D-Lib -- In Brief (November 2001)

| | | |

D-Lib Magazine
November 2001

Volume 7 Number 11

ISSN 1082-9873

In Brief

Solving Long Term Access for Electronic Publications

Contributed by:
Betty Nieuwenburg
Project Manager of the KB Project DNEP-implementation
Expanding Visions BV
Baam, The Netherlands
<http://www.ev.nl>
<[email protected]>

Introduction
In September 2000, the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB), the national library of The Netherlands, teamed up with IBM-Netherlands in the project DNEP-i (Deposit of Netherlands Electronic Publications-implementation) to actually create solutions for preservation and long-term access of electronic publications (ep's). In the same month, the British Library signed a contract with IBM-UK to develop a deposit system.

Starting several years ago, the KB engaged in local and international projects (e.g., NEDLIB) <http://www.kb.nl/coop/nedlib> toward building an operational system. Within two years, the KB and IBM will build an OAIS-compliant deposit system for the Deposit of Netherlands Electronic Publications (DNEP). The project also includes applied research for creating the long-term planning function of the OAIS mode <http://www.kb.nl/coop/nedlib/results/OAISreviewbyNEDLIB.html>. Both the emulation and the canonical transformation approaches are being considered. For the latter approach, a proof of concept for data preservation is executed. For information on these approaches, see <http://www.almaden.ibm.com/u/gladney/Lorie.pdf> and <http://www.kb.nl/coop/nedlib/results/emulationpreservationreport.pdf.

The strategy
In order to preserve ep's and to guarantee long-term access to the information contained in them, the KB has adopted NEDLIB (Networked European Deposit Libary) guidelines. Essentially these guidelines include two steps: creation of a high quality and well controlled environment (deposit system) for storage and maintenance of ep's; and transfer of the ep's from their original environment to the deposit environment. One of the NEDLIB guidelines requires the deposit system be designed and implemented as a separate entity within the organization's Information and Communication Technolgy (ICT) environment.

Before starting the DNEP-i project, in 1999 the KB investigated the feasibility of obtaining an operational deposit system through a Request for Information (RFI). In essence, such a system should support three main functions: archiving, preserving, and long-term access. The KB concluded that the archiving and preserving functions could be obtained from the ICT market. For long-term access, it seemed possible to commission applied research that, within a few years, would probably result in the required functionality.

The realization
After the promising RFI response, the KB set up a European tendering procedure to find a partner to build an operational deposit system. This Request for Proposal (RFP) procedure was innovative in that the KB only made up a detailed list of functional specifications, whereas the technical solutions had to be proposed completely by the suppliers. The KB provided as much information as possible and organized meetings for interested parties so the parties could form alliances to offer solutions. Everything was done to stimulate the interested parties to think seriously about tackling the problem in a way that would achieve the best possible result. Information about both the RFI and RFP can be found at <http://www.kb.nl/dnep-project>.

Following the RFP procedure, IBM Netherlands was selected as supplier of hardware and software and as system developer. On one hand, IBM offered a system for large-scale archival storage and preservation of electronic material based on the OAIS-model. On the other hand, IBM offered a practical study on the issue of long-term preservation solutions. The KB demanded that design of the system and study of the long-term issue would be strictly connected to one another.

The DNEP-i project began in September 2000. As indicated above, the project is divided in two parts: design and implementation of the deposit system, and applied research for long-term access. The deposit system must meet the demands of scalability, openness and modularity. The KB formulated these demands to make the system durable. In addition, the results of the long-term preservation (LTP) study had to be applicable to the deposit system. Thus, in the near future an operational LTP-module can be fitted into to the system. IBM has developed the data model of the system taking this into account.

The KB insisted that the LTP study lead to practical solutions, instead of to another research report in this field. The LTP working group performing the study and providing a proof of concept is chaired by IBM, and the group consists of KB experts in the field of document handling, as well as Raymond Lorie of IBM USA and Jeff Rothenberg of RAND Europe. In addition, the British Library preservation officer is involved in the working group as an observer. Information about the project DNEP-implementation can be found at <http://www.kb.nl/dnep-project>.

