[Sigdl-l] The Z39.50 Next Generation Initiative

[Richard Hill]

[Forwarded.  Dick Hill]

Those interested in developments in Z39.50 and related distributed search 
protocols may find the announcement below of interest.

Clifford Lynch
Director, CNI


The ZING Initiative (Z39.50 International Next
Generation), under the auspices of the Z39.50
Maintenance Agency at the Library of Congress, is
pleased to announce Version 1.0 of SRW and CQL.

SRW ("Search/Retrieve for the Web")  is a
web-service-based protocol which aims to integrate
access across networked resources, and to promote
interoperability between distributed databases by
providing a common platform. The underpinnings of
the protocol are formed by bringing together more
than 20 years experience from the collective
implementers of the Z39.50 protocol with recent
developments in  the web-technologies arena. SRW
features both SOAP and URL-based access mechanisms
(SRW and SRU respectively) to provide for a wide
range of possible clients.  It uses CQL, the
Common Query Language, which provides a powerful
yet intuitive means of formulating searches. The
protocol mandates the use of open and
industry-supported standards XML and XML Schema,
and where appropriate, Xpath and SOAP.

  The SRW Initiative recognizes the importance of
Z39.50 (as currently defined and deployed) for
business communication, and focuses on getting
information to the user. SRW provides semantics
for searching databases containing metadata and
objects, both text and non-text.  Building on
Z39.50 semantics enables the creation of gateways
to existing Z39.50 systems while reducing the
barriers to new information providers, allowing
them to make their  resources available via a
standard search and retrieve service.

  SRW, SRU, and CQL have been developed by an
international team, minimizing cross-language
pitfalls and other potential internationalization
problems.  Participants include:

  Theo van Veen, Koninlijke Bibliotheek
  Mike Taylor, independent consultant
  Pat Stevens, OCLC
  Rob Sanderson, Liverpool University
  Ralph LeVan, OCLC
  Allan Kent, RMIT University
  Ian Ibbotson, Knowledge Integration
  Poul Henrik Jorgensen, Portia
  Sebastian Hammer, IndexData
  Janifer Gatenby, PICA
  Matthew J. Dovey, Oxford University
  Larry Dixson, Library of Congress
  Adam Dickmeiss, Index Data
  Ray Denenberg, Library of Congress

The ZING, SRW, and CQL  home pages are at:
      http://www.loc.gov/zing,
     http://www.loc.gov/srw, and
     http://www.loc.gov/cql
  The Z39.50 Maintenance Agency home page is at
http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency.

The SRW and CQL version 1.0 specifications will
remain stable for a six- to nine-month
implementation-experience period. During this
period developers are encouraged to implement the
specification (see the implementors page at
http://www.loc.gov/srw/implementors.html), join
the list of implementors, participate in
interoperability testing, and help develop the
next version, 1.1.  Please direct questions,
comments, and suggestions to z3950 at loc.gov.

Please feel free to forward this announcement to
other lists as appropriate.


Executive Director
American Society for Information Science and Technology
1320 Fenwick Lane, Suite 510
Silver Spring, MD  20910
FAX: (301) 495-0810
PHONE: (301) 495-0900

http://www.asis.org