Electronic Content Management Research Articles

LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT MODELS OF COMPONENT EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES OF THE COMPANY

Learning management systems are characterized by the fact that the scenarios of their operation are related to various aspects of educational activity, which in turn requires costs for the creation of professional training programs, electronic educational resources and their exploitation. These problems confirm the relevance of research aimed at developing models of life cycles for electronic educational resources, programs and qualification levels of specialists, as well as at creating effective tools for automated management of the learning process. The purpose of this study is to optimize the life cycles of electronic educational resources, training programs, employer requirements and increase efficiency in managing the continuous process of training specialists. Analytical studies of life cycle models of electronic educational content, learning and educational activity management systems, content management systems were carried out in the work in order to select and develop tools for automated design and filling of educational resources, as well as synthesis of the life cycle management system of its main components. Models of the life cycles of the main components of the educational environment have been developed, which allow for their coordination and optimization for the system of automated management of training processes and professional development. Distinctive features of the models are the comprehensive synchronization of the life cycles of all components with the assessment of the effectiveness of this process, as well as adjustment to the changing requirements of the external environment. A model for synchronizing the life cycles of the components of the educational environment, including electronic educational content and a system for managing learning and professional development processes, has been developed. A feature of the model is a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the synchronization process at all its stages for the automated selection and/or synthesis of personalized training programs and electronic resources in accordance with the changing requirements of standards and employers.

Integration of records management systems at a South African water utility company

Purpose Digital records are either stored in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or an electronic content management (ECM) system or managed without the benefit of either. To achieve high productivity, integration of these systems is required. However, the utilisation of either an ERP or ECM system is absent in many organisations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of a framework that may support the integration of an ERP into an ECM system at Rand Water. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used a case design with 14 interviewees from different levels in the organisation and diverse business units using ERP and ECM to perform their operational deliverables. Purposive sampling was used to select the interviewees in line with their area of work, role and level of operation. Findings This study established that the water utility company has implemented an ERP system (SAP) since 2004 and ECM systems since 1991 (Papertrail and later IBM FileNet) with only the information flow module integrated. This study suggested that to integrate ERP into ECM, human and non-human actors need to collaborate to ensure large-scale integration. Originality/value This study presents a framework for integrating ERP into ECM. It is suggested that an integration module for ERPs called extended ECM, be considered. A further study of the transfer of digital records in ECM into archival custody is recommended.

The effect of probiotics for environmental cleaning on hospital-acquired infection in a burn centre: The results of a non-randomised controlled prospective study

Background. A retrospective analysis was done to correlate recorded clinical infections with laboratory cultures to report on the incidence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and the impact of probiotics for environmental cleaning in our burn centre. Objectives. To assess the effect of probiotics for environmental cleaning in a tertiary burn unit on HAIs. Methods. We used the electronic content management system of the hospital to access patient files for 2017 and February 2018. All patients with clinical records showing a new infection after admission for ≥48 hours and who required antibiotics were recorded as HAIs. Results. The total number of HAIs for 2017 was 167. If the two test months (TM) when probiotics were used are excluded for 2017, then the HAIs numbered 151 for the remaining control months (CM). Thus during 2017 there were 16 HAIs in the TMs. The percentage difference of the monthly average of HAIs for the TM and the CM is a 55.89% reduction, with a statistically significant p-value <0.005. Conclusion. Our reduction in HAIs is consistent with the findings of other high-level-of-evidence studies in the literature. We can recommend the use of probiotics for environmental cleaning in a burn centre.

Keeping a secure hold on data through modern electronic content management

Proper storage of data is a security necessity. This is because data can often contain valuable company information, which is liable to fall into the wrong hands if not properly managed. The problem is growing in tandem with increased content creation – the world is full of data. It is estimated that the aggregate amount of data, which doubles in size every two years, measures 4.4 zettabytes (trillion gigabytes) and is likely to reach a massive 44 zettabytes by 2020. 1 Companies are attempting to deal with a tidal wave of data. And a lack of integration inside a business can promote the dangerous phenomenon of content sprawl. This occurs when different departments do not harmonise their processes and there is no plan to address outdated content or to ensure that data is stored in the right way. Companies need to gain a tight rein on their digital assets and institute a rigid content management system to keep up with the data explosion. But that can be easier said than done, explains Paul Hampton of Alfresco.