Conclusions
The joint effort of the KB and IBM in the DNEP-i project will result next year in an OAIS-compliant operational deposit system as well as pave the path for the development of a Preservation Planning module. Up to now, this innovative and complicated project is developing successfully and on schedule. As DNEP-i project manager, I consider critical successes that the project was scoped carefully and that both partners, the KB and IBM, have discussed, in advance and in detail, the requirements for the system. It took three months to compose a detailed contract between the KB and IBM, but after that, both parties knew exactly what to expect of each other. Furthermore, the focus of the project is carefully maintained. Last, but not least, the two project partners, the KB and IBM, enjoy open and positive cooperation.

Acknowledgement
Many thanks to Johan Steenbakkers for his comments on this article.

The Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed, Phase 1 Testing

Contributed by:
William E. Moen, Principal Investigator
Fellow, Texas Center for Digital Knowledge
Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Sciences
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas, USA
<[email protected]>

The Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed (Z-Interop) Project <http://www.unt.edu/zinterop/> invites integrated library system vendors, Z39.50 developers, and individual libraries to participate in Phase 1 interoperability testing.

Z-Interop is an applied research and demonstration project funded by the U.S. federal Institute of Museum and Library Services <http://www.imls.gov/> through a National Leadership Grant awarded the School of Library and Information Sciences <http://www.unt.edu/slis/> and the Texas Center for Digital Knowledge <http://www.txcdk.org/> at the University of North Texas (UNT). Z-Interop is developing rigorous methodologies, test procedures, and measures to assess interoperability between systems using the ANSI/NISO Z39.50 standard protocol for information retrieval. The goal of Z-Interop is to improve Z39.50 semantic interoperability among libraries for information access and resource sharing.

Specifically, Z-Interop provides a technically and organizationally trusted testing environment for Z39.50 clients and servers configured to support the Bath Profile: An International Z39.50 Specification for Library Applications <http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/bath/bp-current.htm> or the U.S. National Z39.50 Profile for Library Applications (current draft <http://www.unt.edu/zprofile/Profile/specifications.htm>).

A team of researchers at UNT is conducting research, prototyping components of the testbed, and developing policies and procedures for interoperability testing. The Z-Interop testbed consists of the following components:

Z39.50 profiles: Current initiatives have produced the Bath Profile: An International Z39.50 Specification for Library Applications and Resource Discovery and the U.S. National Z39.50 Profile for Library Applications. Z-Interop testing is based on the specifications in these profiles.

Test dataset: OCLC has provided a weighted sample of approximately 400,000 MARC 21 records from its WorldCat database. The Z-Interop research team used various tools and procedures to "understand" the content of the records to determine records that should be returned in test searches.

Reference implementations: SIRSI and Sea Change corporations have contributed products that serve as reference implementations. SIRSI's Unicorn integrated library system serves as a reference implementation for the Z39.50 server and the information retrieval system (in the form of its online catalog). Sea Change's Bookwhere 2000 product serves as a reference implementation for the Z39.50 client. The Z-Interop research team, SIRSI, and Sea Change configured the reference implementations according to the Z39.50 profiles.

Test searches and results: For bibliographic database searches defined in the profiles, Z-Interop provides a set of test searches with search terms. Analysis of the test dataset identified records that meet the search criteria.

Benchmarks: Benchmarks for Z-Interop testing are established by executing the test searches using the testbed reference implementations.

Policies and procedures: Detailed instructions and systematic procedures, along with published policies, exist for the operation of the testbed and for participants wanting to go through interoperability testing.

A Call for Participation available on the Z-Interop website details the Phase 1 testing opportunities.

