| Table of Contents |  |
CENDI Home Page |
Report of the CENDI Digital
Library Initiatives Department of Energy, Forrestal Building,
Washington, DC Sponsored by the CENDI Information
Exchange Working Group Prepared by Gail Hodge October 1998 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.1 Department of Energy/Office of Scientific &
Technical Information 3.0 ANALYSIS OF INITIATIVES Appendix A Discussion Questions for the Digital
Library Initiatives Workshop CENDI Digital Library Initiatives Task
Group Valerie Allen (DOE/OSTI) CENDI is an interagency cooperative organization
composed of the scientific and technical information (STI) managers from
the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Education, Defense, Health and Human
Services, Interior, Agriculture, and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA). CENDI's mission is to help improve the productivity
of Federal science- and technology-based programs through the development
and management of effective scientific and technical information support
systems. In fulfilling its mission, CENDI member agencies play an important
role in helping to strengthen U.S. competitiveness and address science-
and technology-based national priorities. At the February1998 CENDI Meeting, the CENDI members approved a proposal
by the CENDI Information Exchange Working Group to review the projects
and plans related to the development of digital libraries among the agencies.
The information gathering meeting was held on June 30, 1998 with eight
of the nine CENDI agencies in attendance. The agencies have different definitions of digital libraries. In some
cases, the libraries are strictly digital versions of textual material
that was previously dealt with on paper. In other cases, the emphasis
is on a virtual library, which is a homepage organized to link to a variety
of collections. In several cases, the agencies were providing both digital
libraries of their own science and technology materials, and creating
virtual libraries based on information from other sources ranging from
other federal agencies, to academia, to international organizations, to
industry. The agencies are in differing stages of development. Some are in the
strategic planning stage (NASA). Others are implementing their infrastructures
(NAIC). Some are conducting pilot programs (DTIC, NTIS). Others have full
scale operational systems (NLM, USGS/BRD, DOE/OSTI and NAL) which continue
to evolve. Most of the high-end evolution involves the integration of
existing resources (through embedded links) and the incorporation of additional
services such as digital reference, post-processing of downloaded material,
and re-use of material through remote experimentation and modeling. A digital library has many components -- collection development, metadata,
a search engine, post-processing functions, digital reference and other
services, and community building. While most of the digital-virtual libraries
include these components, the CENDI agencies emphasized different aspects
of their projects during their brief presentations. This suggests the
strengths that each agency has that could be used to forward the digital
future of all (see section 3.0). The resource types and formats included range from the traditional bibliographic
databases accessible via the Web to data sets, gene sequences, and satellite
imagery. Most agencies have moved away from the early emphasis on full
text or images of textual documents (extensions to their bibliographic
databases) to multimedia, sound, numeric data, related web sites, etc.
DTIC is working with the Library of Congress on better guidelines for
metadata to support photos, sound bites, and multimedia. The agencies
are devising strategies for integrating the bibliographic databases with
these new resources. Some agencies are adding digital library services that go beyond collection
and access. Digital reference (or AskA service) provides access to reference
staff or scientists. NAL provides such a service from its Land Grant Universities.
DOE and NAIC provide real-time machine translation. Downloading with special
emphasis on manipulating the resulting file is available through NTIS=s
Encapsulator program. USGS/BRD is working on modeling software and distributed
vocabulary support for searching. The National Library of Medicine (NLM)
is using its Unified Medical Language System to provide vocabulary support
in a middleware layer. NLM is also at the forefront of connections between
bibliographic systems and online journals. With the advent of digital-virtual libraries, their integration with
legacy systems, and the advent of new types of services, the agencies
reported an unexpected challenge. Digital and virtual libraries have sociological
implications that were not anticipated by the majority of the agencies.
These included the training needed to move legacy staffs into this new
environment, the personnel needed to handle increased in collaborative
efforts (some of which involves complex agreements and licensing issues),
the limited technical resources available to support digital library development,
and the possible need to reorganize the company for new ways of doing
business. In addition to reporting on the current status of digital-virtual libraries
and future plans, the agencies highlighted challenges that they had encountered.
These are indicated as research needs: Recommendations Based on the discussions, the Digital Library Initiatives Task Group
recommends the following actions: 1.0 BACKGROUND At the CENDI Meeting on February 2, 1998, the Information Exchange Working
Group proposed an investigation of CENDI agency digital library initiatives.
The aim was to review the projects and plans currently underway, to identify
the state-of-the-practice among the agencies, to identify the issues and
common concerns, and to identify research projects (both technology and
policy) that could be done collaboratively and result in advancing the
state of federal digital libraries. The task group met on June 30, 1998, at the Department of Energy=s
Forrestal Building. Representatives from the National Air Intelligence
Center (NAIC); the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC); the Department
of Energy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information (DOE/OSTI);
the National Technical information Service (NTIS); the US Geological Survey/Biological
Resources Division (USGS/BRD); the National Institute of Health, National
Library of Medicine (NLM/NIH); the US Department of Agriculture=s National Agricultural Library (NAL); and
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) were present. Prior to the meeting, a series of questions was developed by the CENDI
Secretariat to be used as discussion points by the presenters. Those questions
are provided as Appendix A. 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF AGENCY INITIATIVES 2.1 Department of Energy/Office of Scientific and Technical
Information (DOE/OSTI) EnergyFiles and DOE Information Bridge Two major independent but complementary DOE/OSTI projects fall under
the broad mantle of digital library initiatives. One has a digitized text
emphasis and the other a virtual library perspective. The DOE Information
Bridge builds on the digitization of OSTI=s
traditional material, DOE technical reports. It is a major component of
the second initiative, EnergyFiles, which is a web-based virtual library
environment and subject pathway system for energy-related information
both from within DOE and from other sources. The DOE Information Bridge (http://www.doe.gov/bridge; http://apollo.osti.gov/dds)
makes the full text of DOE technical reports available electronically
on the web. There are currently nearly 30,000 reports available dating
from January 1996. The full text of older reports residing in the OSTI
repository is scanned and provided as those reports are requested. The
DOE-generated information included in the DOE Information Bridge is contributed
by the Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP) partners at
the various DOE and contractor research and development (R&D) sites
throughout the DOE complex. The DOE Information Bridge is now available
via the GPO Access gateway for public use with no password requirement.
It is also available on a separate system to DOE and its contractors via
registration/password and provides additional features such as the online
ordering of paper documents and bibliographic data for journal items and
foreign literature acquired through international exchange agreements.
In both cases, the full text and bibliographic records are fully searchable
and may be downloaded by the user. It is estimated that combined downloads
from the DOE and Public "Bridges" will total about 50,000 reports
in FY 1998. The public help desk support for DOE Information Bridge is
provided by GPO, while OSTI provides the DOE and DOE contractor support. The workflow processes used to populate the DOE Information Bridge are
quite different from OSTI=s traditional information processing activities.
