CORDIS Archive

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Digital Libraries Applications

Introduction

On this page we present the projects funded by our unit in the field of Digital Libraries Applications.

Below you will find a

• schematic overview over the cluster
• some examplesof projects operating in this field

Schematic overview

This cluster covers:

• distributed resources, Digital Libraries (DL) models and tools
• multiple formats - text to broadcast archives
• cultural (eg fine arts) and scientific (data & software) resources
• metadata and interoperability
• new services and business models

The Digital Libraries projects address a number of thematic issues, namely:

• Film and video heritage access - ECHO distributed library of film archives; COLLATE - collaboratory on archive film data restoration - BRAVA - impaired film preservation & access - PRESTO, AMICITIA
• Access to cross-domain (archives, libraries, museums) resources COVAX - integrating access to archives, libraries and museum information via XML DTDs
• LEAF - distributed name authority system for accessing archival and library materials
• EU-wide infrastructures for quality content RENARDUS, TEL, ETB: resources for research and for schools

These projects deal with New digital libraries models

• ARTISTE - high quality image banks of paintings
• ARION - scientific data and software
• CYCLADES - developing services on OAi data
• MIND - resource selection and data fusion for multimedia international digital libraries

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Some projects under this theme:

ASH - Access to Scientific Space Heritage

ASH sets up a prototype of a collaborative learning environment called a "Virtual Control Room", allowing students to participate in a simulated scientific space missions. The Virtual Control Room allows European planetariums and science theatres to offer a unique experience to audiences in the European community, mediating knowledge of science, astronomy and space to the European public. The Virtual Control Room is an edutainment facility, bridging the gap between education and entertainment. New media is highly exploited and cut-of-the-edge 3d interactive systems are provided.

Main deliverable of the project:

ASH will deliver a Prototype Virtual Control Room. It will be available summer 2001. See project web page: http://www.ashproject.org

Other results and next steps:

After demonstrating the initial prototype, it will be further developed to produce an actual commercial version.

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CEELIP - Central and Eastern European Licensing Information Platform

Electronic journals and other Web products represent a growing market. Citizens require more and easier access to electronic documents. Libraries play a key role here, involving major changes in library purchasing habits. In the electronic environment, librarians continue to purchase physical objects e.g. books but now also access to electronic material. For this, licensing agreements are needed. Licenses must be negotiated with national and international publishers. Understanding this fast developing market, where libraries are important clients, is a new challenge for librarians. To open up this electronic market to CEE countries, librarians require training. CELIP will support the development of the professional skills of librarians in CEE countries in this crucial area of licensing.

Main deliverables of the project are:

• Study on CEE licensing situation, preliminary report, due 12/2000
• Report on workshop preparation, due 3/2001
• Report on workshops, due 12/2001
• Final edited report, due 1/2002
• Study on CEE licensing situation final report, due 1/2002

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Digital AccEss to BOoks of the RenAissance

DEBORA (Digital AccEss to BOoks of the RenAissance) est un projet européen dont l'objectif est de concevoir un ensemble d'outils et un environnement de travail permettant l'accès distant à des livres numérisés du XVIème siècle sans passer obligatoirement par les bibliothèques dépositaires des originaux. Il permet également le travail collaboratif entre chercheurs. DEBORA met donc à la disposition des lecteurs du monde entier des ouvrages rares qui ne pouvaient être consultés que par un petit nombre de spécialistes et d'érudits dans le fonds ancien des bibliothèques elles-mêmes.

Les délivrables sont à consulter sur le site Debora de l'enssib.

DELOS - A Network of Excellence on Digital Libraries

The objective of the DELOS Network of Excellence is to provide an open context in which an international agenda for research activities in the digital library domain can be developed and continuously updated. DELOS constitutes a reference point for all digital library projects funded by IST-FP5, stimulating the exchange of experiences and know-how. However, the activities are open to all the Digital Libraries research world, with the aim of also establishing close contacts with the relevant application communities (electronic publishing, libraries, Cultural Heritage, archives, etc.).

Main deliverable of the project:

1. Research Forum

The Research Forum aims at stimulating the advancement of basic and applied research related to Digital Libraries, and at encouraging scientific collaboration between international teams working in this domain.

2. Evaluation Forum

For Digital Libraries, evaluation implies defining new metrics for components and new combinations of components in order to measure performance aspects related to interoperability, metadata and resource discovery, multilingual access, etc.

3. Standardization Forum

The Standardization Forum focuses on issues related to the deployment of standard metadata schemas and of related infrastructures for publishing, registering, and cross-linking application schemas based on standards.