The project is under the direction of Dr. William E. Moen, a Fellow of the Texas Center for Digital Knowledge and assistant professor at UNT <http://www.unt.edu/wmoen>. For For additional information about Z-Interop, see the project website <http://www.unt.edu/zinterop> or contact Dr. Moen <[email protected]>.

CORDIS - Central Resource on European Research and Innovation Policy Developments

Contributed by:
Thibault Heuzé
CORDIS Content Team - external contractor
Brussels, Belgium
<[email protected]>

About CORDIS
The European Commission's Research and Development Information Service was created in 1990 to foster awareness on exploitable European-funded research results. This mandate has clearly evolved following the integration of all information on the Internet in 1994. Today, CORDIS aims to provide participation information on research project funding, to facilitate exploitation of research results and technology transfer, to further promote understanding of innovation policies, and to assist the research community.

CORDIS can be considered the "European Innovation Portal", because it brings together the main stakeholders of European research and gives free access to key documents and information on innovation policy. More than 150,000 unique users worldwide visit the searchable, dedicated web site and database services monthly to learn more about various issues, such as available funding, potential partners, valuable technology, policy trends, legal and financial information, and more at <http://www.cordis.lu>.

European research funding opportunities
The European Commission offers funding for different kinds of research projects and clusters. The multi-annual research program is divided into thematic fields and key actions ranging from biotechnology to digital library research or e-learning. CORDIS operates as the official information source to get Calls for Participation information in order to benefit from current funding opportunities (see the Fifth Framework Programme at <http://www.cordis.lu/fp5/src/over.htm>). American organizations may participate in such programs under specific conditions (see <http://www.cordis.lu/inco/src/parti.htm#unitedstates>).

Technology for spin off
The service also provides a comprehensive review of funded research projects as well as a window on the best research results. Visit the CORDIS Technology Marketplace at <http://www.cordis.lu/marketplace> to access clear descriptions of available technologies and key contacts in business, science or society-related research. For specific information on digital library research, please visit the Information Society Technologies' pages at <http://www.cordis.lu/ist/ka3/digicult/home.html> or read a recent related article at <http://www.cultivate-int.org/issue5/cordis/>.

News on future research trends in Europe
CORDIS hosts a daily News Service covering all European research and innovation developments and activities, funding opportunities, research breakthroughs and events. The News Service also highlights benchmark study outcomes, like the recently published European innovation scoreboard, as well as interviews with international research players. Visit <http://dbs.cordis.lu/news/en/home.html>.

Additionally, a new service "RTD beyond 2002" follows current developments towards the adoption of a new European multi-annual research program (2002-2006). The service provides official documents, key figures and contributions from various stakeholders willing to shape future priorities of the European policy -- namely through the creation of a "European Research Area" (ERA). (See <http://www.cordis.lu/rtd2002>.)

Key contacts and assistance networks in European States
The service gathers information on national research infrastructures, policies and activities (see <http://www.cordis.lu/member-states>). CORDIS can help you identify the relevant contacts at either the EU or national level. The Commission has also established various assistance networks to promote small enterprise and organization participation in research programs. Further, catered information is available regarding the European Union enlargement process.

For more information
Visit the CORDIS Guidance section <http://www.cordis.lu/guidance> and regularly consult the "What's New?" section <http://www.cordis.lu/whatsnew>.

eVALUEd - An Evaluation Model for e-Library Developments

Contributed by:
Anjlee Bhatt MSc, eVALUEd Research Fellow, and
Pete Dalton, CIRT Research Development Manager
Centre for Information Research (CIRT), University of Central England
Perry Barr, Birmingham, B42 2SU, UK
Contact: <[email protected]>

The Centre for Information Research (CIRT) at the University of Central England announces eVALUEd, a project to develop a transferable model for e-library evaluation in higher education and to provide dissemination and training in e-library evaluation.

The project has been awarded £178,000 under the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Fund for the Development of Good Management Practice over a 30-month period. The project, which commenced in September 2001, comprises a 24-month research phase and a 6-month training and awareness phase.

