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Kinetica Kinetica
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Kinetica Advisory Committee Meeting

12 and 13 November 1998


Agenda

1) Director-General’s remarks

2) Minutes of the previous meeting KAC/1998/9

3) Kinetica Implementation Project progress report – Oral report

4) Business issues

a) Charges and incentives for Kinetica KAC/1998/2/1 (embargoed)

b) Charges for commercial use of Kinetica records KAC/1998/2/2 (embargoed)

c) Kinetica business relationships Oral report

d) Budget summary paper To be tabled (embargoed)

5) Database report October 1998 KAC/1998/2/3

6) Cataloguing Expert Advisory Groups KAC/1998/2/4

7) Kinetica marketing report KAC/1998/2/5

8) Kinetica Document Delivery Service - VDX implementation KAC/1998/2/6

9) Dates for future meetings

10) For information

a) The future of the Australian National Bibliography: report from the advisory group KAC/1998/2/7

b) National Roundtable on access to overseas monographs KAC/1998/2/8

c) National Library standards activities KAC/1998/2/9

d) The Digital Services Project KAC/1998/2/9 67 KAC/1998/9

Kinetica Advisory Committee Meeting, 21 and 23 JULY 1998

Draft Minutes

Draft minutes of the first meeting of the Kinetica Advisory Committee held at the National Library of Australia on 21 and 23 August 1998.

Present

Chairperson

Ms Helen Livingston

Deputy University Librarian, Deakin University

Members

Ms Susan Ball

Associate Director, Corporate Services, State Library of South Australia

Ms Marian Bate

Principal Librarian, University of New South Wales

Ms Sherrey Quinn

Library Services Co-ordinator, BHP Research

Ms Sally Anderson

NSW Agriculture Library, Trangie

Ms Jan Maslen

Associate Librarian (Technical Services), La Trobe University

Mr Philip Keane

Head, Library and Educational Information Services, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide

Ms Meredith Wallace

Manager, Information & Library Services, Parramatta City Library

Ms Jan Fullerton

Deputy Director-General (Acting), National Library of Australia

Mr David Toll

Assistant Director-General, Corporate Services , National Library of Australia

Officers in Attendance

Mr Andrew Wells

Director, Kinetica Implementation Team, National Library of Australia

Dr Warwick Cathro

Assistant Director-General, Services to Libraries, National Library of Australia

Minutes

Ms Bryony De La Motte

Kinetica Implementation Team, National Library of Australia

The meeting opened at 10.00 am. The Director-General took the chair, pending the election by Committee members of the chair. During the morning, Committee members elected Helen Livingston as chair.

Introduction

The Director-General welcomed members to the new Committee. He then made some remarks on the role that the Kinetica Advisory Committee will have in advising the National Library, and outlined the operational method proposed for it.
The KAC will be the chief source of advice to the Library on customer views of Kinetica.
The KAC will be an advisory committee to the Director-General, who will plan to be present throughout, as an observer rather than a participant.
The KAC will operate under a new paradigm, not as a ‘replacement’ for the Network Committee. There will not be an automatic transfer of the Network Committee’s role. The environment that the KAC works in is very different to that which existed when the Network Committee was set up. In particular, the Companies and Corporations Act (the CAC Act) means that the National Library must operate under Company Law, and take a stronger role in setting policy for Kinetica. As a result, the KAC must be an advisory body, as the Director-General’s responsibilities cannot be devolved. This will be particularly apparent in relation to charges
The KAC membership model has been adopted to reflect a closer alliance with Australian libraries by having stronger links with key market sectors. In addition, opening the franchise to all ABN (and future Kinetica) customers reflects an important shift in the focus of the advisory mechanism.

The Director-General then outlined the National Library’s vision for the Kinetica service:
It will be Australia’s resource-sharing mechanism, in contrast to ABN’s role as Australia’s bibliographic utility.
It will be the world’s best source of Australian bibliographic information, and for many libraries, the main source on foreign bibliographic information.
Kinetica represents a major commitment by the National Library and is likely to be the last such development, as technological developments such as Z39.50 mean that a central system are no longer necessary.
The Kinetica ‘envelope’ includes ABN, Kinetica and the CJK services.

Agenda Item 1

Director-General’s Remarks

The Director-General gave Committee members information on broader activities of the National Library, providing the context for the Committee’s discussions.

Appointments in senior management. It has been a deliberate decision not to fill senior positions permanently, as the Director-General’s position will be advertised shortly, and the incoming Director-General may want the flexibility afforded by this arrangement. Senior management positions are held by

Jan Fullerton Deputy Director-General (Acting)
Pam Gatenby Assistant Director-General, Collections and Reader Services Division (Acting)
Warwick Cathro Assistant Director-General, Services to Libraries (STL) Division
Andrew Wells Director, Kinetica Implementation is also in STL Division, sharing responsibilities with Warwick Cathro.
Jan Lyall Assistant Director-General, This position will be advertised shortly.
David Toll Assistant Director-General, Corporate Services

Council.
Sir Anthony Mason has not been reappointed as Council chairman. Mr Jim Bain is the new chairman.

Funding. The National Library has started the new financial year in a well-balanced situation financially and ready to move ahead. The ‘efficiency dividend’ is now 1%, and the National Library is managing its activities very efficiently. The NDIS settlement was a satisfactory financial result for the National Library. The National Library is now in a position where it can maintain current staff numbers and hopes to maintain its book budget. Some expenditure on the building will take place this financial year. The Digitised Services Project (Phase 2 of the Networked Services Project) will be a major expenditure item this year.

Agenda Item 2

Kinetica Implementation Report

Andrew Wells presented an oral report on the status of the Kinetica Implementation Project. Main points were:

Kinetica Implementation Project. The AMICUS and LibriVision elements of Kinetica are being implemented in association with IBM Global Services Australia. The Fretwell-Downing OLIB VDX software for the Document Supply module is being implemented by the National Library.

Data migration is progressing smoothly. 4 Million bibliographic records will have been loaded by the end of the day. Resolution of CANMARC issues was a major task in preparing for migration. Unique records are being loaded at present, and potential duplicates will be loaded when this group is completed. Testing of the matching and merging algorithm will start shortly. Loading of authority records will be loaded last. The main database build is expected to be complete by the end of August.

Down line loading. The key application development that the National Library has commissioned is down line loading. Good progress has been made on this, and acceptance testing for it is now being planned.

National Library of Canada. Mr Wells reported that the National Library of Canada has provided extensive assistance to the National Library of Australia in the implementation project. Senior staff members form the cataloguing and IT areas had visited Canberra to participate in a Cataloguing Workflow workshop. This was very helpful in assisting National Library staff to understand more of AMICUS’ design features and deciding how to make best use of them. More NLC staff will visits Canberra in coming weeks.

http/Z39.50. LibriVision will provide more than the standard Z39.50 searching functionality; it will also provide the ability to amend holdings data and order products. The national CJK database will be a Kinetica Search Service target from Day 1. Negotiations with other database providers are under way.

Administrative module. Design and specification of statistical reports, billing and user registration and authentication are currently in progress.

Performance testing. Internet access to the NLA installation was tested from the National Library’s new warehouse in Hume. In Sydney and Melbourne two pilot sites have been identified: the State Library of NSW and CAVAL. They will participate in testing client installation and operation, as well as giving the Library an early reaction from potential users.

Training. Plans are under way for training in the fourth quarter of 1998. Mr Wells noted that training for the LibriVision interface will be quite straightforward, and will probably use half-day seminar-style presentations. Cataloguing client training will be presented to smaller groups and will probably be two-day courses..

Documentation. All documentation will be available online. Printed copies will also be distributed at the commencement of Kinetica.

IBM Global Services Australia (GSA). The National Library has very good working relationships with the IBM GSA implementation team. When Kinetica is in productions, IBM will provide an AMICUS Technical Support Group to be located in the National Library to support the operations of the service. For Kinetica customers the National Library will provide a Help Desk as the first point of contact.

Presentations. Andrew Wells, Bryony De La Motte and Bronwyn Lee have been very active in presenting information about the proposed Kinetica services. An important aspect of these presentations has been the inclusion of regional centres in the itinerary.

Melbourne seminar. Mr Wells reported that this was a very active and open seminar, with representatives of all the industry groups contributing actively. It could be useful to have another such workshop before Kinetica is implemented.

Document supply. The Fretwell-Downing VDX document supply software is being implemented as a National Library project, integrated with, but not part of the AMICUS and LibriVision implementation project. The VDX system will be run on hardware which has been installed in the National Library. The base software is currently being tested. The National Library requirements have been very well specified. The National Library is working very closely with the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee LIDDAS project including directory services, but our implementation will remain separate. Our requirements are different, although there are common elements which are being synchronised. An ILL payments system is being developed for the National Library. This is an early implementation of the ISO ILL protocol, and so is being watched with interest around the world. Implementation is expected for the first quarter of 1999.

End user access. A pilot for end user access to the Kinetica Search Service is being planned to run in the National Library in the second quarter of 1999, and other organisations could participate. It must be remembered that the Kinetica system is sized for a maximum of 1000 users, so the impact of end users on this capacity must be assessed. If this number will be exceeded regularly, the National Library will have to purchase more computing capacity. There is a price for extra capacity included in the contract with IBM. AMICUS is capable of providing more capacity. The Kinetica services currently being implemented will not offer casual end user access; this functionality may be included in the Digital Services Project. Kinetica customer libraries could obtain passwords which they make available to end users. VDX has support for end user requesting, which can be mediated or unmediated. The National Library has not yet explored this.
Committee members pointed out that end users might increase weekend and late night access to the system, and this has the potential to affect off-peak processing.

