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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)
[email protected] 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
– [email protected]– 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