Goodbye Static Bibliography, Hello OPML! or RSS, pt. 2
Tina J. Jayroe
University of Denver
Jessica Branco Colati
Metadata Architectures
May 19, 2009 Jayroe
OPML, even more than blogging, even more than RSS . . . it’s designed for what librarians do. It’s designed for knowledge, and relating one set of knowledge to another set of knowledge.
–Dave Winer, Morning Coffee Notes
Like RSS,1 OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) is a one of the most
widely used versions of the XML format. The development of both RSS and OPML can
be credited to Dave Winer, a software developer who is also responsible for the creation
of weblogs, podcasting, and many other Web applications.2 OPML is based on the
same simple scripting and technology as RSS. Its metadata elements and attributes are
mechanisms for keeping Web publications: structured, categorized, relational, dynamic, and resourceful.
OPML, which first became available in 2000, goes a step beyond RSS in that it contains an
The structure of the OPML format is hierarchical and must contain these elements:
many elements such as
element such as:
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common, there are no constraints on the number or type of attributes that
can be outlined here; this is what makes OPML so flexible and extensible
(Miller, 2005, ¶ 5).
Figure 1. OPML structure. Source: http://www.codeproject.com/KB/cs/rssframework/opml_classdiagram.gif
OPML is largely used in the weblog community for containing blogrolls—a list of links that bloggers embed in their Web pages. Not only can one subscribe to a multitude of blogs (known as subscription lists) in one directory, but they may be organized using the category attribute, which was borrowed from RSS.
Figure 2. A blogroll/subscription list. Source: http://alwaysaskwhy.com/jameselee/blog/images /EXAMPLE-raw-OPML-vs-Grazr-skinned-2006.12.30.png
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Figure 3. An example of the category attribute. Source: http://hosting.opml.org/dave/spec/category.opml
“By far” the most popular application of OPML is for manipulating subscription
lists “and probably makes OPML the number two XML-based format out on the Web,
simply because it’s the way people move their lists of feeds” (Winer, 2006, 14:25 minutes in). People often want to change their aggregators and move their feeds (e.g.,
from Google Reader to Bloglines or NewsGator, etc.). By using OPML to combine these
lists, referred to as bundles, a user is then able to transfer subscriptions—keeping the
hierarchical structure of their categories, and also preventing them from having to
subscribe to each feed again individually (Rethlefsen, Mojon & Rothman, 2009, p. 85).
Other benefits of OPML are the
XML document to be able to contact the author without that author having to publish his
or her email address or contact information (Winer, 2006, 10:20 minutes in; Scripting
News, 2000–2009, “Notes”). This spec is in line with goals of the Semantic Web in that
OPML can contain more than just lists of feeds; developers and users are encouraged
to link, or point to, an owner’s FOAF3 document, homepage, or other resource.
Appropriately, OPML 2.0 is capable of supporting namespaces4 as done similarly in
RSS 2.0 (Scripting News, Inc., 2000-2009, ¶ 5).
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Optional information, yet valuable in today’s Web environment.
Figure 4. A simple example of an OPML version 1.1 script. Source: Mercuri, 2007, p. 191
OPML 2.0 also uses the
object’s format can be traceable in the future. In other words, this element requests an
http address be added that would explain the format of the original creation and
publication. Its purpose is to provide documentation should information processing
technologies change in the future (Winer, 2006, 13:02 minutes in). Note that neither the
personal information elements nor the original document format elements are required.
At The Library
In addition to the arbitrary attributes previously mentioned, the
is another spec that makes OPML very extensible. Winer’s example: you have compiled
a subscription list pertaining to a particular topic, yet lack some knowledge in one area of that topic, you can “include” an OPML directory from another person’s outline within
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Jayroe your script, thereby creating broader scope, more currency, etc. on the topic. The real benefit, though, is whenever that person makes a change to his or her directory it will be reflected in your directory (Winer, 2006, 17:03 minutes in).
This functionality is perfect for libraries because it is an inexpensive way for librarians to publish more comprehensive bibliographies and research guides while also keeping them from becoming outdated. Winer explains how OPML was practically meant for the library environment:
Steven Cohen, who is a librarian that . . . is the editor of the Library Stuff weblog
and he’s one of the earliest librarian bloggers out there. And, Steven—like I hope
many librarians to come—has absolutely fallen in love with OPML, and I think it’s
. . . totally appropriate. OPML, even more than blogging, even more than RSS . .
. it’s designed for what librarians do. It’s designed for knowledge, and relating
one set of knowledge to another set of knowledge. And doing it in an extremely
elegant way if I do say so myself (Winer, 2006, 6:52 minutes in).
Kimberly Wilcox, assistant professor and Web services librarian at Asuza Pacific
University, uses OPML to make “dynamic” reading lists for her patrons and students in the form of syndicated research and information guides. The benefit of using OPML for this purpose is that unlike the elements in RSS, an OPML
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Jayroe variety of resources but it will also reflect any updates or changes the librarian or her
“inclusions” have made to the reading list (Wilcox, 2006, p. 8).
