National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN 1443-0568
No. 15
May 1995


Contents

National Library of Australia Gateways was edited and designed by Margaret Davey using desktop publishing software. Please address any comments or enquiries to:

The Editor, Gateways
Network Services Marketing
National Library of Australia

CANBERRA A.C.T. 2600

All articles in this publication may be reproduced without written permission on the condition that their source is clearly acknowledged.

Gateways is issued bimonthly and prepared by the Services to Libraries Division of the National Library of Australia. Subscriptions are available on application at the rate of $40.00 p.a. from:

Sales and Distribution
National Library of Australia
CANBERRA A.C.T. 2600
Tel.: (02) 6262 1646 Fax: 61 6 273 1084


National Library server launched

[PHOTO]


The Deputy Director-General, Eric Wainwright launching the National Library's World Wide Web server

On Wednesday 10 May 1995 the National Library hosted a function in its foyer to celebrate the launch of its World Wide Web server.

The National Library server provides online access to the Library's collections and services and a range of other information, including Australian government information, useful Internet navigation tools, and government policy information concerning the information superhighway. The Library server hosts the official Commonwealth Government Internet home page, and provides pointers to all other electronically published government information. It also has extensive links to overseas government information.

The Director-General welcomed the 60 guests to the launch and said that the server is a compelling example of the potential of new network technologies to improve government service to the public.

Mr John Langmore, MP and Senator John Tierney, both members of the Library's Council spoke about developments in information and communications technology and of their own experiences in Australia and overseas with this enabling technology. Senator Tierney commented that Australia's communication infrastructure positioned it more effectively to take advantage of the technology than other countries. It seems that the Library is at the forefront of Australian implementations and is acting as a catalyst for future use of the Internet.

The Deputy Director-General, Eric Wainwright, spoke enthusiastically about the Server facilities, and commented that the Internet held a particular use for collecting and cultural institutions which were able to make their collections electronically accessible nationally and internationally. He accompanied his presentation with an impressive display on a large screen of some innovative government examples of networked services delivery.

The Library's server can be found at http://www.nla.gov.au

NDIS roadshow questions

More than 1 200 people attended the series of presentations on the National Document and Information Service (NDIS) that travelled to all Australian capital cities and Townsville in November, December and February. The National Library of Australia's Assistant Director-General (Services to Libraries), Warwick Cathro, and the NDIS Joint Project Director, Jan Rosi, provided a description of Computer Science Corporation Australia's solution and user implementation requirements. Many people took the opportunity to ask questions and a compilation of the most frequently asked questions, with answers, is provided below. If you would like further details on any aspect of the project, please contact the ABN Help Desk on 1800 026 155.

What is the life span of NDIS, and when are the first products / services expected to be released?

NDIS is being developed to meet the needs of the library community for at least the next 10 years.

The project to develop NDIS has a two-year life span. The libraries aim to have services on the market as soon as possible during this time. Some services will be released earlier than others, and some may take the full two years to complete.

The first product to be released will be an information database service, using a Windows-based client for searching and document requesting services and a text based equivalent.

We know that NDIS will be user friendly, but what training will be available and what will it cost?

In Australia, the National Library of Australia and its Designated Training Agents will conduct training courses to introduce clients to NDIS. More advanced courses will be run as necessary. The cost of these courses has not yet been determined but will be structured similarly to present courses.

In addition to this, NDIS will have user-friendly interfaces and online help and tutorials for different levels of experience.

[PHOTO]
Warwick Cathro, Assistant Director-General (Services to Libraries)

Will there be a move to more flexible billing?

The service will offer improved billing flexibility with options for credit card access and billing, subscription billing and site licences. This system will also allow NDIS managers to develop packages of services and pricing structures to meet user needs.

The service will also be able to produce and distinguish between separate account transactions on the one statement. This means that a university, for example, will be able to request one statement which will not only show the total amount payable by the university but will also itemise the costs incurred by each of the university's registered account holders.

Will there be an increased cost to users to use NDIS

Although users may experience a modest increase in charges in the next 1-2 years, a reduction in costs in real terms will follow with the introduction of NDIS. The charges established for NDIS will be highly competitive, and in light of the services offered, cost effective to users.

Will there be a charge for NDIS client software?

No, NDIS client software will be distributed to users free of charge.