In the past, many manual processes were used and non-electronic products
were produced. Currently, the laboratories and facilities submit their
documents and the corresponding metadata electronically or in paper, and
OSTI makes the full text and metadata available through diverse channels
by various means. The image or hardcopy is OCR=ed to create the full text. This full text
is stored, indexed, and searched using OpenText. The PDF version is stored
on an optical jukebox. TIFF, GIFF, and PDF formats are retained and accessible
on the DOE and contractor site; however, only the PDF version is available
on the public site. In the current model, the full text and metadata records
must be integrated centrally at OSTI. However, the plan is to continue
moving away from centralized processing and toward linking centralized
metadata files with distributed full text files residing at the sites.
This will change the laboratories= STI submission requirements as they will
simply submit metadata records with the corresponding URL=s
for the full text. Data within the DOE Information Bridge is indexed using the 38 subject
categories OSTI has used for many years. However, the metadata record
structure is being modified to a Dublin Core format with administrative
and optional fields added to support OSTI processing. The second initiative is the EnergyFiles virtual library (http://www.doe.gov/EnergyFiles).
It is a very heterogeneous system emphasizing information resource collection
and accessibility and it includes more than 400 collections from OSTI,
other DOE programs and offices, industry, and academia. The collections
are grouped under 14 subject categories that are consolidated from the
38 categories that are used in the DOE Information Bridge. There are multiple
resource types, including electronic journals, databases, regulations,
technical reports in full text when available, and conference proceedings.
There are also multiple document types such as HTML and PDF. An EnergyFiles
collection development plan that outlines the scope and source criteria
in some detail is available on the EnergyFiles Home page at More About
EnergyFiles. Utilizing the dynamic nature of the Internet, EnergyFiles provides access
to both information resources and a Avirtual workspace@ that allows users to customize services
through workspace tools. In essence, the site goes beyond being a library
to being an energy portal, presenting information in addition to providing
capabilities to make it more useful through user manipulation. The customized
services include such capabilities as machine translation in real time
(using Systran, developed by NAIC) and a push technology application which
allows the user to establish notification mechanisms based on information
profiles. The virtual workspace also provides access to remote experimentation
laboratories and a link to the Argonne National Laboratory AAsk-a-Scientist@ service, and it continues to grow in capabilities
and functionality. Some of the workspace resources have limited access due to licensing
agreements. EnergyFiles has involved a multitude of collaborative relationships
on various levels. The primary audience for EnergyFiles is scientists, engineers, program
and project managers, both within the DOE R&D community and among
U.S. industry and academia who need STI to facilitate R&D efforts.
It also has significant value for the general public. An analysis of user
segments indicates that over 24 percent are from the US Commercial sector
and more than 20 percent are from the US Government sector. More
than 8 percent of users are affiliated with the US Education sector. Due to the great number of collections and resources on EnergyFiles,
a key issue for further development has been searching across heterogeneous
document types. The EnergyFiles virtual library currently relies on links
to integrate the material, but for the future, the approach being considered
is a modular one. The incorporation of a search engine is the next important
development effort which will make the location of the material more transparent
to the user. Users will have the capability to choose specific databases
and collections, to limit a search to subject areas, or search AAll@ if preferred. The Z39.50 heterogeneous file
search protocol is not currently used. Major issues for OSTI based on development to date include funding and
staffing resources, the accelerated development rate of web products,
and heterogeneous document type searching. Current efforts are focused on the migration of OSTI production systems
to ORACLE software and the redesign of the database management system
upon which the redesigned electronic infrastructure will be built. EnergyFiles, the DOE Information Bridge, and many other websites developed
by the Department of Energy=s programs provide useful collections of
scientific, technical, public affairs, and educational information. These
successes lay the foundation for the development of a National Library
of Energy Science and Technology. In addition to technical report literature
and other information resources, access to electronic journals in scientific
disciplines will be a key component of such a National Library. Site licenses
are being procured so that greater access to electronic journals may be
offered in the near future. In recognition of the fact that journal literature
is a very critical element in the scientific community, OSTI is further
exploring the concept of a web-based journals product using existing technology
to search and link journal article citations with fulltext articles, to
include links to fulltext of references within the article. This product,
focused on the physical sciences (and similar to the National Library
of Medicine=s PubMed which is
focused on the life sciences) would complement the report literature already
available electronically to the scientific community through the DOE Information
Bridge and other OSTI products. 2.2 Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Defense Digital Library The DTIC hosts several digital collections and sponsors a number of ongoing
digitization efforts aimed toward the defense Scientific/Technical information
community. Although not specifically referred to as a digital library,
DTIC makes these materials available through its own Internet-based web
pages and hosts over 90 more Internet sites in addition to providing numerous
links to other pertinent sites. DTIC=s primary mission is to
collect and provide information produced by, and of interest to, the defense
community. The greater part of the organization=s
current digital content may be found under DTIC=s STINET web site. Through STINET, users
can search DTIC=s three main
databases, plus others, in addition to linking to those produced by other
organizations. STINET offers multi-database searching with retrievals
ranked within each database, including several non-DTIC databases. Included
are: DTIC U2 Technical Report Database, DTIC Full Text Technical Report
Database, and DTIC Thesaurus. Non-DTIC databases include the DoD Index
of Specifications and Standards, DOE OPENNET Database, DOE Reports Bibliographic
Database, NASA Technical Reports Database, NASA Open Literature Database,
NASA NACA Technical Reports Database, and the NASA Goddard Technical Reports
Database. In the near future, DTIC=s How To Get It Directory will be added.
Documents retrieved from the DOE or NASA databases may be ordered directly
from the respective agencies. Examples of other searchable DTIC databases and resources under the STINET
umbrella include the Air University Index to Military Periodicals (AULIMP)
and the Research & Development Descriptive Summaries (RDDS) database.
In many cases, the full-text documents, articles, or summaries are available
either in HTML or PDF formats. STINET also provides the capability to
search several specialized research tools such as Technology Navigator,
a web-based collaborative tool that enables national security community
technologists, project, and resource managers to quickly track rapid changes
in products and services available from industry and academia. STINET
offers a large number of these resources through its public site. Registered
users with access to Secure-STINET will also find expanded and additional
collections of controlled materials and tools, plus links to other resources.
Recently added is STINET On SIPRNET (SIPRNET is DOD's Secret, US-only
network), a new service which is freely available to all SIPRNET users. From the DTIC home page, users will find and be able to view and/or search
a variety of reference tools such as the Dissemination Authority List
(DAL), the Subject Categorization Guide for Defense Science and Technology,
and an acronym list. Several current awareness products are described
and in many cases are fully searchable. One recently added example is
TopicLINKS, which directs users to locations and sources of information
available from the Internet on topics that categorize the areas of scientific
and technical interest upon which DTIC's field and group structure is
based. DTIC=s Manpower and Training Research Information
System (MATRIS) publishes and provides full-text access to a number of
directories, in addition to hosting several specialized collections. DTIC hosts LabLINK, the website for the U.S. Department of Defense Laboratory
System. DoD Laboratories are owned and operated by the Military Departments:
Army, Navy, Air Force. This Home Page serves as a vehicle for interaction
and coordination among the DoD labs, and also serves to let outside organizations
find out about the DoD labs. LabLINK is sponsored by DDDR&E Office
of Laboratory Management & Technology Transition. Through LabLINK
users may access TechTRANSIT, a website that provides the technology transfer
activities of the DoD laboratory community. A number of other specialized programs, such as the Dual Use/Technology
Transfer and the DoD Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), are directly
accessible from DTIC=s home page, as are the Information Analysis
Centers (IAC), which are sources of highly specific scientific and technical
information. Many of the IACs host their own databases and digital collections.
