Z TEXAS MEETING

Friday, June 29, 2001
9:00am - 4:00pm
Room 314
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
1201 Brazos
Austin, Texas

Z39.50
Home | Implementation Resources

Good News

Innovative Interfaces said they would have their Z39.50 module out by December 2001 (per Cathy Hartman, ALA).

Update on Implementation Resources (formerly Z tool kit)

Allen Mullen, who had been the instigator of this project left the State Library and is working in the Northwest.  Virginia Allen, who had agreed to help him, needs to leave this project.  Cathy Hartman will send message to list to see if anyone is interested.

Possible contents:

• Grant wording -- not yet in TIF, but put up on web site
• Justification for Z39.50
• TLA Resolution
• Sharing records
• Links to Slavko's reports (get URL from him)
• How to talk to your vendor (Chris)
• Linking to firewall article (Library of Canada coming)
• Link to the Z Texas client (coming)
• For vendors -- IndexData or Cross Net -- they develop middle ware that sits between your program and the outside world
• Section for vendors -- this is what is expected if you are dealing with Texas libraries
• RFP language for Z39.50
• List of Texas Z server configurations

Update for the Z Texas client

Bob Gaines is working with Rob Bull of Cross Net to provide a simple Z client for Texas libraries at no charge.  Status:

• They are adding more targets and cleaning up the help section
• Hope to have revised version soon
• The client will include Texas targets, but the user can change configuration file to add or delete targets.

Virtual Union Catalog report

Beverley Shirley said that phase 2 of the Library of Texas (LOT) has been postponed until September 2001. The LOT grant application to TIF has been revised.  The Texas Center for Digital Knowledge submitted an informal invitation to talk to TSLAC about helping with the Virtual Union Catalog (VUC).  If TSLAC has to bid this type of work, then the bid will go out September 1. If an inter-agency agreement is possible and desirable, then the agreement will be created on September 1st.

Scope of the VUC -- common interface across the TexShare databases and library catalogs; will include an ILL and remote access component

The comment was made that the phrase "Virtual Union Catalog" is really a misnomer.  People will think it only deals with online catalogs, when in reality it will deal with much more.  Maybe "Virtual Union Library?"

TSLAC has to move quickly in order the meet the project deadlines.  The decision has already been made that the VUC will be based on Z39.50.

Beverley asked that we brainstorm for functionality that might be included in the VUC.  Ideas included:

• Scope 

  • Access to all State Agencies and databases

  • Access to all TexShare databases

  • Will run against school libraries (TLC)

  • Allow libraries to access databases they purchase themselves

  • Free e journal locator and access points

  • Access to e journals statewide

  • E book access

  • Ask a reference librarian referral system

  • Virtual reference desk shared by various libraries

  • Access to national libraries - LC, NLM, NAL, NLC

  • List of museums with links to each

  • Tourist information esp. driving trails and day trips

  • Children's module, like Charlotte-Mecklenburg (NC) that includes crafts, story hours

  • Online computer programming tools

  • List of current highway construction sites

  • List of radio & TV stations across state & possibly beyond

  • Lists of Library Services and accesses with privileges and limitations

  • Readers' advisory service

  • Educational opportunities database with the different categories based on perceived needs

  • Online image database

  • MARC Records to share

  • Specialized collections identified: e.g. local history , genealogy, etc.

• Access

  • Standardized bar code authentication

  • Authentication with statewide id through library affiliation

  • State library card, usable throughout state

  • Provide without charge library service for the unserved by a public library

  • Voluntary participation in resource sharing

  • XML interface

  • TX Dublin-Core documents interface

• ILL

  • Centralized ILL

  • Patron-initiated ILL

  • Quick response to fill ILL request (electronically, if possible)

  • ILL component takes request from user & sends it to institution document delivery service

  • ILL has option for library mediation

  • Ability to borrow from own library (self check-out)

  • Automatically directs ILLs to appropriate library according to each participating library's profile

  • Automatically finds out if in local holdings and if not automatically initiates an ILL request

  • Patron gets email verification after putting in a request

  • ILL integrates with OCLC

  • Point-to-point request/circulation

  • Ability to send ILL request from bibliographic data

  • Patron ability to check on ILL progress

• Standards

  • Supports open URL standard

  • Allows libraries to come in at low or high Z39.50 profile levels (level 0 through level 5-6 of Bath)

  • Based on Z39.50

  • Based on NCIP

• Interface

  • Same interface searches across all databases

  • Same interface searches across databases and catalogs

  • Same interface will include TRAIL in searches

  • Can be customized to search non-compliant systems

  • Customized "My VUC" - cookie-enabled

  • Allow libraries to customize interface

  • Can search by region, city, research institution, or other parameters

  • Patron can pick features by which to search libraries (geographic, library type, etc.)

  • Option to limit search to type of library - academic, special, public, medical, school, etc

  • Can limit by geographic regions

  • Limit search to reading level or special type of material - e.g. juvenile books

  • Option to limit search to local area or region

  • Ability to limit search by format - i.e. video, books on tape

  • Allow each library to set sort options on returned records (by distance or by library or by cost, etc.)