How will NDIS take advantage of the Internet?

Access to NDIS will be provided by a variety of means including the Internet, where NDIS will be the key resource discovery node for Australian and New Zealand electronic documents. NDIS will be a Unix-based system, and its communication protocols will be entirely Internet compatible. The service will also exploit the facilities of the Internet to provide transparent gateways into other related electronic information services. These gateways will exploit Internet Uniform Resource Locaters (URLs) to point to key document text-end image databases from NDIS location data.

Are leased lines a thing of the past?

NDIS will be accessible via leased line in Australia, although we expect most users to access us through the Internet.

An increase in the number of users accessing current services via the Internet, however, has meant that SNA / 3270 connectivity in Australia will be phased out with the introduction of NDIS. Maintaining SNA support would also have added significantly to the cost of the project. The National Library of Australia will work with existing SNA / 3270 users to ensure smooth migration to alternative protocols.

What is the data migration strategy?

The data migration strategy is currently being finalised. The first priority will be to migrate the Ozline and Kiwinet services, then ABN and NZBN data with holdings.

What equipment will be required to access NDIS?

It is planned that a variety of client devices, including Windows-based PC's, Apple Macintoshes, and X terminals will ultimately be supported by NDIS. Priority will be given to the development of the Windows-based interface.

To take full advantage of the NDIS service in the earliest phases it will be necessary to use a 486 PC, with a speed of at least 33 MHz and memory of at least 8Mb. However, access to the text-based interface will be available through any device capable of emulating a VT100 terminal.

What benefits will the text based interface offer?

The text-based interface will facilitate the migration of all users by allowing them to access NDIS without upgrading their equipment.

Will any existing services be dropped?

NDIS will replace and improve all existing services. It will be a 'one stop shop' for access to all services currently received by users from a number of separate channels (eg SOFI, UnCover etc). The functionality users are accustomed to will therefore be expanded with NDIS, although the services themselves will look different. The future of some products (eg catalogue cards) will be reviewed.

Will the CJK (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) Project be incorporated into NDIS?

CJK will eventually become part of NDIS, but not within the two year NDIS project timeframe. NDIS users will, however, be able to access the separate CJK system using Innovative Interfaces software which will be completed later in 1995.

Where will the main market for NDIS lie? Is there a shift in emphasis away from the library community?

NDIS is being developed, primarily, to expand and improve service to the library communities in Australia and New Zealand. Libraries will, therefore, be the core market for NDIS.

One important difference, however, between ABN and NDIS is that NDIS will place a greater emphasis on services to end-users. It is envisaged that many people who need to get access to documents which they can't obtain from their local resource will use NDIS to search for, locate and obtain these documents. These people might include groups such as teachers and researchers, students, and people who work in information-intensive professions such as doctors, lawyers, consultants and journalists.

The National Library of Australia has undertaken ongoing business planning and market analysis to provide a greater understanding of these possible markets for NDIS.

Which databases will be hosted, and on what criteria will they be selected?

The two libraries are currently engaged in an intensive business planning process to ensure the services NDIS delivers will meet market needs. An important part of this process is to identify those databases which will be required to meet the needs of the libraries' markets. In the recent ABN and Ozline user survey, users were asked to nominate databases and information sources that would be valuable to them if supplied on NDIS. The results of the survey are being analysed with a view to identifying the best range of information to be made available through NDIS, in addition to existing ABN, NZBN, Ozline and Kiwinet data.

With access to a greater range of materials, will there be problems with copyright?

NDIS will be able to store information and generate reports in line with the copyright legislation of each country. The service will also facilitate the payment of royalties to data providers.

Associated with each document or document part stored on NDIS, will be information about who owns the copyright, the royalty fee for use of the document and who is to receive payment. So, for example, when a user displays or outputs a document or document part, NDIS will include the copyright fee in the charge recorded against that activity. If there is no copyright information available, a standard fee will be charged for access to the document.

A copyright fee may also apply when a copy of a document is requested via the NDIS document delivery service. (When the document delivery partners are both libraries, no copyright fee will apply).

[PHOTO]
Jan Rosi, Joint NDIS Joint Project Director

As NDIS cataloguing services are being implemented in a later stage of the project, how will libraries be able to catalogue in the interim?