A New Similarity Measure for Document Classification and Text Mining

Accurate, efficient and fast processing of textual data and classification of electronic documents have become an important key factor in knowledge management and related businesses in today’s world. Text mining, information retrieval, and document classification systems have a strong positive impact on digital libraries and electronic content management, e-marketing, electronic archives, customer relationship management, decision support systems, copyright infringement, and plagiarism detection, which strictly affect economics, businesses, and organizations. In this study, we propose a new similarity measure that can be used with k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) and Rocchio algorithms, which are some of the well-known algorithms for document classification, information retrieval, and some other text mining purposes. We have tested our novel similarity measure with some structured textual data sets and we have compared the results with some other standard distance metrics and similarity measures such as Cosine similarity, Euclidean distance, and Pearson correlation coefficient. We have obtained some promising results, which show that this proposed similarity measure could be alternatively used within all suitable algorithms, methods, and models for text mining, document classification, and relevant knowledge management systems.
 Keywords: text mining, document classification, similarity measures, k-NN, Rocchio algorithm

برنامج تدريبي قائم على تطبيقات الحوسبة السحابية وفاعليته في تنمية مهارات إدارة المحتوى الإلکتروني

ملخص البحث: هدف البحث إلى تعرف فاعلية برنامج تدريبي قائم علي تطبيقات الحوسبة السحابية في تنمية بعض مهارات إدارة المحتوى الإلکتروني لدى أخصائيي تکنولوجيا التعليم بمحافظة أسيوط، ولتحقيق أغراض البحث، تم إعداد وتصميم برنامج تدريبي قائم على تطبيقات الحوسبة السحابية، واستخدام برنامج جوملا Joomla لإدارة المحتـوى الإلکتـروني، وتکونت عينة البحث من (30) أخصائي في مجموعة واحدة حيث تخضع لاختبار قبلي، ثم تخضع لبرنامج تدريبي قائم على تطبيقات الحوسبة السحابية لتنمية مهاراتهم في إدارة المحتوى الإلکتروني باستـخدام برنامج جوملا Joomla، وقد تم اختيار أفراد مجموعة البحث من أخصائيي تکنولوجيا التعليم بمحافظة أسيوط، وراعي الباحث في اختيار مجموعة البحث المراحل الدراسية التي يعملون بها حيث تضمنت المراحل(الإبتدائية – الإعدادية – الثانوية). وبعد تحليل البيانات والکشف عن دلالة واتجاه الفروق بين متوسطات رتب درجات التطبيق القبلي والتطبيق البعدي لمجموعة البحث وبعد فترة التدريب، وبعد استعراض النتائج الإحصائية أظهرت النتائج فرقا ذو دلالة إحصائية بين متوسطي رتب درجات التطبيقين القبلي والبعدي لمجموعة أفراد مجموعة البحث، بعد تطبيق البرنامج التدريبي کان لصالح التطبيق البعدي. وبعد استعراض نتائج هذه البحث ومناقشتها، تم تقديم مجموعة من التوصيات في ضوء هذه النتائج من ضمنها الاهتمام بإعداد برامج تدريبية من جانب المتخصصين التربويين في مجال تکنولوجيا التعليم والتربية والتي تعمل على تدريب وتطوير أداء أخصائيي تکنولوجيا التعليم، وذلک لمواکبة التطور السريع المتلاحق لتکنولوجيا التعليم، وتشجعهم على التعاون مع إدارة المدرسة والمدرسين، وتوضح لهم طرق استخدام تطبيقات الحوسبة السحابية، والتي تناسب قدراتهم وإمکاناتهم حتى يتمکنوا من توفير فرص النجاح لهم والتعامل بکفاءة تکنولوجية في محيط تفاعلهم التربوي. Abstract: The problem of the study was the need for specialists in the technology of education in Assiut to develop the skills of electronic content management. The current research attempted to solve this problem through a training program based on the applications of cloud computing in the development of those skills in the specialists of education technology in Assiut Governorate. To achieve the objectives of the current research, the researcher studied many of the literature and studies and used the experimental method to measure the effectiveness of the program in the cognitive and practical aspects of the skills of electronic content management in the specialists of education technology in Assiut, where the research group consisted of (30) In the departments and schools of Assiut Governorate during the academic year 2018/2019, where research tools were applied in tribal areas, then implementation of the program, and then the post-application of research tools. Results of research: 1. There is a statistically significant difference at (0.01) between the average scores of the research group in the tribal / post-achievement test of the cognitive aspects of the content management skills for the post-application. 2. There is a statistically significant difference at (0.01) between the mean scores of the research group in the pre-post / post application of the observation card for the performance aspect of the electronic content management skills for the post-application.