Agenda Item 3

Business Issues

KAC/1998/1

Warwick Cathro introduced the topic, noting that the charges for 1998/99 ABN/Kinetica use were set in consultation with the Network Committee, especially to accommodate the uncertainty of the transitional year. The main charge for the next financial year will be by subscription with a charge for large, one-off product runs.

Dr Cathro wrote to all ABN customers in April this year. A number of requests for revisions were received, and most had been resolved.

Discussion points:

  • The challenge of balancing expenditure with revenue.
  • Outsourcing of technical services may cause fluctuating levels of use by libraries and similar fluctuations by library suppliers.
  • Frequency of invoicing by the National Library. KAC members agreed that quarterly or six-monthly billing would be more efficient for customers as well as for the National Library. The National Library also undertook to review the possibility of raising the threshold for invoice production from its present $40.00, and to review the possibility of direct debit from a nominated credit card.

ACTION: Warwick Cathro

Agenda Item 3a

Kinetica Charges 1999/2000

KAC/1998/2

Andrew Wells introduced the item, emphasising that the National Library has bought a package, which does not feature a full billing system. As the Library’s overall strategy is not to require development of a unique version of AMICUS but to retain compatibility with future developments, we must work within the AMICUS billing system in setting charges for use of Kinetica.

Discussion points:

  • Charges need to have a basis and structure which enable customers to manage their resources by adjusting their subscriptions Charging structures based on external measures such as population do not allow this resource management.
  • The charging structure should be straightforward so that customers can easily predict the effect of any changes in use patterns.
  • The 1997 Annual Users Meeting strongly endorsed the payment of credits for contribution of cataloguing and holdings; Kinetica will offer incentives rather than transaction-based credits.
  • Online logging of transactions needed for transaction-based credits has system performance implications.
  • Subscriptions based on a specified number of concurrent users were approved by KAC members. The National Library is waiting for information from ELiAS on the feasibility of this charging mechanism. Concurrent sessions could be discounted as an incentive to contribute data.
  • Charging by concurrent sessions might be an issue for small customers, as the base price might need to be quite high.
  • A number of points were made in relation to incentives for contribution to the National Union Catalogue (NUC).
  • Kinetica cataloguing would be easier than on ABN, so the compensation element of the current credit scheme would not be required.
  • Contribution might be encouraged by payment of incentives to libraries which loaned items.
  • Some contributed data is of more value than others (bibliographic records for Australian items; unique holdings data) and some is contributed in a more timely manner.
  • Incentives are needed to encourage libraries to contribute to the NUC.
  • Original and copy cataloguing could receive the same incentives, as some records which enter the Kinetica database would in fact be copy cataloguing obtained from another source of bibliographic records.
  • There could be a separate level of incentives for contribution of records for Australian material
  • Small users could pay a charge based on connect time.
  • Subscriptions could be shared by groups of small libraries.
  • The National Library could make use of ‘onsellers’ to sell partial subscriptions to small libraries.

The Committee made the following recommendations:

KAC/1998/REC/1
The Kinetica Advisory Committee discussed charging options for Kinetica, and requested that the use of concurrent user sessions be investigated as a possible option for charging for use of Kinetica in 1999/2000.

KAC/1998/REC/2
The Committee requested the National Library to investigate methods of charging for use of Kinetica which would not result in disadvantage to small libraries.

KAC/1998/REC/3
The Committee requested the National Library to develop an incentive scheme to encourage libraries to contribute to the primary purpose of Kinetica, support for resource sharing among libraries.

Agenda Item 3c

Kinetica Business Relationships Strategy

KAC/1998/3

Warwick Cathro introduced the item
Commercial issues related to gateways to bibliographic utilities were discussed.
Issues relating to contract cataloguers and library suppliers were taken in conjunction with the Kinetica Interfaces Seminar (KAC/1998/4).

Agenda Item 3d

Kinetica Interfaces Seminar

KAC/1998/4

Andrew Wells introduced the item, commenting particularly in the positive remarks at the end of the seminar by people from all the sectors involved. The seminar developed 3 models which could be used to assist libraries using external sources of bibliographic records to report holdings to the NUC. [A full report of the seminar is at http://www.nla.gov.au/librariesaustralia/interfaceseminar.html] Mr Wells reported that the seminar agreed that models 1 and 2 will meet present needs, and that model 3 is more complex, and likely to be used in the future. The next step is for the National Library to specify and publicise the data and file formats for batch reporting to Kinetica. He noted that the Library will work towards a minimal number of different file formats.

Kinetica Implementation Team members have attended as many library system users meetings as possible, and are seeking other methods of maintaining contact with the sector. System vendors are also being encouraged to approach the National Library to make their requirements clear.

Agenda Item 3e

Budget Summary Report – Tabled Paper

Warwick Cathro informed the Committee that this report is an operating statement not a balance sheet. It was tabled to give background information for other discussions. It indicates anticipated costs and revenue to show how budgets will be balanced. Some reduction in revenue is anticipated, and means of reducing costs (including staffing costs) are being considered. There will be a continuing drop in telecommunications revenue, as the ABN leased line and dial-up network are discontinued.
The Committee thanked Dr Cathro for the report, and asked to receive the information at every meeting. Information included should cover the Year to Date and the most recent month (or quarter, when invoicing becomes quarterly).

Agenda Item 4

Evaluation Strategy

KAC/1998/5


Warwick Cathro introduced the paper, noting that as the strategy is still under development, the present paper indicates current ideas on how Kinetica’s operation might be evaluated. He also noted that the paper includes some of the National Library’s other collaborative activities which do not fall within the bounds of ABN/Kinetica.

Discussion points

  • Focus groups could be effective in obtaining customer views on current and future services. The value of such groups would have to be balanced against the cost of running them.
  • Scoring should be more precise than ‘average’; a percentage would be more useful.
  • Effectiveness and quality indicators are difficult to develop objectively.
  • Number of inquiries, number of new holdings added to the NUC, response time and availability are all useful measures.

The Committee requested the National Library to do more work on methodology for the next meeting. This should include the development of a set of questions for focus groups and surveys. Committee members may send suggestions for questions and comments to Warwick Cathro.

Agenda Item 5

Database Report

KAC/1998/6

Andrew Wells introduced the item. He informed the Committee that the start date for LC MARC records without holdings being loaded to the Kinetica database is under review, and will probably be earlier than 1994. This is in response to comments from users who indicate that these records are very frequently used.

Agenda Item 6

Demonstration Of Librivision, AMICUS And VDX Software.

Committee members viewed a demonstration of the three components of the Kinetica service.

Agenda Item 7

Annual Users Meeting Preparation

Jillian Beswick, chair of the Annual Users Meeting, joined the Committee for this item.

She outlined her perception of the major issues of concern to those attending the meeting. National Library staff members outlined the schedule for the day, and explained the role to be taken by individual staff members.

Agenda Item10

The National Library’s Role in the Development of the Australian Library Infrastructure

KAC/1998/6

Digital Services Activites In The National Library KAC/1998/7
Warren Horton told the Committee that these papers were based on reports to the National Library Council. They were included to give Committee members background to Kinetica’s place in the National Library’s activities.

The meeting adjourned at 5.15pm on 21 July and resumed at 2.00pm on 23 July.

Agenda Item 8

Annual Users Meeting Follow Up

Jillian Beswick joined the Committee for this item. She listed the items which the Annual Users Meeting had identified as important in the implementation of Kinetica, as follows:

  • Shared cataloguing, including upline and downline loading
  • Matching and merging of bibliographic records
  • Charging
  • Advisory mechanisms
  • Australian subject headings
  • Charging for use of the ILL system
  • Gateways to other systems
  • Venue for the next meeting, and its length. If it remains at 1.5 days, then the possibility of holding the DTA’s meeting on the afternoon of the second day should be considered.
  • Break out groups were useful.

Ms Beswick commented on the positive attitude she had perceived at the meeting, which she described as very exciting and supportive of the National Library’s work on Kinetica. For the next meeting, which Ms Beswick will also chair, she suggested that the chairs of state user groups be strongly encouraged to identify issues.

Ms Beswick then left the meeting, and the Committee then discussed some issues she had raised. The Committee noted that the National Library would include the views expressed at the Annual Users Meeting in its planning and implementation of Kinetica services.

ILL charging. The Committee decided that the charge for use of the ILL service should not be altered this financial year. For future years they considered that the charge should be split between the borrower and the lender. A flat charge is preferred as the cost of administering the payment service is not affected by the charge for the loan.

Advisory mechanisms. Andrew Wells reported that the National Library planned to convene two ‘limited life’ advisory groups with appointed membership and operating mostly by email and teleconference. One will replace the current Subject Headings Review Panel, and the other will address cataloguing workflows. The Committee made the following recommendations

KAC/1998/REC/4
The Committee endorses the principle of setting up Expert Advisory Groups with appointed membership, as appropriate.

KAC/1998/REC/5
The Committee endorses the proposal to convene two expert advisory groups: one to replace the Subject Headings Review Panel and one to consider Cataloguing Workflow issues in Kinetica.

KAC/1998/REC/6
The Committee recommends to the Director-General that the National Library also convene an expert advisory group to consider Kinetica document delivery issues.

The Committee also noted that the Standards Committee had met after the dissolution of the Network Committee, and that the resolutions of that Standards Committee meeting had been approved by the Director-General .

The Committee considered the role of state user groups, and advised that they should continue to operate as they do for ABN. They should be encouraged to send issues to the appropriate Expert Advisory Group or to the Kinetica Implementation Team. If the need emerges, the National Library should convene another Expert Advisory Group.

Venue for next meeting. The Committee discussed the views expressed at the Annual Users Meeting. The National Library advised that sufficient support would be provided for the meeting if it was held outside Canberra. Holding the meeting in Canberra does provide a good opportunity for ABN/Kinetica support staff to meet customers. The Committee passed the following recommendation:

KAC/1998/REC/7
The Committee recommends to the Director-General that the 1999 Annual Users Meeting be held in Sydney.