Surveys of DTIC=s broad user
community and research performed by experts from both within and outside
the organization have determined that DTIC=s digital content is of high caliber in terms
of quality and quantity, and is appropriate for the community it serves.
Most comments focused not on what is available, but rather on the way
it is presented, the difficulty in finding and accessing it, and the limited
scope of digital materials included. In response to this, DTIC is currently
supporting two major efforts. The first will pull together and reorganize
existing collections, materials, and resources in addition to identifying
other pertinent resources aimed specifically at the scientific and technical
information (STI) community. Added functionality, such as providing a
more sophisticated search capability, commands high priority. The second effort, the Defense Virtual Library (DVL), is a collaborative
partnership among DTIC, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA), and the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI).
The goals of the DVL are to (1) use the prototype experience to learn
lessons and expose challenges that require further research and development,
(2) provide Internet access to a variety of DTIC-hosted materials, (3)
provide access control as appropriate, (4) provide virtual library connectivity
to diverse digital libraries, and (5) provide a means for management and
rapid resolution of digital object names (Universal Resource Names) and
locations on the Internet. CNRI=s Handle System for location
independent identification of web accessible digital objects was adopted.
(The Handle System is the basis for the Digital Object Identifier [DOI]
which is being developed by a consortium of commercial publishers.) If
the user has a Handle, he can search the Handle System directly for the
item. Handles are becoming more widespread; e.g., LC has adopted them,
and they should become more available as part of bibliographic citations
in the future. The DVL repository includes textual materials in TIFF and PDF format
drawn from the DTIC digital document collection. Similarly, the citations
for these text documents are extracts from the regular DROLS production.
In addition, photographs and sound files are being added to the repository
as test materials. Some 300 photographs in JPEG and GIF format on the
early development of the atomic bomb were obtained from Los Alamos National
Laboratory. Sound files consisting of extracts of oral history interviews
and military music are currently being digitized for addition to the collection. In the future, DTIC proposes to add more materials, and different material
types including video, executable computer programs, simulations, maps,
spatial data, art and graphics. Medical imagery, aerial photographs, and
educational materials with a DoD emphasis also would be interesting. DTIC
would like to see the Handle system more widely used. DTIC views its digital library efforts as an excellent opportunity to
explore the challenges associated with providing access for all of the
DoD to a diverse collection of digital materials. 2.3 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Expert Center for the NASA Electronic Library The NASA STI Program is in the midst of strategic development of the
Expert Center for the NASA Electronic Library. This is an outgrowth of
the NASA reorganization concept of a lead center. The agency has in its
strategic plan the need to generate and communicate the knowledge it funds.
The vision is that by 2001 there will be a virtual library available at
each employee=s desktop. This includes NASA and non-NASA-produced
material. The document types include traditional technical report and
text, as well as engineering drawings, bibliographic records, full text,
images, electronic, and photographs. Although currently there are no plans
to put the full NASA database on the Web, this is a desire for the future. NASA STI Program is interested in using the digital-virtual library concept
to manage the STI system more proactively. Given the fact that there is
no additional funding for implementation of such projects by lead centers,
in this case NASA Langley Research Center (NASA LARC), and that electronic
projects as well as web sites abound within NASA, the key is a distributed,
but collaborative effort. They want to be in a position to recommend standards
across the agency for publications, viewing, and manipulating. Although
they are focused on internal tools, they will also be satisfying public
information needs, when possible. Currently, the NASA STI Program is evaluating implementation approaches,
taking into account the legacy of electronic efforts that already exist
within NASA. Information life cycle management is another key concern.
They are working with the CIO to establish the policies that would support
the virtual library, and its archiving function. The NASA STI Program has determined two main groups of users. The first
is the primary market that is the strategic enterprises determined by
NASA, such as aeronautics and earth science. Then there are also the NASA
cross-cutting processes, which are not directly pushing NASA=s
agendas but are needed as support. For example, information about cost
center management cuts across all processes. There is a need to satisfy
both groups. The cultural aspect is very important. The strategy for developing this
expert center is to mobilize within LARC and then to spread out to the
other centers. There are many other projects going on that are not connected
to this effort at the STI Program and it is important to connect them.
Some of the centers are involved with NRL, NIST and NSF on the AWeb of Science@. Others have local projects. NASA identified the following major challenges: On the latter issue, LARC would like to use best practices and have looked
at Michigan=s Internet Public
Library project. 2.4 National Air Intelligence Center (NAIC) Digital Library Input Processing System and InfoSpace NAIC=s digital library emphasis
is on the workflow and technologies for processing digital information.
The DLIPS (Digital Library Input Processing System) was designed in 1996
to be the system to meet the future information technology push and the
need for organizational downsizing. Large budget cuts have pushed the
installation ahead of its scheduled full-scale implementation. The system=s
goal is to achieve maximum processed input with minimal human intervention
and maximum retrieval. The challenge was to develop a digital library capable of operating on
a processing continuum from manual to fully automatic. This is necessary
because NAIC deals with a wide range of materials with various source
qualities, including foreign languages and very poor quality textual originals.
The system has been shown to be able to scan and OCR up to 6,000 pages
per day of good quality English text. DLIPS includes document scanning (currently, an EK500 scanner with BTG
software), machine translation (Systran), entity tagging, a record authoring
tool, etc. Workstations also include simple provisions for gisting. Tools include the Systran Machine Translation software. Russian, German
and French tools are well developed and they are looking to implement
11 languages in the short term. The future hope is that any person in
any language could read any document. NAIC is moving away from their traditional people, facilities, and nomenclature
(PFN) indexing sets. While manual indexing is supported by the system,
resource limitations require that the PFNs be created automatically, or
the need for them be eliminated or reduced through more sophisticated
retrieval algorithms. RetrievalWare is at the core of the system. As part
of the testing phase, products are being extracted using RetrievalWare
on a daily basis. Much time has been spent on the technologies related to the system, but
just as importantly, teams have been working to ascertain the most effective
and productive workflow. Workflow determination testing went through alpha
testing from July through October 1998, and the system successfully met
IOC in October 1998. FOC is scheduled for March 1999. Key aims during
these testing periods are to smoothly integrate these new technologies
among the legacy labor force through operational training and their efforts
to establish new workflows. The alpha testing in this development approach
occurs significantly before the traditional acceptance testing phases
of product acceptance, and the full involvement of the alpha test development
team provides important feedback to the code writers and process developers.