فعالية استخدام المنصات التعليمية ((Edmodo لطلبة تخصص الرياضيات والحاسوب بکلية التربية الأساسية بدولة الکويت

من أبرز ما شهده هذا العصر هي الثورة المعلوماتية التي أحدثت انقلابا کبيرا في طبيعة تلقي المعلومة سواء على مستوى الدرس أم المحاضرة أم على مستوى الثقافة العامة والمعرفة المتداولة تکنولوجيا، وتعد التواصل الاجتماعي المنصات التعليمية. وهي من البرامج التکنولوجية الحديثة التي تساعد على توصيل المعلومات للتلاميذ، ويستفيد منها المربون، واولياء الأمور، والمدربون والاداريون، وبوجه عام في التعليم والتعلم والادارة.- وتعرف المنصات التعليمية الإلکترونية الادمودوبأنها بيئة تعليمية تفاعلية توظف تقنية الويب 2.0، وتجمع بين مميزات أنظمة إدارة المحتوى الإلکتروني وبين شبکات التواصل الاجتماعي الفيس بوک وغيره، وتمکن المعلمين من نشر الدروس والأهداف، ونشرالواجبات، وتطبيق الأنشطة التعليمية، والاتصال بالمعلمين من خلال تقنيات متعددة، کما أنها تمکن المعلمين من إجراء الاختبارات الإلکترونية وتوزيع الأدوار وتقسيم الطلاب إلى مجموعات عمل، وتساعد على تبادل الأفکار والآراء بين المعلمين الطلاب. ومشارکة المحتوى العلمي وتتيح لأولياء الأمور التواصل مع المعلمين والاطلاع على نتائج ابنائهم مما يساعد على تحقيق مخرجات تعليمية ذات جودة عالية. يهدف هذا البحث إلى ما يلي: أولا: التعرف على برنامج المنصات التعليمية ادمودو- Edmodo وتطبيقاته وأهم مزاياه في التعليم والتعلم المعاصر. ثانيا: استطلاع آراء طلبة تخصص رياضيات وحاسوب في کلية التربية الأساسية بدولة الکويت على برنامج المنصات التعليمية في عملية التعليم والتعلم. ثالثا: إلقاء الضوء على الصعوبات التي تواجه طلبة تخصص الرياضيات والحاسوب بکلية التربية الأساسية بدولة الکويت عند تطبيق برنامج ادمودو-Edmodo في التعليم والتعلم، وتکون البحث من الأجزاء الرئيسة التالية: - الدراسة النظرية تلقى الضوء على نتائج التجارب والتطبيقات والبحوث التي أجريت في مؤسسات التعليم العالي والجامعات العربية والعالمية عن برنامج المنصات التعليمية ادمودو-Edmodo. - الدراسة الميدانية: أعدت استبانة على مقياس ليکرت الثلاثي (موافق – لا ادرى – غير موافق) على عينة ممثلة عشوائية تقدر بعدد(200) طالب وطالبة من تخصص الرياضيات والحاسوب، ممن يدرسون في الفصل الأول، , الثاني من العام الدراسي -2015/2016-بکلية التربية الأساسية بدولة الکويت . - يتم ادخال البيانات على برنامج -SPSS virgin 19ثم تحلل البيانات الخاصة بأداة البحث إحصائيا لاستنتاج النتائج، والخروج بالتوصيات والمقترحات النهائية التي ستفيد الميدان في تبادل الخبرة العملية والتطبيقية وإثراءها کإعداد أدلة الکترونية لمختلف المواد خاصة الأنشطة التعليمية المصاحبة لتطبيق المناهج لتطويرها.وتوصل البجث الى عدد من المقترحات والتوصيات. ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ تم دعم تمويل هذا البحث من قبل الهيئة العامة للتعليم التطبيقى والبحوث ، مشروع بحث رقم (BE-16-01) ، عنوان البحث (فعالية استخدام المنصات التعليمية ((Edmodo لطلبة تخصص الرياضيات والحاسوب بکلية التربية الأساسية بدولة الکويت) . One of the most remarkable changes that this age has witnessed is the information revolution which has caused a tremendous upheaval in the way information is received, whether at the lesson or lecture level or at the level of public culture and technologically circulated knowledge. The social communication technology known as Edmodo is an online learning platform and a modern technological program which helps convey information to students. It is used by educators, parents, trainers, administrators, and generally in teaching/learning and management. Edmodo is defined as an interactive online learning environment which makes use of 0.2 web technology and combines the characteristics of electronic content management systems and those of the social network Facebook. It enables teachers to publish their lessons, objectives and assignments, practice educational activities, and communicate with teachers through various technologies. It also enables teachers to administer electronic tests, assign roles, and divide students into work groups. It helps teachers and students exchange ideas and views and share academic content. It allows parents to communicate with teachers and peruse the results of their children, and this helps attain high quality educational outcomes. The present study aims at the following: First- Learning about the online learning platform Edmodo and identifying its applications and advantages in contemporary teaching and learning. Second- Identifying the opinions and views of mathematics and computer students at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait about the use of the online learning platform Edmodo in the teaching/learning process. Third- Shedding light on the difficulties that face mathematics and computer students at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait when using Edmodo in teaching/learning. The present research consists of the following three main sections: - The theoretical study which sheds light on the results and findings of previous experiments, applications and research conducted on Edmodo at higher educational institutions as well as at Arab and international universities . - The field study in which a questionnaire that has a 3-point Likert scale format (Agree – Don't know – Disagree) is administered to a representative randomly selected sample involving 200 mathematics and computer students enrolled for the first term of the academic year 2015/2016 at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait. - Analysis of data using SPSS, version 19 to get the results and come up with the final recommendations and suggestions that will help the field in exchanging and enriching practical experience, e.g. developing and designing electronic manuals for all subjects, particularly the educational activities accompanying the application of curricula, in order to develop them. The findings reached a number of suggestions and recommendations.

