[WEB4LIB] Re: Z39.50

[Masters, Gary E]

Perhaps it is a question of getting out and selling the standard.  Many see
this as something just for librarians.

Gary


Gary E. Masters
Librarian (Systems)
CDRH - FDA
(301) 827-6893 

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Walt_Crawford at notes.rlg.org
[SMTP:Walt_Crawford at notes.rlg.org]
	Sent:	Friday, February 09, 2001 10:35 AM
	To:	Multiple recipients of list
	Subject:	[WEB4LIB] Re: Z39.50


	I'm a little taken aback by that too. Let's see. ProCite and EndNote
both
	embed Z39.50 clients. Unless I'm mistaken (quite possible), most
good
	online catalogs can serve as Z39.50 clients or Z39.50 servers.
Z39.50
	searching is fundamental to ISO-standard ILL. I know UC's statewide
system
	makes heavy use of Z39.50, as do quite a few other systems. Zephyr,
RLG's
	Z39.50 server, does hundreds of thousands of Z39.50 searches each
month
	(including 200,000 or more to our own Z39.50 clients, since Eureka
is
	entirely based on Z39.50). I'd bet that OCLC serves millions of
Z39.50
	searches each month, to its own licensed clients and others.

	What has changed, at least hereabouts, is the former assumption that
Z39.50
	would replace everything else--that, for example, we shouldn't
bother
	improving our Web-based search clients because every institution
would
	design its own interface using Z39.50. In that sense, Z39.50 has
rolled
	back from the Universal Heir Presumptive to one strong player.

	If there are emerging "standards" that will complement Z39.50 (or,
equally
	well, act as part of Z39.50), they'll be metadata "standards" (e.g.
Dublin
	Core).
	-walt crawford, RLG (but of course not speaking on RLG's behalf)-


	

	                    "Kitty Au"

	                    <aukitty at hotmail.c        To:     Multiple
recipients of list <web4lib at webjunction.org>        
	                    om>                       cc:

	                    Sent by:                  Subject:     [WEB4LIB]
Z39.50                                             
	                    web4lib at sunsite.be

	                    rkeley.edu

	

	

	                    02/09/2001 05:50

	                    AM

	                    Please respond to

	                    aukitty

	

	





	I heard one comment today --- "Z39.50, as a search and retrieval
protocol
	used widely among library OPACs, is dying".  I was taken aback.
But, to
	keep my mind open, I would like to ask for your comments on this.
If you
	do
	agree to this, what is the emerging standard?

	Thanks in advance.

	Kitty Au






	
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