The research element will entail examination of good practice in evaluation of electronic library initiatives in the UK and abroad, and will test a selection of the techniques and practices identified.

The project is expected to produce the following key deliverables:

A transferable model for evaluation of sustainable digital library initiatives made available in a variety of electronic formats via the project website

Training workshops in aspects of evaluation provided at each of the regions defined by the regional development agencies in England. These will be provided free of charge and will be aimed at library managers in the higher education sector

A website for project dissemination and resource publication

A final project report outlining the model of evaluation and other aspects of good practice in digital library evaluation

Further information about eVALUEd can be found on the project website, and we invite you to join our public mailing list, which has been established to support the project and enable discussion of issues concerning the evaluation of electronic library initiatives in the UK and abroad.

For more information, see:
The eVALUEd website - <http://www.cie.uce.ac.uk/evalued>
Public Mailing List - <http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/digi-eval.html>.

Creating a National Fine Art Education Digital Collection - the UK's Visual Arts Data Service Investigates the Feasibility of Curating a Virtual, Distributed Collection

Contributed by:
Polly Christie
Fine Art Project Manager
VADS
United Kingdom
<[email protected]>

Over the past few years, the Visual Arts Data Service has been concerned with providing, promoting and preserving digital resources, created throughout the UK, that relate to the visual arts. In so doing, VADS not only delivers a cross-searchable image database of significant UK-held art collections, but also has become an expert in the field of image digitization, metadata production and related issues.

For the first time ever, the creation of a National Fine Art Education Digital Collection is being investigated and implemented by VADS. In this new feasibility study, it is proposed that the crème de la crème of works held within UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will be hand-picked and delivered through a Virtual Collection, therefore serving as a high quality showcase of British Fine Art practice, generated by the alumni (both teachers and students) from the art schools and institutes in the UK.

VADS intends, through the creation of this pilot resource and feasibility study, to define best practices for the digitization and delivery of distributed Institute-held collections of Fine Art Education related materials. The sample will consist of works held in as many as 10 collections, along with the full digitization of the rich Council for National Academic Award's Art Collection, which includes work by many extremely important figures in British Art, such as Henry Moore, Bridget Riley and Richard Hamilton.

Issues investigated will include: copyright clearance, image digitization, direct digital capture, metadata creation and research, collection and item level descriptors, virtual delivery, and digital preservation. VADS will use the expertise it has gained to date to develop solutions for this distributed environment, cutting through institutional barriers and practices, and providing practical and prescriptive resolutions.

While establishing a protocol for sharing resources across institutions, the quality and relevance of individual works is paramount in order to guarantee the project's success. To that end, VADS has established a Hanging Committee consisting of eminent figures in British Fine Art Education, who will be instrumental in picking individual works, but will also act as consultants on the rationalism, processes and benchmarks established in the feasibility study, thereby highlighting scalability issues and defining models for the full implementation of a National Fine Art Education Digital Collection. As part of the investigation, VADS will also report on the state, number and nature of HEI-held collections. Dependant on these findings, it is anticipated that an expandable version of the project would firstly attempt to hold fine art works representative of all HEIs across the country, and then broaden the model to include the wider �visual arts'.

VADS will not only draw from the Hanging Committee, but will establish a list of key stakeholders from Higher Education, the Museums and Galleries community, the arts councils, funding bodies, digital libraries, information hubs and other institutions. The project will build relationships with these stakeholders by communicating with them to raise awareness of the initiative and its results, thus ensuring dissemination to relevant communities. The project will also pursue an appropriate level of participation from stakeholders, where applicable, and investigate the potential for joint-funding of future activity.

The end user community for the resulting pilot digital resource is identified as going beyond VADS primary audience of the UK HE / FE (Higher Education / Further Education) research, learning and teaching community, to provide for the broader promotion of UK HE associated fine art practice to a national and international audience.

