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The Digital Library Federation launched the METS initiative to produce an
XML data format which digital libraries could use to encode and store
structural
and related metadata for complex digital library objects, and to achieve a
greater degree of interoperability in exchanging such objects.  To further
promote the goal of interoperability of information between digital libraries,
members of the METS initiative decided to form an editorial board that will
perform the following duties:

*  work with the larger digital library community to further develop the
XML schema
defining the METS document format, and serve as the arbiters for any proposed
revisions to the schema;

*  actively promote the development of extension XML schema to work with
the METS
schema, and endorse particular schema for use with METS when such an
endorsement
may promote interoperability of METS documents across systems;

*  work with the Library of Congress to provide registry services for
application profiles for
use of the METS document format and for repositories employing the METS format;

*  promote the development of open source software to help digital
libraries in making use
of the METS format, and provide advice to commercial and non-commercial
software developers
seeking to implement support for the METS format;

*  seek support for documentation and educational efforts necessary to help
digital libraries
in adopting the METS format; and

*  work with the digital library community to ensure the METS document format
supports and complements other prominent digital library standards and
initiatives
such as DCMI, EAD, MARC, OAI and TEI, and developing standards such as MODS.

The Library of Congress has agreed to help serve as a maintenance agency
for the
METS schema, endorsed extension schema, and the registry services mentioned
above.
The Research Libraries Group will be serving as a coordinator for the METS
editorial board,
assisting with administrative tasks of the board and fund-raising to
support the METS initiative.

The following individuals have agreed to serve on the METS editorial board:

         Jerome McDonough (Chair)
         New York University

         Rick Beaubien
         University of California

         Morgan Cundiff
         Library of Congress

         Nancy Hoebelheirich
         Stanford University

         Mark Kornbluh
         Michigan State University

         Cecilia Preston
         Preston & Lynch

         Merrilee Proffitt
         Research Libraries Group

         Richard Rinehart
         Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive

         Mackenzie Smith
         Massachusetts Institute of Technology

         Taylor Surface
         OCLC

         Robin Wendler
         Harvard University

We have not finalized board membership at this point, and the current board
members
would like to encourage organizations with a strong interest in promoting
the development
and use of the METS format to consider requesting appointment of a delegate
to the editorial
board.  The current board members would particularly like to encourage
participation by
organizations outside the United States.  Those considering requesting
membership in the board
should keep in mind that participation will require a commitment of both
time and financial
resources; while the board will be seeking funding to assist its members in
pursuing the initiative's
goals, at this point the board has only very limited funding for assisting
with travel and other
expenses.  Those interested in requesting membership in the board should
contact the METS
editorial board chair, Jerome McDonough, at [log in to unmask]

At this point, the board membership would like to thank all of those who
have participated
in the METS initiative to date and contributed to its enthusiastic
reception.  In particular, the
board would like to thank Daniel Greenstein, former Director of the Digital
Library Federation,
without whose support METS would never have happened.  We hope our work
will help provide
a standard upon which the entire digital community can build, and look
forward to what will
certainly be exciting and interesting work!


Jerome McDonough
Digital Library Development Team Leader
Elmer Bobst Library, New York University
70 Washington Square South, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10012
[log in to unmask]
(212) 998-2425