Core Services in the Architecture of the National Digital Library for Science Education Thescribes the core components of the National SMETE Digital Library (NDSL), a learning object repository intended for launch near the end of this year. The NDSL initiative is important because it is a departure from the LMS or LCMS-specific learning object repositories that favour "selected" publishers. The NDSL repository will "harvest" metadata from learning object providers and third parties and provide a number of end-user services (see below). This paper and the next are essential reading for people interested in learning objects. PDF file. By Carl Lagoze, et.al., arXiv.org e-Print archive, January 29, 2002.[Refer]

Components of an NSDL Architecture: Technical Scope and Functional Model Describes the technical architecture of the National SMETE Digital Library (NDSL) with a focus on four major sets of end-user services: discovery, access, tailoring and social interaction. Examples of each are provided and some challenges outlined. Short PDF paper. By David Fulker and Greg Janee, arXiv.org e-Print archive, January 30, 2002.[Refer]

RDN Virtual Training Suite A set of online tutorials designed to help people improve their Internet information skills. The home page lets readers select one of a couple dozen disciplines; the tutorials are then tailored to the selected discipline. As Peter Suber says, "It's more work to have separate tutorials for separate fields, but this is the right approach. Discovery and evaluation are both, for different reasons, discipline-specific." Some nice features - I really like the links basket - and a smooth, easy to read interface. By Unknown, RDN, May 8, 2001.[Refer]

Budapest Open Access Initiative From the declaration: "The literature that should be freely accessible online is that which scholars give to the world without expectation of payment.... By "open access" to this literature, we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself." By , , .[Refer]

Rebels Online community for people involved in education to discuss alternative ways to be creative on the Internet. The community is intended to be a meeting point for field ICT users and researchers. The purpose is to bridge the gap between them. I wasn't so thrilled about the process involved in joining - you have to fill in a form providing "reasons" and they'll let you know later whether you've been accepted. If I'm rejected, I'll let you know. By , European Schoolnet, .[Refer]

The New Architecture of Information Useful article about the organization of information on websites and the typical user's behaviour in accessing that information. Most users don't read web pages until they have found what they are looking for, skimming menus and pages only to determine that they are on the right path. This means that large areas of the average hierarchically organized site will go unused and unread. By Stephana Broadbent and Francesco Cara, Text-E, February 14, 2002.[Refer]

The BIG Question: 802.11a or 802.11b? As we get set to move NRC's e-learning group across the street and into a new building, we are planning our wireless network. I am also planning for my home network. The advantages are obvious - reading my email and creating OLDaily while out on the patio, for example. So - what standard to use: 802.11a or 802.11b? This article is my guide. Well - at least a partial guide. By Jim geier, Datamation, 2002.[Refer]

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