Transforming South Africa’s health sector

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of transforming South Africa’s health sector through the country’s eHealth Strategy and particularly one of its key components, the implementation of an integrated Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS). Design/methodology/approach The study conducted an extensive review of literature and used it as a basis to analyse the challenges as well as opportunities in South Africa’s transformation path within its health sector based on the nation’s eHealth Strategy. Findings South Africa’s health sector faces three main transformation challenges: inequity, legacy of fragmentation and a service delivery structure biased towards curative rather than preventive services. Health information systems provide a solid platform for improving efficiency but, within South Africa, these systems have been highly heterogeneous. A recent study showed the country had more than 40 individual health information systems scattered in all provinces, with over 50 per cent not adhering to any national or international standards and more than 25 per cent being stand-alone applications that shared information neither locally nor externally. The eHealth Strategy offers a robust platform to start addressing the legacy of fragmentation and lack of interoperability. However, it also raises a few other concerns, including the use of different terminology such as Electronic Medical Record (EMR) interchangeable with Electronic Health Record (EHR), or EDRMS parallel with Electronic Content Management (ECM). In addition, there is the opportunity to explore the use of the maturity model concept in the EDRMS implementation experiences within South Africa. Originality/value This paper demonstrated the complex nature of the legacy of fragmentation in South Africa’s health information systems and explored three aspects relating to terminology as well as maturity models that should be considered in the country’s future eHealth Strategy.

Identifying an appropriate Content Management System to develop Clinical Practice Guidelines: A perspective.

Clinical Practice Guidelines are widely used to inform and improve the quality and consistency of clinical practice. Developing and publishing Clinical Practice Guidelines is a complex task involving multiple components. Electronic Content Management Systems are increasingly employed to make this task more manageable. The Content Management System market offers a variety of options for publishing content on the Internet. However, there are limited products that comprehensively address the requirements of publishing Clinical Practice Guidelines. The authors are involved in publishing guidelines for remote clinical practitioners in Australia and present their perspective about identifying an appropriate Content Management System. Several elements essential to addressing their unique editing needs are defined in this article. Unfortunately, customisation is very expensive and laborious: few Content Management System providers can comprehensively meet the needs of Clinical Practice Guidelines publishing. Being pragmatic about the level of functionality a product can offer to support publication is essential.

