Coffee URN(sm): Java-Enhanced OPACS

[Gerry McKiernan]

          Coffee URN(sm): Java-Enhanced OPACS

     In considering how it would be possible to improve
access to Sub-divisions or Subheadings from a Main
Subject Heading, it has occurred to me that the use of
CGI-based scrollable listing could offer the kind of
access that/which I would facilitate identification and
effective use of such subdivisions. In this scenario,
in a OPAC subject search for the subject 'Climatology'
users would be presented with a browsable alphabetical
listing such that the word 'Climatology' would be listed
in the middle of the alpha listing and of course highlighted
in some way (e.g. colored and/ or indented). At the right
edge of the word 'Climatology' that would be an special
character or icon to indicate that the term has subdivisions.
In clicking on the icon, a full listing of the subject headings
would be displayed if there were few subdivisions, or an
aggregated listing, that could in turn be selected to display
the specific subdivisions within the selected segment of the
aggregated listing. The scrollable windows would be displayed
horizontally across the screen [at just the right font size].
As windows from each sequence are opened, previous windows
would be reduced, or closed to display the current window with
the current set of subdivisions/subheadings.

   One alternative to this scenario could be the display of
sub-parts through a Java applet, such that upon selecting a
main heading the sub-parts would be presented as a separate
pop-through window that would automatically be sized for the
number of subdivisions or aggregates [One could envision the
listing being on a slow scroll such that users could mark those
of interest in the sequenced list, before a retrieval of
an individual or a collected set of marked sub-parts]
[Note see the Entake applet demo page at URL

                   http://www.entanke.se/

   for this and other applet possibilities, e.g. 'Scroll
News Examples' or their 'Demo Loop' for a sequence]

[For details about Java see the Sun Microsystems Java
homepage at URL : http://java.sun.com/ ]

   The possibility of using Java applets with this application
raises the larger question of the benefit of a Java-enhanced
OPAC. There are clearly a number of other manipulations of
MARC data that could occur through the application of Java/Java applets
in a Web-environment [Several are now brewing in my URN {:->]
[BTW URN is defined by one Peter Parnes as

    "an identifier which can be used to uniquely identify a
     resource and is designed to provide persistent naming
     or objects on the Internet. The name would stay the
     same no matter what the current location of the object is.
     The word ``resource'' is used in this report in the meaning
     information resource on the net.


        http://www.cdt.luth.se/~peppar/master_thesis/node5.
                html#SECTION00210000000000000000
                                                         ]
     With the potential that Java and Java applets hold
for enhancing online public access information systems e.g OPACs)
I am greatly interested in any and all projects, research, projects
and/or services that have applied or a planning to incorporate
Java / Java applets [or the like] into local/remote OPACs [Web-based
of course]. Once identified and reviewed, these systems will be
profiled in a new Web-based clearinghouse called

               _Coffee URN(sm): Java-Enhanced OPACs_

    The URL for this new clearinghouse will be

       http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/Coffee.htm

   Look for its establishment by the end of the year.
Coffee URN(sm) will become a companion to my Onion Patch(sm)
clearinghouse of innovative and experimental OPAC that's
available at URL:

    http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/Onion.htm

   As always, any leads, citations, comments, queries,
commentary, questions, or suggestions are most welcome.

   Regards,

Gerry McKiernan
Curator, CyberStacks(sm)
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck at iastate.edu
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/

    "The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent It!"

P.S. Off hand, I aware of three embryonic projects. One is
Bill Drew's  JAVA Telnet for SUNY Morrisville Library Catalog
as well as two presently confidential projects my two
of my Web colleagues. BTW the URL for Bill's Java OPAC is

  http://snymorac.snymor.edu/pages/library/telnet/netopac.htmlx