Discussion of the dates and venue was deferred to the next Kinetica Advisory Committee meeting.

Upline loading. Committee members referred to the tension between the National Library’s need to adopt most cost-effective method of maintaining the NUC and Kinetica customers’ need to adopt the most cost-effective means to maintain their own catalogues. Andrew Wells stated that the National Library is not completely aware of all the AMICUS data creation and loading issues yet, so it cannot give customers firm advice at this stage. A matrix showing the pros and cons for online and batch loading to the NUC will be developed.
Warwick Cathro suggested that the National Library should work for the inclusion of upline loading in the AMICUS development plan.
Batch loading of data will be a major issue for Kinetica cost structures, as it will require considerable National Library staff to manage the loading and process the error logs. The amount of batch loading could be influenced by differential charges and incentives for online and offline contributions. The National Library will test batch loading with the Australian Institute of Sport and the University of Queensland.
Committee members noted that there had been evidence of resistance to the cataloguing client at the Annual Users Meeting. This could be reduced by provision of trial access to the client and by roadshows focussing on the client.
The Cataloguing Workflow Expert Advisory Group will have consideration of all the above points on its agenda

CJK database. Committee members discussed the merits of having the access to the national CJK database included in Kinetica subscriptions. They requested that this issue be included in discussion at the next meeting.

Agenda Item 9

Future Meetings

The Committee decided that its next meeting should be on 14-15 October, with a major topic being charging for 1999/2000.

Embargoed Items
The following agenda papers were embargoed:
Kinetica charges 1998/99 KAC/1998/1
Kinetica charging from 1999/2000 KAC/1998/2
Kinetica business relationships strategy KAC 1998/3
Kinetica interfaces seminar KAC/1998/4
Budget summary paper
Evaluation strategy KAC/1998/5

The meeting closed at 3.45pm

Database Report, 30 October 1998

KAC/1998/2/3

Data migration
Data migration to Kinetica began on 31 May 1998. So far over 8,200,000 bibliographic records have been loaded, and it is expected that by the time of the meeting all bibliographic records as at May 1998 will have been loaded. This includes over 400,000 interim records. The number of records rejected in loading is small, approximately 10,000 records out of the 8.2 million loaded. These will be corrected before reloading.

The match and merge algorithm will be extensively tested before the gap load can begin. The gap load will update the Kinetica database with the activity carried out by ABN members since the extraction of bibliographic records for the base load . A series of gap loads will continue until the change over to Kinetica.

Authority testing is almost complete. Loading of authority records to Kinetica is expected to commence in late November.

Data Loading to Kinetica
All records with holdings will be loaded to Kinetica.

In addition the following data without holdings will continue to be loaded to the system.
Library of Congress 1995-
BNB 1995-
RLIN records requested by members
OCLC records requested by members
Blackwells TOC records
Singapore National Bibliography
Australian National Bibliography
National Library of New Zealand + New Zealand original Cataloguing.

Loading to the NBD
Location data on the NBD increased to over 28.7 million holdings.

Further records have been loaded from UNILINC, and it is anticipated that UNILINC holdings will be up to date for June 1997 by the end of this year. UNILINC updating after that will take place on Kinetica.

OCLC files have been loaded from University of Adelaide with 4,289 new records being added to the NBD. University of Melbourne OCLC records have also been added with 1,154 new records added to the database.

Global Holdings Update
A number of global changes have been made to holdings on the NBD to collapse customers numbers for each NUC symbol. 8 customers have withdrawn from the NBD and as a result 11,272 holdings have been deleted from the database.

European Microforms Project
The National Library is collaborating with the University of Adelaide and four other universities in an Australian Research Council funded project to increase access to European Microform sets within Australian research libraries. The project will purchase and load existing MARC files where available, and catalogue selected collections originally on ABN.

Loading commenced in October 1998 of approximately 80,000 records purchased from OCLC for this project, which will add analytic level records for these collections. Holdings statements have been added for the project libraries , and for other Australian libraries who have requested it.

Anne Turner
October 1998

Cataloguing Expert Advisory Groups

KAC/1998/2/4

Two Groups have been established to provide advice on cataloguing in Kinetica

1. Cataloguing workflows
This Group has been formed to provide advice on cataloguing with Kinetica and will finish before implementation of the new system. It has four main tasks:

a. Propose methods of communicating between users and Kinetica staff on cataloguing matters.

b. Define the levels which will identify the status and completeness of a contributed cataloguing record using the Verification Level function in AMICUS

c. Review all Standards Committee decisions to determine which need to be changed or dropped

d. Assist in the development of model cataloguing workflows for Kinetica users

The members of the Group are:

Sue Moir, State Library of NSW
Patricia Scott, University of Adelaide
Pam Garfoot, Australian Institute of Criminology
Rosemary Dearman, CAVAL
Tom Ruthven, NLA
Julia Trainor, Kinetica Team, NLA
Anne Turner, NLA

The Group has had two teleconferences and a lively discussion on a closed Internet Discussion List. Recommendations have been made on verification levels and minimum record standards, and the Group is currently discussing options for communication, and matters to consider when providing advice on workflows using Kinetica in cataloguing areas.

The verification level is used in AMICUS to note the workflow status of a particular cataloguing record. The level is a flag not a USMARC tag and is used only in online cataloguing. Users cannot assign a verification level to a batch of records being loaded to Kinetica, and the level is not exported in a MARC record from Kinetica. The Group proposed the following definitions for five levels.

  1. Under construction
  2. Under review
  3. Completed (encoding level specifies quality/extent)
  4. Completed - review center standard
  5. Completed - high level record

The encoding level assigned to the record would be used in conjunction with the verification level to decide the quality and extent of a record.

The Group revised the ABN minimum record standard to the following for Kinetica:

1. AACR2 level 1 description
2. A minimum of one name or uniform title heading if applicable
3. The following Leader codes:
a. Type of record
b. Bibliographic level
c. Encoding level
4.The following 008 character positions:
a. Date of publication code
b. Country of publication code

Where a record being added is very similar to one already on the database the ABN software adds the record, whereas AMICUS will be more likely to merge the two records, i.e. ABN uses data to decide whether to match two records and AMICUS uses data to decide whether to break a match. For this reason the proposed minimum record standard for Kinetica is slightly higher than the present one for ABN. The new standard is as minimal as possible, but continues the support for finding, identifying and allowing matching on the record, and it can apply to both batch loading and online contributions.

The Group also identified a number of other highly desirable fields which customers should be encouraged to contribute, including language code, government publication indicator, Australian interest flag and series information.

2. Subject Heading Review Expert Advisory Group
Over the next 12 months, this Group will concentrate on the following issues: submission of headings to Library of Congress from SLASH and other sources; submission of headings to Library of Congress to cover Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and tribal groupings; and identification of LC headings or subdivisions to be modified on ABN/Kinetica to reflect Australian practice

Members of the inaugural group will be:

Joan Moncrieff, Deakin University
Graham Blewett, Hurstville City Library
Alana Garwood, AIATSIS
Deirdre Kiorgaard, NLA representative
Anne Turner, NLA representative and chair

The first meeting of the SHREAG will be in early 1999, and will continue to discuss headings via email until that time.

Recommendation: That the Committee note the report.

Kinetica Marketing Report

KAC/1998/2/5

Kinetica marketing has been planning and developing the Presentations which commence publicly on Monday 16 November in Canberra and continue through November, finishing in mid-December. A presentation will be given to NLA staff (plus the KAC) on Thursday afternoon (12 November). The presentations will provide more information than the Annual Users Meeting presentations, both in the functionality we can show in demonstrations and the information we can give about Kinetica’s introduction and services. A copy of the schedule of presentations and the NLA staff involved is provided below.

Date

Place

Staff

Thursday, 12 November

Canberra (for NLA staff only)

Warren Horton, Andrew Wells, Bryony De La Motte, Rob Walls, Papiya Chakravarti

Monday, 16 November

Canberra

Warren Horton, Andrew Wells, Bryony De La Motte, Rob Walls, Papiya Chakravarti

Wednesday, 18 November

Sydney

Warren Horton, Andrew Wells, Bryony De La Motte, Rob Walls, Papiya Chakravarti

Thursday, 19 November

Melbourne

Warren Horton, Andrew Wells, Bryony De La Motte, Rob Walls, Papiya Chakravarti

Friday, 20 November

Hobart

David Toll, Bryony De La Motte, Papiya Chakravarti

Tuesday, 24 November

Adelaide

Andrew Wells, Rob Walls, Anna Skurowski

Thursday, 26 November

Perth

Andrew Wells, Anna Skurowski, Bryony De La Motte

Monday, 7 December

Newcastle

Bryony De La Motte, Papiya Chakravarti

Wednesday, 9 December

Brisbane

David Toll, Andrew Wells, Rob Walls, Papiya Chakravarti

Thursday, 10 December

Rockhampton

Rob Walls, Margarita Moreno

Friday, 11 December

Townsville

Rob Walls, Margarita Moreno

Friday, 11 December

Darwin

Andrew Wells, Papiya Chakravarti

Monday, 14 December

Cairns

Rob Walls, Margarita Moreno

Preparation for the introduction of Kinetica is the focus of marketing activity, with a number of tasks being worked on. These include

  • Preparation of promotional material, including posters, post it notes and pens
  • Writing the text and designing the layout for promotional brochures
  • Planning and developing presentations to introduce the Kinetica Document Supply Service. These presentations will commence with a major presentation in Sydney on 18 January (immediately prior to the Online On Disk Conference).

The schedule and other arrangements for this series of presentation will be announced shortly.

