RFC 1691 (rfc1691) - Page 1 of 10

The Document Architecture for the Cornell Digital Library

Network Working Group                                          W. Turner
Request for Comments: 1691                                           LTD
Category: Informational                                      August 1994


       The Document Architecture for the Cornell Digital Library

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  This memo
   does not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of
   this memo is unlimited.

Abstract

   This memo defines an architecture for the storage and retrieval of
   the digital representations for books, journals, photographic images,
   etc., which are collected in a large organized digital library.

   Two unique features of this architecture are the ability to generate
   reference documents and the ability to create multiple views of a
   document.

Introduction

   In 1989, Cornell University and Xerox Corporation, with support from
   the Commission on Preservation and Access and later Sun Microsystems,
   embarked on a collaborative project to study and to prototype the
   application of digital technologies for the preservation of library
   material.  During this project, Xerox developed the College Library
   Access and Storage System (CLASS), and Cornell developed software to
   provide network access to the CLASS Digital Library.

   Xerox and Cornell University Library staff worked closely together to
   define requirements for storing both low- and high-resolution
   versions of images, so that the low-resolution images could be used
   for browsing over the network and the high-resolution images could be
   used for printing.  In addition, substantial work was done to define
   documents with internal structures that could be navigated.  Xerox
   developed the software to create and store documents, while Cornell
   developed complementary software to allow library users to browse the
   documents and request printed copies over the network.

   Cornell has defined a document architecture which builds on the
   lessons learned in the CLASS project, and is maintaining digital
   library materials in that form.





Turner