Full support for existing ABN and NZBN services will be maintained throughout the development of NDIS. As NDIS services become available there will be a gradual and planned transition of users across to the new services. Users will be supported with quality training and help services.

Will there still be a credit system for institutions that contribute data to NDIS, as there is for ABN?

The issues of charging for use and credit for contribution are being considered as part of the business planning process.

When will there be a name?

'NDIS' (The National Document and Information Service) is the working name for the new system. It will not be the brand name for the new service. This brand name will be announced before NDIS Phase One services are implemented.

New Director of Interlending Services

Ms Charu Sood has been appointed to the position of Director, Interlending Services. She took up the position on 8 May.

Ms Sood was educated in Uganda and London and, at postgraduate level, at Monash University. Her earliest employment in Australia was as a reference librarian at the Moonee Valley Regional Library Service in Melbourne.

For 10 years, until February 1995, Ms Sood worked in the ACT Library Service. In the late 1980s she was in charge of the Woden Town Centre Library and later the Tuggeranong Town Centre Library. She was Manager of Central Services between 1990 and 1993, and Manager of the ACT Reference Library between 1993 and February 1995.

In these positions, Ms Sood was involved in planning the future development of the ACT Library Service, and liaising with community groups, government agencies and other organisations. Her experience has included the framing of a collection development policy for the ACT Library Service, and contributing to the development of automated systems.

Between February and May 1995, Ms Sood worked in the Information Management Policy Unit of the ACT Government's Dept of Public Administration.

3rd National Roundtable on Libraries and Asia

As reported in Gateways no. 14, the 3rd National Roundtable on Libraries and Asia was held on 16 February at the National Library, and was attended by seventy-five librarians, academics and officials. All mainland states and territories were represented.

The draft resolutions of the meeting have since been refined through consultation, including further teleconference discussion with the Asian Roundtable Reference Group of librarians and academics from around the country. The revised resolutions have been sent to all those who attended the roundtable, to the bodies or institutions identified to carry out the resolutions and to organisations with an interest in Asian library collections and services.

The resolutions are also available on the National Library's information server, under Asian Collections at the URL http://www.nla.gov.au/niac/meetings/asiart.html

While there were 28 resolutions in all, the following is an abridged version of those resolutions ranked as priorities for action, grouped under broad topics. It should be emphasised that this is not the full text of the resolutions.

A. South Asia

AA1. That the National Centre for South Asian Studies conduct a wide survey of South Asianists in Australia, their research interests and resource needs.

AA2. That the National Library examine and consider strengthening its acquisitions from South Asia.

AA3. That a resubmitted bid for Research Infrastructure and Equipment Funding (RIEF) be made for South Asian resources.

AA4. That the National Library mount on its information server the Union List of South Asian Newspapers[already completed April 1995] and that a printed version be considered.

B. Collection Development and Collection Agreements

AB1. That the Distributed National Collection Office issue a call for Australian libraries with Asian materials to indicate areas in which they are willing to discuss collecting and access agreements.

AB2. That the DNC Office encourage a network of collecting and access agreements for Asian materials to be negotiated.

AB3. That those libraries with interests in Asian materials document existing collection strengths and current collecting emphases using the Australian Conspectus.

C. Networking, E-Publications and the Internet

AC1. That NLA ensure that the design of the NDIS system facilitates an extension of its functionalities to accommodate the display and searching of records in non-roman scripts.

D. Staffing / Training

AD1. That Mrs Chooi-hon Ho (Associate Librarian, Monash University) head an informal group to ascertain the education and training needs of the information profession with regard to Asian services and prepare a plan of action.

AD2. That the informal group seek the views of principal employers in the Asian subject area on numbers of staff and skills required through a pilot survey.

AD3. That the informal group obtain information from Australian library schools on their current and proposed Asia-related programs.

AD4. That the informal group investigate the feasibility of producing a directory, possibly in electronic form, of Library personnel with Asia-related expertise.

AD5. That the Asia-Pacific Special Interest Group [of the Australian Library and Information Association] be asked to propose a workshop or sessions on training and staffing needs at the ALIA Biennial Conference in 1996.