Figure 5. A dynamic bibliography using OPML. Source: http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/nov06/Fig2_guide.gif
Another corporate librarian, John Tropea,5 wanted to make dynamic
bibliographies after glancing at a traditional, annotated one at his library. He contemplated adding the descriptions and bibliographic records from the OPAC into
OPML using the
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Limitations and Downsides of OPML
OPML version 1.0 had some serious issues such as: (a) not providing a definition of subscription lists (Winer, 2006, 14:20 minutes in), (b) not being able to
However, these issues have been resolved and are no longer factors in OPML 2.0.
Issues that seem to concern mainstream users today are that OPML editors are not easy to use. While the benefit of not having to know XHTML or XML is an advantage, almost unanimous consensus is that the editing tools available take a lot of patience and technical skills to learn. However, as far as the library world is concerned, the only catch to creating dynamic bibliographies is having a Web site on which to host the reading lists—assuming one has a technical librarian.
Conclusion
OPML was created to provide information exchange and interoperability across programs and platforms in a simple, inexpensive, machine- and human-readable way
(Scripting News, Inc., 2000-2009, ¶ 1). It is a format for disseminating and sharing timely information much like RSS; however, OPML contains added elements/nodetypes which enable structured categorization, detailed description, and a variety of sharable extensions—whereas in RSS, content is primarily a fed through a
The main drawback of OPML is its complicated outliner tools, yet research suggests that these issues are constantly being worked on. Dave Winer and his team of developers tend to release new versions only after lengthy public review periods—
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Jayroe assuring that the OPML format is met with public satisfaction, and that it furthers the technical capabilities for managing and sharing Web-based publications. In fact, OPML does do all that: It is easy to understand, inexpensive to implement, and effective in relating humans to other humans, content to similar content, and humans to their relevant content.
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References
Harper, C. A. & Tillet, B. B. (2007). Library of Congress controlled vocabularies
and their application to the Semantic Web [Electronic version]. Cataloging &
Classification Quarterly, 43(3), 47–68.
Mercuri, M. (2007). Beginning information cards and cardspaces: From novice to
professional. Berkeley, CA: Apress.
Miller, C. (2005). What’s wrong with OPML. The Fishbowl. Retrieved May 7, 2009 from
http://fishbowl.pastiche.org/2005/10/02/whats_wrong_with_opml/.
Morin, R. C. (2005). Guide to OPML
8, 2009, from http://www.therssweblog.com/?guid=20051003145153.
Rethlefsen, M., Mojon, D.S. & Rothman, D. (2009). Internet coot tools for physicians.
Verlag Berlin Heidelberg: Springer.
Scripting News, Inc. (2000–2009). OPML 2.0. Retrieved May 7, 2009, from
http://www.opml.org/spec2.
Wilcox, K. (2006). Gear up your research guides with the emerging OPML codes.
Computers in Libraries, 26(10), 6–8, 46–48.
Winer, D. (Speaker). (2006). Morning Coffee Notes. (Podcast) Available from
http://www.opml.org /directory/19/applications/morningCoffeeNotes. Direct URL
at http://static2.podcatch.com/blogs/gems/snedit/cn06mar01.mp3.
Tropea, J. (2006). OPML for OPAC. Library Clips Blog. Retrieved May 9, 2009, from
http://libraryclips.blogsome.com/2006/03/14/opml-for-opac/.
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Notes
1 The current version, RSS 2.0, stands for Really Simple Syndication. Previous
versions (RSS 0.9/1.0 and RSS 0.91–0.94) are known as RDF Site Summary and Rich
Site Summary respectively.
2 “Dave Winer, 53, pioneered the development of weblogs, syndication (RSS),
podcasting, outlining, and web content management software; former contributing editor
at Wired Magazine, research fellow at Harvard Law School, entrepreneur, and investor
in web media companies. A native New Yorker, he received a Master's in Computer
Science from the University of Wisconsin, a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Tulane
University and currently lives in Berkeley, California” (Retrieved May 8, 2009, from
http://www.scripting.com/stories/2008/01/23/shareopmlorgRetired.html).
3 FOAF is an acronym for the Friend of a Friend system and is used to aggregate
information via the Web about a person, their related persons, and their personal
associations. The FOAF project/initiative supports semantic connections between
identities (Harper & Tillett, 2007, p. 61).
4 “XML namespaces provide a simple method for qualifying element and attribute
names used in Extensible Markup Language documents by associating them with
namespaces identified by URI references” (Retrieved May 14, 2009, from
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml-names/).
5 John Tropea was a corporate librarian at an engineering library at the time of
his suggestion to use OPML for annotated bibliographies (personal communication,
May 9, 2009).
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