Discovery and Access: Standards and the Information Chain A JISC seminar co-sponsored by the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP), the Publishers Association, and CrossRef. Bonhill House, London, 7 December 2006

---

Background

Academic users want to quickly and easily discover and get access to relevant publications. Publishers, intermediaries, and libraries in the information chain all develop services to make this happen. The effectiveness of services at the user end depends on creating and sharing data about publications, and getting it to users in an environment that suits their needs. Standards play a key role in discovery and access, allowing data about publications to flow though the information chain. Many standards are important, e.g. Dublin Core, DOIs, RSS, OAI, ONIX for Serials/Books, OpenURLs, and SRW/U. They ensure that data about publications can be transmitted and used, and is interoperable across the information chain, so in the end users can find out what's available and get access to it.

This seminar is about how participants in the information chain and their solutions vendors can use standards more effectively. What standards do libraries think are important for providing end-user services? How do publishers make business decisions about what standards to adopt? How are standards being used in new and innovative ways? Are there gaps that need to be filled, either in the standards or implementing them more effectively? How can stakeholders influence the future?

JISC has done much work to specify the standards that are needed for information environments at the user end. JISC has also worked with publishers on standards through the PALS Metadata and Interoperability Group and by funding projects to explore the innovative use of key standards. This seminar is an opportunity for all stakeholders in the information chain to reflect on where we are, share views from their own perspectives, and agree how to move things forward in a collaborative way.

Aim of the Seminar

• Explore how publishers, libraries, and other participants in the information chain can use standards to enable discovery and access
• Identify any action needed to move things forward, e.g. fill any gaps or resolve any issues.

Audience

Management and/or senior technical staff of stakeholders in the information chain. Participants will probably have some basic knowledge of standards and will be interested in issues like why they are important and how to use them more effectively.

• Publishers and publisher organisations
• Intermediaries, e.g. aggregators, subscription agents
• Libraries
• Publisher and library solutions vendors

Venue

Bonhill House, 1-3 Bonhill Street, London EC2A 4BX

A short walk from Liverpool Street, Moorgate and Old Street Underground stations, this venue is located in the heart of the City of London. Directions and further information.

Registration

Online booking is available. There is no charge to attend the seminar but an administration fee of £50 will be charged for a no-show. Replacement delegates will be accepted. As places at the seminar are very limited please note that we can only accept one delegate per organisation.

After the Seminar

The PALS Metadata and Interoperability group will prepare a list of recommendations based on the seminar.

Content by: Shirley Keane of UKOLN. Page last revised: 03-Jan-2007 Email comments to: web-support@ukoln.ac.uk

Seminar arranged by UKOLN