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Z39.50 and the DNER

UKOLN is funded by the Library and Information Commission, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) of the Higher Education Funding Councils, as well as by project funding from the JISC and the European Union.

UKOLN also receives support from the University of Bath where it is based.

Paul Miller

Interoperability FocusUK Office for Library & Information Networking (UKOLN)

P.Miller@ukoln.ac.uk http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/

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Introducing Z39.50

• North American Standard (ANSI/NISO Z39.50–1995 [version 3])• International Standard (ISO 23950)

• Originally library–centric

• Permits remote searching of databases• Access via Z client or over web

• Relies upon ‘Profiles’• CIMI profile for cultural heritage• GEO profile for Geospatial data.

See http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue21/See http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue21/

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Z39.50 Challenges• Profiles for each discipline

• Defeats interoperability?

• Vendor interpretation of the standard

• Bib–1 bloat

• Largely invisible to the user

• Seen as complicated

• Seen as expensive

• Seen as old–fashioned

• Surely no match for XML/RDF/ whatever.

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Z39.50 and the DNER

• Z39.50 already deployed within JISC services• Significant investment• Growing expertise

• Plenty of technologies that claim/manage to do bits of Z39.50 better• Few people are crazy enough to admit to

liking Z39.50• Arguably no real alternative yet, though.

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Z39.50 and the DNER

• But…• Too much difference in interpretation• Too many areas of inconsistency

– Profiles– Record syntaxes– ‘default’ behaviours

• All of which makes user–centric interaction with the DNER difficult today.

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Empowering the DNER

• Solution…• Recognise the importance of local

interfaces, disciplinary profiles, etc.• As an alternative, offer a single ‘DNER

Profile’– Enables basic cross–search across all/most

services– Imposes control upon vendor interpretation– Compliant with international efforts, driving

DNER DINER.

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The DNER Profile

• Likely to be based upon the Texas Profile• Drawing together expertise behind a

number of area profiles– Texas, MODELS, vCUC, ONE…

• Meeting at Stockholm ZIG (mid August)• Ten people meeting in Bath after ZIG to

write draft

See http://www.tsl.texas.gov/LD/z3950/TZIGProfile99Apr20.htm

See http://www.tsl.texas.gov/LD/z3950/TZIGProfile99Apr20.htm

See http://www.unt.edu/wmoen/ZILSReviewZTexasProfile10May99.htm

See http://www.unt.edu/wmoen/ZILSReviewZTexasProfile10May99.htm

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The DNER Profile – input• Profile being developed to meet a range

of international needs, primarily in the library sector.• To make this work for you, we want your

input…– Join ZIP–PIZ–L list

– LISTSERV@INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA– SUBSCRIBE ZIP-PIZ-L Firstname Lastname

– Comment on Texas Profile to me or Bill Moen before 10 August

– Comment on ideas at the ZIG– Comment on draft profile during late August.

See http://www.tsl.texas.gov/LD/z3950/TZIGProfile99Apr20.htm

See http://www.tsl.texas.gov/LD/z3950/TZIGProfile99Apr20.htm