As with most technical fields, we sometimes speak our own language. Here is a list of acronyms, terms and definitions relating to digital libraries, cataloging and building web pages.
CMS
Content Management System
A program developed at SERC for building web pages and collections of materials.
DCS
DLESE Catalog System
A way to catalog records using the original DLESE cataloging tool. SERC houses several versions of this tool for use with each project.
DERMEED
Digital Educational Resources for Microbial Ecology, Evolution and Diversity Original project name for the project that is producing MLER.
DLESE
Digital Library in Earth Systems Education Housed in Boulder, CO. This group collects cataloged records from a number of sources, including SERC. DLESE is a clearinghouse for over 8000 cataloged records. We can also import DLESE records and use them in our collections.
DPC
DLESE Program Center, in Boulder, CO
Dublin Core
Another way to catalog records, using NSDL standards and not DLESE standards. Dublin Core cataloging is less involved and quicker than cataloging to DLESE standards.
Lists
A way to compile resources into a collection using the CMS. In many cases, lists are being replaced by vocabulary-based browse/search interfaces, but lists are still used for short collections of resources.
MBL
Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole)
Micro*scope
One of the STAR web sites to which resources in MLER will be linked
MLER
Microbial Life Educational Resources
Web site for educational resources relating to microbiology.
NSDL
National Science Data Library
Another clearinghouse for cataloged records, and another place we send our records.
QA
Quality Assurance
Review of cataloged records. Once a cataloger has finished a record, it will get QA by another cataloger to check for errors.
SERC
Science Education Resource Center, at Carleton College in Northfield MN.
The folks at SERC work in collaboration with MSU and MLER staff to produce the cataloged collections and web sites that house them. All of the servers that hold our work are at SERC.
STAR
A software system for biodiversity web-sites being developed at the MBL
uBio
Universal Biological Indexer and Organizer
Project based at the MBL and which provides the taxonomic infrastructure for STAR and for a number of taxonomic indexing services. http://www.ubio.org
Vocabularies
A predetermined list of terms to sort and search collections. The vocabularies are determined by the planning team for each project. The cataloger matches the proper vocabularies for each resource. Vocabulary terms commonly include the resource type and the subject matter.