The ADL Registry (ADL-R) provides a means for registering, searching, and discovering digital objects using a common set of metadata. Metadata is information that describes the digital object, such as its title, description, or author. The ADL Registry does not store digital objects, it provides a pointer to the actual digital objects that are located and managed in repositories. Access to, and reuse of, the digital objects are subject to the restrictions set forth by the object owners and repository managers.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative sponsors and operates the ADL Registry. The ADL Registry provides the means for DoD Components to comply with DoD Instruction (DODI) 1322.26, Development, Management, and Delivery of Distributed Learning.

The ADL Registry is the first publicly available CORDRA registry. CORDRA, Content Object Repository Discovery and Registration Architecture, is a framework on which a family of services may be built to support the discovery, sharing, and ultimately, reuse of digital objects.

DoD Instruction (DODI) 1322.26, Development, Management, and Delivery of Distributed Learning, policy requires DoD Components to share training resources, including Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)-compliant objects, to the maximum extent possible. Specifically, DoD Components are required by 1322.26 to:

• Register digital object metadata and digital object repositories with the ADL Registry.
• Search the ADL Registry prior to developing or acquiring learning objects.

Currently, content with classified metadata is exempt from registering in the ADL Registry.

The repository manager is the primary point of contact for the repository that is registered with the ADL Registry. Generally, the repository manager has rights to insert, update, activate, search, deactivate, delete, withdraw, and move. The Repository Manager is responsible for the operation, maintenance, access, security, and business rules for the local repository. Through delegation to specific contributors, the repository manager is also responsible for creating and maintaining metadata records that describe digital objects in the repository. If local security and access policies prevent direct access to identified digital objects, the repository manager must document how digital objects may be obtained.

A digital object repository is a local system for storing, maintaining, and accessing digital objects. Although there are no specific assumptions related to implementation, local digital object repositories must have certain capabilities in order to comply with the ADL Registry model. These include:

• A means to create, register, and maintain digital object metadata records in the ADL Registry.
• A means to electronically access registered content objects within the repository.
• Approval to participate in the ADL Registry by the appropriate DoD Component Proponent.

The appropriate DoD Component Proponent must approve a local respository applying for an account with the ADL Registry.

To contribute metadata to the ADL Registry, you must first register your repository; you may then register contributors.

Generally, a contributor has rights to insert, update, activate, search, and deactivate metadata. When registering as a contributor, you must have the repository ID and repository manager information from the registered repository to which you want to contribute metadata. Following the successful submission of the Contributor Registration form, ADL will contact the repository manager to request access rights for the new contributor. When the repository manager approves the account, ADL will send the contributor an e-mail containing a user name and temporary password from adlregistry@adlnet.gov. The e-mail will also prompt the contributor to use the Change/Retrieve Password function capability of the ADL Registry Web site.

The ADL Registry stores the metadata (information) about the digital object, rather than the digital object itself. The ADL Registry accepts metadata for all types of digital objects including e-learning, computer-based training, pedagogies, technical reports, intelligent agents, and many other forms of performance aiding content. You may contribute digital objects that are proposed, under development, completed, or being revised to the ADL Registry in accordance with DODI 1322.20. Digital objects may be either SCORM or non-SCORM compliant. DoD Instruction 1322.26 specifies using the current SCORM version for newly acquired digital objects. Contributors should identify the specific SCORM version in the ADL Registry Learning Object Metadata (LOM) Technical Format element of the digital object metadata. All digital object metadata contributed to the ADL Registry is persistent and accessible.

You can submit any format of digital object to the ADL Registry, as long as its metadata adheres to the ADL Registry Learning Object Metadata (LOM) schema and cardinality documents. One example of a digital object is a Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)-compliant content package. A SCORM package is a zip file containing information and organization of objects, and all related files needed to render the content. Such packages are self-describing through the use of an internal manifest and may include one simple object, or a collection of objects and supporting files. You may include content assets in the relation metadata element and include them in the SCORM- cmpliant content package. By DoD policy, repositories must be able to store digital objects (in some format) and export them as SCORM content packages, but you may register other digital object types and formats at the discretion of the repository manager.

There are two methods for contributing metadata to the ADL Registry. Contributors from organizations familiar with creating XML transaction files may upload the XML files to the Registry; contributors from organizations who prefer to enter the metadata in a web form may use the ADL Registry online form. Regardless of the method chosen, you must register the repository and contributors prior to contributing metadata.

There are seven types of transactions for contributing metadata to the ADL Registry. The metadata identifies the transaction type.