A new branch organization was designated in January 1999 to provide DLIPS
processing. Continuing NAIC efforts will be focused on maximizing process effectiveness.
Early questions regarding the numbers and types of processing personnel
have essentially been answered. Now the question seeking answers is determining
effective throughputs and impacts on information quality and usability. NAIC indicated that associated technology improvements constantly challenge
system developments, and that changes are always being considered. A change
in the scanning software is underway, from BTG to KOFAX. NT boxes with
233mHZ dual Pentium servers are currently being used, and changes in hardware
will obviously follow evolving demands for improved user interfaces and
processing throughputs. The key to the success to date of the DLIPS and
other information processing systems is the modular design approach which
permits the incorporation of improved technology through hardware or software
replacements (scanning, OCR, translation, automatic indexing, and retrieval)
without needing to make major changes in the underlying processes and
their products. Other challenges include the effect that the digital library
environment has on outsourcing requirements, contracting policies and
conflicts with rapidly changing needs, and pressures poses by ever shorter
processing turn-around requirements. NAIC identified several key challenges during DLIPS development: NAIC expects a continuous expansion of data sources. Organizations are
increasing their overall analytical requirements for textual and imagery
information. NAIC has enjoyed significant improvements in its communication
of imagery information, improving turnaround from months to days, and
expanding its distribution to hundreds of additional customers. A similar
improvement is underway in their textual world, and although the current
development emphasis is on converting paper documents, the hooks are built
in for future electronic sources, including CD-ROM, Digital Video Disc
(DVD) and others. 2.5 National Technical Information Services
(NTIS) SpecFinder At NTIS, the digital library is defined very broadly as Amarketing entry points@ for sales opportunities. NTIS has a number
of files that are currently available and are being integrated. These
include the NTIS Web Site, the International Trade Book Store (20,000
records with online ordering); industry, federal and military standards;
depository library information; an Open Source project for the intelligence
community; and Specfinder for US business access to DoD technical solicitations. The latter was the focus of the presentation by NTIS. Specfinder, which
became operational on May 18, has as its audience US businesses interested
in technical information for DoD solicitations. The content is current
active solicitations. The industry standards (some of which are contained
in the military standards file on NTIS) are referenced. The specifications
and standards may also include engineering drawings. The acquisition of data includes many partners, including Intessera Technologies,
Data Marketing of Virginia, and various DoD organizations. DoD organizations
supply the drawings and the solicitations. Agreements had to be struck
with industry standards organizations, since many of the standards are
copyrighted. NTIS currently has 20-30 partners in this project. A team approach is used in developing this digital-virtual library product.
The teams include the database creation staff as well as business and
industry specialists at NTIS. The aim is to tightly integrate these virtual
collections with NTIS= legacy ordering and bibliographic systems.
These systems are needed to support the EDI (electronic data interchange)
transactions. In order to support the location and ordering of the standards,
the bibliographic system now includes the standards documents. This means
that they can be sold through the regular NTIS channels. The architecture for this system is a distributed one. Oracle databases
are used for the bibliographic and order systems. The document is stored
in Adstar, NTIS= image-based storage system. The web site
is operated by Intessera. Verity is used as the front-end search tool,
with hooks to Oracle databases. Access is only through standard Web protocols,
not through Z39.50. Intessera provides a parser that scans the solicitation text document
for the standards that are available in the database. This is done without
manual effort and there may be standards referenced in the solicitations
that are not linked. When the user accesses the system, he can search the active solicitations
by keyword, where they came from, solicitation number, etc. The resulting
document includes embedded hyperlinks to the standards and drawings. Through
a Java applet the user can display all the standards connected to that
specification. The items on the standards list can be moved over one at
a time for ordering, or all at once. The user can also preview the first
page of each standard to ensure that it is what is wanted. Another Java
applet allows the user to download one of the resulting standards and
save the rest for a later download. Manipulation of the downloaded document is supported by the Encapsulator,
a Windows client program that allows the management of the document, including
PDF. The user can select whether to have the paper copy sent or to download.
The drawings themselves are of large size, but they result in relatively
small files. There has been no Internet bandwidth problem to date. A cash register function (credit card or NTIS deposit account) is available
to support the ordering system. A copyright clearance screen is also included,
where the user must acknowledge understanding and agreeing to the copyright
notice provided. SpecFinder has proven to be a good pilot project, because the standards
are generally smaller files than technical report files. Future plans
include continued emphasis on technical information but with a new line
of products. NTIS is looking for niche audiences that can be supported
by their traditional systems, and new applications. In addition to new
variations on the Specfinder model, Specfinder itself will expand. Currently,
at the Richmond, VA DoD procurement center alone, they are providing approximately
500-1000 solicitations per day. Other centers are expected to join in
the near future. NTIS also plans to integrate its database backfiles into the same system.
A new Oracle data has been built with hooks to the other programs, and
ten years of the NTIS database are being moved to the new system. This
will allow more flexibility in product design. 2.6 National Agricultural Library (NAL) Electronic Information Initiative NAL, the largest agricultural library in the world, has been serving
agriculture since 1862. Established by Congress as the primary agricultural
information resource of the United States, NAL is part of the Agricultural
Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In its
dual role, NAL serves as a national and departmental library and as the
U.S. point of contact for international agricultural information efforts
with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
NAL collects materials in more than 75 different languages. The collection
contains over 3.5 million items and over 23,000 journal titles, received
annually. NAL's AGRICOLA database is its major product. In July 1998,
AGRICOLA became available free on the World Wide Web at http://www.nal.usda.gov. The underlying foundation for digital library initiatives was laid in
December 1992 when NAL launched its Electronic Information Initiative
(EII). Early recognition of imminent changes in information production
and delivery systems, combined with the adoption of an EII vision, positioned
NAL to play a leadership role in the creation and development of the emerging
Aelectronic library.@ NAL's commitment to digital information
was emphasized with the January 1, 1995 declaration that electronic
information would be the preferred medium. To fulfill its mission to Aensure and enhance access to agricultural
information for a better quality of life@ and to further the digital library cause,
NAL is actively working within the USDA, with other federal entities,
and with national and international partners to explore new methods and
technologies that advance access to agricultural information. NAL is seeking to develop a comprehensive agricultural information network
C a one-stop web environment
for agriculture. In doing so, NAL, in collaboration with land-grant universities,
established the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC). AgNIC
is a discipline-specific distributed virtual library with the goal of
helping users find quality information on the Internet. Key to this project
is the development of specialized areas of expertise. There are currently
20 participants, primarily land-grant universities, with virtual knowledge
centers. They provide collection development support, create products,
and handle digital reference inquiries. NAL is contributing in seven subject-specific
areas, including collection development and reference. AgNIC is one of
the first discipline-focused distributed networks on the Internet. It
is a model that can be applied to other disciplines. It is among the first
discipline-specific distributed networks to use librarians and subject
specialists to provide online reference assistance. NAL is taking a lead role in the effort to preserve USDA's electronic
and print literature. Because of the transitory nature of digital information,
a long-term strategy is being put into place to ensure that the growing
body of USDA digital publications being produced is systematically identified,
prioritized, preserved, and archived. The basis for this strategy is the
report, AFramework for the Preservation
of and Public Access to USDA Digital Publications.@
A national steering committee, chaired by NAL Director Pamela Q. J. André
and composed of representatives from within USDA and other key external
stakeholders, is being organized to oversee the implementation of this
plan. NAL also has been actively participating in the National Preservation
Program for Agricultural Literature within the framework of the United
States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN). This national preservation
program for agricultural literature is a discipline-based cooperative
plan involving NAL and land-grant universities. One major activity emanating
from the program is, APreserving the History of United States Agriculture
and Rural Life: State and Local Literature, 1820-1945,@
funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and for which NAL
is serving as the national depository for state-preserved microfilm. NAL's
own contributions to the USAIN effort are in the digital arena. To date,
more than 25,000 text and image pages of USDA embrittled journal and monograph
materials have been digitized, representing the first publications in
the library's digital archive collection. SGML files have been created
for the digital products and additional efforts by the library will be
directed toward Internet access to these images. NAL is committed to digitizing
the entire journal run of the Journal of Agricultural Research and continues
to move forward with this project as funds become available. NAL continues to work toward becoming a virtual library. NAL=s goal is to deliver to its customers a seamless
electronic infrastructure with access to information resources that are
available through computer networks. A major step was taken with the establishment
of an Electronic Media Center. Emphasizing information's modularity and
portability, NAL intends to create an adaptive user interface. NAL has
been addressing needs to build bridges between the secondary services
and primary literature sources. Developmental work continues in providing
Internet links from the AGRICOLA database to agricultural full-text electronic
journals. NAL is working on a mechanism to simplify access to all USDA
publications available on the web. Parallel efforts are directed toward
agricultural electronic publications from research facilities worldwide.
