"Archiving" e-journals

[Robb Scholten]

To add to the discussion so far, there may be a way to utilize what is
currently under consideration in the federal Digital Library Project
"central repository idea".  This would be a place where one registers
themselves along with a mode of payment for resources expended.  From that
one site, they will be able to transparently search all other registered
sites for materials.  Whatever is retrieved would be charged to their
central account, and copyright would be recorded in some CCC database.

This would eliminate two problems, 1. having to possess dozens of 
passwords to different resources (and having to send your credit card the 
same number of times over not-secure networks, even when an institutional 
purchase order is what is wanted.)
2. and forcing some one company to become a "Dialog of the internet" 
somekind of superstore that would acquire and locally store all important 
databases from other vendors.

This is the obvious next step from the Z39.50 solution for using local 
interfaces to search remote databases.  This would also force a certain 
kind of standard protocol on the part of the information creators.  Once 
you have a critical mass of databases all participating in this project, 
those folks who refuse to build their data using the normal protocols 
would be hurting.

I am looking forward to some solution for our present conundrum.

Robb Scholten

www.paperchase.com
Beth Israel Hospital