Our first prototype Bizet web site is available here. The site provides a basic set of functions for viewing the entries in the catalog, and for searching across them. We've also included some functions useful for additional review of the site.
Bizet Thematic Catalog
Principal Investigator(s):
Hugh Macdonald, Washington University in St. Louis The project aims to produce a thematic catalog of the works of Georges Bizet. The catalog intends to become the comprehensive reference to Bizet's works, by including for each work information such as its lyrical and musical sources, its composition and publication histories, a record of its performances and arrangements, and its discography.
Prototype Web Site
XML Server
The HDW has developed an open source XML server, which integrates with our secure, back-end SVN repository, and delivers XML to web audiences. XML can either be styled for display, or presented for update (if the user has the appropriate permissions).
Students use the XML server when making light, proofreading changes to the XML. When the changes are minor, it is often more convenient for them to use the XML server instead of Oxygen, our usual XML editor, because the XML server is available from any computer with an internet connection, and requires no software to be loaded on that computer.
We also use the XML server to deliver styled XML (i.e., XML that has been transformed into presentable HTML) for the prototype web site. The advantage of using the XML server for this purpose is that changes made to the XML will appear on the web site real-time, without intervention.
Basecamp and Project Management
Because our projects typically run for several years, and because a number of students may work on the project ject over that time, we face some unique challenges in coordinating our efforts:
- We need to preserve knowledge that we've gathered.
- We need a common place to record task assignments and track progress.
- The information we've gathered needs to be available from anywhere, anytime. Team members should not have to be on campus to ask a question or find an answer.
To meet these challenges, we've started using Basecamp, a web service offering project managements tools and a collaborative web space. We've made extensive use of it for the Bizet project, and we're planning on using it for other projects.