In developing the virtual library, NAL is recognizing the need to emphasize
to end-users that information is not free and that there is substantial
value-added in what NAL is providing. This is especially important to
reiterate to users when, through partnerships, links are created directly
to commercial sites and the role of the library is less visible. NAL provides leadership in the identification and implementation of new
methods and technologies to improve access to, and management of, agricultural
information. The Library's information access and management efforts focus
on five major goals: NAL supports the development of new knowledge and technology, and disseminates
information that is essential to solving critical agricultural problems
facing the nation and the world. The information and database services
of the National Agricultural Library are vital to the nation's ability
to sustain a viable agricultural economy, maintain a healthy environment,
and ensure safe, abundant, affordable and high-quality agricultural products
for consumers. 2.7 National Library of Medicine (NLM) PubMed The NLM, although best known for the MEDLINE database, hosts over 40
online database under its MEDLARS system, containing over 18M records
of bibliographic and factual information. Half of the MEDLARS records
are from MEDLINE. Even though it is not a full text database, it is a
very rich database because of the carefully controlled scope and the use
of MeSH (18,000 terms in 15 hierarchies and 40,000 entry terms). Other
databases include AIDSLINE (which is a subset of MEDLINE), BIOETHICSLINE
(in collaboration with Georgetown University), SPACELINE (in collaboration
with NASA) and TOXNET (which brings together not only MEDLINE records,
but those of other secondary publishers in the area of toxicology). Based on the experience from this history, NLM believes that Digital
Libraries are larger than just a digitization project. It is the provision
of new services in an electronic environment. The decision was made last year to make MEDLINE free on the web. This
is because the NLM was able to charge for distribution but not for database
creation. The distribution costs via the web are negligible, and so putting
it out for free made sense. In addition, NLM introduced Internet GratefulMed,
which brought the GratefulMed search software from diskette to the web;
PubMed, that provides links to publishers full-text material; and a specialized,
custom-designed search engine called Entrez. NLM has had several digitization and digital collection projects. These
include the Relais interlibrary loan system, which uses scanning and fax
technologies to provide interlibrary loans from its collection. Copyright
issues will not allow a database to be built, so the records must be located
every time and rescanned. The images from the History of Medicine collection
(60,000 photographs and artwork) have been digitized. In support of the
Regional Medical Programs, 1,500 documents or about 40,000 pages have
been scanned. The newest project is a collection of papers from eminent
biomedical scientists. The initial collections will be introduced in September.
Many of the projects have included historical material that can provide
valuable information to the scholars of medical and biological history.
They help students gain an appreciation for the methods and successes
of science. These collections include text, audio, still images, and video. In addition to the collections, NLM has emphasized the development of
tools. Creation of a workable search engine was key to NLM=s
efforts. They wanted a well published and documented set of Application
Programmer Interfaces (APIs). It was also imperative that the vendors
demonstrate their systems with NLM data. They bought Excalibur (now RetrievalWare).
However, because of the lack of a robust API and licensing issues in a
networked environment, NLM is using Excalibur only for data entry and
web publishing. Capitalizing on the efforts of the National Center for
Biotechnology Information at Lister Hill, NLM incorporated its Entrez
search engine into PubMed. Entre includes sophisticated statistically
based neighboring algorithms (conceptually related neighbors) developed
by John Wilbur. Another tool is the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS). This system
includes a metathesaurus that incorporates over 40 other thesauri. The
1998 release has over 400,000 concepts and over 1 million natural language
strings. The Semantic Network includes 132 semantic types and 53 relationships
that identify the strings. There is also a lexicon and lexical processing
tools, and an Information Sources Map. PubMed currently is using parts of the UMLS as middleware to provide
search help based on semantics. It can help users when they want to broaden
or narrow a search. It is particularly helpful when a search retrieves
zero hits. The UMLS could be particularly valuable when intelligent agents
are developed to identify relevant databases and to translate the user=s request from natural language to the language
of the information resource. In support of its own digital library research needs and to advance the
future of digital libraries, NLM is involved in the NSF Digital Library-2
Initiatives (DLI-2). This initiative is co-sponsored by a number of federal
agencies including the Library of Congress, NLM, National Endowment for
the Humanities (NEH), and NSF. It is more applications oriented than the
first DL initiative that set the stage with technology and infrastructure
development. The main research areas for DLI-2 include human-centered
DL research, content and collections, systems-centered research areas,
and testbed and applications. Human-centered research includes research into information discovery
and retrieval methods. The design of more intelligent user interfaces
will be studied. This may include information visualization. User and
usability studies, including metrics will be studied. The social implications
of digital libraries also is included. In the area of content and collections, the funding agencies are interested
in methods and technologies for data capture, representation and preservation.
Metadata issues will be explored, particularly for domain specific information
objects. Intellectual property rights and new economic and business models
to support digital libraries will be investigated. The DLI-2's systems-centered research agenda include open, networked
architectures, system scalability, intelligent agents, systems evaluation
and performance studies, data compression, and authentication. Testbed
and applications are aimed at specialized tools, such as those for mark-up
and semantic encoding, specialized applications for specific domains,
and new methods for establishing relationships among networked knowledge
sources (beyond the current pointer/link mechanism). The first round of DLI-2 projects must be submitted by July 1998. Awards
will be given soon thereafter. Several CENDI agencies are involved in
projects, either by providing content for testbeds or for applications.