For further information, please contact:

Polly Christie
Fine Art Project Manager
Visual Arts Data Service
Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College
Falkner Road
Farnham, Surrey GU9 7DS
Tel: (0)1252 892807
Fax: (0)1252 892725
Email: <[email protected]>
URL: <http://vads.ahds.ac.uk>

History in Focus

Contributed by:
Nicole Harris
Joint Editor of History in Focus
Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study
University of London
London, England
<[email protected]>

History in Focus <http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus> is a new thematic on-line series from the Institute of Historical Research (IHR). Each issue is designed to introduce a historical topic and to help stimulate debate and interest. The main emphasis of the series is to highlight reviews, books, research, web sites and events relating to the issue's chosen topic. Additional features such as articles and resource guides will also be included as appropriate. The series aims to act as a quality-assured information resource for the learning and teaching of history.

The first issue of History in Focus was launched in Spring 2001 to mark the centenary of the death of Queen Victoria. The current issue coincides with the 40th anniversary of E.H. Carr's book What is History? and concentrates on historiography, and the nature and theory of history. Future issues will cover local, Irish, and medical history.

History in Focus is published twice a year and is available free of charge from the Institute of Historical Research web site at <http://www.history.ac.uk>. The series has been developed in conjunction with the "History On-Line for Teaching and Learning Project" <http://www.history.ac.uk/search/welcome.html> based at the IHR. "History On-Line" has received funding from the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) under JISC 5/99 Developing the DNER for Learning and Teaching to develop the service further. It is hoped that the series will appeal to a large section of the history community.

Any queries or comments are welcome and should be sent to:

Nicole Harris
Institute of Historical Research
University of London
Senate House, Malet Street
London, WC1E 7HU, England
Email: <[email protected]>.

Inform the World 2002 - Destinations: Honduras and South Africa

Contributed by:
Maggie Hite
Assistant Director
World Library Partnership
Durham, North Carolina, USA
<[email protected]>

Spend the summer of 2002 helping communities gain access to the information they need to build a better future. In light of the recent tragic events in the USA the WLP believes that global education and cross-cultural exchange are more important than ever. As an Inform the World (ITW) Volunteer Librarian, you can use your professional skills to help rural librarians in South Africa or Honduras. If living and working in these areas sounds like a challenge you would enjoy, join us for this exciting service project.

ITW 2000 volunteer Debbie Kilcup put it best when she said; "We left not only a very functional and appealing facility behind for the eager learners, but also a piece of our hearts. We are different for the experience."

"I never imagined I'd find such a perfect fit to combine my interest in volunteering, traveling in developing countries, cross-cultural understanding and also make use of my skills as a librarian," said Kara Malenfant (ITW 2001).

Who: The World Library Partnership (WLP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building global understanding by promoting literacy, learning and access to information. We believe that libraries empower individuals and enrich communities and we advocate for sustainable, community-based libraries in developing areas of the world.

What: The Inform the World Program will train and place professional librarians from around the world. The volunteers will conduct practical service projects determined by the needs of their South African and Honduran host libraries. Previous ITW volunteers have trained librarians in basic library skills. They've used their knowledge and creativity to help libraries reach out to and meet the needs of their communities. They have painted murals, taught workshops, made display boards, produced publicity fliers and helped clean, brighten and re-organize libraries.

When:
South Africa: July 15 - August 15, 2002
Honduras: June 9 - July 9, 2002

The volunteers will have three days of training in Africa or Honduras. They will then spend three weeks working on service projects in their host community and will reconvene for a book fair and a debriefing/evaluation session at the end of the program.

Eligibility: WLP invites professional librarians and library school students from all disciplines to apply. We will also have placements for several Information Technology professionals. Flexibility, a sense of adventure and the ability to adapt to very basic living conditions are a must. Basic conversational Spanish is required for the Honduras program (English fluency required for the South Africa program).

Cost: $2,200. This includes placement, training, materials, in-country orientation and debriefing, accommodations, most meals, site visit by the trip coordinator during the project, and in-country transportation. Note: Airfare is NOT included in the cost of the trip.

