LITA Internet Resources Program at San Francisco

[Julie Yang]

1997 ALA ANNUAL MEETING--San Francisco
LITA Internet Resources Interest Group Meeting 

Topic:    Web Access to Databases: Technical Possiblities and Impact on
               Library Services
Format:   Panel Presentation Discussion
Time:     9:30-11:30 am., Sat. June 28, 1997
Place:    Holiday Inn Union Square, Union Square North Room


                             AGENDA

9:30-9:40      Welcome and Introduction, Amanda Xu, MIT Libraries,
               Co-Chair

9:40-9:55      The Context of Information
                    Marilyn Geller, Internet Services Manager, Readmore
                    
               This presentation describes two techniques for putting
               databases on the Web in a way that is meaningful to
               end-users. One method is to extract and focus databases;
               the other method is to combine and expand databases.
               In each case, it is the context of information that
               supplies the meaning and, therefore, increases the
               usefulness of these databases for users.                        
              
                      

9:55-10:10     Utilizing the World Wide Web: The Strategy of the Institute for 
               Scientific Information (ISI)
                    Jacqueline Trolley, Director of Corporate
                    Communications, ISI 

               This presentation will cover the enormous possibilities
               that the World Wide Web offers to a database publisher.
               In place at ISI is a Web-based informational site with
               options to use "push technologies" for product and
               alerting services, as well as product access
               availability. Short-term plans call for linking from
               the "Web of Science" to primary literature housed on
               publisher servers.  There are also plans to enrich the
               database by indexing or linking to quality material
               that is only published on the Internet and to offer
               application-based training electronically.  


10:l0-10:30    Access to Networked Resources: Where We Are and Where
               We're Going
                  Cindy Miller, Director of Product Strategy, Endeavor
                  Information Systems, Inc.

               This presentation is focused on the concepts behind
               the "buzzwords" in searching network resources, and how
               the current state of the technology affects access
               options. It will also discuss some emerging
               technologies and trends and how they will affect the
               services we deliver to our end users.  Topics include:
               Static databases vs Dynamic databases, Java,
               Java Applets, Java Applications, Web organizations,
               Evolution of HTML, New standards for identifying
               network resources.

 
10:30-10:45    Been There, Done That: Our First Year with Web Databases
                  Karen G. Schneider, Contractor with Garcia
                  Consulting and the Director of the US EPA Region 2
                  Library
               
               This presentation will discuss the expected and
               unexpected consequences of Web databases on
               (information) business in the EPA.


10:45-11:10   "Webolution" in North Carolina: Scaling Up The NCSU
               Libraries Web 
               
               Keith Morgan, Client Services Librarian for Networked
               Resources, Department for Digital Library Initiatives.
               North Carolina State University. 
         
               Steve Backs, Reference Librarian, Research and
               Information Services Department. North Carolina State
               University.  

               The discussion will begin with a brief enumeration of
               the historical factors, both organizational and
               technical, which have driven the NCSU Libraries Web.
               The panel will provide the background and ultimate
               decision making factors, justifying the purchase of new
               Web management tools, including the Verity Search
               Engine,  Netscape Suite Spot Server, and HTML
               publishing tools. Finally, they will outline how these 
               innovations culminate in a feature-rich and customer-
               centered Web. Two attributes reflecting the Library's
               commitment to technical innovation in Web based
               information delivery services will be discussed in
               detail: implementation of WebSPIRS for sixteen of the
               seventy-nine databases available to NCSU students,
               faculty, and staff via the WWW and the roll-out of
               version 1.0  of DRAWeb for the Libraries public access
               catalog.  


11:10-11:30   Questions and Answers