We report on our experiences in a participatory design project to develop ICTs in a hospital ward
working with deliberate self-harm patients. This project involves the creation and constant re-creation of
sociotechnical ensembles in which XML-related technologies may come to play vital roles. The importance of
these technologies arises from the aim underlying the project of creating systems that are shaped in locally
meaningful ways but reach beyond their immediate context to gain wider importance. We argue that XML is
well placed to play the role of "glue" that binds multiple such systems together. We analyse the implications of
localised systems development for technology supply and argue that inscriptions that are evident in XML-related
standards are and will be very important for the uptake of XML technologies