Deadline: The application deadline is January 18, 2002. We welcome early applications. We will interview qualified applicants by phone and announce the final selections by the end of February. An application can be found at <http://rtpnet.org/wlp/itw2002/ITW02.htm> or contact Maggie Hite <[email protected]> or Mary Alice McCarthy <[email protected]>, or by phone at 919/479-0163.

In the News

Recent Press Releases and Announcements

NSF / EU Digital Library All Projects Meeting

The following announcement by Constantino Thanos appeared in ERCIM NEWS - News from DELOS - Network of Excellence on Digital Libraries.

"DELOS is planning to hold an NSF/EU All Projects meeting in Rome, Italy, 10 - 11 January 2002 (tentative date). The European Commission's Information Society Technologies Programme and the National Science Foundation are supporting substantial research concerned with digital libraries. Both expect to develop enabling technologies as well as principles for DL design and operation, to study the economic and legal issues surrounding electronic distribution of IR, and to better understand the social context -- for example, human information needs -- in which DLs will operate. By and large, scientists involved in the EU and NSF projects have not had the opportunity to meet regularly. A coordination effort in the DL field can help avoid duplication of effort, prevent the development of fragmented digital systems, and encourage productive interchange of scientific knowledge and scholarly data around the world."

"In this context, DELOS is planning to hold the first of a series of annual meetings to bring together scientists involved in European and NSF projects. The objectives are to exchange working experiences and research results in the field of digital libraries, and to establish collaborative links between on-going projects. From the US side, participants will be representatives from the Digital Library Initiative (phase2) projects. From the European side, representatives will be from EU funded Digital Library projects and from DL projects funded by European National Initiatives."

Naval Research Laboratory, Optical Society Cooperate to Expand Web Access to Journals

"(Washington DC - November 5, 2001) The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the Optical Society of America (OSA) have entered into an agreement to expand Web access to OSA journals by creating a digital archive of issues published prior to 1995."

"Under this agreement, NRL's Ruth H. Hooker Research Library plans to assist the OSA in digitizing the following journals: Applied Optics from 1962 through 1994; Journal of the Optical Society of America A and B from 1984 through 1994, and Optics Letters from 1977 through 1994. NRL will scan these journals into high quality Portable Document Format (PDF) files so that they can be made available from OSA's Optics InfoBase Web-based repository in a format consistent with that of more recently published journals. Optical character recognized (OCR) text will be bundled with the PDF files delivered by NRL, enabling OSA to seamlessly integrate retrospectively converted journals with the digitally created journals already available through Optics InfoBase. In addition, NRL plans to add OSA journals to the more than 400 journals mounted locally at NRL and searchable through the Libary's TORPEDO Ultra system."

For more information or to request the full press release, contact the Public Affairs Office at NRL: <[email protected]>.

More Than 3,500 Journals from 60 Publishers Now Available through OCLC FirstSearch Electronic Collections Online

"DUBLIN, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2001--The OCLC FirstSearch Electronic Collections Online database, available through the OCLC FirstSearch service, now provides access to more than 3,500 journals from 60 publishers."

"New publishers that have agreed to provide journals through Electronic Collections Online include:

The Berkeley Electronic Press
BioOne
Camford Publishing
The Fairmont Press
Guilford Publications
Harcourt Health Sciences
Imprint Academic
Indiana University Press
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
Melbourne Journal of International Law
Palgrave Publishers
World Scientific Publishing Company"

"'Publishers are accepting electronic delivery of journals as a growing trend, and they are recognizing the advantages,' said Tim Martin, OCLC licensing associate. 'They have budgeted to meet the technical requirements for electronic delivery of information, and now we're seeing the results of those investments.'"

For more information, contact Jennifer Hamilton at <[email protected]>.

Ingenta Reaches Agreement to Link to Major Information Providers.
Users will have access to extensive databases through ingenta.com.

