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Electronic Magazines: Issues in Implementation

Electronic Magazines: Issues in Implementation. Aims: Describe approaches to publishing a web magazine aimed at European library / information community Share experiences Describe other approaches Provide advice to those wishing to publish web magazines. Brian Kelly UK Web Focus UKOLN

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Electronic Magazines: Issues in Implementation

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  1. Electronic Magazines:Issues in Implementation • Aims: • Describe approaches to publishing a web magazine aimed at European library / information community • Share experiences • Describe other approaches • Provide advice to those wishing to publish web magazines Brian Kelly UK Web Focus UKOLN University of Bath Email: B.Kelly@ukoln.ac.uk Acknowledgements to Bernadette Daly, Editor of Exploit Interactive (1998-9) UKOLN is funded by the Library and Information Commission, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the Higher Education Funding Councils, as well as by project funding from the JISC and the European Union. UKOLN also receives support from the University of Bath where it is based.

  2. Contents • Background • The User's View • Searching • The Editor's View • Other Interesting Approaches • Conclusions

  3. About UKOLN • UKOLN: • UK Office for Library and Information Networking • Based at University of Bath • Awareness and Advisory Services • UK Web Focus • Interoperability Focus • Public Library Networking Focus • Research Interests • Metadata • Distributed libraries • UK and EU project work • Dissemination • Events (workshops, seminars, etc.) • Publications • Web Magazines

  4. Experiences • UKOLN publishes two web magazines, with a third due to be launched shortly • Ariadne • First published in January 1996 • 22 issues to date • Originally funded by eLib • Long-standing first generation web magazine • Exploit Interactive • First published in May 1999 • Four issues to date • Funded by EU Telematics For Libraries Programme • Cultivate Interactive • To be released in a few months • Funded by EU DIGICULT Programme (covers museums, archives and library areas)

  5. Ariadne • Ariadne: • 22 issues published Jan 1996 - Dec 1999 • Published every 3 (originally 2) months • HTML pages created using HTML authoring tool (HoTMetaL, FrontPage, etc.) • Apache web server on Unix http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/

  6. Exploit Interactive http://www.exploit-lib.org/ • Exploit Interactive: • 4 issues published (every three months) • Informs communities on Telematics for Library projects • Aims to provide quality content, be innovative and be standards compliant • NB: Little funding for software development!

  7. Exploit Int. Architecture • Exploit Interactive: • Runs on a Windows NT server • Microsoft SiteServer software used • Why? • Gain experiences of NT-based information system in order to help in advisory role • Make use of shrink-wrapped solutions to minimise software development • Investigate whether standards-based solutions can be implemented in a Microsoft environment • Resources • Funding for 0.5 FTE over 2 years • Editor, project manager plus bought-in systems support effort

  8. D The User View (1) • Exploit Interactive: • Sub-menu pages for Features, Regular Columns, etc. • Context-sensitivenavigational bars • Links from all pages to: • Main entry point • Issue entry point • Editorial • Features menu • Regular Columns menu • News and Events page • Et Cetera menu • Search facility

  9. D The User View (2) • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) used to: • Define margin settings • Define fonts • Background for headings • Benefits of Cascading Style Sheets: • Ease of maintenance (appearance defined in single file) • Re-use of resources • Performance • Accessibility

  10. Behind The Scenes • Behind the Scenes: • Article fragments used and assembled into HTML resource using ASP (Active Server Pages) • ASP server script used for server-side includes (SSIs) and for manipulating variables article_title="The CULIVATE project" issue_num="1" Assignment of variables <title>Exploit issue <%=issue_num%>: <%=article_title%></title> … <h3>Citation Details</h3> <p><%=article_title%>, <%=author%>Exploit Interactive <%= issue_num%> Use of variables

  11. The File Store • The file store structure for a typical article is shown below default.asp assembles fragments and processes variables content.ssi content – simple HTML fragment citation details (based on author and title variables) article_defaults.ssiauthor, title, etc. variables figure-1.gif issue4 cultivate resources citation.ssi Some files stored next to article Others stored in central area (parameter passing)

