# /research/publications/archive/releases/1997-10-10a.htm

originally: http://www.oclc.org/research/publications/archive/releases/1997-10-10a.htm

# OCLC awards 1997 research grants

DUBLIN, Ohio, Oct. 10, 1997--The OCLC Office of Research has awarded two Library and Information Science Research Grants to university researchers for 1997.

- Francis Miksa, professor, the University of Texas at Austin, received a grant for "Examining the Attributes of Information Resources on the World Wide Web and Testing for Their Usefulness as Metadata." Dr. Miksa's study will identify, compile and test for usefulness as metadata the attributes found in information resources at two diverse kinds of Web sites: information resources in Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC), the Web site of the Institute for Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin; and information resources found in a sample of Web sites that feature software for acquisition.
- Jian Qin, assistant professor, University of Southern Mississippi, received a grant for "Computational Representation of Web Objects in an Interdisciplinary Digital Library: a Survey and an Experiment in Polymer Science." Dr. Qin intends to investigate the current use of metadata elements on the Web and experiment with one of the schemes, the Dublin Core, in a subject domain--polymer science. On the basis of this investigation and experiment, a framework for implementing the Dublin Core in domain-specific digital libraries will be developed. Theoretical and practical questions are to be explored in the normalization of Web objects, breadth and depth of metadata scheme expansion, and operability of expanded metadata. This study will enhance understanding of current metadata use and implementation in subject-specific domain digital libraries and enrich the methodology for further studies in metadata.

"We are pleased to be able to support these projects," said Terry Noreault, director, OCLC Research and Special Projects Division. "University-based research adds an important dimension to our research agenda, and these projects promise findings that should be of broad interest to the library and information science community."

The OCLC Library and Information Science Research Grant program awards grants of up to $10,000 to help foster quality research by faculty in schools of library and information science. Projects are generally completed within one year, and findings are published in the Annual Review of OCLC Research and in the public domain. Application materials for 1998 will be available in November. For more information, contact the OCLC Office of Research by phone at +1-614-764-6487 or by e-mail at diane_morris@oclc.org.

OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization whose computer network and services link more than 25,000 libraries in 63 countries and territories [www.oclc.org].