E. Preservation of Asian Materials

AE1. That the DNC Office call upon Australian libraries with an interest in Asian materials to demonstrate their commitment to preserving Asian materials by cooperating with the DNC Office and the National Preservation Office to develop preservation codes for recording the status of Asian materials in the Conspectus database; cooperating with the DNC Office and the NPO to develop a classification system for describing the significance of their Asian collections; adopting procedures to be developed by the DNC Office to include information about the significance of collections on the Conspectus database.

F. Bibliographical Access to Asian Materials

AF1. That the most significant files of data which should be loaded to the NBD are East Asian serials (including newspapers), East Asian monographs and Asian serials generally (including newspapers). Possible sources of funding to carry this out are the Australian Research Council and overseas foundations.

G. 4th National Roundtable on Libraries and Asia

AG1. That if a 4th Roundtable is held it should include a focus on community-based collections, services and training, drawing on the experience of State and public libraries and library groups.

Progress on the implementation of the resolutions will be reported in forthcoming issues of Gateways.

For further information on the roundtable contact :

Marie Sexton, Principal Librarian, Asian Collections, National Library of Australia.

Tel. (02) 6262 1519, fax (02) 6273 4327, e-mail: msexton@nla.gov.au

Australian electronic publishing on the Internet

With the rapid development of Australian World Wide Web sites (since last August alone the number of Australian sites has tripled to 200), the National Library has begun the formidable task of looking at its role in relation to the acquisition, control and preservation of Australian publishing on the Internet. Each Australian web site represents a potentially vast repository of Australian publishing.

Since March 1994 staff in the Australian Collection Development Unit (ACDU) have been identifying Australian e-journals and newsletters on the Internet. These titles are catalogued onto the Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN) and the records are downline loaded into the Library's OPAC. With the recent introduction of the 856 field within the MARC record structure, the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for an item is now added to each catalogue record. To facilitate user access the Library is investigating a link between the URL in the catalogue record and the electronic journal. A listing of Australian e-journals and newsletters is also available via the Library's Information Server where users can obtain direct access via the URL to the titles listed.

An archiving project involving approximately 20 electronic journals and newsletters is also being planned for Phase One of the National Document and Information Service (NDIS) in 1996. The details of this project are yet to be determined although it is anticipated that a range of journals representative of the characteristics and nature of current e-journal publishing will be chosen for the trial project. The aim of the project is to explore the implications of using NDIS as a mechanism for the preservation of electronic publications.

In addition to their work on Australian e-journals and newsletters, staff in ACDU have begun a project to identify other categories of Australian publishing on the Internet which the Library may wish to catalogue and list on the information server. The aim of the project is to identify the nature of current Australian publishing on the Internet, test the viability of traditional technical services procedures in 'acquiring' and facilitating user access to these publications through traditional cataloguing, and determining a role for the National Library under its mandate to collect and preserve Australia's publishing output. Already many challenges are emerging for libraries because of the relative ease with which an individual can become an author and/or publisher on the Internet, and because of the fluid nature of much of the material which is destined to be rapidly updated and which may contain a myriad of hypertext links to other Internet documents.

For further information contact Jasmine Cameron, tel. (02) 6262 1327, or e-mail: Jasmine Cameron

ACOC meeting

The Australian Committee on Cataloguing (ACOC) met at the National Library on 20 April and elected Pam Dunlop as its Chairperson. Pam is the Manager, Cataloguing Projects, at the National Library. ACOC welcomed new member Susanne Moir from the State Library of New South Wales, who replaces Andrew Wells as an ALIA nominee.

Australian thesaurus

ACOC has responsibility for coordinating the Australian extension to Library of Congress Subject Headings which has traditionally been undertaken in two ways: the publication by ALIA of the List of Australian Subject Headings, and the decisions of the ABN Subject Headings Review Panel. Anticipating the opportunity offered by the NDIS for more wide-scale implementation of Australian subject headings in MARC records, ACOC has negotiated for the future extension of Library of Congress Subject Headings to be coordinated through the ABN Subject Headings Review Panel. ACOC and ALIA have requested the ABN Standards Committee to ensure that libraries which are not members of ABN are able to propose new Australian subject headings. These arrangements fulfil ACOC's responsibilities for Towards Federation 2001 resolution RC8.

ACOC has approached ACLIS, ALIA and the National Library to fund a survey of thesaurus usage in Australian libraries. The survey would be the first step in the research of the feasibility of an Australian thesaurus, as recommended in Towards Federation 2001 resolution RC11.