  • Hierarchical ability to "sort" availability (i.e. in building, within single library, within region, etc.)

  • Professionally-designed (and focus-group tested) interface

  • Support for English and Spanish displays and search terms

  • Links from titles in databases to catalogs in VUC

  • Results avoids long lists of repeated same title (dedups?)

  • Have option to use vendor's ILS interface

  • If a library's server is down, doesn't hold up or delay the multiple-catalog search

• Misc

  •  Decentralized Help Desk

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Update on Z Texas profile client configuration and server testing issues

Slavko Manojlovich said that finding servers to test was the most difficult part; he found:

• TLC, Gaylord Polaris, Sagebrush Athena, VTLS, current SIRSI
• Gaylord scored fairly high

OCLC WorldCat is working toward Bath Level 1 for December 2001; Amicus (National Library of Canada) is Bath Level 1 Bath compliant; III has committed to Bath; Epixtech will start their Bath development in the fall; DRA -- work will probably start Bath development because SIRSI has almost finished the purchase

Update on Bill Moen's Interoperability Testing Project

Funding from Texas Center for Digital Knowledge will partially support the  Z39.50 study.  As part of the project, Bill will set up a server to support Bath Level 1.  He received 500,000 records from OCLC and indexed them according to specifications.  His students will develop set of specifications to for the testing.  Vendors will be provided the same set of records and will index them.  Students will replicate searches and assign scores.

Now, he has records from OCLC, software from SIRSI, server from Sun.  Training on SIRSI will begin in two weeks.  Slavko Manojlovich will be taking a one year sabbatical and will become a member of the Texas Center for Digital Knowledge December 1st.

There really is no timetable for the testing of vendors' products.  It is dependent on when vendors will take him up on the service.

One comment from the group mentioned that Bill might consider using a smaller database because some systems can't handle that many records.

Bill is looking at getting IMLS funding for the next year.

Texas Z Server Information

We need to compile a list of Texas Z servers with their configurations , whether they are compliant or not.  There has been a misconception that the current list should only contain servers that are Bath or Z Texas compliant.

We need to figure out how to get more specific information on Z39.50 into RFPs.  Currently, one vendor stated that they are getting RFPs from outside Texas that specify the Z Texas Profile, but the Texas RFPs are not specifying it.

Chris Peterson will contact the Texas Library Association Automation and Technology Round Table to see if they will sponsor a half-day preconference with vendors explaining how to customize their Z server.

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Developing Interest in Z39.50

Technology Consultant is now at TSLAC (Marilyn Johnson), so that will help in getting the word out.

Chris Peterson will see if one of the Texas Library Association preconferences can be on Z39.50.

We need to contact private and community college associations.  Get Big 12 or Texas universities to do an endorsement?  TICUL,

• We need to identify these groups -- Bob Gaines will post to the list and ask for others we should include
• Cathy Hartman and Chris Peterson will write a letter to these groups asking for their endorsement and attach the Texas Library Association resolution.  The Big 10 and ICOLC have endorsed a Z39.50 profile.

Update from NISO and National Z Profile

Chris Peterson handed out and went over the current draft of the NISO Z39.50 profile.  The group also discussed the differences between the Bath Profile and the emerging NISO profile.  In order to provide the display of holdings in the first version of the NISO profile, the timetable has changed.  The NISO group felt it was very important to have the display of holdings in the first version.  

Classification Searches

The NISO profile has not included our classification search because they feel that when the call number search has been created, that will suffice.  We discussed whether this is a search we wanted to keep in the Z Texas Profile.

The classification search would not SuDocs because that would be a call number search

Upgrading call numbers to current standards doesn't happen much, so class searching could be helpful; however it may happen so infrequently that it may not be worth it

However, a search by class number would be helpful for a cataloger to see if they are on the right track when cataloging a book.

Decision:  Since someone needs it, we should keep it in.

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Revised Scope Statement

Since this group will be working toward another part of a Z39.50 profile, the scope statement needed to be modified.

Chris Peterson provided a draft revised scope statement for review.  Insertions in the evaluation section include:

• TZIG discussions led to an IMLS grant on interoperability testing for Bill Moen
• Send an email message to the TZIG list to obtain information about other presentations or articles that were done by members
• Powerpont presentation on the web
• Discussion list
• TLA District 8 -- Virginia Allen-- 1998
• Northeast Texas Library System -- Cathy Hartman
• TLA NetFair -- Cathy Hartman
• Attended ZIG meeting in San Antonio in January 1999; hosted

Modifications for the new objectives:

• Delete "commercially available;" we want to deal with fulltext and abstract and indexing databases.
• Add "Develop consensus among implementors by August 2002 on the first two levels of this functional area of this Profile."
• Present functional area of this profile at the 2003 TLA conference
• Draft of profile to web site summer 2002
• Hearing format for draft in fall 2002 - invite vendors
• Meeting at TLA 2002 with committee and db vendors to discuss the status of the document;
• Repeat #8 from previous scope statement
• Add:  Develop VUC by encouraging major public and academic libraries to participate.
• Create inventory of Z servers in Texas:  Library, IP, port $, DB name, profile, contact and email
• Repeat #5 from previous scope statement
• Current objectives first, then evaluation of former objectives

