This paper proposes an approach to the problem of generating metadata for composite mixed-media digital objects by appropriately combining and exploiting existing knowledge or metadata associated with the individual atomic components which comprise the composite object. Using a distributed collection of multimedia learning objects, we test this proposal by investigating mechanisms for capturing, indexing, searching and delivering digital online presentations using SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language). A set of tools have been developed to automate and streamline the construction and fine-grained indexing of a distributed library of digital multimedia presentation objects by applying SMIL to lecture content from both the University of Qld and Cornell University. Using temporal information which is captured automatically at the time of lecture delivery, the system can automatically synchronize the video of a lecture with the corresponding Powerpoint slides to generate a f...