AACR2

ACOC considered a number of proposed revisions to the Anglo- American Cataloguing Rules, including identification of captioned and signed videos and motion pictures, terms used to describe computer memory, and the various rules which provide access to legal documents, computer files, Internet resources, and music. ACOC's deliberations will form its brief for Ann Huthwaite, who will represent ACOC at the next meeting of the Joint Steering Committee for the Revision of AACR2, to be held in Leeds, UK, at the end of May.

Dewey

Giles Martin, who represents ACOC on the Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC), reported on the meeting he attended in Washington, DC in April. Editing of the 21st edition is now complete, and publication is underway with every effort being made to contain its size within four volumes!

Preparation for the 22nd edition has begun with consideration of broad issues, such as the relevance of 'literary warrant' to the classification of Internet resources, the treatment of interdisciplinary topics, the nature of an 'edition' of DDC, and how to make faceting more consistent within DDC. Giles Martin is preparing a proposal for revision of the area tables for Australia, with separate tables for South Australia and the Northern Territory. Giles will prepare a discussion paper to be disseminated widely for consideration by all interested people through ACLIS, ALIA and the National Library.

Cataloguing Conference

Following the successful Multiple Versions Seminar in Fremantle in 1993, ACOC will mount another half-day seminar before the National Cataloguing Conference in October 1995 in Sydney. The theme of the seminar will be the future of cataloguing, and ACOC intends to provide a balance between information papers on topics such as cataloguing interactive multimedia and Internet resources, and papers presenting ideas for changing cataloguing in the future.

The next meeting of ACOC will be held on 28 August at the National Library. If you would like more information about any of ACOC's work, contact one of the members: Pam Dunlop (NLA), Helen Hoffmann (La Trobe University), Ann Huthwaite (QUT), Giles Martin (University of Newcastle), Sue Moir (State Library of NSW), Margareta Nicholas (University of SA), Janet Thorp (State Library of Tasmania) or Julia Trainor (NLA).

National survey of bibliographic access to documentary pictorial collections, 1994

The National Library is pleased to announce that the National Survey of Bibliographic Access to Documentary Pictorial Collections, 1994is now available for distribution. The survey was conducted by Paul Hodgson of Informed Sources and commissioned by the Working Group on High Priority Cross Sectional Projects.

Terms of reference for the survey were to:

  1. Describe the existing state of bibliographic access to pictorial collections, including the following aspects:

This survey covered 23 major collecting institutions in three categories:

  1. National and State libraries
  2. National collecting institutions, eg National Film and Sound Archive
  3. Selected State museums.

With a view to promoting access to Australia's significant documentary pictorial collection the National Library plans to mount Part B of the report, which includes descriptions of the collections, present practices and future plans in the surveyed institutions, on our ftp (file transfer protocol) site.

As well as promoting access to collections in the surveyed institutions, we aim to provide directory access to image databases available via AARNet.

Comments on the report are welcome and should be directed to:
DNC Office,
National Library of Australia
CANBERRA ACT 2600

The whole report will also be available from the National Library World Wide Web site .

To obtain a print copy of the report (limited numbers available) for your institution please contact: Karen Simm, National Bibliographic Database and Standards, tel. 1800 02 6155, fax (02) 6273 1180, e-mail:Karen Simm

1995 TDK Australian Audio Book Award

The aim of the National Library's TDK Australian Audio Book Award is to encourage excellence in the production of audio books and to heighten public awareness of literature in this form. The award, which was established in 1989, has led to a growing interest in audio books. This benefits those who depend on having print turned into sound for much of their access to the written word and also makes literature more accessible to all sections of the community.

The 1994 winner of the award was Louis Braille Books for their production of Blanche D'Alpuget's novel White Eye: A Novel, narrated by well known actress Beverley Dunn. The Trish Trinick Prize for the best-selling audio book in Australia went to ABC Enterprises for their recording of Favourite Play School Stories narrated by Benita Collings, Noni Hazelhurst, John Waters and Alister Smart. While the Australian Audio Book Award is confined to Australian productions, the Trish Trinick Prize is open to both Australian and overseas-produced audio books.