ALIA Conference
Kinetica was featured prominently on the National Library trade stand at the ALIA Biennial Conference in Adelaide. Approximately 500 delegates and visitors requested demonstrations or information about Kinetica. Live demonstrations of LibriVision were very well received.

Other meetings
Kin was promoted at the following meetings and conferences ALIA regional group meetings in Rockhampton, Townsville, Cairns and Parkes
CSIRO Librarians Conference in Hobart
Stowe, Dynix ands Sanderson user group meetings

Bryony De La Motte
November 1998

Kinetica Document DeliveryService – VDX Implementation

KAC/1998/2/6

The VDX implementation is being managed by the National Library with Fretwell-Downing Informatics as prime contractor supplying the software and enhancements. Proteus Corporation is Fretwell-Downing’s agent in Australia providing software support, training and project management services.

Report of progress

Key milestones to date:

April 1998

Project initiation

May 1998

Initial baseline system installed

July 1998

Baseline functional acceptance testing complete except for Z39.50

August 1998

NLA Requirements Statement, an expanded statement of required functionality not present in the baseline system, completed

September 1998

Final baseline system including updated Z39.50 client and end user Web interface installed.

Prototype Web administrative interface accessible at Fretwell-Downing

Fretwell-Downing’s response to the NLA Requirements Statement, a technical design document for VDX version 2.1, received. This allowed sign off and payment for Milestone 2 (Requirements Synchronisation).

October 1998

Part payment for Milestone 1 (Baseline Acceptance) – Amicus integration still outstanding.

November 1998

Amicus integration achieved. Milestone 1 completed

Final acceptance of the baseline system was delayed because of problems with Z39.50 searching of Amicus. Staff of the National Library, IBM GSA, Proteus, Fretwell-Downing and ELiAS all cooperated in solving these problems.

Planned activities
Version 2.1 of VDX, the version Kinetica will go live with, is expected to be installed in mid November. This will be followed by a visit from Ed Davidson, VDX system designer at Fretwell-Downing, who will provide a walk through the system and answer questions. Acceptance testing will occur in November and December.

The Kinetica Document Delivery Service Expert Advisory Group will be convened after installation of Version 2.1.

A series of presentations on the Kinetica Document Delivery Service will take place in all capital cities in late January and early February 1999, beginning with a launch at an Online/OnDisc preconference on 18 January in Sydney.

Designated Training Agents will be trained in VDX at the same time as LibriVision and Amicus, probably in early February 1999.

A further release of VDX will contain functionality required by NLA but not considered essential for day 1. This second stage will add the following features: the ability for a library to maintain its own entry in the locations directory via the Web, the ability for users to run pre-defined reports via the Web, and integration with Ariel. Although this stage is due for release in February 1999, it will not be implemented until well after the Kinetica service goes live.

Cooperation with LIDDA and the National Library of New Zealand
NLA is continuing to cooperate with the LIDDA project and is represented on the LIDDA Project Board and the LIDDA Management Committee. This cooperation ensures that there is a common understanding of how Kinetica and LIDDA will interoperate and that the VDX product is developed in a way that meets the needs of both systems.

The LIDDA project plan has been amended with the initial participants now going live in March 1999.

The National Library of New Zealand (NLNZ), also participating in the LIDDA project, have requirements very similar to NLA’s. NLNZ staff will be at NLA during Ed Davidson’s visit and NLA and NLNZ are exploring ways that the two systems could interoperate.

Use of VDX in NLA Document Supply Service
NLA’s Official Order with Fretwell-Downing included licences for use of VDX by the NLA Document Supply Service. The Document Supply Service staff will use PC client software to access a separate instance of the VDX server software from that used for Kinetica. The Document Supply Service will therefore implement VDX in a similar way to the LIDDA sites.

Directory services for resource sharing
Selected categories of data from the Australian Interlibrary Resource Sharing Directory (ILRS) will be added to VDX for the Kinetica Document Delivery Service. The ILRS will be available via the Web and the Australian Libraries Gateway. In the second stage of the VDX implementation for the National Library, a facility to allow libraries to interactively update their own entries in the ILRS via the Web will be developed. Libraries can currently report changes via the Web, which are then input by National Library staff.

Kinetica and LIDDA project staff have developed a concept of a policy directory to support resource sharing activities. This concept extends the usual role of a directory from a static role to one which is dynamic and interactive. For example, data elements for supply policies and prices could play a role in machine-to-machine transactions for ILL requests: if a request did not fit a supplier’s criteria, then the request would be automatically forwarded. This scenario is not currently described in the ILL Protocol, although many implementors have expressed the desirability of a policy directory associated with the processing of ILL requests. An additional consideration is whether to adopt a distributed or centralised model for directory services.

Macquarie University is undertaking some research into the use of the X.500 directory standard for local patron directories and a distributed ILL directory. This research is being carried out as Macquarie University’s participation in eLib’s PRIDE (People and Resources in a Distributed Environment) Project. Macquarie University has sought limited support from the National Library for this project, which the Library has approved in principle. Macquarie University plans a proof of concept demonstration for a PRIDE meeting in Europe in July 1999. The National Library regards limited participation in this project as one means to test the applicability of X.500 to directory services.

Bronwyn Lee,
November 1998

Future of the Australian National Bibliography:

Report from the Advisory Group

KAC/1998/2/7

National bibliographies
Many countries produce a national bibliography in some form, whether as a printed publication, a CD-ROM, or an online database. Usually this responsibility is accepted by the country’s national library. National bibliographies have three main purposes:

  • to serve as a long-term record of the publishing output of the country;
  • to aid libraries in the selection and acquisition of new materials; and
  • to serve as a current awareness and reference source for librarians, researchers and bibliographers.

In a vision which was developed during the 1970s, the national bibliography has been seen in the context of “universal bibliographic control”, with the goal "to make universally and promptly available, in a form which is internationally acceptable, basic bibliographic data on all publications issued in all countries". Under this vision, each country would be responsible for the bibliographic control of its own publications.

A number of overseas national bibliographies are now produced on CD-ROM, and others are available free of charge on the Internet. Several other countries, including Canada, have ceased producing a printed version of the national bibliography. Other agencies are reviewing the future of their national bibliography. For example, the British Library has issued a consultation paper (http://www.bl.uk/services/bsds/nbs/bnbcons.html) on the future of the British national bibliography.

ANB: scope and content The Australian National Bibliography (previously issued as Books Published in Australia and Annual Catalogue of Australian Publications) was published in print form between 1936 and 1996. From about 1950 onwards, its coverage of the national imprint was reasonably comprehensive.

Originally, ANB listed only material received and catalogued by the National Library. From 1973, it included Cataloguing-in-Publication records, based on data supplied by publishers. From 1991, it included records created by other libraries, if the item had also been received by the National Library. From 1993, it included records for some materials not received by the National Library, although such records could be included only if a Dewey classification number had been assigned by the cataloguing library. From 1995, the content of ANB was determined by an automatic selection process, with items clearly out of scope deleted prior to publication. During this period, the number of entries listed in ANB was arbitrarily restricted by limitations on the size of the printed publication.

The scope of ANB included books, pamphlets of more than 4 pages, serials, printed music and microforms. Electronic publications were included only in the last 2-3 years. Overseas publications with significant Australian content or authorship were added when identified. Individual pieces of legislation were excluded, as were standards, reprints, blank or “to-be-filled-in” books, course notes, maps, motion pictures and video recordings, and sound recordings.

Distribution of ANB data
The Australian national bibliography must be seen in the context of the national and international arrangements for distribution of bibliographic data. Since 1981, our focus in Australia has been on the development of the National Bibliographic Database (NBD), and on the inclusion in the NBD of comprehensive current and retrospective data relating to Australian publications. This data has been distributed selectively to Australian libraries, as MARC records, through online and batch access to the Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN).

The data has also been distributed on a subscription basis. The National Library has exchanged data relating to current Australian publications with a number of overseas national libraries, including the Library of Congress, the British Library, the National Library of Canada, the National Library of New Zealand, and the National Library of Singapore. The same data has been offered for subscription within Australia. While there have been very few subscribers, a key subscriber has been James Bennett, which has used this data to enhance its own database of Australian bibliographic data in support of its services as a library supplier.

ANB: publishing patterns
Originally, ANB was published in weekly (later semi-monthly), monthly and annual printed issues. There was also a four-monthly cumulating microfiche edition. In 1988, the Library published Australian national bibliography, 1901-1950 to fill a significant gap in the national bibliographic record between the Ferguson bibliography and the commencement of comprehensive coverage by ANB.

From the mid 1980s there was a steady reduction in the variety of forms in which the printed ANB was made available. These changes reflected the rising costs of printing and distribution and also the online availability, through the Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN) of the same data.

Publication of the semi-monthly issues ceased in 1985. The publication of an annual cumulation of ANB ceased with the 1993 Annual, following a survey of users which indicated little need for such a product. Subscriptions to the monthly printed ANB continued to fall significantly each year over the period 1993-1996. There had been no recovery of the substantial data extraction and editing costs for ANB over the life of the publication, although printing and distribution costs were fully recovered until the 1990s.

Cessation of the printed ANB
In August 1996 the National Library announced that the printed and microfiche editions of ANB would cease with the December 1996 issues.

In making the decision to cease the printed ANB, the National Library recognised that the most important form of distribution of the Australian national bibliography has been through the NBD. The NBD has provided bibliographic data for the Australian imprint through prompt cataloguing by the National Library, the State libraries and other Australian libraries. After the introduction of the ABN Supersearch facility in the late 1980s, it became possible for online searches to be confined to items published in Australia and/or items about Australia, and for these searches to be limited to selected publication date ranges.

Essentially, then, the printed ANB was discontinued because of falling demand for the publication and because it had become clear that the online publication of this data had become the dominant distribution method.

