Digital video delivery for a digital library in computer science

With support from four NSF awards we aim to develop a prototype digital library in computer science and apply it to improve undergraduate educations. First, Project Envision, `A User- Centered Database from the Computer Science Literature,' 1991-94, deals with translation, coding standards including SGML, retrieval/previewing/presentation/browsing/linking, human-computer interaction, and construction of a partial archive using text and multimedia materials provided by ACM. Second, `Interactive Learning with a Digital Library in Computer Science,' 1993-96, supported by NSF and ACM with additional assistance from other publishers, focuses on improving learning through delivery of materials from the archive. Third, `Networked Multimedia File System with HyTime,' funded by NSF through the SUCCEED coalition, considers networking support for distributed multimedia applications and the use of HyTime for description of such applications. Fourth, equipment support comes from the Information Access Laboratory allotment of the `Interactive Accessibility: Breaking Barriers to the Power of Computing' grant funded by NSF for 1993-98. In this paper we report on plans and work with digital video relating to these projects. In particular we focus on our analysis of the requirements for a multimedia digital library in computer science and our experience with MPEG as it applies to that library.