Z TEXAS MEETING

Thursday, June 3, 1999
9:00am - 5:00pm
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Building E -- Fred F. Florence Bioinformation Center
Library Conference Room, Mid Floor, Library
Dallas, Texas

Z39.50
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Attendees:

Cathy Hartman, University of North Texas
Kathleen Krause, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Virginia Allen, Lamar University
Tim Judkins, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Saralyn Shone, Arlington Public Library
Shelley Almgren, Texas Wesleyan University
Bob Gaines, Central Texas Library System
Scott Piepenburg, Dallas Public Schools
Sharon Castleberry, Carrollton Public Libraries
Beverley Shirley, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Slavko Manojlovich, SIRSI Corporation/Memorial University of Newfoundland
Christine Peterson, Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Bill Moen, University of North Texas

1)    Vendor Compliance with Z Texas Profile

Bill Moen will be teaching a graduate level research methods class at the University of North Texas in the fall.  His idea is to test compliance issues on a server implemented by the class.  One of the final products might be a methodology for interoperability testing.

2)    Character Set Issue

Within the Z Texas Profile, we need to reference the Extended ALA Character Set.  This change will be made to the profile.

3)    International Profile Teleconference

Issues raised concerning the Z Texas Profile:

• Record syntax -- MARC 21 is not used in all countries
• Requirements should be more expansive
• Z Texas may become a national extension of the international profile
• Ability to search a single parameter, e.g., date or language, with no other arguments

4)    TLA Resolution

TLA Annual Assembly (July 10-12, 1999) would be a good place to get support for the profile.  A resolution should be crafted to provide to the Automation and Technology Round Table, which can provide it to the Executive Board for approval.

Tim Judkins, Cathy Hartman, and Saralyn Shone will craft the resolution; send to list by June 30th for 7-day comment period; final resolution to Sharon Castleberry by July 7th.   Possible co-sponsors would be Government Documents Round Table, Automation and Technology Round Table, and Catalogers and Classifiers Round Table.

5)    Education and Publicity

Education needs to be a high priority at this point.  Possible documents include:

• Basic "what is Z39.50 and why should I care" document; 1-2 pages; audience -- librarians, people who hold the purse strings; introduce Z Texas.  Scott Piepenburg will post to the list by June 20th; to Sharon Castleberry as supporting documentation for resolution by July 7th.
• Technical FAQ
• How To Talk To Your Vendor; audience -- new Z39.50 users as well as old; what questions to ask; what compliancy means; recourse if software is determined not to be compliant; Christine Peterson, Saralyn Shone, Virginia Allen, Beverley Shirley -- draft to the list 8/15/99; finalized 9/1/99.
• Letters to CEOs/presidents of Z39.50 companies; ask for Z39.50 contact person that can answer functional as well as technical questions; Bob Gaines -- letter to go out by 7/30/99.
• Z Texas Profile as a checklist -- Bill Moen
• How to deal with existing Z39.50 implementations
• Z39.50 site as an FAQ -- Christine Peterson will put up test site in July.
• List of Z servers in Texas; pertinent Z information would be included

6)    TIF Grants

Public library enhancement grant due out in spring 2000; academic library grant possible later.  What can we ask TIF to include as an eligible expense in order to make Z39.50 happen in Texas?

• Web/Z gateways -- $20,000?
• Z servers
• Implementation of holdings information (is it available in local system?  If so, is it in MARC Holdings Format?)
• Money to re-index local catalogs, if necessary
• Z 39.50 training and travel expenses

Other ideas should be forwarded to Bob Gaines.

7)    Freeware Z Client

Discussion of the creation of a Z client the conforms to the Z Texas profile that is not integrated with an ILS; one possible function would be to download copyright-free MARC records; a list of servers in Texas might be included within the client.

By September meeting, these vendors will be contacted to determine their interest in such a project:

• Bill Moen will contact Sea Change and Icon (Europen shareware client)
• Scott Piepenburg will contact MITINET

8)    Future Issues (Next 12 months)

Education

Certification/Validation/Interoperability Testing/Conformance

Record Ownership/Database Access Issues/Copyright/Resource Sharing/Validation/Firewalls -- need to define issues for others to tackle; this is not the right venue for an inclusive discussion

Update Scope, Goals, and Objectives Statement

TLA/Houston -- April 11-15, 2000 -- "Z39.50:  Making It Work"

• Policy  issues/how to talk to vendors/testbed people/live demonstrations
• TSLAC/ATRT/GODORT cosponsorships -- 2 hrs Wednesday

International ZIG Meeting -- after ALA Midwinter/San Antonio

• Jointly sponsor meeting/workshop after ALA -- TZIG/TSLAC/UNT-SLIS
• ZIG Tutorial?  Details to follow

Profiling

• Category 3
• non-MARC items
• Revising the profile -- deleting "draft"

Interoperability Testing -- early adopters probably mid-fall; testing -- 1st quarter 2000

9)    Next Meetings

September 24, 1999 -- North Houston -- Virginia Allen, Lamar University, will coordinate

• Agenda will include:  Holdings and Bibliographic Databases (Bill Moen); Category III Profiling (Cathy Hartman, Shelley Almgren, Christine Peterson); Update Scope Statement (Bob Gaines).

First Week in December

Early March

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