The National Library received some critical comments in 1996 following its decision to terminate the printed ANB. These comments expressed regret that a useful selection tool would no longer be available.

In response to these comments the Library has made available, through its ftp server, monthly files of Recent Australian Publications. However, it is clear that these files do not meet all of the requirements of former ANB users (in terms of both content and format of the files) although some users have welcomed the electronic format because of the ease of distribution. As the Recent Australian Publications files are not edited to remove unsuitable records, considerably more data is being made available than was possible in ANB. However, for selection purposes the files are rather inconvenient, and need to be printed out to be used. Separate files each month also list the previously excluded records which lack a Dewey number, although arrangement in main entry order makes them less useful than a classified sequence for selection purposes.

Formation of the Advisory Group
It was clear in early 1998 that there was a continuing concern by former ANB users, and particularly by selection librarians, that their needs for an Australian national bibliography product were not being adequately satisfied by the combination of online access to the NBD, and access to the Recent Australian Publications files. Following discussion of the issue by the Council of Australian State Libraries, the National Library established the Australian National Bibliography Advisory Group. The Group was to have a limited life. It would formally advise the National Library, but its report would be available for discussion by the Council of Australian State Libraries. The terms of reference of the Group were to advise the National Library on the need for a national bibliographic product, including consideration of :

  • who are the users, and how do they use the product;
  • what content is required by these users, including the scope and boundaries of the content;
  • to what extent do existing or planned National Library services meet the needs of users; and
  • what is the optimal delivery format for the information?

The membership of the Group was:

Warwick Cathro, National Library (convenor)
Tony Beale, Northern Territory Library Service
Sandra Henderson, National Library
Jan Maslen, La Trobe University (since July 1998)
Ann Miller, La Trobe University (until July 1998)
Roxanne Missingham, CSIRO
Sue Moir, State Library of NSW
Beth Reece, LISWA
Anne Robertson, State Library of Queensland
Penny Scott, State Library of Victoria
Joyce Searle, State Library of South Australia
Janet Thorp, State Library of Tasmania

(Ann Miller and Roxanne Missingham were added to the group after its first meeting, to give broader representation of the libraries with an interest in ANB. Jan Maslen replaced Ann Miller who has retired from La Trobe University).

ANB: stakeholders
It is possible to identify several stakeholder groups for the Australian national bibliography:

  • Selection librarians use the national bibliography for primary selection of materials for acquisition, as well as for checking the coverage of deposit and blanket order acquisition arrangements.
  • Australian publishers have an interest in ensuring that bibliographic data relating to their publications is available to support the selection and acquisition process.
  • Researchers in libraries and bibliographers of the future use the national bibliography as a record of Australian publishing.
  • Library management may use the national bibliography as the basis of statistical analyses of collection development achievement.
  • Australian library supply companies use the national bibliography, in machine readable form, to support their library supply businesses.
  • Overseas national libraries and other bibliographic service providers require Australian bibliographic data to support their role as distributors of bibliographic data.

For some of these stakeholders, such as the selection librarians, it is important that the national bibliography contain a set of records with a clearly defined scope.

Scope of ANB
The Advisory Group noted the importance of a clear definition of scope for the Australian national bibliography. Even if the national bibliography exists only as an online service, the stakeholders need to understand clearly which categories of library material or information resource fall within its scope, and which do not. In particular, it is crucial that potential users are aware of exclusions from the scope.

The issue of inclusion of overseas publications is a major point of difference between national bibliographies, with some (eg British National Bibliography) excluding all foreign publications, while others (such as Canadiana) devote much time to identification of relevant overseas-published items for the national bibliography. Where overseas publications are included, there can be varying definitions of “local interest” in such publications.

It is the view of the Advisory Group that “Australian items” should include those published in Australia as well as those published overseas which have significant Australian content or which have an Australian creator, compiler or major contributor. In order to identify such items it is important that cataloguers flag them as Australiana in Kinetica. Other information, including address data for minor publishers and price, is also seen as desirable, and needs to be included by record creators.

Other points where wide variance in policy is found include stated minimum size for listed publications, and the inclusion of items not held by the compiling library but catalogued by other contributing libraries.

The majority view of the Advisory Group is that a national bibliography should include all published Australian items, which are those available to the public free or for sale. This includes CD-ROMs and other physical format electronic publications, Internet publications, and video and sound recordings. To ensure that there is a comprehensive coverage of motion pictures, video recordings and sound recordings, it is recommended that the National Library and the National Film and Sound Archive explore mechanisms for the inclusion of this data.

In the past ANB did not include material of 4 pages or less. The restriction becomes meaningless for electronic publications, and it is more appropriate to allow the cataloguer to assess whether an item is significant enough for inclusion. This is increasingly the policy of other national bibliographies, where a size restriction is seen as limiting access to some important unique material.

A majority of the Advisory Group believes that a national bibliographic product should not include unpublished or restricted material (that is, material which is not widely available), theses, ephemera, standards or legislation (Acts, Statutory Rules, Bills). While this was not a unanimous view, most representatives were satisfied with accessing this information in other ways, such as through the web site of the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AUSTLII) at http://www.austlii.edu.au/. Of course, records for such material can continue to be added to the NBD.

The Advisory Group believes that it is appropriate to continue to include Cataloguing-in-Publication records within the scope of ANB.

Recommended scope statement
In summary, the Advisory Group recommends the following statement of scope for the Australian national bibliography:

The national bibliography includes all significant published Australian items, apart from prescribed categories, as defined below.

“Significant” means that the item is judged by the cataloguer to be of more than ephemeral interest. Any printed item of more than 4 pages would be deemed to be significant, except for reprints, blank or “to-be-filled-in” books, and course notes.

“Published” means: (i) in the case of Cataloguing-in-Publication records, that the item is in preparation and is intended to be made available to the public free or for sale; (ii) in the case of other records, that the item was, at the time of its publication, available to the public free or for sale, ie its access is not restricted.

“Australian” means that the item is published for the Australian market by a publisher which has an office or branch in Australia, or that the item has an Australian creator, compiler or major contributor, or that the item has significant Australian content or subject matter.

“Prescribed categories” means theses, legislative materials (acts, statutory rules, bills) and standards.

“Item” means an information resource published as a complete entity, in any format including printed materials (whether text, cartographic or music), microforms, sound recordings, motion pictures and video recordings, electronic publications (whether physical format or online) and combinations of these formats (such as kits).

ANB and the Kinetica Service
The National Library has advised that, in the soon-to-be-implemented Kinetica system, a flag or indicator will be used to identify those records which are included in the national bibliography (subject to the qualifications set out below). Users of Kinetica will be able to search for these items, then use the Kinetica search facilities to narrow the search to particular date ranges, subject areas, or format types. It would also be possible to generate a product, such as a CD-ROM, based on the ANB flag.

The Kinetica software will set the majority of ANB flags automatically, based on values in two of the fields in the cataloguing record, 008 Positions 15-17 (Country of publication code) and 043 (Geographic area code). It will be necessary to extend the allocation of flags by manual means, identifying those items which conform to the scope statement given above, but which lack Australian identification in the 008 and 043 fields. All cataloguers creating or editing records directly on Kinetica will be encouraged to flag such items as they process them. The National Library will undertake a retrospective project to identify and flag such items in the NBD as of late 1998.

However, it will not be possible through the current Kinetica software to ensure that all items which fall outside the ANB scope statement are not given the ANB flag. The reason is that the ANB flag will be turned on automatically for all items which have the relevant codes in the 008 and 043 fields, irrespective of publication status, access limitations, or significance. The Advisory Group recommends that the National Library should seek an enhancement to Kinetica which would keep the flag turned off where a cataloguer has determined that the item falls outside the ANB scope.

ANB: delivery format
The principal form of delivery of the national bibliography will be its online delivery through the Kinetica service. Kinetica will allow pre-packaged searches of the NBD to be performed, based on the ANB flag and on Dewey range. It would further allow these searches to be restricted by format, type of material (such as government publications), date and state of publication. It will be possible to make these searches through the web interface provided by the Librivision product. The Advisory Group understands that the National Library intends to ensure that the NBD is made available, through this interface, to the scholarly and research community. Consequently, the Kinetica version of ANB should be promoted as the primary, authoritative and up-to-date source of the national bibliography.

The Advisory Group notes that users will be able to restrict searches by format, limiting their searches to any of the following categories: printed text materials, cartographic materials, printed music, microforms, sound recordings, motion pictures and video recordings, and electronic publications.

A main entry order or other non-classified arrangement is not useful for selection purposes.. It would be highly desirable to allow users of Kinetica to browse the contents of any search result set in Dewey order, given that such an arrangement is useful and was available to the users of the former printed ANB and to the users of the current Recent Australian Publications files. Consequently, the Advisory Group recommends that this enhancement be sought by the National Library.

The Advisory Group does not recommend that a paper version of ANB be established. While paper is a convenient format for scanning, it may be more efficient to ensure that users of the Kinetica version are able to easily print all or part of the ANB file according to local needs.

Some members of the Advisory Group consider that there may be value in a CD-ROM version of the retrospective ANB file, provided that there is sufficient market to justify the cost of its production. The Group therefore recommends that the National Library test the market for a retrospective ANB on CD-ROM, updated at a suitable frequency, to serve as a record of national publishing and to meet the needs of some user groups.

As far as is possible for a cooperatively developed resource, the information provided about each item should conform to the data requirements for a basic level national bibliographic record, as set out in the document Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, published by IFLA.

In the case of non-mainstream publications, there is a need for selection librarians to obtain publishers’ addresses and other contact information. The Advisory Group recommends that libraries and/or the ISBN Agency include this information in the bibliographic record at the time of cataloguing.

Summary of recommendations
1.That the National Library adopt the following statement of scope for the Australian national bibliography:

The national bibliography includes all significant published Australian items, apart from prescribed categories, as defined below.