  12. The Bigger Picture • In order to minimise maintenance, we want to store scripts, CSS files, etc. once and include them as appropriate default.asp <!--#inc file="article_defaults.ssi" --> Read article variables <!--#inc file="../issue_defaults.ssi" --> Read issue variables <!--#inc file="../../global_defaults.ssi" --> Read global variables <!--#inc file="/resources/ssi/html_dtd.ssi" --> Define HTML DTD <html><head> <title>Exploit Interactive issue <%=issue_num%>: <%=article_title%></title> <!--#inc file="resources/ssi/dc_metadata.ssi" --> Create DC metadata </head> <!--#inc file="resources/ssi/nav_top.ssi" -->Navigational bar <!--#inc file="content.ssi" --> Include content <!--#inc file="citation.ssi" --> Include citation …

  13. Problems - Style Sheets • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): • Separates content from presentation • Reduces maintenance • Simplifies HTML (no complex tables, clear.gif hacks, etc.) • Accessible resources • But Netscape (esp.) implements CSS very badly: • Images can float over text • Too much white space around tables • Problems in printing • Other minor differences

  14. Solution to CSS Problems • In order to address CSS problems: • "User-agent" negotiation used to include simpler CSS file to Netscape users • Uses a single SSI fragment • Tables stored in singletable cell – a hack  • Should images be included with conditional SSI? • Also use CSS @media to allow different style sheetfor printing

  15. Searching • Exploit Interactive enables UKOLN to demonstrate its research interest in metadata: • Capabilities of SiteServer search facility investigated • Fielded searches provided. Can search by Author, Title, Abstract and full text • Uses Dublin Core (DC)metadata • DC metadata (HTML format) created using ASP fragment • Can easily createmetadata in other formats (e.g. RDF)

  16. Errors • The 404 error message has been tailored: • Exploit Interactive look and feel • Embedded search facility • Tailored message: The link to this resourceis incorrect – please inform web master or You have entered an incorrect URL

  17. Extending the Web Site • The web site is being extended to provide more than simply access to information Experiment to search a project's web site, from an article about the project Evaluation of discussion software to enable readers to comment on articles

  18. The Editor's View • Development work which may not be noticeable by readers includes: • Promotion of the web siteMaking sure that people know about the magazine and can easily find it • Checking the web siteEnsuring that the web site works, is accessible and conforms to appropriate standards • Auditing the web siteMonitoring the popularity of the web site and being pro-active in maximising popularity

  19. Web Site Promotion • Promotion of web site addressed by: • Having own domain name:<www.exploit-lib.org> Note shorter variants (e.g. exploit.org, exploit.com, etc.) are not available. • Having short, easily-cited URLs: • Note use of server default file name to avoid longer and possibly confusing file name and extension: http://www.exploit-lib.org/issue1/pride/ http://www.exploit-lib.org/issue1/pride/intro.htm http://www.exploit-lib.org/issue1/pride/intro.html http://www.exploit-lib.org/issue1/pride/Default.asp

  20. Finding The Web Site • Aim: • We want web site and articles to be indexed by search engines and catalogued by directories • Approaches: • Articles contain "AltaVista" metadata (generated as described for DC metadata) • Internal links to directory, avoiding links to .asp extensions • Use of robots.txt file and <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tag to avoid indexing of unnecessary resources (e.g. statistics, etc.)

  21. Submission to Search Engines • Exploit Interactive resources submitted to search engines – see <http://www.exploit-lib.org/issue4/promotion/> • Evaluation of Submission software • Creation of single page containing links to all articles 1. New issue URL submitted to AltaVista

  22. Does It Work? • Exploit Interactive articles: • First (out of 421,122) for "exploit" in AllTheWeb • Fourth for "news exploit"in Google • Fourth for "(electronic and paper) near delivery" in AltaVista Note: Searches found from referrer logs

  23. Notification of a New Issue • Notification of new issues is sent to several mailing lists. But what about readers who aren't on the mailing lists? • We now provide anotification serviceof new issues using Netmind http://www.exploit-lib.org/notify/

  24. Checking The Web Site • Prior to release of new issue we use: • SiteServer Analysis to check broken links • Bobby software to check accessibility of web site • Summary • On 10 January 1999: • 906 pages • 5,180 internal links • 1,818 external links • 0 broken links • Web site passes Bobbyaccessibility test

  25. Broken Links – Whose Problem? • Internal links are responsibility of editors • But what should be done with broken links in articles? • Fixed: the web master is responsible for providing a quality web site • Nothing: articles should be left as is • Flagged (and perhaps fixed): giving reader an indication of original status • Our approach: • Authors provide links as references with visible URLs • External links indicated by icon • Icon and link change if link is broken • Display external links in new window (personalised option?)