4. Training and Technology Transfer Forum

The Training and Technology Transfer Forum aims at demonstrating to European organizations the effectiveness and benefits of Digital Libraries technologies in an industrial and commercial environment, and to encourage the take-up of such technologies through (i) an International Summer School and (ii) Technology Transfer Tutorials.

5. International Cooperation Forum

The DELOS Network of Excellence, which is inherently a European endeavor, will promote and establish collaborative actions with other research communities outside of Europe through different forms of cooperation.

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EULER - European Libraries and Electronic Resources in Mathematical Sciences

When the project started - but still today - there was a rapid increase in the number of networked resources with information on scientific results and ongoing developments in the field of mathematics. The user had to switch between a growing number of systems with heterogeneous user interfaces:

• Scientific literature databases
• Library OPACs and document delivery services
• Electronic journals from academic publishers
• Archives of preprints and grey literature
• Quality controlled subject information gateways on the Internet
• Robot-generated indexes of other relevant Internet resources

The aim of the EULER project was to offer a one-stop-shopping site for users interested in mathematics. One single integrated networked based access point has been developed, covering a representative collection of the mentioned publications-related information resources in mathematics.

The integration approach makes use of common resource descriptions based on the Dublin Core (DC) element set and access to those descriptions via the Z39.50 protocol. Technically, all information providers have produced DC metadata for their resources and offer them as distributed databases, which are located at the providers' sites. The central EULER Engine queries these databases in parallel via a common Z39.50 profile and performs result set merging and presentation formatting.

Main deliverable of the project:

EULER Engine

Design Considerations for the EULER project(edited version of the project internal report)

Prototype of the EULER Engine and User Interface (alpha and beta version)

Information Dissemination

List of publications, presentations at events and workshops

WWW document server with public EULER reports

Other results and next steps:

Based on the achievements of the EULER project, it is recommended that the EULER service be continued by a newly formed consortium made up of former project participants as well as new partners. The principal aims of this continuation of the EULER service shall be as follows:

• to make a wide variety of electronic resources in mathematics available through a unified gateway based on the EULER Dublin Core metadata format
• to continue working toward comprehensiveness, service integration, and cost efficiency of the EULER services
• to create a nonprofit service in the interests of the mathematical community
• to assist in exploiting the possible benefits of networking for integration of library services such as data sharing and improvement, interlibrary loans, document delivery
• to advance cooperations with commercial partners (publishing houses, bookstores, etc.)

In particular, the continuation of the EULER prototype will strive to provide a real virtual library, transparent to the end user and integrating external services, including document delivery, content awareness services, as well as access to electronic full texts and the offerings of publishing houses or bookstores.

The EULER service aims at providing a gateway to the electronic catalogues and repositories of participating institutions, while the latter shall retain complete responsibility and control over the creation and maintenance of their data collections as well as the access provisions pertaining to their offerings. In as far as the EULER service will index or store metadata records of its participants, these data shall be used strictly in accordance to the stated aims.

International Consortium

After the project's end, a new consortium shall be formed consisting of a subset of the project participants. The consortium will ensure the continuation of the EULER service as well as administer and supervise the addition of new information providers.

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HERCULE - Heritage and Culture through Libraries in Europe

Project HERCULE is an exciting project for children. Based in schools and Libraries in Britain, Portugal and Ireland children are producing their own Websites. The children have created an interactive, multiple media web site with help from librarians, teachers and arts workers.

The project reinforces the role of librarians as information mediators and the web site includes links to representative educational and environmental web sites. The children involved are mainly 11 year olds from Walsall, Oeiras and Dublin who have learned many new skills while completing the project.

Main deliverable of the project:

Second Annual Report available at http://www.hercule.org.uk/Intro/report.htm

Other results and next steps:

The project is now almost complete. Results can be seen on the web site. Shortly to be added is a practical manual for teachers and librarians with tested methods of web page production which can be used as a model for future projects with children in schools or libraries. Please use the feedback facility on the web site to let us know what you think of the web site and if you use the ideas or methods in any future projects.

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METAe - Meta Engine

The METADATA ENGINE project picks up these considerations and will develop software modules in order to automate metadata capturing by introducing layout and document analysis as a key technology for digitisation software. METAe will enhance dramatically the quality of creating and maintaining digital collections of printed material such as books and journals.

Main deliverable of the project:

The METADATA ENGINE project will

• introduce layout and document analysis to be employed as a key technology in future digitisation software,
• develop capturing and conversion tools for the automated recording and generation of administrative and descriptive metadata,
• develop an omnifont OCR-engine specialising in processing old European typefaces of the 19th century,
• develop a XML search engine capable for retrieving the tagged full text and the images.

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Other key projects:

COVAX

Contemporary Culture Virtual Archive in XML

ECHO

European Chronicles On-Line

RENARDUS

Academic Subject Gateway Service Europe