• General Information
• Code of practice
• Lecture Schedule and Slides
• Sections and Readings
• Projects

This course examines information systems built on the World Wide Web.  Some examples of these systems are digital libraries, virtual museums, e-commerce sites, collaborative learning environments, and virtual laboratories.  Throughout the semester we will study the technical, economic, legal, and social issues in establishing systems that aggregate, organize, and manage web content and services.

The content of the course combines:

• Technology - The topics covered include markup languages, web services, protocols, ontology and knowledge modeling languages, semi-structured data parsing and manipulation.
• Theory - The topics covered include information theory and organization, identity, bibliographic theory, document theory, and ontology design,.
• Practice - The topics covered include preservation and longevity, intellectual property issues, scholarly communication, e-science, e-learning, and various case studies.

Throughout the course we will recall that information systems pre-date computers.  Those traditional information systems - a.k.a. libraries - have developed well-honed tools, models, and techniques for managing content and services.  We will explore how they map to contemporary network-based environments, understand the lessons to be learned from them, and note how some of them might need radical reconsideration in a world of ubiquitous computing, high-speed networks, and new forms of content.

Course work includes readings, critical reviews, and technical projects that build expertise in tools and mechanisms for presenting and organizing information.