Demonstrator of a directory for libraries launched

Thu Aug 3 06:07:47 EDT 2000

NEWS FROM LASER

London, 2nd August 2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRIDE launches a demonstrator of a Directory of library users and
services

An information infrastructure for the library world

The PRIDE project has launched a demonstrator of a directory system that
is a model for an information infrastructure for the library community,
and potentially the key to interoperability. The directory is a place to
store descriptive information about organisations, services, people. It
can store information such as addresses of libraries, descriptions of
their print and electronic collections, contact details for the ILL
librarian, details of Web services from libraries or publishers,
technical details of services such as location of Z39.50 targets.
Maintenance of a PRIDE directory is distributed, so that those with the
most current information about details of a service maintain information

about it. PRIDE has developed a number of agents and harvesters to
maintain the directory largely automatically.

At the moment there is no one systematic source of information about
libraries, library services and other services relevant to libraries
such as Web based databases or electronic journals. This is a problem
both for librarians and users. It makes knowing even where to begin an
information search difficult. Finding details of a particular service is
haphazard. For example, looking for the telephone number of an ILL
department or the URL of an online database or technical details about a
Z39.50 server.  In other words, there is a lack of adequate information
infrastructure.  Interoperability is the key to creating networked
information infrastructure and the PRIDE Project has addressed the
various technical components required to sustain access management and
interoperability in a global distributed information services
environment.

You are invited to come and explore the site, and discover how a PRIDE
directory could benefit your own service, and the library community in
general.

Public Demonstrator: http://gatewayone.viscount.org.uk/puc/index.html
(with documentation)
Other Demonstrators are listed at
http://www.viscount.org.uk/pride/demo.html

Funded under FP4 of Telematics for libraries programme of the EC, the
PRIDE web site gives more information about the ideas behind the
project. PRIDE Website: http://www.viscount.org.uk/pride/

Based on standards

The core of the service is based on directory technology, using X.500
and LDAP; the whole system is based on open standards. Maintenance of
the directory is distributed, so each entry is maintained by the
relevant service provider or individual. Software Agents harvest Z39.50
and RDF records to populate and update the directory automatically. The
web-based PRIDE Universal Client (PUC) is the main access route into the

system, both for users and administrators. For a full account of the
underlying technology please refer to the project Web site.

The Benefits of PRIDE

To illustrate the value of PRIDE some of the things you could do in a
PRIDE directory include:

·       Search for the address and opening hours of a library
·       Search for the telephone number of the librarian responsible for
ILL at another library
·       Browse online services
·       Search for a library with a strong collection of books on
ecclesiastical history - and connect to the online OPAC, if available
·       Search for online databases that cover psychology - and check
terms of access, and find the email of those who run the service
·       Look at services that have been selected for me by the librarian

·       Look at clumps of services that have been associated together by
the librarian
·       Log directly into a password protected site, without having to
remember a password (using an 'Access Profile')
·       Be alerted of new services or collections in my area of subject
interest (using an 'SDI Profile').
·       Find contacts with similar interests to me.
·       Import metadata about users, organisations and other resources
stored in RDF or XML into the directory (via the RDF Harvester)
·       Collect information about service configurations (Z39.50 Explain
Harvester)
·       Search multiple databases, without having to manually configure
suitable targets (Z39.50 Proxy)

The Consortium

The project was part funded for 26 months from 10th June 1998 by the
European Commission under the Fourth Framework of the Telematics
Applications Programme. The project manager is Andrew Colleran, of
Quercus Information Ltd in the UK. The other partners include: London
and South Eastern Library Region (LASER), who are project coordinators;
Fretwell-Downing Informatics Ltd; UKOLN at University of Bath;
University College Dublin; CERLIM at Manchester Metropolitan University;
University of East Anglia; Macquarie University, Australia; Bibliothèque

de l'Université René Descartes - Paris V; Otto-von-Guericke-Universität,
Universitätsbibliothek, Magdeburg; IQSoft, Hungary; LITC at South Bank
University, London. The British Library is a sponsoring partner, and
other commercial sponsors are supporting the project.

Contact for PRIDE

Project Manager:
Andrew Colleran

Quercus Information Limited,
30 Holyoake Road,
Oxford OX3 8AE, UK

Tel: +44 1865 768902 ; fax:+44 1865 436670

Email: andrew.colleran at quercus.co.uk

Official European project synopsis:
http://www2.echo.lu/libraries/en/projects/pride.html

PRIDE Website: http://www.viscount.org.uk/pride/

Notes for Editors

1.      LASER is the preferred name for London and South Eastern Library
Region, the Development and Networking Agency. Building on a history of
regional and inter-regional resource sharing activity since 1926, LASER
is now developing new approaches to cultural services development and
promoting access to learning resources, based on a wide range of
partnerships.

2.      Further information about LASER may be obtained from
Frances Hendrix,
Director,
LASER, London & South Eastern Library Region
Gun Court
70 Wapping Lane
London E1W 2RS
Tel: +44 020 7702 2020
Fax: +44 020 7702 2019
Email: frances at viscount.org.uk
http://www.viscount.org.uk/laser/

--
Robin Yeates
Assistant Director: Research & Development
LASER
The Development & Networking Agency
4th Floor, Gun Court
70 Wapping Lane
London E1W 2RS
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (020) 7702 2020
Fax: +44 (020) 7702 2019
email: robin at viscount.org.uk
URL: http://www.viscount.org.uk/laser/

'Serving the London, South East and Eastern Regions'
Company No. 1991362. VAT No. 233106019
A Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered Charity No. 293864.

*********
Resent by
Andrew Cox
LITC, coxam at sbu.ac.uk