Determining the maturity level of business organizations for ICT implementation in the case of electronic content management

Starting from the fact that the use of electronic content is an imperative of our time, and from a general opinion that the application of modern information technologies can establish a solution for a reliable and simple organization and systematization of documentation, it can be stated that the organization's success depends directly on the achieved level of information management. Timely, accurate, verifiable, readily available and consistent data are more than necessary for business activities; however, the basic problem of the use of these data is not their existence, but the place and manner in which these data are stored and organized within distributed business units. In addition, the introduction of information technologies into business processes results in more and more useful data; nevertheless, the question is the degree of their utilization. The object of the study was to determine the degree of 'maturity' of business organizations for the implementation of information and communication technologies, viewed through the prism of organizational, personnel and technological maturity of an organization for the implementation of an electronic content management system. At the same time, the use of appropriate maturity models for electronic content management aims at approaching the maturity model concept to business organizations.

Deployment of open source electronic content management software in national government departments in South Africa

Purpose – This paper aims to report the deployment of open source electronic content management software in national government departments in South Africa, with the view to raise awareness of the free and open source software (FOSS) policy. Many countries including South Africa have developed policies that encourage the deployment of free and open source software (FOSS). Design/methodology/approach – The paper opted for qualitative data collected through interviews with four chief information officers, five information technology (IT) officials, two records managers from government departments, one archivist from the National Archives of South Africa and one IT official from the State Information Technology Agency; these were selected purposively from national government departments. Furthermore, a free test trial of open source software, Alfresco Community Edition, was conducted for a 30-day period during September 2013. Alfresco was chosen as it is the preferred FOSS in government departments in South Africa. Findings – The key finding reveals that, in contrast with the FOSS policy, governmental bodies in South Africa preferred proprietary software over FOSS, as only one government department has migrated to FOSS. The reasons cited for the low uptake of open source electronic content management include the perceived lack of support for FOSS or short lifespan support which was confirmed through the trial test, as well as a lack of IT skills by records management practitioners who are responsible for implementation of electronic content management and hidden costs as the internal staff would spend time supporting, tailoring and enhancing the software. It is observed that failure to raise awareness and benefits of the FOSS policy in South Africa will curtail the document into a dull epistle. Research limitations/implications – Due to the chosen research approach and sampling method, the results were not generalised to the population. It is hoped that the study will stimulate further research interest and raise awareness in government departments with regard to FOSS policy implementation, especially in the area of electronic content management. Practical implications – The paper shows the difficulty in implementing a policy and putting it into practice without looking into its practical feasibility. Originality/value – This research attempts to bridge the gap and bring new elements by assessing the level of FOSS adoption in the area of electronic content management which is often ignored by the government and also less researched by scholars.

Electronic content management systems support highly integrated business processes

The main objective of this study is to understand and explain how large organisations that employ highly integrated business processes could use ECMS to support work operations. Consequently, empirical investigations using a qualitative research design were conducted in a large organisation. Concepts from Orlikowski's 2000 practice lens theory are used as a lens through which qualitative data are collected, interpreted and explained. Based on the empirical evidence, it is learnt that with basic ECMS functionalities, ECM technologies are most beneficial to be used for information sharing among integrated business units. In this paper, a guideline on how these types of organisations could use ECMS for sharing information to support integrated process structure is given. Business and IT managers could use this guideline as a reference to optimise the usage of ECMS in supporting their businesses, or resolve any issues related to underutilisation of these kinds of technologies.

Artificial Intelligence Handling Through Teaching and Learning Process and It’s Effect on Science-Based Economy

According to this fact that educational system is the base of constant development in every country and this system educates human-forces and this forces,are accelerators and a factor, of achieving the goals of development,the educational system can play,Major role in the context economic behavior,in this context some concepts are regarded as behavioral targets and perform ance.In educational system, handling artificial intelligence, in teaching and learning process, had a surprising evolution through educational advantages, making job, respecting customers rights and customer relationship management, to assist priority and citizenship, correct investment through formal markets. Science -Based economy, resistible economy and a positive view to job and Iran capital,including concepts which can be institutionalize in to the educational system. In this paper it is decided to pose a new method, creating a proper cultural and scientific bed, this helps.That the educational system behavioral goals, better and stablebeing achieved. The method presented in this paper is general and based on handlingartificial intelligence, information technology and electronic content management that means in an intelligent educational system.The educational goals can be better achieved andmanaged by new technology of education.