"CAMBRIDGE, Mass., October 30, 2001 - Ingenta, the world's largest resource for the search and delivery of academic and professional research articles online, has launched reference linking between ingenta.com, catchword.com, and the Chemical Abstract Service (CAS), and collaborative linking with H.W. Wilson."

"Users can now follow more than 350,000 reference links from the full text hosted by Ingenta to the ChemPort database, where they can retrieve a free abstract for their chosen citation from CAS or other participating databases. In addition, they can link directly from references to articles of participating ChemPort publishers. The agreement with H.W. Wilson will facilitate mutual linking between Ingenta users and subscribers to H.W. Wilson databases, which serve academic, public, school, and special libraries worldwide. Details on the arrangement will be forthcoming in January."

For more information, contact Candice Perodeau <[email protected]>.

Major Organizations to Develop Digital Rights Management (DRM) Standard

The International DOI Foundation Service Announcement 11-01

"Washington - Geneva, November 2001. Founding sponsors EDItEUR and the International DOI Foundation (IDF) will be joined by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Accenture, ContentGuard, Enpia Systems, and Melodies and Memories Global (a subsidiary of Dentsu) in a Consortium formed to develop a Rights Data Dictionary - a common dictionary or vocabulary for intellectual property rights named < indecs >2RDD. < indecs >2RDD will be developed to enable the exchange of key information between content industries and ecommerce trading of intellectual property rights."

"Rightscom, the digital rights strategy consultancy, has been appointed project manager of the Rights Data Dictionary Consortium and < indecs >2RDD will be submitted to MPEG for its December Pattaya, Thailand meeting. The scope of < indecs >2RDD embraces the rights description framework, including rightsStatements, rightsAgreements, rightsTransfers, permissions, prohibitions, requirements, legal terminology, creation descriptions and financial terms and conventions. < indecs >2RDD will create a common data layer of rights terminology and semantics so software vendors can then map technology, thus facilitating and widening the choices open to rights holders seeking to develop protected delivery of digital content. Consumer experience will be enhanced by improving access to digital content."

The full press release is at <http://www.doi.org/news/011101-DRM.html#drm>.

NISO Unveils New Web Site

"Bethesda, Md., USA � (October 27, 2001) NISO, the National Information Standards Organization is pleased to announce the unveiling of its completely revised web site accessible at <http://www.niso.org>. In redesigning the web site, NISO aims to help all members of the standards community find, learn about, and use standards information. The new "Quicklist" feature is a simple list in numerical order of all approved standards. All of NISO's approved standards are easily accessible on the site. NISO is the only standards organization that makes its standards available for free downloading. The web site also allows users to order all NISO Press publications in hardcopy."

"In addition, users can find information on Standards Committees, their membership, their progress and their working drafts. The Standards Development Pipeline section shows users where each standard is in the development cycle. Because NISO understands the global nature of the information industry, you will also find material on the international standards community and NISO's place in this community. The membership section of the new NISO web site explains the benefits and opportunities inherent in NISO membership and allows voting members to access private sections where NISO business is conducted."

"Many web pages include a variety of links that point to in depth and related resources. Each page also includes a direct link to the site searching function, the NISO calendar, and contact information for NISO staff, directors and Standards Committees. NISO has a goal to make this web site the place to go for all sorts of resources about information standards and welcomes your feedback."

The full press release is (or soon will be) at <http://www.niso.org>.

Australian Literature Gateway Opened for Free Trial Period

25 October 2001 - "The release of AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway marks a new era for research and discovery in Australian Literature. <www.austlit.edu.au>. [Best viewed in Internet Explorer at the moment.]"

"...AustLit offers libraries and researchers a single entry point to authoritative, constantly updated information on more than 40,000 Australian authors and more than 360,000 works of Australian creative and critical literature. Austlit has just been released for free trial until the end of 2001."

