The TOLIMAC project: access control, charging and payment of electronic information resources by means of smart cards

TOLIMAC is a research project funded by the Telematics for Libraries Programme of the EU and is developing a system to provide controlled access to, and management of, networked information resources and other services in a library environment. The system is based on smart cards and encryption technology integrating management functionalities ‐such as user identification, remote access control, electronic payment‐, and security requirements ‐such as secure information transfer and financial transactions, document integrity. The system also enables libraries to adjust user access rights, and charges for available electronic resources, whether local or remote, according to user categories. The system is based on standards. It has a Web interface. The pilot system will provide users from three university libraries with access to an electronic document delivery service based at INIST (France), including search, order and delivery of journal articles, as well as payment facilities by means of the electronic purse on the user's smart card.