Newsline: News You Can Use
National Networking Demonstrator Project for archives launch
The Archives Sub-Committee is organising a meeting to launch the NNDP which it has instigated and funded through the Non Formula Funding of Specialised Research Collections monitoring programme on 18 March. The Meeting is open to archivists and interested parties and is intended to be a platform for public review of the project’s developments.
The NNDP aims to implement cross-searching of multi-level archival data, originating from numerous sources, primarily but not exclusively in the HE sector, as presented in a wide variety of formats (from EAD, to fielded data in a MODES system, to catalogue entries in Word 6). The NNDP supports the use of the international standard ISAD(G) and has linked this to the special development of Z39.50, a widely adopted standard for information retrieval. In addition to this the project has developed a user friendly web-interface to permit effective and seamless cross-searching. This demonstrator phase finishes in April 1998 at which point decisions will be made on whether and how to take the project forward.
A full report from the launch will be available in the next issue of Ariadne.
The Next UKOLN Conference, Summer 1998
The next UKOLN conference will be held at the University of Bath on 29 and 30 June and 1 July 1998. The third in the series Networking and the Future of Libraries, it is entitled “Information Landscapes for a Learning Society”, and marks the 21st anniversary of UKOLN and its antecedent organisations at the University.
The conference will be opened by Brian Lang, Chief Executive of the British Library, with the closing address by Clifford Lynch, Director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) in Washington. The opening keynote presentation will be given by Richard Heseltine, Director of Academic Services and Librarian at the University of Hull.
The main programme sessions cover the development of the digital library, the issues surrounding the emergence of integrated information services, use and users in a wider context and the influence of the network on organisation, roles and services.
This year the civic reception will be held in Bath’s Pump Room and Roman Baths, with the conference dinner in the city’s magnificent 18th century Guildhall Banqueting Room.
Further details and an online booking form are now available at http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/events/ukoln-conf-98/ or, if you have any queries, you are welcome to contact Hazel Gott, who is the Events Manager at UKOLN, at workshop@wwwcache.ja.net
http://wwwcache.ja.net/events/workshop/
Inform 98 Conference Announcement
The second Grampian Information Conference, ‘Inform 98’, will take place on Thursday May 21st at the Macauley Land Use Research Institute, Aberdeen. This year’s conference, which is sponsored by Blackwell’s Bookshops, includes a talk by Library Association President Bob Usherwood and covers topics such as ‘Managing Performance’, ‘ Charging for Library Services’ and ‘Marketing your Service’.
For further details, please contact the Grampian Information Development Officer, June Waters at <a data-cke-saved-href=“mailto:” href=“mailto:” waters@rsc.co.uk”=“”>waters@rsc.co.uk
The Electronic Library: iGSS 1998
International Graduate Summer School 1998 held at the University of Wales Aberystwyth, takes as its theme, Managing the Electronic Library. iGSS has always provided an opportunity for information professionals from around the world to meet and discuss current issues at the same time that they take part in a programme of lectures and seminars which aid their continuing professional development
The full programme and booking details are available at the iGSS web site or contact Joyce Wallace (email: zyo@aber.ac.uk or Chris Armstrong (email: lisqual@cix.compulink.co.uk) for a printed programme.
EARL gets to grips with Life long learning
EARL (Electronic Access to Resources in Libraries), The Consortium for Public Library Networking, is exploring plans to develop lifelong learning and investigate how public libraries can provide effective support for lifelong learning within a networked environment. The first stage of this will be a Policy Syndicate on lifelong learning taking place in March. This will enable EARL to define a general strategic framework with respect to lifelong learning, and also help identify practical initiatives for the development of new services and demonstrators to develop within the context of READINESS (Research and Development In Networked Subject Services). Readiness is an 18-month project, funded by the British Library Research and Innovation Centre, to research and evaluate the processes and effectiveness of collaborative development of networked subject services in two areas : local history and lifelong learning.
EARL aims to demonstrate and extend the ability of public libraries to deliver networked information and knowledge-based services. These are developed primarily through EARL’s 16 Task Groups working on new ways to deliver shared services over the network, including demonstration services for Serials, Reference Enquiries, Family History and Community Information. Further information about EARL is available from the EARL website.
Scottish Office Public Libraries Challenge Fund Grants Announced
On 5th March, Sam Galbraith, Scottish Office Minister with responsibility for the Arts announced the successful bids in the Scottish Office Public Libraries Challenge Fund. The successful bids were:
- Argyll & Bute: Catalogue Network Project £29,179
Designed to improve access to information for users of the Argyll & Bute Library & Information Service. All Argyll & Bute Council network information as well as all library information (Catalogue, Community Information, Open Learning and Voluntary Organisation Data) will be available through the Internet. - Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles): Gateway Project £27,000
The Project will provide Internet and CD-ROM facilities to access links with local educational developments; to generate interest and support for the Gaelic language and to help foster community identity with particular reference to culture and oral tradition. - Dumfries & Galloway Ewart Cybercentre £50,000
The centre will provide flexible opportunities for individuals, community groups and the business community to develop skills in the application of new technology and thus improve prospects for employment and economic development. The Cybercentre will provide a range of training courses from beginner to expert. - Dundee: Community Access to CD-ROM Network £34,335
The Network will provide access to the business information and educational packages throughout the city making specialised educational and informational opportunities available in local neighbourhoods. The Project will take advantage of a new high capacity corporate Intranet. - Glasgow: The Virtual Mitchell £50,000
The wealth of resources of the Mitchell Library and the City Archives will be made accessible over the Councils network and more widely through the Internet. Images from the Archives and the History & Glasgow Room will be digitised and provided with a full range of search facilities. - North Lanarkshire: Local Information Points £40,932
Five Local Information Points will be established as first-stop information stops providing information through all media, including public Internet access and CD-ROM. The LIPs will attempt to provide all reference, community and Council information either directly or by acting as gateways to other service providers.
Engineering E-journal Search Engine available from EEVL
EESE is made available through EEVL: the Edinburgh Engineering Virtual Library, a non-profit gateway to engineering information on the Internet. EEVL is funded through the Joint Information Systems Committee’s Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib), and based at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. It can be accessed at http://www.eevl.ac.uk/eese/.
JSTOR at MIDAS
The UK Mirror site of the JSTOR® electronic journal collection is now available at: http://www.jstor.ac.uk
JSTOR is a unique digital archive collection of core scholarly journals starting with the very first issues, and made available to participating institutions via the World Wide Web. The collection covers material from the 1880s up to a ‘moving wall’ of between 2 and 5 years; which guarantees the user a stable collection of past issues. By the year 2000, a minimum of 100 journals in a variety of fields will be accessible and there are currently some 2 million pages from over 40 titles.
Details of how to subscribe will be sent to the CHEST site contacts very shortly and can be found at http://www.chest.ac.uk/datasets/jstor/contents.html. A demonstration database and the background to JSTOR are also available at the UK Mirror site. Manchester Information Datasets and Associated Services is maintaining the JSTOR UK Mirror site for the UK Higher Education community on behalf of the Joint Information Systems Committee, and in collaboration with University College London. Questions regarding the service may be emailed to jstor@midas.ac.uk.