D-Lib Magazine<br /> May 2006<br /> Volume 12 Number 5<br /> <br /> Introduction<br /> <br /> Formal, structured annotation metadata provides a mechanism by which digital libraries can provide additional information about library resources above and beyond that which is included in the master resource metadata record. Annotations can be used to capture, organize, and convey information that might otherwise be lost in the ephemera of emails or list servers, such as users' opinions about the usefulness of a resource or suggestions for adapting the resource for use in a classroom. Annotations can codify the professional judgment of third parties, who are neither resource creator nor library builder, for example, by marking resources that are judged to take an advocacy position on controversial issues. Annotations can flag resources that are of interest to a specialized subset of users, thus conveying specialized information that is only of interest to that sub-audience.<br /> <br /> Although the value of annotations in digital libraries has long been recognized from a theoretical perspective [1], annotations are just beginning to demonstrate their practical value to real-world users. In this article, we describe a fully implemented annotation system within the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) [2]. The DLESE Community Review System (CRS) [3] captures feedback from teachers and learners who have used a DLESE resource, aggregates this information into formats of interest to other users and potential users of the resource, and disseminates the results as annotations. This article describes how CRS annotations are created, disseminated, and used to generate displays for end-users. In the collaboration reported here, Arko and Kastens at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) were the annotation providers, while Ginger and Weatherley at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) maintained the library collections and primary search portal. We conclude with some lessons learned and suggestions for other creators of digital library annotation systems.
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