NLM=s digital library challenges are well reflected
in the DLI-2 agenda. NLM is providing Visible Human data and the UMLS
Knowledge Sources. NLM is particularly interested in research agendas
that center on requirements of health care digital libraries, including
information for health care consumers. Another round of funding is expected
in February 1999. 2.8 US Geological Survey/Biological Resources Division
(USGS/BRD) National Biological Information Infrastructure The focus at the USGS/BRD is not on creation of digital collection so
much as it is on collaboration to make a digital-virtual library for the
communication of biological information available. As the lead federal
agency on the National Biological Information Infrastructure, USGS/BRD
is chartered to provide the means for collecting, accessing and utilizing
the biological resources of the nation. Collaborators include other federal
agencies, universities, and state and local governments. To achieve this, USGS/BRD has collaborative agreements with a variety
of sources C federal, academic
and commercial. Using a web-based site, the NBII brings together disparate
resources. Key to the ability of this site to integrate well is the requirement
to use the NBII specified metadata standard. The NBII is intended to be
a complement and an extension of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. The NBII metadata standard is an extension of the Federal Geographic
Data Committee (FGDC) standard for geospatial referenced information.
This is a federal standard required for use by any federal agency for
data that can be referenced geospatially. Much of the NBII information
can be so referenced, but there are laboratory-only research reports and
data that do not fit this scheme well. To resolve this, the USGS/BRD wrote
guidelines for the use of this geospatial scheme for non-geospatial data.
In addition, there was the need to extend the standard through a biological
profile. Elements added to the FGDC standard include the genus-species
name (Latin and common) and the classification for that genus-species. In addition to the development of standards, BRD is providing tools to
support the creation of the metadata to that standard. Metamaker is available
as both Windows-based software on diskette and a web-based form. The goal
is to create metadata as the report is generated. The architecture of the NBII is a distributed network of web-based resources
(a virtual library). These resources include legacy data sets with metadata
added after the fact, and new sets that are built with the metadata included.
The metadata is searchable via a clearing house mechanism (CHM) based
on the NSDI CHM which is searchable via the Z39.50 protocol. BRD is now working on building bibliographic information for publications
into the CHM. Bibliographic cites are extracted from various repositories
and then converted to the standard format based on a subset of the NBII
metadata standard appropriate for publications. At some science centers,
the metadata for publications points to the full text of the publication
if it is online. In addition to the development of the metadata, USGS/BRD supports the
development of vocabulary tools to aid in the indexing and retrieval of
NBII information. This vocabulary term will be used as controlled keywords
in the metadata for publications, data sets, and web sites. The development
of the vocabulary is a collaborative effort with the California Environmental
Resources Evaluation System (CERES) of the California Resources Agency.
The goal is to develop a very shallow vocabulary at the national level
that can house the more detailed vocabulary needed by the individual states,
or other organizations, that will supply information through the NBII.
This will allow the maintenance of the most changeable part of the vocabulary
to remain with the owners of the vocabulary. The vocabulary also may be
extended to accommodate international efforts such as the European Environment
Agency=s GEMET Thesaurus and the International Council
for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI) Working Group on Life
Science Vocabulary, pointer web-site to life science databases. In addition,
BRD has taken the lead in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Project, which is a collaborative project among several federal agencies
to create a taxonomic authority file. The terms from ITIS will be used
in the appropriate taxonomic field in the metadata. Key challenges for USGS/BRD have been maintaining connections to standards
for both geospatial and non-geospatial information and developing vocabulary
aids that can be navigated directly over the Internet (not just work behind
the scenes). BRD recently co-sponsored an NSF workshop on Taxonomic Authority
Files and a workshop at the Digital Libraries >98 on Networked Thesauri. 2.9 National Library of Education (NLE) The NLE is the largest federally funded library in the world devoted
solely to education and the federal government=s principal center for one-stop information
and referral on education. The NLE began in March 1994 as a continuation
of the Education Research Library that started a century ago with the
private collection of American schoolbooks from Henry Barnard, the first
commissioner of the Office of Education. The Library is charged with several key functions. These include the
acquisition of education information, the development of national and
international education information services, and the establishment of
resource sharing networks among a variety of information providers. Today,
the NLE houses more than 200,000 books and about 750 periodical subscriptions
in addition to studies, reports, ERIC microfiche, a rare book collection,
and CD-ROM databases. An online integrated library system provides access
to the current collection via author, title, and subject searching. From the Library=s inception,
the NLE has been striving to become a virtual library rather than focus
on more traditional library activities such as acquisitions, cataloging,
and reference services. Projects such as the ERIC system, the Department=s World Wide Web site, the Gateway to Education
Materials, and the Virtual Reference Desk are examples of the library=s
attempts to create a library that is customer driven and multi-media in
nature. The NLE also maintains the U.S. Department of Education=s Online Library. Individuals with access
to the Internet can tap a rich collection of education-related information,
including: The National Library of Education serves the educational community through
three areas: the Reference and Information Services, Collections and Technical
Services, and Resource Sharing and Cooperation. Reference and Information Services B a one-stop-shop that responds to telephone,
mail, electronic, and other inquiries for education information: Collection Development and Technical Division directs the acquisition,
preparation, and assessment of all collections in all formats. This division
within NLE prepares several hundred thousand monographs, a thousand journal
titles, many databases, legislative reference materials, textbooks, and
rare materials. The U.S. Department of Education staff may check out materials
except rare books and archive collections from the Library. The loan period
is 30 days and renewal is for 14 days. Resource Sharing and Cooperation Division develops and maintains
a network of national education resources. Major activities include: OERI
Toll-free Electronic Bulletin Board System, the award winning U.S. Department
of Education=s web site which contains more than 21,000
files and receives approximately 5 million hits each month. This web site
offers cross-site indexing across approximately 170 department of Education
sponsored web sites and management of Educational Resources Information
Center (ERIC). ERIC The ERIC system encompasses the world=s largest and most frequently used education
database as well as a network of 16 subject-specific clearinghouses, 11
adjunct clearinghouses, one affiliate clearinghouse, and three supporting
service components. ERIC is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education,
Office of Educational Research and Improvement, and is administered by
the National Library of Education. ERIC has been an important component
of the national education dissemination system for more than 30 years,
ensuring that education information reaches those who need it, including
teachers, administrators, parents, and students. The ERIC database is the world=s largest education database. Created in
1966 to capture and make available the Afugitive@ education research, the database now includes
nearly one million records. Each year, ERIC adds more than 30,000 records
to the database. ERIC now has acquisition arrangements with more than
2,100 organizations that submit documents for the database. The database is available in print, online, and on CD-ROM. There are
now five online and six CD-ROM vendors who offer access to the entire
ERIC database or portions of it. More than 1,000 institutions in 27 countries
around the world provide access to the microfiche collection of full-text
ERCI documents; electronic document delivery also is available for many
of the more recent documents. AskERIC AskERIC is a personalized, Internet-based service that provides education
information to teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, parents,
and others throughout the United States and the world. AskERIC began in
1992 as a project of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology
at Syracuse University. AskERIC answers approximately 1,400 questions
each week and draws from the resources of the entire ERIC system and many
other sources. Anyone needing the latest information on special education,
curriculum development, or other education-related topics can simply AAskERIC@ by sending a request to askeric@askeric.org.
