News from DS

Citation

(2003), "News from DS", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 37 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/prog.2003.28037dab.006

News from DS

News from DS

(a) DS involvement with the People’s Network in Somerset

Somerset County’s 34 libraries now have over 300 computers which offer access to the Internet, e-mail and Microsoft Office applications to members of the public as part of the UK’s People’s Network project (www.peoplesnetwork.gov.uk). Some of the computers also feature text-to-speech and magnification software to enable equal access for visually impaired people. DS support in Somerset helped to ensure that the initiative ran on time. County librarian, Rob Froud said:

We are already seeing many people make use of the facilities. I hope this continues to attract the people of Somerset especially those who do not have easy access to computers. We warmly welcome both experts and novices and I trust everyone will give the computers a try.

Funding from the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) of over £800,000 allowed Somerset to purchase the necessary equipment from DS – 322 public terminals, two network servers, plus the associated authentication client, SafetyNet and SafetyPrint software and support. The new facilities will provide people with the opportunity to learn about computers, the Internet, to carry out homework and research, and to contact and communicate with their local council. At the launch of the new services there was a live presentation of “answers now” a real-time, 24/7 reference service operated between libraries in Somerset, Australia and the USA. The chairman of the council also presented certificates to library staff who had completed their European computer driving licence courses.

(b) DS and project What’s in London Libraries (WiLL)

In partnership with Crossnet Systems (a firm specialising in interoperability solutions) and with funding from NOF, DS is developing a distributed catalogue to enable users to identify and access resources and information for the London Libraries’ Development Agency (LLDA). The project, known as What’s in London Libraries (WiLL) will implement a publicly accessible single user interface that will provide search facilities across all 33 London borough public library service catalogues and community information databases.

Project WiLL will use the DScovery product which enables a wide range of different types of data source (catalogues of libraries, archives or museums; digitised collections; databases of sites or monuments; biological records; community or civic information or committee minutes) to be made available and then searched in parallel to satisfy a users’ request. The data sources can be either co-located on one server or distributed over local or wide area networks or the Internet. Purpose-built interfaces enable the data sources to be searched in their native environments and systems. This solution is compliant with recommendations from the UK’s e-Government initiatives. DScovery enables the development of interoperability between native services rather than constructing a centralised system. All of London’s public library services are computerised and two-thirds have library management systems compatible with the Z39.50 search and retrieval standard. Almost all the boroughs have electronic community information systems. An information portal will present a standard user interface that integrates access to a multiplicity of information sources. It will also be possible for individual London boroughs to offer their own local user interface to the system. The project will use software that can deal with multiple communications protocols including, but not restricted to, Z39.50.

Project WiLL represents a public demonstration of the power of the People’s Network and the way that ICT will radically transform the way libraries relate to their users, to other libraries and with the partners charged with implementing electronic government.

For further information please contact: Marketing Department, DS, 2 Cedar Office Park, Cobham Road, Ferndown, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7SB, UK. Tel: +44(0) 1202 877 188; Fax: +44(0) 1202 871 297; E-mail: marketing@ds.co.uk; URL www.ds.co.uk