.loc.gov/standards/mets/)

More general than MODS, this standard covers administrative and structural metadata as well as descriptive.

Open Archives Initiative (http://www.openarchives.org/)

A project that encourages the free sharing of XML-encoded metadata (usually Dublin Core) about electronic collections among member institutions.

RDF – Resource Description Framework (http://www.w3.org/RDF/)

Rather esoteric metadata format based on “triples” which describe how resources relate to each other. Not widely used, but it the basis for some forms of RSS.

RSS (http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2002/12/18/dive-into-xml.html)

An XML vocabulary used for syndication of web sites, mostly news sites and blogs.

In Print

Fitzgerald, Michael. 2003. Learning XSLT. O’Reilly.

Gentle introduction to programming with XSLT, with lots of examples.

Harold, Elliott Rusty. 2004. The XML 1.1 Bible, 3^rd edition. New York: Hungry Minds.

This is my favorite XML book on the market, largely because it serves well both as an introduction and as a reference work once you know what you’re doing.

Harold, Elliott Rusty and W. Scott Means. XML in a Nutshell, 2^nd edition. O’Reilly.

This is a reference book (in the format of O’Reilly’s other Nutshell manuals), so is not really intended for the complete novice. This is great to have on hand so you can look up those features that you use less frequently.

Ray, Eric T. 2003. Learning XML, 2^nd edition. O’Reilly.

Very good, concise (this is a rarity in computer books) guide to get you started with XML.

St. Laurent, Simon. 2000. XML Elements of Style. New York: McGraw-Hill.

This is a wonderful second XML book. It is not the best introduction, but has a lot to say about how to write good XML, once you know how to write XML.

Tennant, Roy (ed.). 2002. XML in Libraries. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Compilation of contributed papers on practical uses of XML in libraries, ranging from cataloging to interlibary loan and electronic publication.

Tittel, Ed, Natanya Pitts, and Frank Boumphrey. 2002. XML for Dummies, 3^rd edition. New York: Hungry Minds.

Not the best XML book overall, but has very good discussions of some current uses of XML (an area in which some of the more “academic” books are weak).

Van der Vlist, Eric. 2002. XML Schema. O’Reilly.