Information specialists send personal E-mail responses to questions within
two working days. Responses include a list of ERIC citations that deal
with the topic, relevant full-text materials, and referrals to organizations
and other Internet resources for additional information. Anyone wishing to search for answers to education questions will discover
an abundance of electronic resources at the AskERIC Virtual Library (http//www.askeric.org/virtual).
These resources include lesson plans, AskERIC InfoGuides, ERIC Digests,
education listserv archives, and much more. The ERIC database also can
be searched online from the AskERIC Web site. AskERIC Listserv Archive B
ERIC fosters dialog and information exchange through the creation and
administration of electronic discussion groups. More than 40 listservs
currently are managed by ERIC Clearinghouses. A list of ERIC-sponsored
listservs with links to subscription information is available on the ERIC
systemwide Web site. The AskERIC R&D team includes professional staff members and Syracuse
University graduate and undergraduate students who use cutting-edge technology
to help AskERIC bring high-quality information services to the education
community. Current R&D projects include developing real-time distance
education over the Internet as well as developing customized searching
tools and streaming audio and video. Online ERIC Document Delivery. The ERIC Document Reproduction
Service (EDRS) Web site (http//www.edrs.com) allows Internet users to
search the ERIC database of recent, copyright-cleared documents. Listservs. ERIC serves as a catalyst in fostering dialog and information
exchange through the creation and administration of electronic discussion
groups. More than 40 listservs are currently managed by ERIC Clearinghouses,
including early childhood education, elementary and secondary school administration,
and school library and media services. The ERICNews listserv provides
subscribers with bimonthly updates on new ERIC publications and services.
Special Projects ERIC Clearinghouses and support components bring creativity to the ERIC
system through a number of special projects. Education Resource Organizations Directory. ACCESS ERIC assists
the U.S. Department of Education by maintaining the database for the Education
Resource Organizations Directory located on the Department=s
Web site. The Directory enables Internet users to search more than 2,100
national, regional, and state organizations, including information centers;
comprehensive and technical assistance centers; and many other types of
programs, services, and organizations. ERIC Search Wizard and Expert Searches. This state-of-art search
engine developed by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation
allows users to select terms from the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors to
build effective, high quality searches. The Wizard features seamless online
ordering and readily available information on journal and document sources. Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM). The NLE is spearheading
a consortium effort, GEM, which is a special project of the ERIC Clearinghouse
on Information and Technology. The goal of GEM is to create an operational
framework that will provide the key to Aone-stop,
any-stop@ access to the thousands
of lesson plans, curriculum units, and other educational materials on
the Internet. To accomplish this, GEM created the K-12 metadata standard
for describing educational resources. GEM also provides software, training,
and support so that GEM consortium members with Internet-based collections
can easily use GEM to describe their resources. These descriptions are
assembled in the Gateway Catalog that went online in February 1998, and
currently includes more than 2,000 records. The catalog contains links
to the materials and so creates easy access regardless of where the materials
reside on the Internet. Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) The VRD is a new project creating
the foundations for a national cooperative digital reference service.
The project is sponsored by the National Library of Education and the
ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and technology, with support from the
Office of Science and Technology Policy. - Resources of the Virtual Reference Desk: AskA+ Locator. The
AskA+ Locator contains over 70 quality online expert services that answer
the questions of the K-12 community. Digital reference services, also
called AAsk-An-Expert@ services, are Internet-based question
and answer services that connect users with individuals who posses specialized
subject or skill expertise. As opposed to static Web pages, digital
reference services use the Internet to place people in contact with
people who can answer specific questions and instruct users on developing
certain skills. - Software Development and Certification: The Knowledge Base
is Internet software that allows students, teachers, experts, and others
to search across AskA services archives for answers to previously-asked
questions. - AskA Starter Kit: This instructional resource guides organizations
in the development of new AskA services in their areas of expertise
by providing how-to-advice and methods based on experiences of exemplary
services and in-depth empirical research. - Organization: The Virtual Reference Desk seeks to identify
and provide the resources necessary to link all K-12 community members
to necessary expertise in order to satisfy information needs. - AskA Consortium and Standards Development: The Virtual Reference
Desk seeks to aid organizations of all types in the creation of a AskA
services and offers resources and guidance to those interested in building
and maintaining quality digital reference services. Test Locator. Test Locator (http//www.ericae.net/testcol.htm)
describes more than 11,000 assessment instruments and their availability.
National Parent Information Network (NPIN). NPIN is a special
project of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education
and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education. Begun in 1993 as an Internet
site for parents (http//www.npoin.org), NPIN services have since expanded
to provide information via E-mail with the AskERIC program, through workshops,
and through its toll-free telephone number (1-800-583-4135). Native Languages Project. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education
and Small Schools conducted a special project to develop and publish a
list of courses offered in American Indian and Alaska Native languages
at postsecondary institutions. More than 50 different American Indian
and Alaska Native languages are listed, along with contact information
for the colleges and universities where each language is taught. Virtual Libraries. Several ERIC Clearinghouse Web sites offer
virtual libraries of full-text documents in their topic areas. For example,
The ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services has developed
11 Web-based virtual libraries on career development, cultural diversity,
and many more educational topics. United States Network for Education Information (USNEI). USNEI
was created in 1996 to meet the information needs of all who are involved
in international educational mobility, including parents, students, educators,
advisers, institution, and organizations. USNEI provides a central reference
point for information on the United States and foreign education and also
refer persons to the correct authority to help with the specific questions
and assistance. USNEI also serves as the official information service for the United
States under the terms of international agreements involving the provisions
of education information. USNEI is the National Education Information
Center under the terms of the 1996 Convention of the Recognition of Qualifications
Concerning Higher Education in the European Region. While the management center for USNEI is housed at the NLE, USNEI
is actually both an Internet presence and a distributed referral service
spread across the United States and with contacts around the world in
the United States embassies and consulates. The NLE is creating a library that is virtual and collaborative, proactive
and responsive, and creative and visionary while maintaining the highest
standards of customer service. 3.0 ANALYSIS OF THE INITIATIVES The definition of a digital library differs from agency to agency. It
was necessary to begin, if not explicitly then implicitly, to identify
a digital library versus a virtual library. A digital library is defined
as taking a collection and making it digital. A virtual library means
bringing digital collections from different distributed sources under
a central umbrella. The main finding of the review of the initiatives
is that there are different approaches to the concept of a digital library.
