SGML and the digital libraries of tomorrow

It is clear that success in extending the utility and power of computing and telecommunications to deliver scholarly information is dependent on many decisions. Among the most important are the adoption of standards and protocols which insure that the issues of migration, and refreshing of electronic information, are fairly straightforward and as routine as possible and thereby insuring long term both preservation and access requirements, which are dependent on open systems and interoperability. However, all standards are not created equal and while some make is possible to migrate data to new standards, others do not. Early adopters of SGML made a large contribution to understanding why these decisions are important, and David Chesnutt's column is an excellent summary of the case for this and related standards-CBL, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.