“Significant” means that the item is judged by the cataloguer to be of more than ephemeral interest. Any printed item of more than 4 pages would be deemed to be significant, except for reprints, blank or “to-be-filled-in” books, and course notes.

“Published” means: (i) in the case of Cataloguing-in-Publication records, that the item is in preparation and is intended to be made available to the public free or for sale; (ii) in the case of other records, that the item was, at the time of its publication, available to the public free or for sale, ie its access is not restricted.

“Australian” means that the item is published for the Australian market by a publisher which has an office or branch in Australia, or that the item has an Australian creator, compiler or major contributor, or that the item has significant Australian content or subject matter.

“Prescribed categories” means theses, legislative materials (acts, statutory rules, bills) and standards.

“Item” means an information resource published as a complete entity, in any format including printed materials (whether text, cartographic or music), microforms, sound recordings, motion pictures and video recordings, electronic publications (whether physical format or online) and combinations of these formats (such as kits).

2. That the Kinetica version of ANB be promoted as the primary, authoritative and up-to-date source of the national bibliography.

3. That the National Library seek an enhancement to Kinetica which would keep the ANB flag turned off where a cataloguer has determined that the item falls outside the ANB scope.

4.That the National Library ensure that users are able to conduct pre-packaged searches of the NBD, with the possibility of limiting searches to (a) those records which include the ANB flag, (b) any Dewey range, and (c) any of the following format categories: printed text materials, cartographic materials, printed music, microforms, sound recordings, motion pictures and video recordings, and electronic publications. The pre-packaged search will enable a user to request, for example, “the ANB package for September 1998”, which will contain all September records in scope for ANB, sorted in Dewey order, within the format and Dewey limitations specified by the user at the time of the request.

5. That the National Library seek an enhancement to Kinetica which would allow users to browse the contents of any search result set in Dewey order.

6. That the National Library not produce a printed version of the national bibliography.

7. That the National Library test the market for a retrospective ANB on CD-ROM, updated at a suitable frequency, to serve as a record of national publishing and to meet the needs of some user groups.

8. That, to facilitate access to publishers’ addresses and other contact information for non-mainstream publications, libraries and/or the ISBN Agency include this contact information in the bibliographic record at the time of cataloguing.

9. That, to facilitate access to relevant items published overseas, libraries flag such items as Australiana when entering a record onto Kinetica.

10. That the Kinetica Cataloguing Workflows Expert Advisory Group consider ways of increasing voluntary compliance with recommendations 8 and 9.

11. That, to ensure that there is a comprehensive coverage of motion pictures, video recordings and sound recordings, it is recommended that the National Library and the National Film and Sound Archive explore mechanisms for the inclusion of this data in the national bibliography.

National Round Table on Access to Overseas Monographs

KAC/1998/2/8

The National Round Table on Access to Overseas Monographs was held at the Library on 28 August. It was attended by representatives of university libraries (8 representatives), CSIRO (1), leading academics (14), state libraries (4) and the National Library (4). The meeting was planned by a Steering Committee chaired by Jan Fullerton, and including representation from the National Academies Forum, the Council of Australian University Librarians and the National Library.

The Round Table focused on the collection of monographs published overseas, and the provision of access to them. The impetus for the Round Table was the expression of concern by some researchers about the availability of these monographs in Australia. The meeting was intended to test these perceptions and to identify practical ways to address any deficiencies.

Prior to the Round Table, the 30 invited delegates were supplied with background papers prepared by the National Library, CAUL and the National Academies Forum. The National Library’s papers summarised library holdings data for overseas monographs which had been extracted from the National Bibliographic Database, and data on interlibrary lending which had been extracted from the Australian Bibliographic Network’s Interlibrary Loan Subsystem.

In his welcome and overview, the Director-General encouraged the delegates to help define the nature and extent of the problem of access to overseas monographs in various disciplines. This would assist the National Library to work with the academies and university libraries to develop practical solutions.

Most scholars and researchers at the Round Table expressed concern that printed books will become less accessible as libraries reduce their traditional collecting activity. Speakers from the national academies (Humanities, Sciences, Social Sciences, and Technological Sciences and Engineering) gave an overview of the importance and availability of monographs in their various disciplines. It was noted that in general monographs were of greater significance for humanists and social scientists, and that foreign language monographs are more difficult to locate in Australian libraries than English language titles. However, the situation varies considerably between disciplines.

There was consensus that librarians and users need a ‘whole-of-nation’ approach to collecting, to ensure that nationally significant research collections are developed and maintained. Collecting should be rationalised to avoid a scattering of duplicated materials which can result from autonomy in collection building. It was suggested that the provision of research library services should be more closely aligned with the nation’s research policy, instead of being unduly influenced by student enrolments in particular subjects.

Researchers suggested that the focus should be on the availability of library materials through the library system as a whole. To make this work, it was agreed that the performance of the interlibrary loan system should be improved so that it is more predictable. It was also agreed that scholars need to improve their research skills so that they check the availability of monographs via interlibrary loan, including international interlibrary loan, before they arrange overseas travel to consult the books they need.

The academics who were present at the Round Table gave their strong support for the goal of improving the focus of monograph collection specialisation in Australian research libraries. It was suggested that the Heads of Schools for particular disciplines, who often meet regularly to discuss issues of common concern, could be involved in this process. One of the academics who attended the Round Table has already ensured that the issue of collection specialisation will be discussed at a meeting of the Heads of Physics Schools held in Perth in late September.

The Round Table recommended that the National Library convene two working groups to take up the issues raised at the meeting. The first working group will identify what statistical data should be collected to monitor access to overseas monographs on an ongoing basis. The second working group will recommend ways to improve access to overseas monographs in particular subject areas and foreign languages. It will comprise representatives of the National Academies Forum, the Council of Australian University Librarians, the Council of Australian State Libraries, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and the National Library of Australia. The working groups will provide a progress report by the end of February 1999.

National Library Standards Activities

KAC/1998/2/9

Introduction
The library and information community has adopted a range of standards which facilitate the interchange of library data, which promote the inter-operability of library systems, and which support the operation of national and international networks of libraries. Adherence to standards plays a fundamental role in supporting access to distributed information resources, whether these are held in library collections or are accessible on the World Wide Web.

For many years the National Library has been an active participant in the definition and promotion of national and international standards for the library and information community. This paper describes the Library’s current standards activities, and the directions and priorities which it wishes to pursue in the medium term future.

The standards are discussed below under four categories:

  • catalogue descriptions
  • data used in library systems
  • library system interconnection
  • preservation standards.

Catalogue descriptions
The use of common cataloguing standards is of major importance in supporting consistent access to library catalogues by users, and in promoting the international sharing of cataloguing data, which greatly improves the efficiency of the cataloguing process.

Descriptive cataloguing
The Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules are the basis for most cataloguing in Australia. The second edition, known as AACR2 was published in 1978, revised in 1988, and continues to undergo development under the control of the Joint Steering Committee for AACR. The National Library has been active in the development, interpretation and implementation of AACR2, in a variety of ways. In particular, the Library:

  • participated in the membership of the Joint Steering Committee over a significant portion of the last two decades;
  • has participated in a number of other international conferences, committees and working groups relating to AACR;
  • is actively involved in the Australian Committee on Cataloguing, which establishes the Australian viewpoint on cataloguing rules and issues, and has provided secretariat services to it; and
  • has worked actively to support Australian implementation of AACR2 through its support for the National Bibliographic Database.

The National Library, as the major Australian cataloguing agency, regards these as priority activities. The Library will continue to be active, nationally and internationally, in this area through appropriate committees.

In the immediate future, the Library intends to increase its involvement in the Australian Committee on Cataloguing, and to initiate an exploration by that committee of the relationship between AACR and methods used to index and catalogue Internet resources. The Library will participate in the International Conference on National Bibliographic Services to be held in Copenhagen in November 1998.

Subject cataloguing and indexing
The most commonly used subject cataloguing standard in Australia is the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). While LCSH was developed in the United States, it has significant international use. The library community in Australia has sought to extend or adapt LCSH to suit the needs of Australian users of library catalogues. The National Library has devoted significant resources over two decades to the development of the Australian extension to LCSH. The Library routinely proposes additions and changes to LCSH itself, and for some years was the largest contributor of such proposals outside the United States.

The Library also maintains the APAIS (Australian Public Affairs Information Service) thesaurus, and is represented on the Australian Pictures Thesaurus Working Group, which is developing a national thesaurus based on PICMAN, created by the State Library of New South Wales.

The Library will continue to support its activities in these areas of subject cataloguing and indexing standards.

MARC (Machine Readable Cataloguing) standards
The MARC format has been critical in supporting the efficient international distribution of cataloguing data, underpinning bibliographic utility services such as ABN and Kinetica. All national MARC standards conform to a structure which is defined by international standard, ISO 2709, Format for information exchange. Between 1973 and 1992 the National Library supported the Australian MARC specification , which it published and maintained. In 1991 the Library announced that it would cease to maintain AusMARC after 1992, and encouraged Australian libraries to adopt US MARC. Consequently, the Library has not taken an active role in MARC format development since 1992, although it occasionally provides comments to the Library of Congress on proposed developments in US MARC. In general, there are no requirements for Australian input to the MARC format, but the Library has contributed to the development of code lists within the MARC standard, particularly codes for Australian places and languages. Recent developments in the outsourcing of library cataloguing and the supply of shelf-ready books have raised issues about standards for the encoding of acquisitions data linked to bibliographic records. These issues were discussed at the Kinetica Interfaces Seminar in July 1998.

The Library will continue to study the issue of the encoding of acquisitions data linked to bibliographic records and will maintain its low level of activity in other areas of MARC standardization. Responsibility for this area will rest with the Services to Libraries Division, ABN Services Branch.

