Potential Benefits of Web Feeds for Database Vendors/ Journal Aggregators?

[Gerry Mckiernan]

Potential Benefits of Web Feeds for Database Vendors/ Journal Aggregators?

Colleagues/

I am greatly interested in learning of other potential benefits of RSS/Web =
feeds for Database Vendors and/or Journal Aggregators. In my recent =
article in LLRX on Rich Site Services [ http://www.llrx.com/features/richsi=
te.htm ], I identified several potential uses of Web feeds for "Extended =
Information and Library Services":

"Potential Possibilities
In addition to current implementations, other library functions and =
services could also be enhanced through a broader use of Web feeds. For =
example, the review of newly published and forthcoming titles by selectors =
and bibliographers could be significantly expedited if publishers and book =
vendors provided feeds for individual titles and disciplines.
If electronic journal vendors and publishers syndicated their content, =
users could choose to receive desktop notification for newly-published =
relevant articles by journal title or discipline.=20
[snip]

The assessment, use, and integration of [database] search results could be =
significantly improved if database and OPAC vendors offered a Web feed =
option."

In addition, I believe that RSS/Web feeds could also be used by Database =
Vendors/Journal Aggregators to=20

* notify site subscribers of new titles added and available from the =
vendor/aggregator
* notify site subscribers of dropped titles no longer available from the =
vendor/aggregator=20
* notify site subscribers of changes in content  coverage for incorporated =
 titles=20

**Others?**

As Always, Any and All recommendations, suggestions, and/or Cosmic =
Insights would be most appreciated.

Regards,

/Gerry=20

Gerry McKiernan
Web Fed Librarian=20
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck at iastate.edu=20