Objective The goal of DECOMATE II is to develop an end-user service which provides access to heterogeneous information resources distributed over different libraries in Europe using a uniform interface, leading to a working demonstrator of the European Digital Library for Economics. The project will cover both heterogeneous materials (i.e. copyright and non-copyright materials of different types and formats) and distributed access (i.e. allowing users to access resources in any of the participating libraries though a single, uniform interface). Decomate II will include personalised user services (based on tools for document delivery, current awareness services and user profiling) and enhanced techniques for knowledge navigation. Access management and accountability facilities are the other main areas of the Decomate II project. The project will be a demonstrator and a test bed for license agreements with publishers and information providers, and for models of use of digital library services. Extensive user studies should develop new insights on user behaviour among others by establishing long-lasting contacts with end users throughout the project. Finally the Decomate II software release will be tested in several European test sites to gain extensive knowledge on best practice project results and installation and to gain knowledge on the costs and real efforts incurred with the eye on finding realistic exploitation scenario's after the project's end.Technical approachThe project will be based on all relevant open standards (e.g. HTTP, Z39.50 SQL, ODBC) and will be designed in a modular but generic way to allow upgrading to new versions of standards and new technologies for specific functions. The system will run in a WWW environment and constitutes a client-server agent oriented architecture. The system development methodology is based on the principles of prototyping.Key issuesLicenses, content definition and acquisitionAccess to multiple distributed databasesAdvanced access to informationCurrent awareness servicesAccess control, accounting and document deliveryUser studiesImpact, users and expected resultsExpected benefits are the better usage of scientific electronic material in an educational environment independent of the geographical location of the user through improved accessibility. User will have access to a wide range of information resources and be able to choose between different levels of copyright and payment requirements.The project will result in a visible example of interconnected library services, integrating various functions to provide a full-scale virtual library service to end-users. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwarenatural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer securityaccess controlsocial scienceseconomics and businesseconomicsnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdatabasesrelational databases Programme(s) FP4-TELEMATICS 2C - Specific programme of research and technological development and demonstration in the area of telematic applications of common interest, 1994-1998 Topic(s) B.5.2 - Telematics applications for interconnected library services Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Tilburg University Library Address 5000 LE Tilburg Netherlands See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address See on map UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA Spain EU contribution € 0,00 Address See on map