The Library will maintain its low level of activity in this area.

Special collection descriptions
The discovery of special collection resources, such as manuscript items, often relies on combining collection-level catalogue descriptions with finding lists or captions for individual items within collections. The Library is investigating the feasibility of implementing the Encoded Archival Description, which is an international standard for encoding archival finding aids.

The Library is monitoring the work of the International Council on Archives’ Committee on Descriptive Standards which has issued two key standards dealing with archival description and with the names of Corporate Bodies, Persons, and Families. The Library has been assessing these standards with a view to reporting on the extent to which it can comply with them.

The Library is also interested in the Primary Sources Program of the Research Libraries Group, which has been active in developing archival record description standards.

The Library will maintain its relationships with the International Council of Archives, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the RLG Primary Sources Program in the archival standards area.

Dublin Core metadata set
The need to improve the effectiveness of searching for information resources on the World Wide Web has prompted the development of simplified metadata standards which could be used by authors or others at relatively low cost. Prominent amongst these standards is the “Dublin Core” metadata set. Dublin Core is being developed as a generic metadata standard for use by libraries, archives, government and other publishers of online information.

The Library has been active in the development of the Dublin Core standard. It has participated in all Dublin Core international workshops except for the first workshop in Dublin, Ohio in 1995. The Library has also encouraged its implementation through a collaborative project known as the MetaWeb Project. The Library has established an internal Metadata Strategy Group to provide a focus for the discussion and planning of the Library’s activities in this area.

The Library intends to continue participating in appropriate Dublin Core working parties to support the development of the standard, and its practical implementation through software tools, metadata registries and other measures.

Data used in library systems
While the Library places an understandable emphasis on cataloguing and other standards for the description of library materials, there are a number of underlying standards which are also of major importance in ensuring the interchange of library data.

Item Identifiers
A key type of data element is a unique number which identifies a book, serial, journal article, electronic resource, or other type of information resource. Most of the standards applicable to this area have been developed within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Examples include the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), the Serial Item Contribution Identifier (SICI), and the Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

The Library has historically had a strong interest in item identifiers, and it has endeavoured to ensure that processes are in place for the routine assignment of several of the above identifier types to Australian information resources. The Library has relinquished the Australian ISBN agency role, but remains the national centre for ISSN.

In the United States, a national standard has been developed for the identification of journal articles and other individual serial contributions. This standard is known as the Serial Item Contribution Identifier, or SICI. The Library has promoted the concept of the SICI to the Australian indexing community because of the potential of this standard to support the linking of data held in citation databases, union catalogues, document delivery systems, and copyright management systems.

The Library will continue to monitor the development of the SICI standard, and will work through Standards Australia and ISO committees to seek its endorsement as an international standard. The Library will encourage its implementation in Australian citation databases and related services.

The Library has a strong interest in current developments aimed at providing authoritative and permanent identification of digital information resources. In particular, it has an interest in the Digital Object Identifier standard and Uniform Resource Names. The Library is interested in the work initiated by the National Library of Finland to commence the process of assigning Uniform Resource Names to online resources, in the context of extending the national bibliography to include these resources.

The Conference of Directors of National Libraries, meeting in Amsterdam in August 1998, noted the urgency of this issue and recognised that the work already done in Finland and Sweden should be used as the basis for the development of permanent names, unless alternatives emerge in further discussions. At a workshop sponsored by the IFLA Section on National Libraries and also held in Amsterdam in August 1998, Ms Fullerton spoke to a paper which recommended ‘That national libraries establish a working group to recommend on suitable permanent naming solutions’. The National Library of Australia is a member of the working group which was formed to develop guidelines and model a demonstrator.

As well as participating in the international working group, the Library will gather more information about the status and likely deployment of the Digital Object Identifier and Uniform Resource Name standards. It will develop guidelines for the implementation of the Uniform Resource Name standard in the national digital archive. Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURLs) are an intermediate identification mechanism which can be used until Uniform Resource Names are an integral part of the Internet information architecture. The Library has developed an Australian PURL service, which it will promote as an interim persistent naming tool. It will develop an active involvement with publishers to encourage the use of appropriate item identifiers.

Full text markup
Text markup is of critical importance in the provision of online access to documents. This process involves the insertion of markers which clearly delineate the logical components of a document, such as the author information, title information, abstract, executive summary, chapter headings, and bibliographic references. Markup facilitates the browsing of documents through the Web. It also facilitates search access and the extraction of metadata. The wide scale adoption of standard markup schemes by publishers could greatly facilitate the efficient construction of digital libraries.

The framework standard for document markup is known as the Standard Generalised Markup Language, or SGML. Within this framework, there is a multitude of specific standards for the markup of particular types of documents, such as books, journal articles, law reports, theses, or manuscript finding aids. An example is the HyperText Markup Language, or HTML, which is the basis for browsing documents on the World Wide Web. Improvements on HTML have been recently developed.

The Library will give increased attention to these standards, because of their importance in the management of digital information resources.

Library system interconnection
The development of library networks over the next decade will be based on the interconnection of distributed library systems, and the use of client/server technology. The implementation of certain key technical standards will allow particular applications such as searching and interlibrary loan to be managed cooperatively between two computer systems. The two key standards are Z39.50 and the international Interlibrary Loan Protocol.

Z39.50 (ISO 23950)
The Z39.50 standard specifies the structures and rules which allow a client machine (personal computer or workstation) to search a database (such as a library catalogue) on a server machine and retrieve records that are identified as the result of such a search. The standard has been of major importance in supporting access to distributed library databases and catalogues.

Through its participation in Standards Australia Committee IT/19 and related bodies, the Library has been active in monitoring the development of the Z39.50 standard and in ensuring that it became an official Australian standard. The Library participated in meetings of the Z39.50 Implementors Group (an international body which works by consensus to approve the development of the standard) in 1996 and 1997.

The Library is ensuring that Kinetica will provide a search service which supports the Z39.50 standard. Libraries will add holdings and original cataloguing data to the national union catalogue, through Kinetica, as part of the process of obtaining records for their local systems. The Library recognises that, while union catalogues are of great benefit to library communities, more flexibility is required in the process of updating them. For this reason, the Library supported the concept of the Union Catalogue Profile. This Profile is intended for use with the Z39.50 standard to allow the simultaneous update of local and union catalogue systems. The National Library, in collaboration with others, has discussed this profile with the Z39.50 Implementors Group, and it hosts the Profile on its web site.

Work on the Z39.50 standard is a priority activity for the Library, because of the importance of the standard to the development of the open, distributed library network. The Library will continue its high level of involvement in the monitoring of the standard, in its deployment in the Library’s own systems, and in collaborative projects which are based on the standard.

Interlibrary Loan Protocol and related standards
The Interlibrary Loan Protocol is designed to support the interconnection of separate computer systems which are managing the interlibrary loan process. It supports the control and management of ILL transactions for both lending and borrowing activities.

The Library’s Kinetica Service will use the Fretwell Downing OLIB VDX software, which supports the Protocol. In addition the Library is cooperating closely with the Australian Vice Chancellors Committee through the JEDDS and LIDDAS projects, which are based on the Protocol. The AVCC, through its project manager for JEDDS and LIDDAS, represented Australia at recent international meetings of the ILL Protocol Implementors Group.

This is an important area of activity for the National Library, because this standard will underpin the development of a national and global distributed interlibrary loan network. The Library will continue to monitor the development of the standard.

Directory services
Directory services provide a critical underpinning to the library and information infrastructure, allowing the discovery of relevant information suppliers, and providing access to information about the methods and conditions of supply.

The Library has created and published a number of directories of Australian library collections and services. It has developed the Australian Libraries Gateway to provide a single web interface to these directory services, and the Australian Interlibrary Resource Sharing Directory, which includes the national register of library symbols.

The Library is conscious that directories will increasingly be based on distributed services, rather than on centralised directory databases. For this reason, the Library has an interest in a family of international standards known as “X.500”, which are likely to become more important in the cooperative development of library directories. The Library will aim to develop its technical expertise in these directory protocols, and it will consider how to apply these standards to the future development of the Australian Libraries Gateway and the national interlibrary loan network. The Library will cooperate with Macquarie University in relation to the international project known as PRIDE (People and Resources in a Distributed Environment) which will develop services based on the X.500 standard. In particular, the Library will work with Macquarie University to develop a draft directory schema.

Preservation standards
The Library looks to standards development to document and reduce the variables needing to be addressed in any preservation effort. Some standards may also define relatively persistent formats and products capable of surviving a number of technology changes.

The Library is an active participant in the Research Libraries Group PRESERV Program.

Sound preservation and imaging
The Library has taken an active role in developing informal standard procedures for digital sound archiving through the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA). The Library is working with both analog and digital sound technologies. It monitors the activities of the RLG Working Group on Preserving Magnetic Media, and it closely monitors the impact of Digital Video Disc technology on Compact Disc standards.

In the area of digital imaging, the Library is monitoring the activities of the RLG Working Group on Digital Image Capture, including its work on the development of digital imaging standards.

The Library has had extensive experience with preservation reformatting, especially in microfilming where it has played a leading role in standards development. It was the major player in reshaping the Standards Australia MS/4 Committee to focus on preservation issues, and has drafted the standard for preservation microfiche as well as working on draft standards for filming manuscripts and for microfilm storage. Through this Committee, the Library also comments on draft ISO imaging standards. The Library has recently published Guidelines for preservation microfilming in Australia & New Zealand.

In storing and processing digital images, the Library will take account of the wide range of graphic interchange standards such as TIFF (Tag Image File Format), GIF (Graphic Interchange Format), JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group), and Kodak PhotoCD. Some Library digital imaging programs currently use proprietary standards such as Kodak PhotoCD and Digimarc watermarking.

