The Z Texas Profile: Improving Z39.50 Interoperability with a Focus on User Requirements
Presenter: William E. Moen, School of Library and Information Sciences, University of North Texas
In August 1998, a group of Texas librarians representing various types of libraries met to discuss how Z39.50 could be implemented as a foundation for state-wide resource sharing. A primary challenge with Z39.50 has been to specify client and server protocol functionality to improve search and retrieval of records from library catalogs. This presentation describes the issues that the resulting Z Texas Project identified and that the Texas Z39.50 Implementors Group (TZIG) is in the process of resolving to improve interoperability when searching library catalogs. The approach of the TZIG has been to identify core search and retrieval functionality, and then to use in a standardized manner the Z39.50 "vocabulary" to express the semantics of the core searches and retrieval requests. A goal of the project has been to arrive at a set of Z39.50 specifications documented in the Z Texas Profile that can be used by librarians and managers when negotiating with vendors for their Z39.50 products. A widely-adopted set of specifications also can assist vendors' decisions in Z39.50 development and configuration.
The presentation also discusses an emerging international profile for library applications and resource discovery, the Bath Profile. Informed by the Texas work, the Bath Profile adopts the modular structure of the Z Texas Profile and focuses on a common subset of Z39.50 specifications for library applications and resource discovery. International agreements such as the Bath Profile can leverage local investments in Z39.50 by enabling broader interoperability across library catalogs.
The specifications under development and the implementations claiming conformance to the Profiles will need to be tested. The presentation also discusses plans and methodologies for interoperability testing to assure consumers and users of Z39.50 products.