[topicmaps-comment] Introduction: Patrick Durusau

[Patrick Durusau <pdurusau@emory.edu>]

Hello,

The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) sponsored my participation in
TopicMaps.Org as an original and founding member and has become a member
of OASIS so I can continue my involvement in topicmaps development.

SBL members are primarily professional biblical scholars (seminanries
and university professors) but it also includes a growing number of
people who are simply interested in biblical studies. Our members are
consumers of technology and the SBL has recognized that it should be
involved in standards efforts to both voice the needs of its members and
to be aware of new technologies that will be of service to its members. 

I am primarily interested in the use of markup technologies for the
encoding, publication and analysis of Ancient Near Eastern texts. In my
SBL context (scope?) ;-) that translates to the use of markup for
delivery of materials to biblical scholars, both professional and lay,
via print, electronic and web based delivery mechanisms. That includes
biblical texts and secondary materials, such a journals and monographs. 

I have been involved in markup languages from about ten years, having
used SGML/DSSSL for the publication of the second edition of my book,
High Places in Cyberspace (biblical/religious studies, archaeology and
classics resources on the WWW), SGML for the delivery of biblical
studies journals (using DynaWeb), and more recently, the use of XML/XSLT
internally at the SBL for a number of ongoing projects. I am interested
in complex textual markup problems such as concurrent markup
(presentation at Extreme 2001) and the use of topicmaps for recording
and navigating textual analysis.

Looking forward to further progress on topicmaps!

Patrick
 
-- 
Patrick Durusau
Director of Research and Development
Society of Biblical Literature
pdurusau@emory.edu