CORDIS Archive

Telematics for Libraries - Projects

EQUINOX

Updated: 22 NOV 99

Additional information is available from the EQUINOX Web site (http://equinox.dcu.ie/)

Action Line

Action line A: Network-oriented Internal Library Systems

Call Topic(s)

Call topic 3: Development and testing of tools for the management and administration of library services in an electronic environment.

Project description

EQUINOX will develop, and prove in large-scale demonstrations, an integrated quality management and performance measurement tool for library managers. It addresses the need of all libraries to develop and utilise performance measures for the new networked, electronic environment, and to implement these in a quality management framework. The project builds on the library performance related recommendations of the FP3 EQLIPSE Project, on the CAMILE Concerted Action and on the decision support systems and management tools results achieved in the FP3 projects MINSTREL , DECIMAL and DECIDE .

Technical approach

EQUINOX will develop:

A Quality Management Module , based on an existing document management and applications development environment that supports the functionality identified in the FP3 EQLIPSE project.

A Performance Management Module , developed from the EQLIPSE product supporting flexible and efficient links from the quality management module, and built around a SQL-compliant database residing on the client.

An EQUINOX/library automation system interface - allowing both ODBC SQL and magnetic media transfer from multiple sources to multiple databases.

Key issues

With regard to electronic resources and services in libraries, EQUINOX will help library managers to understand and better manage:

• traditional workflow and task organisation,
• the way they interact with users and staff,
• interactions with other departments and services in their organisation,
• interactions with their suppliers.
• Development of a set of electronic library performance indicators and definition of the datasets needed to implement them.
• Specification of data transfer formats and the development of interface software modules for both the EQUINOX client and a range of library systems.

Impact

Prior projects in this area showed that there are great benefits in a co-ordinated and co-operative approach that brings together expertise from across Europe and provides a variety of perspectives on this work.
In the area of quality management, collaborative action demonstrated that the International Standard approach was acceptable in some countries while in others it had little to offer libraries. Yet all libraries had common aims.

EQUINOX will provide a framework for finding this common library quality management framework applicable to all European libraries.
EQUINOX will be the first system to provide librarians with an integrated tool for managing the 'hybrid' library, i.e. the mix of traditional and electronic services, coupled with integrated advisory services. The Project will provide Europe with a leading role internationally in the development of standards for electronic library performance indicators.

A system which addresses the management of electronic library services has very wide potential application to all providers of electronic information services. Thus, EQUINOX will make a very real contribution to the development of the Information Society in Europe.

Deliverables

The main deliverables, not all of which are for public release, include:

• State-of-the-art review report
• User requirements report for library performance measurement datasets and quality management datasets
• Functional specification
• Quality and Performance Management Module prototypes
• System design specification
• Large scale demonstrator
• Validation and verification plans and reports
• Exploitation plan
• Annual and Final project reports.

Additional information is available from the contact below and from the project web site:
http://equinox.dcu.ie/

Coordinator

Other Partners

• Demonstration trials report;