Archief voor december, 2008
Filling the ISSN database
We’re still filling our ISSN database. Some parts are going fast, other take more time.
The ISSN database already contains about 600.000 journals, from which about 30.000 are peer reviewed journals.
We collected the data from several sources locally, and on the Web.
OPAC data
We also want to squeeze the University Catalogue to get information concerning the journal holdings.
We do some test imports with the SRU interface of the OCLC PICA OPAC.
And we are trying to understand the PICA and PICA+ formats.
We must translate one format into the other. The information from the OPAC is all PICA+. We want to translate it to PICA or MARC21.
We want to import ISSN’s, titles, subtitles, holding information (signatures, stack numbers, available years etc.).
When we have built this ISSN database, we hope to keep it uptodate by searching all changes in the OPAC from a specific moment in time (f.i.each week), and automatically import the new data in the database.
Other parts of the project
* In PurpleSearch, and also the earlier version, LiveTrix, we already mention(ed) ISI Impact Factors.
* If possible, we import in the database links to tables of contents. Ulrich’s supplies links to tables of content of electronic journals. And maybe we can get some useful information via the xISSN database of WorldCat. David Walker told me that all OCLC cataloguing libraries in the USA could use World for free. And the same counts for the dutch cataloguing libraries, e.g. the Library of the University of Groningen.
* A minor project in this database story is the collecting of journal covers. Our goal is to store the covers in Groningen. So it won’t cost time when we present within the PurpleSearch results, journal information and also covers.
From Elsevier we already received about 2.000 covers (in zip!). Oxford University Press told us we could use their covers. But we ourselves must collect them (ca. 400). Cambridge Journals Online already told us to sent zipfile with their journal covers.
Wiley’s is still thinking about it. Other suppliers didn’t react untill now.
So, there’s a lot to do in 2009! And off course we have enough ideas to proceed. When we have this ISSN database working and running, and when we have more data locally stored in Groningen, we can think of extanding our services pack for PurpleSearch:
- Subject information (FRBR; faceting)
- Photo and film data
- Feed Navigator Plugin for RSS alerts.
- and more.
Have a nice holiday!
Enhancing PurpleSearch: December news.
In the enhancing project of PurpleSearch, until now the following has happened:
* I have compared a few search systems (Xerxes , VuFind, Primo Iowa / Kopenhagen / Vanderbilt).
* We received a database with peer reviewed journals, from David Walker (CalState University) – Thank you very much!
* A new trainee, computer science student, Ain Uljas from Tartu, Estonia, came to Groningen. He’ll also be involved in the programming part for PurpleSearch the coming year.
* We made a plan to build a database, necessary to enhance PurpleSearch:
- Make an ISSN database; we try to get the ISSN data out of the catalogue and the SFX data.
- Connect to the ISSN database holding information of the University of Groningen catalogue. Information how is available.
- Connect to the ISSN database impact factors we get from ISI Web of Science.
- Connect to the ISSN database subject information from the dutch central catalogue NCC, GOO, from Library of Contents, LC, and DDC. We hope to develop FRBR faceting options in PurpleSearch, using GOO, LC, and DDC codes to refine a search result.
- Connect to the ISSN database tables of contents of journals. We hope to find this maybe in Ulrich’s, or via electronic journals publishers & aggregators.
- Connect to the ISSN database of journal covers. We hope to find them, maybe in Ulrich’s, or via electronic journals publishers & aggregators.
Why do we use a static database, and not a live connection to updated sites, such as XISSN service of WorldCat?
- We think we can make a faster service, when we host data in Groningen, instead of using WorldCat or other data.
- The XISSN of WorldCat service probably costs money.
- We hope to develop some smart programming, so that we can update parts of our ‘static’ ISSN database.
- When the database is ready, and we have done some more programming, new services will be available in PS.
So let’s go for it!
Multimedia and Internet @ Schools
From now on I’ll write my blog in English. I’ve got some complaints…
In this post you’ll find a link to a column of Stephen Abram on Multimedia and Internet @ Schools, Tips 2.0: What’s Hot? How Do I Learn That?
A fine list of things interesting for library teachers, information specialists, and other library colleagues, and other people who are not so familiar with Web 2.0.
Here are a few:
- reports of Educause on e.g. Ning, Flickr, Skype, Twitter, Wikipedia, and more.
- Commoncraft: Explanations in Plane English offers video’s on subjects, e.g. Blogs, Social Networking, Social Networking.
For more information, read the whole text on Sirsidynix!
Nearest Book Meme
“In each case, it was the teamwork that made the day and not the contribution of a single person. I’ve learned a lot and feel proud of our accomplishments.”
Naar een idee van Stephen Abram.
Geciteerd uit Out front with Stephen Abram / Judith A. Siess and Jonathan Lorig. Dit boek lag enigszins toevallig op mijn bureau(-;
Rules:
* Get the book nearest to you. Right now.
* Go to page 56.
* Find the 5th sentence.
* Write this sentence – either here or on your blog.
* Copy these instructions as commentary of your sentence.
* Don’t look for your favorite book or your coolest but really the nearest.
