[Web4lib] Microformats

John Fereira jaf30 at cornell.edu
Fri Jul 28 14:33:53 EDT 2006


Ross Singer wrote:
>
>
> There is still hope of some sort of crossover between the hCite
> microformat and OpenURL, but my guess is that it won't explicitly be
> Z39.88 as we know it (instead probably something more like Bibtex).
I discovered hCite and  microformats through the LiveClipboard project.  
If you haven't seen this it's kind of cool.  http://www.liveclipboard.org/

Basically,  it extends the cut-n-paste paradigm from just cutting and 
pasting text in windows applications to   cut-n-paste structured content 
(aka microformats) between application or content rendered in a 
browser.  I was particularly interested in it because I developed a 
system which integrates Table of Contents alerts from a couple of 
vendors and then makes them available in several formats (either via the 
web site or as an email message).  Each vendor provides the TOC in a 
different non-standard tagged format that is transformed to XML then 
using a bunch of style sheets renders a journals TOC as HTML, text, 
endnote, refworks, and a couple of other formats.  I'd like to replace 
the XML with an hCite format (or something like it) which could allow a 
user to cut a single citation and paste into a citation manager.
>
> The jargon of OpenURL is just too much for the broader world to adopt, 
> I fear.
>
> -Ross.
>
> On 7/28/06, Roy Tennant <Roy.Tennant at ucop.edu> wrote:
>> Uh, the COinS microformat _is_ OpenURL: http://ocoins.info// .
>> Roy
>>
>>
>> On 7/28/06 8:03 AM, "Karen Coyle" <kcoyle at kcoyle.net> wrote:
>>
>> > Thanks to all who answered my query. So, microformats carry/define
>> > actionable data. Is there/could there be some synergy with the 
>> OpenURL?
>> > I ask this because the microformats, as described on the wiki, seem to
>> > me to be a bit kitchen-sink-y (one like this, another like that), and
>> > I'd rather see some unification rather than a bunch of different 
>> formats.
>> >
>> > kc
>> >
>> > Ross Singer wrote:
>> >> The intention of the microformat is to semantically mark up data that
>> >> appears in HTML.
>> >>
>> >> This way, items on web pages can become more 'actionable' (machines
>> >> can figure out what's there and do something with them) without the
>> >> need for screen scraping (which is prone to failure).
>> >>
>> >> There are those (ok, it's me) that grow a little weary of their
>> >> 'humans first' dogma; I'm not convinced that /everything/ needs to
>> >> appear in the display.
>> >>
>> >> Still, when you start working with the concept of microformats it's
>> >> tough to deny the usefulness.
>> >>
>> >> -Ross.
>> >>
>> >> On 7/27/06, Karen Coyle <kcoyle at kcoyle.net> wrote:
>> >>> I took a look at some of this and still can't quite figure out what
>> >>> makes something a "microformat" as opposed to a "format." (Yes, I 
>> read
>> >>> the definition page on the wiki.) Can anyone articulate that? It 
>> just
>> >>> seems like an excuse to create YAF (yet another format).
>> >>>
>> >>> kc
>> >>>
>> >>> Ross Singer wrote:
>> >>>> You'll also see librarians and their 'ilk' all over:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> http://microformats.org/wiki/citation
>> >>>>
>> >>>> and
>> >>>>
>> >>>> http://microformats.org/wiki/uid
>> >>>>
>> >>>> -Ross.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> On 7/27/06, Jeremy Frumkin <jeremy.frumkin at oregonstate.edu> wrote:
>> >>>>> So, work related to microformats and libraries is already 
>> underway.
>> >>>>> Check
>> >>>>> out the unAPI work (http://unapi.info/), which evolved from 
>> earlier
>> >>>>> work on
>> >>>>> COinS (http://www.ocoins.info).
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> -- jaf
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> On 7/27/06 12:03 PM, "Keith D. Engwall" <kengwall at catawba.edu> 
>> wrote:
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>> I'm curious as to what interest there is among the library
>> >>>>> community for
>> >>>>>> Microformats (http://microformats.org).
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I'm still getting my head wrapped around them, but I think 
>> there's
>> >>>>>> potential for developing microformats for digital collections,
>> >>> brief
>> >>>>>> catalog records, etc.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> For an excellent introduction to what Microformats are, check 
>> out:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Digital Web Magazine: Microformats Primer by Garrett Dimon
>> >>>>>> (http://www.digital-web.com/articles/microformats_primer/)
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Microformats Wiki: Introduction to Microformats
>> >>>>>> (http://microformats.org/wiki/introduction)
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Keith
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> ---------------------------------
>> >>>>>> Keith Engwall
>> >>>>>> Head of Library Systems and Technology
>> >>>>>> Catawba College
>> >>>>>> Salisbury, NC
>> >>>>>> kengwall at catawba.edu
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over
>> >>> public
>> >>>>>> relations, for nature cannot be fooled." - Richard P. Feynman
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________
>> >>>>>> Web4lib mailing list
>> >>>>>> Web4lib at webjunction.org
>> >>>>>> http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> -- jaf
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> ===============================================
>> >>>>> Jeremy Frumkin
>> >>>>> The Gray Chair for Innovative Library Services
>> >>>>> 121 The Valley Library, Oregon State University
>> >>>>> Corvallis OR 97331-4501
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Jeremy.Frumkin at oregonstate.edu
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> 541.737.9928
>> >>>>> 541.737.3453 (Fax)
>> >>>>> 541.230.4483 (Cell)
>> >>>>> ===============================================
>> >>>>> " Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes
>> >>>>> nothing. "
>> >>>>> - Emerson
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> _______________________________________________
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>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>> _______________________________________________
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>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>
>> >>> --
>> >>> -----------------------------------
>> >>> Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
>> >>> kcoyle at kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
>> >>> ph.: 510-540-7596
>> >>> fx.: 510-848-3913
>> >>> mo.: 510-435-8234
>> >>> ------------------------------------
>> >>>
>> >>>
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>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >>
>>
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