Some agencies are focusing on the internal creation of electronic information
(including scanning and OCR technologies); other are focused on the sociological
aspects of developing collaborative communities. While there are technologies
involved, the emphasis tends to be on the provision of tools to allow
others to contribute or to provide tools for users to access the information
provided by others. The digital library includes several key components: While most of the digital-virtual libraries include these components,
the CENDI agencies emphasized different aspects of their projects during
their brief presentations. For example, NAIC emphasized its input processing
system involving scanning, OCR, and machine translation. DOE emphasized
the move into broader dissemination of DOE information via its Information
Bridge and EnergyFiles projects. NASA highlighted the vast number of currently
undocumented NASA web sites and the plans to bring them under one umbrella,
acknowledging the cultural difficulties in doing so. NLM emphasized its
infrastructure (the Entre search engine, the Unified Medical Language
System, the MeSH thesaurus, and its relationships with publishers), and
its involvement in the DL-2 digital library research initiatives. NAL
focused on community building and on its role in digital archiving discussions.
USGS/BRD also emphasized community building and the provision of tools
to support the creation, dissemination, access, re-use, and exchange of
biological information. DTIC emphasized its repository architecture, particularly
the development of Ahandles@ for persistent location and the security
aspects needed to provide a restricted system. The agencies are in differing stages of development. The NASA STI program
has a strategic plan for bringing order to the multitude of Web sites
created independently by NASA centers and their contractors. NAIC is weeks
away from initial implementation of its Digital Library Input Processing
System (DLIPS) which support full text capture, editing, translation,
automatic indexing, and product development with a minimum of human intervention.
DOE has a Virtual Library (EnergyFiles). A major component, or the public
reading room for DOE information within the library, is the DOE Information
Bridge, the digitized full text collection of technical reports. NTIS
is integrating selected niche markets for technical and business information
that will integrate with its document ordering capabilities. DTIC is working
with several collaborators on the Defense Virtual Library. This is a continuously
evolving system. NLM has advanced in a particular resource type area,
integrating its databases (both bibliographic and data) with the full
text at publisher sites. USGS/BRD has the National Biological Information
Infrastructure (NBII) under its belt and is now seeking to build a more
robust virtual library with the NBII-2. NAL has the AgNIC system and a
ever growing number of expert centers developing to support community
development, extending the resources well beyond its own ability to produce
them. The resource types and formats that these efforts address range from
the traditional bibliographic citations accessible via the Web to data
sets, lesson plans, gene sequences and satellite imagery. Most have moved
forward from the early emphasis on full text or images of textual documents
to multimedia, sound, and numeric data. DTIC is working with the Library
of Congress on better guidelines for metadata to support photos, sound
bites, and multimedia. Some agencies are adding digital library services that go beyond the
collection and access. NAL provides a digital reference (or AskA service)
to provide users access to reference staff or scientists. DOE and NAIC
provide real-time machine translation. Downloading with special emphasis
on manipulating the resulting file is available through NTIS=s Encapsulator program. USGS/BRD is working
on modeling software and distributed vocabulary support for searching.
Through its use of the Federal Geographic Data Committee and National
Spatial Data Infrastructure standards and practices, BRD is able to provide
geographic information system (GIS) searching through its clearing house
mechanism. NLM is using its Unified Medical Language System to provide
vocabulary support in a middleware layer. With the exception of NAIC and DOE, which have implemented or are implementing
wholesale replacements of their input processing system for text in the
DL environment, the DL efforts among the agencies are outside the mainstream
production system. Part of this is because they are pilot projects or
projects done in cooperation with others. However, the bibliographic databases
are not being left behind in this environment. USGS/BRD, which has no
legacy system for publications or a bibliographic database, is using a
distributed system to create a bibliographic database (metadata) that
can front-end its publications system. In most cases, the bibliographic
databases are being moved to the web (most recently AGRICOLA from NAL).
The agencies are devising strategies for integrating the bibliographic
databases with these new environments. The legacy database and ordering
systems of NTIS are key to their strategy of connecting new document types,
like standards and solicitations, to other types of material and services.
NLM has successfully integrated its MEDLINE database with gene sequence
data and with links to publisher information. Based on the varying approaches, status of development and research interests,
certain agencies have strengths in certain areas. These strengths can
be shared with others. In addition to reporting on the current status of digital-virtual libraries
and future plans, the agencies highlighted challenges that they had encountered.
These are indicated as research needs: With the advent of digital-virtual libraries, their integration with
legacy systems, and the advent of new types of services, the agencies
reported an unexpected challenge. Digital and virtual libraries have sociological
and cultural implications that were not anticipated by the majority of
the agencies. These include the training needed to move legacy staffs
into this new environment, the personnel needed to handle increased collaborative
efforts (some of which involve complex agreements and licensing issues),
the limited technical resources available to support digital library development,
and the possible need to reorganize for new ways of doing business. Based on the discussions, the Digital Library Initiatives Task Group
recommends the following actions: APPENDIX A DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR THE DIGITAL LIBRARY INITIATIVES WORKSHOP Questions for CENDI Digital Library Presentations June 30, 1998 Please prepare a brief description, with particular attention to the
architecture and organization aspects of the DL project. We discussed
the metadata in detail at the meeting last year. You don=t
need to answer all these questions. Remember that we are looking for lessons
learned and where we can collaborate and cooperate with one another. GENERAL DESCRIPTION What digital library initiatives do you have underway at this time? Who is the audience? What kinds of materials are provided: bibliographic records, full text,
images, sounds, full motions, etc.? What is the scope? How is content acquired? Is content all from within
the STI program, your agency, others? How is the DL maintained? How is new information added? How is old information
updated? ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT Is this a collaborative effort with others? Who was involved in the development of the DL? What kinds of skills were
included in the team? SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE What is the architecture of the system? What is centralized and what
is distributed? Where do the indexes reside? Where do the resource files
reside? How is the content accessed? A central search engine? Web browser access
only? Distributed search engines for each resource or connected server?
Is it based on a search protocol such as Z39.50? What kinds of tools are provided? Is there consistent subject indexing
or a categorization scheme to organize the library? What kinds of standards are you using? Is there metadata involved? (Don=t
spend much time on this since we did a review of the metadata formats
last year.) What kinds of services are provided? What kind of support/help is provided to the user? CHALLENGES/ISSUES AND THE FUTURE What have been the challenges and issues involved in doing the project? What is your vision for the future and how will it grow from where it
is now to what it will become? Where could you use help in this endeavor? What could CENDI do to support
your effort?
CENDI DIGITAL LIBRARY INITIATIVES:
Toward a Digital Future
Task Group Meeting of June 30, 1998
Information International Associates,
Inc.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
1.0 BACKGROUND
2.0 DESCRIPTION OF AGENCY INITIATIVES
4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
Barbara Bauldock, Chair (USGS/BRD)
Robert Bunge (NTIS)
Simon Chung (NASA LARC)
Anne Frondorf (USGS/BRD)
Marcia Hanna (DTIC)
Gail Hodge (CENDI Secretariat)
Michael Hoegler (NAIC)
Sam Kosecki (USDA/NAL)
Alexa McCray (NIH/NLM)
Kris Vajs (NTIS)