The Library will further develop its expertise in the digital imaging and sound preservation areas. It will employ open standards wherever possible. It will continue to participate actively in the RLG PRESERV Program.

Archiving digital resources
The Library is involved in developing digital archiving and preservation procedures to support an Australian Collection of Electronic Publications, encompassing both online and physical format digital resources. To facilitate this development, the Library is engaged in an information-sharing collaboration with a number of other national libraries, and actively liaises with the digital archiving initiatives of the Research Libraries Group. Some standards activity is likely to flow from these involvements.

In particular the Library is closely monitoring the development of relevant standards which are being developed by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on behalf of the International Organization for Standardization. The Library is also monitoring the possible development of a US standard on preservation architecture of online material. The Library has also used a number of forums to encourage activity in the development of standards for archiving digital spatial data in Australia.

Preservation of collections
Despite the growth in digital collections the Library remains responsible for preserving very large non-digital collections. For the foreseeable future the most cost effective ways of doing this will involve maintaining the original items. To help reduce future preservation demands the Library has played an active role in the development of a standard for “permanent paper” through Standards Australia Committee MS/48.

The Library will continue to support the use of Permanent Paper and other appropriate preservation standards for non-digital materials.

Conclusions
The National Library has been active in the development and promotion of a large and complex array of standards which facilitate access to distributed information resources, and which support the inter-working of library systems and services. Other Australian libraries have given strong support for the National Library to exercise a leadership role in standards work. The Library is committed to continuing to invest in this area, with an emphasis on those standards which have the most impact in supporting the distributed library network, and in supporting the preservation of digital information.

Warwick Cathro
September 1998

The Digital Services Project

KAC/1998/2/

Background
This report describes the first steps taken by the Library through the Digital Services Project to address the need for an integrated approach to the delivery of digitally-based services to its users. It outlines the main issues and problems which have to be addressed, some of which were raised in the previous reports mentioned above. It is intended outline the issues involved with this important new initiative.

Aims of the project
Library materials in digital form fall into a number of different categories. These include, for example, paper copy items transferred to digital format (for varying reasons); materials published only in electronic form and online databases requiring networked access. The Digital Services Project aims to address the differing technical and policy issues arising from the treatment of all of these categories. In doing so, the Project will build on the outcomes of the Networked Services Project in the following areas:

It will enable the Library to build a national collection of electronic publications in cooperation with Australian creators, publishers, libraries and collecting bodies.

It will provide the Library with the technical means to support the rapid development of Internet services that bring the collections to users anywhere in the world through digital technology.

It will advance the development of a national information infrastructure that integrates access to print materials with electronic publications and makes visible the content of the nation’s documentary heritage.

It will provide integrated support for managing the special collections of the Library more effectively.

The Digital Services Project has its origins in the original Information Paper for the Networked Services Project issued by the Library in February 1997. Responses to that paper indicated that the Library’s digital services strategies were not yet sufficiently developed to be articulated to potential suppliers. In March 1997, the Library issued a Request for Tender for networked services to replace the Australian Bibliographic Network only. This was the first stage in a series of processes to develop a technical infrastructure consistent with the business directions of the Library.

In April 1997, a cross-program team was set up to develop an overall framework for systems development in the Library that would inform future procurement processes. The team completed a Library-wide systems environment review in August 1997 with a major report to the Library’s Corporate Management Group. While some of the recommendations of the report have been overtaken by other developments, it remains an important synthesis of the business directions and issues driving the Library's information technology strategic plan.

A National collection of electronic publications
Parallel with this, the Library began seriously to explore the technical and policy issues needing to be addressed to extend its mandate to preserve Australia’s printed output to the care of electronic materials. The outcome was a proof-of-concept electronic archive called PANDORA, or Preserving and Accessing Networked Documentary Resources of Australia.

PANDORA has been an operational digital archive since June 1997. However, there are significant limitations to the components of the archive currently in place, particularly in relation to the automation of workflows and the scalability of the technical solution. A primary aim of the Digital Services Project is therefore to identify options to migrate the proof-of-concept archive to a new platform capable of supporting the preservation of electronic materials as a core business output of the Library.

A draft specification of requirements has been completed which distils the lessons learnt from the proof-of-concept archive. This specification addresses the need for operating within a cooperative framework. Other collecting institutions have responsibility for segments of Australia's electronic documentary heritage. Any systems chosen will need to accommodate a range of different models for managing the distributed archive.

Many of the components needed to address the Pandora project’s requirements are central to an overall systems development framework for the Library. In recognition of this, the Library is currently expanding the draft specification to operate as a broader Request for Information covering requirements for a range of other digital services.

Bringing the collections to users
The Library plans to exploit digital technology, where it is cost effective, to enhance both preservation and access to traditional library materials. Images 1 - a service providing access to images of items in the Library’s pictorial collection - is an early exemplar of what can be achieved. The Images 1 database now holds approximately 16 000 images, with new images being added at a rate of over 5 000 a year. The routine digitisation of pictorial items is now a standard Library activity and is funded recurrently.

Draft work plans reflect the range of digital activities planned for 1998-99:

The Library’s Web site stores and provides access to 5 000 documents relating to the Library’s policies, activities, collections and services. There are now too many links to manage in simple file directories. Alternative strategies for managing this information are under review.

Almost three hundred electronic manuscript finding aids – documents listing the content of the manuscript collections - are accessible in electronic form. A working party is assessing the feasibility of building this resource to cover the whole of the collection by converting existing printed finding aids to electronic form.

As part of the Australian Cooperative Digitisation Project, the Library is developing a digital library service providing access to scanned images of around 70 Australian serials published from 1845-1850.

Twenty-five maps will soon be accessible through the Internet as part of a pilot project to assess the feasibility of digitising the rare map collection.

The full text of articles and papers indexed for the Australian Public Affairs Information Service and the Australian Medical Index are routinely scanned. These are not currently available to users, pending a suitable platform and resolution of copyright issues.

The Library is considering proposals for a range of multimedia publications that will open access to the collections in important subject areas.

While the World Wide Web makes it easy to offer digital library services to users, the limitations of early ‘cottage industry’ approaches, which dealt with newly emerging requirements and used whatever solutions were to hand, are becoming increasingly apparent to the Internet community. This is especially the case as business and government begin to see the Web as the primary means of providing access to services. In such a situation a more sophisticated approach using integrated systems and software is called for. To develop future services of the calibre of Images 1, the Library has begun to investigate options to migrate its existing Web-based services to a commercial-strength infrastructure. To simplify development and support issues, the Library will use the Digital Services Project to investigate the feasibility of using the same platform to manage all of its digital objects.

National information infrastructure development
The Kinetica service will significantly advance the national information infrastructure by providing access to the holdings of Australian libraries through standard protocols. The Library will be able to exploit this improved infrastructure to provide access to electronic resources as part of the distributed national collection as soon as the Kinetica search service is implemented.

However, a need that Kinetica and Pandora will only partially address is to provide access to the content of the nation's documentary resources. The Digital Services Project will seek technology solutions that will enable the Library, in cooperation with Australian publishers, creators, libraries and information services, to bridge the gap between locating an item and providing access to the item’s content. This initiative, in combination with developments in data distribution technology described in a previous report, has significant future service implications which are now being discussed within the Library.

The service model for this is still taking shape. It will need to encompass:
current initiatives to ‘catalogue’ the Australian domain of the Internet
user authentication – procedures to identify or register classes of users of a service
version control – needed to ensure that users receive the document they want, and managing subsequent versions of a document, for example by permanent naming
copyright and electronic commerce issues – enabling the purchase of services and management of transactions in a secure and auditable way.

Solutions advancing the infrastructure in these areas will also apply to the Library's own digital activities.

While the emphasis of the Digital Services Project is on digital technologies, the Library is committed to the development of a national infrastructure that integrates access to information regardless of publication mode.

Managing the Library’s special collections
For a variety of reasons, the management activities of the Library's special collections have not been as fully automated as mainstream activities. Few libraries have collections as rich as the National Library in pictorial, manuscript and oral history materials. As a result vendors of library software packages have not focused on the special requirements in this area; for example, the Library’s Integrated Library Management System, which uses Dynix software, has no facility for managing the acquisitions processes involved with unique materials.

Some of the issues relating to the management of electronic resources apply equally to the special collections. The process of acquisition of these materials may be protracted. Rights management is a significant issue. The Library itself is the creator or publisher of a large part of the Oral History collection. Through the Digital Services Project, the Library will test the extent to which the needs of the special materials managers can be met by the same solutions to the needs of the Library's digital object managers.

Next steps
A small team has been set up within the Library to develop a Request for Information which will outline the four categories of needs described in paragraph 3 of this report, relating to collection development, provision of Internet services, enhancement of the national information infrastructure and management of the Library’s special collections. The end of August is the deadline currently scheduled for this task. The Library plans to use the Request for Information:

To test the requirements with all stakeholders to ensure that they reflect best practice approaches to the business needs and that the direction the Library is taking is aligned with national and intentional infrastructure development activities.

To test the extent to which the requirements can be met within the Library's current technical infrastructure taking into account existing systems and the new Kinetica platform.

To seek information from potential suppliers of products and services in relation to the range of technology options available to the Library.

A separate process will be set in place to assess the risk of the project and to develop a risk management plan.

International collaboration
International collaboration over a project such as this can minimise duplication of effort while drawing on a wider range of expertise in addressing specific problems. Council members will recall that the Library initiated contact with a number of overseas libraries involved in developing digital preservation strategies. The Director-General wrote to the heads of the National Libraries of Canada, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, and of the British Library and the Library of Congress, formally proposing an alliance to share information and expertise. Positive responses have been received from the Library of Congress and the National Libraries of Germany and The Netherlands.

Judith Pearce
October 1998

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Last updated: 20 May 1999