Using Electronic Content Management Systems (ECMS) for Information Sharing in Diversification Organizations

This paper examine how diversification types of operating model influence the way in which Electronic Content Management Systems (ECMS) is used for sharing information. We use a qualitative research approach to illustrate that in organizations that emphasize few standardized and integrated business processes (Diversification), ECMS is used in certain ways to support business operations. Our findings suggest three ways for diversification organizations to use ECMS namely: (1) for sharing information about some standardized processes within business unit, (2) for sharing information about some standardized processes organization-wide, and (3) for sharing information about business objects within business unit. The finding is significant for business and IT managers because it will guide them with ways to use ECMS and gain more benefits from it.

Re‐engineering pre‐employment check‐up systems: a model for improving health services

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for improving health services provided by the pre-employment medical fitness check-up system affiliated to Egypt's Health Insurance Organization (HIO). Operations research, notably system re-engineering, is used in six randomly selected centers and findings before and after re-engineering are compared. The re-engineering model follows a systems approach, focusing on three areas: structure, process and outcome. The model is based on six main components: electronic booking, standardized check-up processes, protected medical documents, advanced archiving through an electronic content management (ECM) system, infrastructure development, and capacity building. The model originates mainly from customer needs and expectations. The centers' monthly customer flow increased significantly after re-engineering. The mean time spent per customer cycle improved after re-engineering--18.3 +/- 5.5 minutes as compared to 48.8 +/- 14.5 minutes before. Appointment delay was also significantly decreased from an average 18 to 6.2 days. Both beneficiaries and service providers were significantly more satisfied with the services after re-engineering. The model proves that re-engineering program costs are exceeded by increased revenue. Re-engineering in this study involved multiple structure and process elements. The literature review did not reveal similar re-engineering healthcare packages. Therefore, each element was compared separately. This model is highly recommended for improving service effectiveness and efficiency. This research is the first in Egypt to apply the re-engineering approach to public health systems. Developing user-friendly models for service improvement is an added value.

Managing Electronic Records. 4th ed

Managing Electronic Records. 4th ed

Why We Have Field Stations: Reflections on the Cultivation of Biologists

For a resident of the state of Nebraska, the Cedar Point Biological Station (CPBS), located in scenic limestone bluffs below Kingsley Dam, an earthfilled artificial mountain that impounds a lake 35 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide, is a bargain in American higher education. In three weeks a student can earn four credits of upper-division coursework, get original research experience, and, most importantly—especially in an educational milieu increasingly characterized by electronic content and electronic course management—get his or her hands on some live wild plants and animals in an appropriate ecological context. This encounter with nature is typically the first for our high-performer premed students on academic scholarships, who regularly attend CPBS after their junior year. The life-long impact of such experience includes lost naivete with respect to living systems, appreciation of the relationship between environment and health, and, for some, a career choice leading to professional science.

Metamorfosis de los portales: del hiper-texto a la hiper-red

Perspective on some of the current trends in portal design, based on transformations in technology, information, and organization within the information society. Our purpose is to clarify the amalgamation of ideas that encompass the portal concept, with the goal of contributing or suggesting new scenarios for the future. In an effort to address the need for new models of electronic content management based on a network of interactive information and communication, the article proposes a model similar to social networks as a change agent in the portal paradigm.

Portable C/C++ code for portable XML data

Ch XML packages integrate an embeddable C-compatible interpreter with XML C/C++ toolkits giving developers the option of using portable C/C++ scripts to process portable XML data. XML is changing the world of information sharing and exchange by letting users clearly define their data and documents for specific tasks, such as electronic data interchange, content management, or publishing. XML uses context encapsulation to separate content from presentation and to support a hierarchical structure among data from various sources. XML data is reusable, easily derivable, and reconfigurable. However, XML-based applications need a programming technology to perform processing-related tasks such as parsing, generating, manipulating, and validating the data. Application developers commonly use toolkits based on C/C++, such as Gnome's XML C parser and toolkit, Oracle's XML developer's Kit for C/C++ (XDK), and Microsoft's XML parser. These toolkits reflect the rich set of facilities, data types, operators, control structures, and runtime library functions that make C/C++ such a popular programming language. In fact, these tools, as well as the large number of skilled C/C++ programmers, often make C/C++ the preferred language for building portable systems.

CREATING DYNAMIC SUBJECT GUIDES

In September of 2003, York University Libraries implemented a system for creating dynamic subject guides on the libraries’ website. The subject guides replaced the previous method of creating static HTML subject pathfinders. The new subject guides made the creation of subject specific resource listings easier than the pathfinders and allowed a consistent look to be applied across them. A team of librarians and staff from library computing developed the system based on existing features of the libraries’ website, electronic resources database and Content Management System.