• Insert: This is the most common transaction that adds a new, unique instance of metadata to the ADL Registry. Each metadata instance is assigned a unique ID. View an ADL Registry Submission Envelope (REG-T) INSERT Transaction Example.
• Update: This transaction updates an existing instance of registered metadata. The update action replaces the entire existing instance of metadata with the new metadata provided in the registry transaction. View an ADL Registry Submission Envelope (REG-T) UPDATE Transaction Example.
• Delete: This transaction deletes an existing instance of registered metadata. The delete action completely removes the identified metadata instance from the ADL Registry. As a consequence of the delete action, the metadata will not appear in search results (the digital object will no longer be able to be found through the ADL Registry). View an ADL Registry Submission Envelope (REG-T) DELETE Transaction Example.
• Deactivate: This transaction disables searches based on an existing instance (according to the metadata instance unique ID) of registered metadata until further notice. This action prevents the metadata instance from appearing in search results (the digital object will not be able to be found through the ADL Registry). The deactivate action does not delete any registered metadata instances. Thus, a metadata instance that is under review for any reason could be temporarily hidden and then later revealed again instead of being deleted and later re-inserted.
• Activate: This transaction enables a previously deactivated instance of registered metadata describing a digital object. This action indicates to the ADL Registry to include the metadata instance in relevant search results. The activate action affects only the identified metadata instance (based on the metadata instance unique ID) for a given content object.
• Move: This transaction informs the ADL Registry that the location of a registered digital object has changed.
• Withdraw: This transaction removes a registered digital object and all registered instances of metadata describing that object from the ADL Registry. Performing this action makes discovery (search) of the digital object, through the ADL Registry, no longer available.

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To view the status of a contribution, you must have either a Validation or Transaction ID. The ADL Registry assigns and returns a Validation ID for every metadata submission. Use the Validation ID to request the Validation Status of the submission. The Validation Status data contains information about the processing status of the batch, including how many transactions have been validated, how many transactions remain, how many transactions had errors, etc. After all of the transactions in the batch have been validated, the Validation Status will contain a Transaction ID that you can use to get the status of the metadata submission. The Transaction Status data will contain Content Object identifiers and the assigned Metadata Instance identifiers if successful, and error messages if not.

If you receive an error message, or if your transaction is rejected, e-mail Ask the Experts at adlregistry@adlnet.gov for more information.

The Practice ADL Registry is identical to the ADL Registry in all respects except for access procedures and policies. The data in the Practice Registry is not guaranteed for persistence, accuracy, or authenticity. The Practice ADL Registry allows organizations to practice registering, contributing, and searching digital objects using a common set of metadata. As a sandbox, or test bed, the data in the Practice ADL Registry may periodically be deleted, and many of the records may not enable the 'get object' function for accessing the object itself. There is currently no mechanism for migrating data from the Practice ADL Registry to the ADL Registry.

You can perform complex queries, including wildcard searches, for single character and multiple character string wildcards. The "?" symbol replaces a single character in a string of characters. The * symbol replaces multiple characters in a string of characters. You cannot use the "?" or "*" symbol as the first character in a string. For example, if you are searching for any content related to "device"; a search using "devic?" would find "device" and "devices". Likewise, a search using "improv*" would find "improvement", "improve", "improvise", "improvisation", etc.

All vCard elements (N, FN, VERSION, etc.) are required to be terminated by a hard-coded, escaped CRLF (Carriage Return Line Feed). One way to do this in XML is with the sequence 
. The following is an example of a valid vCard:

<lom:entity>BEGIN:VCARD&#13;&#10;VERSION:3.0&#13;&#10;N:Example Name&#13;&#10;FN:Example Formatted Name&#13;&#10;END:VCARD&#13;&#10;</lom:entity>

The ADL Registry allows each repository to establish its own local business rules regarding who can access the objects in it and how those objects may be accessed. Depending on the rules established by each individual repository, you may or may not be able to directly access the object identified in your search results. In some cases you may receive a link to a help desk or other contact information for the repository manager; in other cases you may have to request access to a system like JKO or AKO. The ADL Registry does not require repository managers to provide direct access to any object.

The Advanced Search Form allows you to build and inspect a search query for the ADL Registry. The form contains the following fields:

• all of these words requires that every word in this field is present in the search results
• any of these words requires that one or more of the words in this field are present in the search results
• exact phrase requires that the words in this field are present in the search results in the exact order as they are in the field
• exclude these words requires that the words in this field are not present in the search results
• search only within allows you to constrain the search to a particular metadata field; "all mandatory elements", the default, allows you to search each element defined in the ADL Registry cardinality documents, and "all optional elements" allows you to search all extension elements (elements not defined in the ADL Registry cardinality documents); all other options in this list correspond to a field defined in the ADL Registry cardinality documents

To get started, begin entering your query information into the form. As you type, the query will be built and placed into the search field near the bottom of the page. When you are done building the query, click search.