  26. Checking The Web Site (2) • In issue 4 we provided a service for the readers to check for and enhance access to articles: • Translation Service • HTML Validation • Accessibility Check • … The link to further information is stored as a single SSI file, allowing changes to be made just once

  27. Auditing The Web Site • We use SiteServer Analysis to provide statistics • In issue 4 evaluated third-party services which provide (e.g): • Last 10 visitors to page • Profile over time • Referrer for last 25 visitors • Third-party Service Issues: • Performance • Dependency on 3rd party • Open vs. restricted access to statistics NOTE: Comparison of Nedstat and SiteMeter can be easily made due to use of SSI fragments

  28. Who's Linking To Us • The LinkPopularity.com web site is used to: • Provide information on numbers of linksto web site • Monitor growth in nos. of links • Identify friends • Spot gaps http://www.linkpopularity.com/ Information on links to web site and nos. of resources indexed is useful and is being monitored regularly

  29. The eLib Programme http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/ • eLib programme funded several e-journals – see <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/elib/projects/> http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/clic/ Much can be learnt from the experiences of the eLib projects

  30. Other e-journals: EPRESS • eLib-funded project which provides an administrative system (rather than a publishing one) for refereed academic journals • Addresses (time-consuming) administrative issues • Used by Sociological Research Online and Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation See <http://www.epress.ac.uk/>

  31. Other e-journals: D-Lib • D-Lib magazine: • Currently mirrored at 4 locations including UKOLN • Is making use of DOIs (Document Object Identifiers) • Each article has DOI which provides persistent, location-independent identifier • "Handle" system can return multiple values e.g. 10.1045/december99-gladney can returnfive URLs • Interesting idea for the future (resolution by proxy or browser plugin) • Use of multiple values could be used for related resources (e.g. metadata, translation, etc.) • Exploit Interactive is considering a similar approach

  32. Other e-journals • Library and Information Studies departments are active in producing e-magazines and exploring various issues • For example see Information Research, published by theDepartment of Information Studies,Sheffield Univ. http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/I-M/is/publications/infres/ircont.html

  33. Exploit Interactive's Key Features • Exploit Interactive uses (normalised) resource fragments for: • Server-side scripts • Navigational elements • Standard text fragments • CSS • Separation of Content / Navigation / Functionality is useful for: • Ease of maintenance • Introduction of new functionality (e.g. print all articles, personalisation)

  34. Challenges • Use of resource fragments: • Requires advance planning • Some complications in use of authoring tools • Some complications in validating resource fragments (no compilers to spot, say, unassigned variables) • Useful to have a programmer's or DBA perspective (identification of reusable fragments) • In addition use of ASP variables / file-based fragments means: • NT-dependencies (until Open ASP matures) • Difficulties in managing variables which are defined in scripts

  35. Future Developments • Make use of article and navigation fragments to provide a configurable interface http://www.ljdigital.com/ • Navigational bar: • Located: • Top and bottom • Side (in frame or embedded) • Configurable: • Sections of interest • cf MS Office 2000 • References & Related Links • As above

  36. Future Developments • Ideas for the future: • Variables stored in database (NB: performance issues) • Use of XML • For Metadata and Articles (e.g. news items) • Would also like to provideenhanced searching (structured browsing): • Search issue 1 & issue 3 • Search Regular Columns • Search Regular Columns in issue 1 • Search for articles about EU projects • Counts nos. of articles in these categories

  37. Future Developments • Processing articles is time-consuming. Would like to automate processes: • Replace email submission by web form • Automate conversion to HTML • Author submission of keywords metadata • Automated upload to draft area for editor review Enter document c:/docs/article.doc Browse Document Type MS Word HTML • Abstract Keywords TAP, digitisation, … Programme: ELIB EU (5th Framework) • EU (4th Framework)

  38. Conclusions • To conclude: • Exploit Interactive has shown the benefits of an architecture based on: • Resource fragments • Style Sheets • Server-side scripting • Resources in neutral format to enable reuse • It is possible to provide an innovative, standards-based solution on an NT platform • Similar solutions also possible on Unix (e.g. PHP) • We look forward to further developments based on use of database technologies / XML Questions welcome

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