Metadocuments supporting digital library information discovery

The World Wide Web is a decentralized, unmanaged, dynamically changing repository of digital documents. Walden's Paths provides tools that enable authors to collect, organize, annotate, and present Web-based information to reader communities via a linear metadocument called a path. Walden's Paths includes path authoring and reading interfaces supporting the contextualization of included materials to match authors' goals as well as enabling browsing off the path to match readers' personal interests. It also provides tools to manage these paths of transient Web materials based on the identification and evaluation of changes to the component pages. Experience with Walden's Paths in educational settings and changes to Web technology as well as the Web-savvyness of users have led to a variety of changes to earlier designs. Current directions of work include the development of methods for evaluating readers' understanding via quizzes associated with paths and richer path structures. © Springer-Verlag 2004.