Applications are now being invited for the 1995 TDK Australian Audio Book Award and Trish Trinick Prize. For entry forms or further information contact Mary Dickenson, TDK Award Coordinator, National Library of Australia, ACT 2600 or tel. (02) 6262 128, fax (06) 273 4493.

Statement on future collecting directions

In its Strategic Plan 1993-98, the National Library outlined three priorities which would direct its activities for that period. These include the collection and preservation of Australian materials of national significance, the promotion of the Library, its collections and national services, and improvements in access for all Australians to the materials and information they need. Establishment of these priorities formed the basis of public consultation in 1993, and they were generally accepted by both library and other client groups.

In establishing these priorities, the Library has moved away from the idea that it can best serve the Australian library community by developing a large pan-disciplinary collection containing extensive amounts of material from around the world for the benefit of the nation as a whole. An increasing amount of material is being acquired by other Australian libraries, especially in the higher education sector, and much of it duplicates the National Library's holdings. Delivery of material from one library to another is increasingly possible through the development of the national bibliographic database and improved means of document supply. Also, more materials, in particular journals, are becoming readily accessible in electronic form.

One way in which the Library will meet its priorities is through a reduction in the collecting and processing of printed materials from some overseas countries. Redirection of resources away from collecting overseas materials will allow the Library to put more effort into a number of other areas that better support the Australian library system and its clients including:

The Library now finds it appropriate to consider its collecting role within the context of its own priorities and the Distributed National Collection. Believing that it can best serve the needs of Australian libraries and their clients in a defined collecting as well as coordinating role, the Library has given careful consideration to its future overseas collecting and is now in a position to outline its overall collecting intentions in greater detail. These are:

The Library anticipates that its program of collection reduction will take two or more years to complete.

The Library will continue to prepare a formal collection development policy which will cover aspects of this statement in additional detail. This policy will affirm the Library's commitment to the ongoing development of its collections as part of the distributed national collection. The Library recognises that the collections will continue to evolve and be open to negotiation and agreement. It will continue to seek to enter into collaborative collecting agreements wherever appropriate, with an initial emphasis on collections relating to Asia and the Pacific.

Responses or queries concerning the Library's future collecting and access policy may be directed to: Ms Jan Fullerton, Assistant Director-General, Collections and Reader Services. National Library of Australia, CANBERRA ACT 2600.

Tel. (06 ) 262 1672, Fax (06 ) 257 1703, e-mail: Jan Fullerton

John Meredith book launch

[PHOTO]

John Meredith at the launch withDaniel Connell, who wrote in the introduction that 'the photographs in Real Folk convey a sense of the individuality of normal people, a dimension that is difficult to record when sought directly'.

The National Library recently launched Real Folk, the latest book by John Meredith.

As Australia's foremost folklore collector, Meredith has spent over 40 years tracking down and recording Australian traditional music, verse and yarns. In this time he has recorded and photographed over 700 performers throughout Australia. At the National Folk Festival, held in Canberra in April, John Meredith was one of the inaugural recipients of the Australian Folk Trust Award for lifetime achievement in folk arts.

Real Folkpresents the photographs and stories of over 100 of Meredith's colourful subjects, their images captured by his camera, their character enlivened by his entertaining captions. For Meredith, Real Folkis 'the culmination of a lifelong interest in Australian folklore and photography'.

The Real Folkphotographs were originally exhibited in 1988 at Mudgee and later acquired by, and displayed at, the National Library. John Meredith writes that 'some folk revival performers have become very commercially minded, to such an extent that, in many cases I feel the artists are more interested in the financial reward than the material they perform. It was to distinguish between these people and the pioneer performers, who have given freely of their time, their songs and their music, that I coined the title of my exhibition and my book. To me, these kind-hearted, hospitable and friendly people have come to represent the Real Folk of Australia'.

The book was launched by the National Library's Director, Policy and Program Development, John Thompson, who has had a long and fruitful working relationship with John Meredith. Among the many friends and associates of John Meredith at the launch were fellow performers and folklore collectors for the National Library, Alan Scott and Rob Willis. Also present was the poet Geoff Page, whose poem The Mudgee Waltz, was inspired by the Real Folkphotographs.

Copies of Real Folk can be obtained from Sales and Distribution Section, National Library of Australia, Canberra ACT 2600 for $24.95 including postage.


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Last updated 12 December 1997; link(s) updated 15 September 1999