"...Free access to the beta version of AustLit is available at <www.austlit.edu.au> until 31 December 2001. From January 2002, AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway is available to institutions, consortia and individuals by annual subscription. The AustLit Gateway welcomes consortia proposals through its subscriptions manager, EBSCO, and aims to provide access to as many Australian and international users as possible through such arrangements."

For more information, please contact Kerry Kilner, Content Manager, AusLit: Australian Literature Gateway at <[email protected]>.

OCLC Offers OpenURL Option for Libraries

"DUBLIN, Ohio, Oct. 25, 2001--Libraries that use the OCLC FirstSearch service can now link from FirstSearch to their OpenURL-compliant link servers to integrate access to the resources they provide to their users. The new OpenURL link allows libraries to deliver a range of services to their users for items retrieved when searching FirstSearch databases."

"OpenURL, a web-based protocol for transmitting metadata, increases the visibility and accessibility of resources by providing a way to link across those resources."

"...Libraries that have OpenURL servers in place may link to the servers from the OCLC FirstSearch service. The link is managed locally by each library through the administrative module of its FirstSearch account."

The full press release is at <http://www.oclc.org/oclc/press/20011025.shtm>.

Decades of DOE Research Now Web Accessible

October 16, 2001 - The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) announces its latest Web-based application. The Energy Citations Database (1948 - Present) provides easier and faster access to bibliographic records of the Department's scientific and technical information (STI) from 1948 to the present, with links to electronic full text when available.

This unique product is publicly available without charge to users and contains approximately 2 million bibliographic records for energy and energy-related STI from DOE and its predecessor agencies, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA).

Energy Citations Database at <http://www.osti.gov/energycitations> encompasses information from disciplines of interest to the DOE such as chemistry, physics, materials, environmental science, geology, engineering, mathematics, climatology, oceanography, computer science and related disciplines. It includes citations to the various forms of literature used to announce DOE's research results, including report literature, conference papers, journal articles, books, dissertations, and patents. Regular updates to the Database provide continued growth and ensure that results of recent research and development are made available.

Energy Citations Database contains streamlined Web citations, based on Dublin Core metadata. This set of elements was built through interdisciplinary, international consensus around a widely used core set of metadata.

Basic and Advanced Search options are provided, and search results can be sorted by relevance, publication date, system entry date, resource/document type, title, research organization, sponsoring organization, or OSTI identifier. In instances where a Persistent URL (PURL) is provided, the full text is available via a link to the document. For other documents identified by Energy Citations searches, information is provided about full-text public availability.

Through a partnership between OSTI and the Government Printing Office (GPO), the Energy Citations Database is also publicly available via GPO Access at <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs>.

For more information, contact OSTI Director Walter L. Warnick at (301) 903-7996, <[email protected]> or Mary Schorn, Energy Citations Product Manager, (865) 576-2413, <[email protected]>.

Openly Informatics Announces 1Cate Adapter for CrossRef

"Bloomfield, New Jersey - October 17, 2001 - Openly Informatics, Inc. (http://www.openly.com) today revealed a new tool that will simplify the use of the CrossRef linking system in CrossRef Affiliate Libraries.

"CrossRef was conceived as a technology to transform the flow of information and ideas everywhere, by offering the scientific and scholarly community a milestone for online publishing -- a collaborative reference linking system -- through which a researcher can click on a reference citation in a journal and immediately access the cited article. CrossRef links are widely being adopted by publishers to enable reference linking. Although libraries have been eligible for affiliate membership in CrossRef for almost a year, 1Cate Adapter for CrossRef is the first commercially available software designed to help integrate the CrossRef system into the library digital environment."

"[The] 1Cate Adapter for CrossRef lets a patron of an affiliate library retrieve links, manually or automatically, to over 3 million articles using bibliographic metadata, such as journal name, volume and page number."

The full press release is at <http://www.openly.com/pr/pr15.html>.

DOI: 10.1045/november2001-inbrief

D-Lib Magazine November 2001

Volume 7 Number 11ISSN 1082-9873