Objective
The project will:
- Analyse the specific problems related to the use of SR target protocol in sound archives.
- Develop and implement an SR target in connection with the catalogues developed by the JUKEBOX project, including access to media archives ordinary catalogues.
- Compile and publish guidelines which can be used by OPAC owners and implementers, describing the experience gained during the definition and implementation of the SR target systems.
The project will address potential problems regarding copyright on catalogue information, which might restrict the possibilities of libraries (and archives) to offer external access to their catalogues.
The project will also address questions regarding the implementation of OSI communication protocols and use of reduced communicating stacks such as mOSI and thinOSI. The use of TCP/IP will also be investigated. It is an important part of PARAGON to investigate the possibility of implementing SR on top of these "slimmer" protocols and facilitate the exploitation of the results.
Impact and expected results:
More SR targets available for SR origin applications (e.g. SOCKER) and targets available to other projects developing SR origin clients.
An overall positive evaluation based on a successful implementation will encourage more OPAC owners and developers to adopt the SR protocol. In addition, the porting of the SR origin to Microsoft Windows will boost the number of origin systems and this will increase the pressure on libraries by end-users to implement SR target services.
In effect, this adoption of a common protocol will guide Europe towards the obvious benefits of uniform access to its immense collections of bibliographic materials.
Deliverables
The main deliverable is the SR software prototype. Its specifications are restricted classification, as are the report on commercial aspects for catalogue services and the end-user evaluation.
In the public domain will be:
SR target analysis;
User test and evaluation plan;
Technical evaluation of the SR implementations;
Guidelines: SR target for OPACs;
Final report.
Technical approach:
The project was structured into two phases divided into six workpackages, as follows:
PHASE 1: SPECIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT
SR target analysis for a common understanding of the SR protocol, to address copyright and generate a requirements specification;
SR target development at three media archives in three countries;
SR client - development of a central SR client with a World Wide Web interface;
PHASE 2: TEST AND EVALUATION
Testing and on-site evaluation at the three sites;
Technical evaluation of the feasibility of SR target implementations for the catalogue systems;
Guidelines on SR for OPACs for owners and end-users.
Key issues:
Implementing SR targets in connection with catalogue databases;
Copyright on catalogue information;
The use of reduced protocol stacks such as mOSI and ThinOSI.
Documentation is available from the contact below and from http://mediator.uni-c.dk/paragon.
Coordinator
8200 Aarhus N
Denmark
