For Immediate Release:                                               For
More Information:

September 29, 2010
Elise Proulx, Outreach & Marketing Coordinator

 
Publishing Group, California Digital Library

 
415 20th Street, 4th Floor

 
Oakland, CA 94612

 
510-587-6439 | [log in to unmask]           

 

eXtensible Text Framework (XTF) Website Launched

Robust open-source application makes managing access to digital content
simple

 

The Publishing Group of the California Digital Library (CDL) announces
the launch of the eXtensible Text Framework (XTF) website
(http://xtf.cdlib.org/), supporting a robust open-source application for
providing access to digital content.  Developed and maintained by the
CDL, XTF functions as the primary access technology for the CDL's
digital collections and similar projects worldwide.

XTF excels in supporting rapid, customized application development and
deployment. Its high degree of extensibility and performance (even for
large documents and large collections) frees implementers to focus on
building sophisticated presentations for their digital object
collections.  

"It's all about balancing flexibility and ease of use: putting infinite
customization ability in the hands of curators and scholars with a
driving need to provide deep access to their special collections," says
XTF lead developer Martin Haye. 

XTF-based applications range from primary source image collections to
publishing platforms and archival finding aid repositories at the
University of California and many other institutions, including
Northwestern University, the University of Sydney (Australia), Indiana
University, Visual Arkiv (Sweden), Morehouse College, Durham University
(UK), and the University of Virginia. 

Highly customized implementations include:

*         CDL's eScholarship (http://www.escholarship.org/
<http://www.escholarship.org/> ), UC's open access scholarly publishing
platform, which publishes recent research from across the 10 campuses as
well as nearly 40 UC-based scholarly journals. XTF customizations
include a streamlined facet-selection interface, dynamic PDF snippets
called "KWIC Pics," PDF document previews in the browser, and support
for a deep hierarchy of contributing academic units. 

*         CDL's Online Archive of California (http://www.oac.cdlib.org/
<http://www.oac.cdlib.org/> ), a collection of more than 20,000 archival
finding aids and 200,000 digital primary sources (images and texts) from
more than 150 archives, libraries, and other institutions in the state
of California. XTF implementation features full-text search and display,
detailed descriptive metadata, and a robust finding aid interface.

*         Indiana University's The Chymistry of Isaac Newton
(http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/
<http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/> ), a digital repository of
transcriptions of Newton's alchemical manuscripts. Site features a
seamless blend of various web tools, including XTF as the search
technology. 

*         The Encyclopedia of Chicago
(http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/
<http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/> ), a collaboration between the
Chicago  Historical Society, Northwestern University, and the Newberry
Library. Site integrates XTF with an image zoomer to display a large
collection of historic photographs and maps, as well as using XTF for
search and display of descriptive metadata.

 

Lightly customized implementations include:

 

*         OhioLink Finding Aids Repository
(http://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/ <http://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/> ),
this consortium of archives, libraries, and other institutions in the
state of Ohio uses the default XTF implementation with dedicated
branding and other slight modifications.

*         University of Buffalo Finding Aids
(http://libweb1.lib.buffalo.edu:8080/findingaids/search
<http://libweb1.lib.buffalo.edu:8080/findingaids/search> ) uses a basic
XTF application to enable browse and search of collection guides from
the university's archival and manuscript collections.  

The new site serves as an expanded resource for programmers, librarians,
and the general public to explore and implement the Java and XSLT
2.0-based framework.  Features include:

 

*         XTF application download - full release or core updates to
maintain customizations (http://xtf.cdlib.org/download/
<http://xtf.cdlib.org/download/> )

*         Documentation, including downloadable deployment guide,
programming guide, and tag reference (http://xtf.cdlib.org/documentation
<http://xtf.cdlib.org/documentation/> )  

*         Video tutorials focusing on basic setup and customization of
XTF (http://xtf.cdlib.org/getting-started-tutorials
<http://xtf.cdlib.org/getting-started-tutorials/> )

*         Example XTF implementations highlighting customized features.
(http://xtf.cdlib.org/xtf <http://xtf.cdlib.org/xtf/> )

 

For a full list of XTF's features and benefits, as well as a technical
overview, please visit http://xtf.cdlib.org/about or address queries to
Martin Haye at [log in to unmask] 

###

-----------------------------------------------

Lisa Schiff, Ph.D.

Technical Lead

Publishing Group

California Digital Library <http://www.cdlib.org/> 
University of California
Office of the President
415 20th Street, 4th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612-2901 

510-987-0881 (t) 510-893-5212 (f)

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