While Using XML briefly discusses XML applications in libraries, the text refers interested readers to XML in Libraries, edited by Roy Tennant, which covers using XML for catalog records, interlibrary loan, and building digital collections.1 This is not a shortcoming in the book because the author specifically states that Using XML “will focus on using XML to encode metadata, primarily bibliographic data” (14). The volume does not focus on particular XML applications; its strength is its broad overview of creating records in XML and adding structure, definitions, and style to those records. These basic concepts can then be applied to more specific applications on an individual level.

Although it is an introduction to XML, Using XML covers a variety of XML-related topics, making it a great resource both for beginners and for those with some XML experience. The book is structured into five parts, which are based on XML difficultly level (as determined by the author) starting with “Introducing XML,” which discusses the concepts of XML, and ending with “Advanced XML Techniques,” which covers schemas and Extensible Style Language (XSL). These parts are further broken down into manageable chapters and sections focusing on a specific topic. Readers with some XML experience can go directly to their needed information because the chapters and sections are listed in the table of contents, allowing easy access for readers who just need a refresher in a specific area.

This is a practical guide on XML whose major strength is its numerous exercises using real bibliographic data. Right after learning the basics of XML in the first part, “Basic XML Techniques” begins the exercises with the reader creating a basic XML document. As the reader progresses, that basic document evolves into a more complex XML document as the later exercises build upon it. The exercises are easy to follow because they stand out clearly from the rest of the text. A majority of the text is an explanation of those exercises, reinforcing their concepts. The accompanying CD contains an electronic copy of the exercises to which readers can compare their own exercises.

The CD does contain some errors. It can either display a Web page interface with links to all its files or be viewed just as files. The files include the XML exercises and further reading materials consisting of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) documents on XML, all of which are freely available from the W3C Web site (www.w3.org). The major flaw in the CD is found only in the Web page–interface view in the chapter 9 exercises with the .xsd extension. Most of these files will not open properly because of incorrect link names. Yet all the files are present on the CD and can be accessed through viewing just the files display.

The appendixes are an excellent addition to the book. They contain a glossary and a handy listing of numeric references. Additionally, the author takes a further look at two XML-based Machine-Readable Catalog (MARC) formats: a simplified MARC DTD and the MARC21 SLIM schema. The author mentions these formats, along with many other XML-based metadata formats, several times throughout the book, but never goes into detail on any but the Simplified Dublin Core, and even that coverage is brief. Just as Using XML does not focus on specific XML applications, it also does not focus on actual metadata formats. Rather, it teaches readers how to create their own DTD or schema for their own bibliographic management. Even in the appendixes, the author touches only briefly on a simplified MARC DTD, but thoroughly discusses the more widely used MARC21 SLIM schema. The amount of detail in the MARC21 SLIM section is an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise as the author breaks the schema into several parts and discusses each of the parts in detail. The complete schema is included in the text along with an electronic copy on the CD.

Overall, Using XML is a basic introduction to XML syntax that complements books on incorporating XML applications into library activities. While readers could find an online XML tutorial or a general XML guide, Using XML is aimed at librarians and uses exercises and jargon that make sense in the library world. Yet its broad XML coverage does not restrict this book to specific applications, allowing many different areas in technical services, digital libraries, and Web development to benefit.