Discussions of scope:

• Should be deal with just fulltext databases?  Just bibliographic databases?
• Do we want to search the fulltext?  Or just display the fulltext?
• How would we search the fulltext (pdf, htm, txt)?
• Encyclopedia Britannica -- really only textual fields; not a bibliographic database
  • nofish.library.mun.ca/bathtest/report.htm
  • Z39.50.eb.com
  • port 210
  • database XXDEFAULT
  • title search - use attribute 4
  • tags:  001 - Record number
  • Tags:  245 - subject (fish - locomotion)
  • tags:  520 - text
• Fulltext -- may not want to search fulltext at this point, but display it, if it exists
• Separate levels/areas for fulltext, for medical, for bibliographic databases?
• For users -- when searching fulltext, abstract, and indexing databases, they want "IT" or a link to "IT"
• We need to broaden the expertise of the group:
  • At TLA Annual Assembly:
    • Cathy Hartman will contact the Reference and Government Documents Round Tables
    • Chris Peterson will contact the Automation and Technology and Library Instruction Round Tables
    • Bob Gaines will contact the Texas Association of School Librarians and the Public Library Division Standards group
  • Database expertise
  • Vendor database expertise
  • Information Architecture group in Austin --  Teresa Ashley will contact
  • ASIS chapter -- UNT and UT?  Tim Judkins will contact
  • Does Bill know students at UNT that should be part of this?
  • Library schools -- faculty and graduate schools - TWU - Keith Swigger
  • Mary Bertoldo - under contract at ESC 20 for TLC - Bob Gaines will contact

Profile for Fulltext and Abstracting & Indexing Databases

Academic, public, and school librarians brought information on access points to the meeting.  Possible ideas for access points to be used in fulltext or A&I databases include:

• Named person
• URL
• Domain
• Article type
• Institutional affiliation
• Title
• Subject
• Keyword (in lead paragraph or in document)
• Standard numbers (CAS, ISSN, ISBN, ED, DUNS, Coden, NAICS)
• Author
• Source (journal or book name)
• Publisher

Possible limiters:

• Bibliography present 
• Peer-reviewed 
• Editorial present 
• Format
• Audience
• Language
• Availability of fulltext
• Availability of images
• Date
• Date range
• Publication type

Other issues:

• Natural language queries
• Smart tags
• Truncation (right, left, # letters)
• Ability to search for fulltext or just bibliographic information
• Relevancy
• Search abstract
• Proximity
• Adjacency
• Boolean operators
• Search by phrase

Is this Functional Area D?  It really isn't Area C because it isn't cross domain and it doesn't use Dublin Core.  Seems that the cross domain section should use a different letter because it has the ability to search more than one functional area.

Comment from the group stated that NISO would be working on this area.  The consensus of the group is that if they will be doing this work, then we shouldn't.  Chris Peterson will contact Bill Moen to find out.

Miscellaneous

Chris Peterson will look into re-structuring the TZIG web site.  Teresa Ashley is already working on one section of it; Chris will work on the surrounding documents.

It would be helpful if specific RFP language was created and posted to the TZIG web site, enabling librarians to insert it into their RFPs:

• Holly Gordon will provide TSLAC and SIRSI language to Cathy Hartman and Chris Peterson
• Cathy and Chris will create some language and post to the list 

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Next Meeting

The next meeting will coincide with the LITA Regional Institute:  Proxy Web Servers and Authentication.  The meeting will be held in San Antonio on Thursday, September 13, 2001.  The Institute will be in San Antonio on Friday, September 14, 2001. 

Possible agenda items:

• Beverley Shirley -- follow-up on brainstorming session for Virtual Union catalog
• Access points for fulltext/A&I databases
• Response from Bath group about switching D and C functional areas
• TLA Annual Conference -- preconferences; meeting set for after the morning session (someone else to help; decide who after the recruitment - put it on the list)

Next meeting -- Thursday, September 13, 2001

Documents Provided:

Agenda
The U.S. National Z39.50 Profile for Library Applications (Draft), March 19, 2001
Differences in Specifications with The Bath Profile, May 16, 2001
Open Issues for Resolution by SC AV, May 1, 2001
Scope, Goals and Objectives for Z Texas, October 2, 1998
Draft Scope, Goals and Objectives for Z Texas, June 28, 2001
David Schuster's Investigations of Gale Databases
Classification Searches
InfoTrac and GaleNet Z39.50 Server Capability Profile, September 13, 2000

Attendees:

Virginia Allen, Lamar University
Teresa Ashley, Austin Community College
Bob Gaines, Central Texas Library System
Holly Gordon, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Cathy Hartman, University of North Texas
Marilyn Johnson, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Tim Judkins, UT - Southwestern
Slavko Manojlovich, SIRSI, University of Newfoundland
Chris Peterson, Amigos Library Services
Beverley Shirley, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Jay Velgos, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Blaine Yates, SIRSI

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