Subject: Controlled Access to Network Digital Libraries in Europe - press release
From: Emanuella Giavarra (ecup.secr@dial.pipex.com)
Date: pe 06 maalis 1998 - 00:24:47 EET
[apologies if you received this twice because of cross-posting]
For Immediate Release
London, 2nd March 1998
Controlled Access to Network Digital Libraries in Europe
EU Libraries project CANDLE will tailor the CaseLibrary approach for
library access to electronic journals
A new European digital libraries project called CANDLE (Controlled
Access to Network Digital Libraries in Europe) was launched today in
Madrid. It will develop library mediated access to electronic journals.
CANDLE will demonstrate how the CaseLibrary digital resource management
system, developed under the European Commission's Third Framework
Programme of research, can be used to enable the library to act as a
trusted distributor for electronic journal publishers, guaranteeing the
rights of authors and publishers to appropriate reward for their
efforts.
Key issues
The main issues to be explored are:
Enhanced functionality to lock the digital library into publisher
services, including control over access and payment of rights;
Controlled management environment for users, librarians and information
providers;
Cost reductions for users by optimising publications handling and
encouraging shared licensing and access.
Impact and results
Once CANDLE is completed and tested with a few hundred journal titles,
the product can be prepared for marketing almost
immediately to handle hundreds of titles for thousands of registered
users and will ensure:
Benefits for publishers in providing an improved tool for reaching
users and managing costs;
Benefits for libraries in facilitating management, control and
security;
Benefits for users in providing user-friendly interfaces and in
achieving cost reductions as a result of optimised handling.
The Consortium
The project is part funded for 30 months by the European Commission
under the Fourth Framework Programme, and will be led by
EnWare, S.A. of Madrid, an information system consulting company and
software house, experienced in client-server and Z39.50
systems. EnWare will develop new and update existing software tools for
the project as well as provide overall coordination. The
Library Information Technology Centre at South Bank University, London
will assist EnWare by providing project management
reporting and dissemination functions and will test and demonstrate the
system along with other European universities. These include
the National and Capodistrian University of Athens Department of
Informatics and Universita degli Studi di Firenzi,
Coordinamento Centrale Biblioteche, Florence, as well as three
universities to be selected as demonstration sites only. A key part
of the project will be the participation and support of major suppliers
of electronic journals to academic libraries. These include
Thomson Science & Professional, SilverPlatter Information, and
Blackwell's Information Services. Elsevier Science will also
be supporting the project.
No economic or technical models have yet been accepted as suitable for
supporting the move towards electronic publishing or the shift
from traditional holdings to access to electronic resources. The
experience of large international publishing firms and electronic
serials intermediary suppliers will be used as a basis for realistic
investigation of how digital library management systems can be used to
explore new economic models. This will provide evidence not only in
support of rights management (cf. the EU funded TECUP
project) but should also demonstrate the benefits of migrating from
current library systems towards more open solutions.
In the digital library environment, end users are represented by digital
objects. To achieve improved levels of user service, libraries
require IT management functions which until now have been lacking in
their automation systems, in particular for rights management,
distributed access and security. CANDLE will focus on applying an
existing library management system in environments which
encourage publishers to offer electronic products to libraries in order
to meet user needs by addressing licence metering, control,
feedback, monitoring, rights management, access control and promotion.
Technical approach
CANDLE will add Windows NT server and client support to the Sun Solaris
and Windows 3.x CaseLibrary platforms.
ZNavigator developed under CaseLibrary will also be used for information
retrieval in the CANDLE environment.
The functionality available to users is defined by the library systems
administrator implemented through services provided by a Task
Manager which enables client software to interact directly with
resources on the network. The administration client will also be ported
to NT and will be used to define resources such as an electronic journal
service, online catalogue, networked CD-ROM, etc. These
will be grouped into resource groups for users who will be given unit
accounts for various time periods. Users will be offered dozens
or hundreds of full text electronic journal titles as information
resources and associated services via networks within or outside the
local library.
Publishers will be able to rely on the library to prevent unauthorised
activities yet also be offered opportunities to target specific
publications for specific audiences to boost demand.
Dissemination activities
Following the success of activity to promote the ZNavigator Z39.50
search client during the CaseLibrary project, CANDLE will have
its own website in several European languages and news will be
disseminated via LITC printed publications such as Library
Technology.
Official European project synopsis:
http://www2.echo.lu/libraries/en/projects/candle.html
Candle master Website: http://www.sbu.ac.uk/litc/candle/
Contacts
Project Co-ordinator:
Mark Pierce, EnWare, S.A.,
E-28801 Madrid,
Nzqez de Balboa 51-60
Spain
Tel:+34 1 576 02 45
Fax:+34 1 577 65 98
Email: makis@enware.es
Publicity and concertation:
Robin Yeates, Senior Researcher
Library Information Technology Centre (LITC)
South Bank University
103 Borough Road
London SE1 0AA
UK
Tel:+44 1 71 815 7871
Fax:+44 1 71 815 7050
Email: yeatesr@sbu.ac.uk
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