[124] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Describing Internet Resources Paper - PART I
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Priscilla Caplan)
Wed Apr 29 15:28:53 1992
Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1992 13:54:01 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>
From: Priscilla Caplan <COTTON%HARVARDA.BITNET@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.BITNET>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Several PACS-L readers have requested that this paper be re-posted
to the list, because they only saw Part I when it was originally
posted in February.
PROVIDING ACCESS TO ONLINE INFORMATION RESOURCES
A PAPER FOR DISCUSSION
Priscilla Caplan
Harvard University Library
February 14, 1992
History
In May 1991, Discussion Paper 49, "Dictionary of Data Elements
for Online Information Resources" was forwarded to MARBI for
discussion at the June meetings. The gist of this paper is
described in one of its opening paragraphs: "Many different
kinds of electronic information resources, whether they are
numeric databases, computer forums, discussion groups, mailing
list servers, online public access catalogs, full-text databases,
or other varieties of information resources, are available to
users over one or more networks such as the Internet, BITNET,
etc. While the USMARC format accommodates the communication of
information about computer files, the information in the record
is description oriented with minimal attention to access (i.e.,
information to logon, electronic addresses, etc.). It is clear
that while descriptive information is necessary, access
information is equally crucial."
Discussion Paper 49 went on to itemize a number of data elements
pertaining to access to online resources, and to outline a
tentative mapping of these elements to the MARC computer files
format. It ended with three examples of electronic information
resources, describing an online catalog system (GLADIS), a
computer conference (PACS-L), and a BRS database (BIOSIS
Previews).
Following MARBI discussion of this paper, a subgroup of the
committee was charged with reviewing the data elements and their
tagging more closely and drafting a firmer proposal for further
discussion. The subgroup, consisting of John Attig, Bill Jones,
and Priscilla Caplan, soon found that before much progress could
be made in the definition of data elements, a better
understanding was required of the types and characteristics of
the information resources under consideration. They began an
extended discussion of what types of resource might be
appropriate for "cataloging" within the MARC formats. By the
time of their deadline, however, they had many more questions
than answers, resulting in the modification and expansion of
Discussion Paper 49 that was issued as Discussion Paper 54 and
discussed briefly at the MARBI meetings in January 1992.
Summary
This document, arising from discussion papers 49 and 54 and the
work of the MARBI subgroup, proposes a different approach to the
description of online information resources. It suggests that
such resources fall into at least two categories, "electronic
data resources" and "online systems/services".
The first category encompasses electronic resources that may or
may not be offered online and that can be described relatively
easily in the current USMARC "bibliographic" formats. One issue
with these materials is how to designate their "location" when
the data resource is accessible via a remote system or service
rather than a traditional library or archive.
The second category, "online systems/services", seems to have
more in common with the programs and services described by the
provisional community information format than with bibliographic
data.
A typology of resources
Entities we might call "electronic data resources" include such
things as computer software, documents stored as machine-readable
text or images, databases of bibliographic, numeric etc. data,
and directories and white pages. Such resources might exist only
in electronic form, or might have analogs in print or other
formats. Some examples would include:
-- RFC-822 (an Internet specification describing email
headers) stored as ascii text;
-- Xferit, a Macintosh program for file transfer;
-- the bitmapped text of a journal article;
-- BIOSIS Previews, a collection of citations to life
sciences literature produced by BIOSIS;
-- Academic Index, a collection of citations to journal
literature produced by Information Access Co. (IAC);
-- the union catalog of the Harvard libraries;
-- the UC Berkeley library catalog.
Computer systems or services constitute a second type of entity.
These might exist primarily to offer access to data resources
(e.g. campus wide information systems) or might be of interest in
their own right (e.g. computational resources). Their use may or
may not be restricted to certain individuals, or members of some
community. One important characteristic of most of these online
systems/services is that they are available remotely, via dial or
network communications facilities. Some examples would include:
-- an ftp (file transfer) site;
-- Princeton's campus wide information system (CWIS);
-- DIALOG, a commercial system offering a variety of
databases;
-- HOLLIS, the Harvard Online Library Information System;
-- GLADIS, the UC Berkeley library information system.
There are several points to make about this division. First,
many online systems/services offer access to multiple electronic
data resources. For example, both the union catalog of the
Harvard libraries and the Academic Index are available through
the Harvard On-Line Library Information System (HOLLIS). An ftp
site could easily offer access to both RFC-822 and the shareware
program Xferit.
Conversely, many data resources are accessible via multiple
online systems/services. The Academic Index, for example, can be
accessed both through HOLLIS and DIALOG. The program Xferit can
be obtained through any number of different ftp sites.
An online system/service can also offer access to other
systems/services. HOLLIS, for example, could offer its users the
option of selecting "GLADIS" from a menu, the result of which
would be an automatic remote login to the UC Berkeley system.
GLADIS in turn might offer that user access to Berkeley's online
library catalog, as well as to MEDLINE and other information
resources available through GLADIS.
It should also be noted that although online systems/services
often use or require computer software, the software itself does
not constitute the online system/service. Yale's ORBIS and
Vanderbilt's ACORN both run on IBM mainframes using similar
systems software, and both use applications software marketed by
NOTIS Systems, Inc. But ORBIS and ACORN have different access
information (hours of operation, Internet addresses, dial-up
numbers, etc.), offer access to different data resources, and are
clearly different and unique systems/services. In fact, the
computer software itself is a data resource, which can be held in
many locations. Computer systems/services in general are unique.
