Digital Library SunSITE Unveiled at UC Berkeley

[Roy Tennant]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    FOR MORE INFORMATION:
        Jane Rauckhorst (212) 614-4880
        Burson Marsteller for Sun Microsystems
     
SUN UNVEILS NEWEST SUN SITE AT UC BERKELEY CAMPUS
     
Web Site to Serve as Worldwide Showcase and Information 
Repository on Digital Libraries
     
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - January 31, 1996 - The Berkeley Digital Library 
SunTM SITEtm (http://sunsite.berkeley.edu), a new site on the World Wide 
Web that will serve as a showcase and repository for information on 
digital libraries, was unveiled today at a joint press conference held 
by officials from Sun Microsystems and the University of California at 
Berkeley. Sun, the network computing leader, is also pioneering major 
technologies for the Internet.
     
The library will be using Sun's revolutionary JavaTM programming 
environment for the Berkeley Sun SITE (Sun Software Information and 
Technology Exchange) to enable easy searching and cataloging of 
online text and images.  Expected to grow to more than a terabyte of
data over the next few years, it is being hosted on a Sun SPARCcenterTM 
2000 server. Sun and the UC Berkeley Library will work collaboratively 
on content to be available on the site.
     
"With the number of digital libraries growing exponentially, there 
needs to be a central place like Berkeley Sun SITE where people can go 
for information and expertise on planning, creating and maintaining 
their own online collection, as well as to access many of the digital 
libraries already on the World Wide Web,"  said Barbara Gordon, vice 
president, academic and research computing at Sun Microsystems Computer 
Company.  "We expect millions of users to take advantage of the 
resources on this site, and expect the project to help further the 
quality and availability of digital libraries around the world."
     
"The Digital Library Sun SITE is an excellent way to meet two 
complementary goals," said Peter Lyman, UC Berkeley librarian. "First, 
it will help us expand our world-class print collections into the 
digital realm and make them available via the Internet, and will also 
catalyze digital library development efforts by providing support to 
digital library developers worldwide."
     
Some of the offerings available for free on the Berkeley Digital 
Library SunSITE include:
     
Access to numerous text and image-based digital library collections 
from around the world.  Examples are the Getty Museum; the Library of 
Congress; the National Library of Medicine; various collections on 
English, Japanese and Nordic literature; and UC Berkeley's own 
collection of 5,000 images from 80 earthquakes, images of 
topographical, nautical and general maps, and extensive digital 
collections of environmental images and architectural slides.
     
Insights from experts such as the Association of Research Libraries on 
critical issues like copyright and intellectual property laws involved 
in creating and maintaining a digital library.
     
Guides to imaging, searching, cataloging and browsing tools, 
techniques, software and hardware products being deployed within 
digital library projects around the world.
     
Access to Web4Lib, an electronic discussion group for library-based 
World Wide Web developers, as well as updates on digital library 
conferences, papers and events.
     
The first Sun SITE was begun in 1992 by Sun Microsystems at the 
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.  Sun SITES quickly gained a 
reputation for providing cutting-edge content on the Internet.  With 
the Berkeley Sun SITE, Sun now operates more than 20 Sun SITES at key 
universities located around the world. They include AskERIC at Syracuse 
University in Syracuse, New York; Sun SITE Italy at University of 
Milan; Sun SITE Japan at Science University Tokyo; Sun SITE Russia at 
Moscow State University; and Sun SITE South Africa at the University of 
Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
     
Sun Microsystems Computer Company is a world leader in the
design, manufacture and sale of network computing systems and is a 
division of Sun Microsystems, Inc.  Recognized for quality and 
innovation, the company's SPARCTM workstations and multiprocessing 
servers each hold the No. 1 UNIX marketshare position.  These systems 
are used primarily by businesses, educational institutions and 
governments worldwide for technical, commercial, industrial, and 
software development applications.
     
# # #
     
Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, SunSITE and Java are trademarks or 
registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc., in the United States 
and other countries.  All SPARC trademarks are used under license and 
are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc., 
in the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC 
trademarks are based on an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems 
Inc.  UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other 
countries exclusively licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd.
     
     
Press announcements and other information about Sun Microsystems are 
available on the Internet via the World Wide Web using a tool such as 
Netscape or NCSA Mosaic. Type http://www.sun.com at the URL prompt.