In Plain Site
In Plain Site
Marilyn GellerConsultant andJan PetersonRoweCom
Keywords Libraries, Open systems, Licensing, Archives, Customization, Information retrieval
The Web is a busy place, and professionals interested in the development of library consortia are equally busy people. This column was conceived to highlight Web sites that are of interest to LCM:IJ readers and to bring to their attention real consortial possibilities from the crowded Web universe. We start with three objectives:
- 1.
To look for Net places that collate information about consortia. These might include Web sites that pull together information about consortia or explore the concept of consortia.
- 2.
To showcase individual consortia that provide comprehensive descriptions and/or interesting services.
- 3.
To highlight technology and technical applications that support new and ongoing consortial activities.
We invite readers to call our attention to sites of interest to the LCM:IJ community. Send your comments and suggestions to lcmcolumn@eiq.com
Library Building Projects Database
Standing Conference of National and University Libraries (SCONUL)http://www.sconul.ac.uk/
The Standing Conference of National and University Libraries (UK and Ireland) has a notable feature called the SCONUL Library Building Projects Database. It can be accessed through the"Databases and directories" link on the homepage, followed by the "Buildings database"; or directly at http://www.lgu.ac.uk/deliberations/sconul/. This database application allows users to select the parameter of a search (institution name, date of completion,library contact, architect, etc.) and to limit the search with key words or leave blank for a complete list. The resulting page is a list of matching hits with a link to complete information about the related building project including contact details. There is also an interactive update/add form to keep the database current. One concern is that there appears be no security either for access or for interactive updating of records. While a buildings database may not be of interest for many consortia, the concept of a shared database of projects that will allow individual members to trade experiences will be useful in a much wider variety of instances.
Open Source Digital Library System (OSDLS)
According to its source, the Open Source Digital Library System "is a project to develop an open source next-generation library system. A wide range of libraries from small public libraries to large academic ones can implement this system. In creating and developing the OSDLS, it is hoped that the project will also bring together in cooperation a diverse group of librarians and libraries who share a similar interest having a freely available, fully functional library system". In a collaborative setting, where a group of libraries is looking to create a virtual union catalog for all members, open source software may be a good solution. Rather than being a "one size fits all" that does nozt really fit anyone, open source software allows groups to embellish from a basic platform and with an agreed agenda. In the links section, be sure to visit the "oss4lib link" (http://info.med.yale.edu/library/oss4lib/)for information about this and other open source projects.
Canadian National Site Licensing Project (CNSLP)
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (http://www.innovation.ca)granted $20 million over three years to fund the Canadian National Site Licensing Project. CFI is an independent corporation established by the Canadian government with $800 million in initial funding to develop a national research infrastructure. The $20 million CNSLP grant covers 40 per cent of the cost of the project, with another $30 million to come from regional or provincial partners and the 64 participating institutions.
The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) is organizing the CNSLP with administration provided by the University of Ottawa. A national consortium of 64 Canadian universities will negotiate with journal publishers and vendors to obtain pan-Canadian site licenses for the electronic versions of scholarly journals. The stated purpose of the CNSLP is to increase the institutions' buying power and to negotiate better contractual terms. It will be interesting to see if the CNSLP has absorbed any of the lessons to be learned from NESLI in the UK in the area of managing a national site license.
ConsortiaLink
ConsortiaLink is a very useful online directory of library consortia, available from Publishers Communication Group, Inc. for US$495 a year. PCG advertises this database as a single source for contact and membership information for library consortia. The database includes:
consortia contact names, addresses, phone/fax/e-mail, and Web site information;
member libraries, including number, contact details and types;
funding information and mission statements.
Currently, the directory covers only US consortia, but PCG plans to add European consortia before the end of 1999. The database is searchable by library or consortium name, acronym, city,state, and institution.
Standard Licenses
John Cox, an industry consultant,has prepared a suite of standard license agreements, as part of a project sponsored by the four major subscription agents. At present, there are four sample licenses up on the Web site available for public review and comment,including one for academic consortia. The intent is for the licenses to provide some common terminology, and include variables that can be applied as appropriate. For example, there are three suggested alternatives for the contentious issue of interlibrary loan and two for course packs and electronic reserve usage. The licenses are based on the valuable work done by the PA/JISC model license group in the UK, as well as the Principles for Licensing Electronic Resources and the ICOLC Statements of Current Perspectives on pricing of electronic information.
Irreversible Publishing: Archiving Content Delivered via the WebLOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe)
LOCKSS is a system being designed at Stanford University with funding from the National Science Foundation to provide a low-cost solution to the problem of archiving electronic information. LOCKSS has developed software that caches and periodically refreshes a library's electronic journals indefinitely. Called Irreversible Publishing, LOCKSS employs local, library controlled PCs to store Web pages in their original form and make them accessible to end users. The Web caching technology preserves all the functionality of the original content. Users of the UK's JANET academic network already access Web journals published outside the UK via cache technology. Certain technical restrictions apply. LOCKSS requires static URLs and a logical site structure, and works only for HTTP/HTML and related formats. The eventual obsolescence of HTTP/HTML is taken as a certainty, and the designers envision supporting both HTTP/HTML and its successor. LOCKSS is an Open Source project and the source and binaries will be freely available via the Web. Release is scheduled for the Year 2000.
EARL (Electronic Access to Resources in Libraries)
Consortia and their associated Web sites can be multifaceted. The EARL Consortium Web site demonstrates the wealth of information and services for its members and for associated end users. "The EARL (Electronic Access to Resources in Libraries) Consortium of UK public libraries and associated organisations was established in 1995 to develop the role of public libraries in providing library and information services over the network." In support of its member services functions, the Web site provides access to the latest EARL news as well as archives of past newsletters and information about consortium purchasing opportunities. A calendar of EARL events and a collection of presentations and papers from past EARL activities is also available. In addition, the Web site provides access to Task Group activities of the organization.
In the category of services to end users, EARLWeb (http://www.earl.org.uk/earlWeb/index.html)presents "a ready reference collection of Internet links" in subdivisions entitled: The Global Library, Imagination and Memory, Lifelong Learning,Business Intelligence, and others. These subject gateways are the work of some of EARL's Task Groups. One service that stands out as novel and creative is the Ask a Librarian e-mail application, EARL's national e-mail-based reference service (http://www.earl.org.uk/ask/index.html). Forty libraries participate in the delivery of Ask a Librarian, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some member libraries have created local versions based on the consortium's model service.
MyLibrary@NCState
In the very busy and crowded world of the Web, tailoring an access ramp to one's personal needs is coming of age. Commercial services such as MyNetscape and MyYahoo allow users to set up profiles that show only selected categories of information and hide less useful categories. Much like the Web, libraries select materials in a variety of formats for all of their patrons while individual patrons access only what they find relevant. The concept of electronic personalization has come to libraries with an application originated by the Digital Library Initiatives Department of the NCSU Libraries. MyLibrary is a user-driven, customizable information service. Users may create an account and configure it to show selected resources. Both global (general library) and focused (subject specific) messages are broadcast. And individual profiles are available from anywhere. The idea is so appealing that several other libraries have begun experimenting with the application. For more information, see the article in the August 1999 issue of American Libraries by Ken Winter (pp. 65-67) that includes a list of these other examples of MyLibrary. Documentation and a technical discussion of the MyLibrary application are available at http://my.lib.ncsu.edu/about/
