Z39.50 Resources Page
National Information Standards Organization Z39.50 Information Retrieval Protocol (Z39.50/ISO 23950), a computer protocol that can be implemented on any platform, defines a standard way for two computers to communicate for the purpose of information retrieval. A Z39.50 implementation enables one interface to access multiple systems providing the end-user with nearly transparent access to other systems.
Acknowledgements
Mark Kelly established the original Z39.50 resource page Internet Searching with Z39.50. This resource is built upon his efforts. His work is most appreciated.
CONTENTS
Varieties of Z39.50 Implementations
Events - Where you can learn more about Z39.50
Z39.50 Technology And Services
General Information on Z39.50:
An Overview of the Z39.50 Information Retrieval Standard by Fay Turner.
Z39.50. Part 1 – An Overview from Biblio Tech Review.
Z39.50: The Basics by Fay Turner. Presented at 1997 IFLA Conference.
World Wide Web e Z39.50: standard per la ricerca a confronto di Antonio Scolari. BollettinoAIB, 1996, 36(4). In Italian. English abstract: World Wide Web and Z39.50: two information retrieval standards compared.
Z39.50 L'information Bibliographique Structurée sur le Net par Anne-Lise Lévéjac.
La norme Z39.50: un outil essentiel pour l'uniformisation de la recherche d'information par Martin Sévigny.
Z39.50 in Bibliotheken und im World-Wide-Web von Bernd Hergeth.
Setting up a WWW-based Z39.50 Server (Part II) byYuen-Hsien Tseng. In Chinese from Taiwan.
The Z39.50 Information Retrieval Standard Part I: A Strategic View of Its Past, Present and Future by Clifford Lynch. Part 2 was to have published in October 1997 but is not in that issue. (Information on publishing date in the article is not correct).
Z39.50: overview and interoperability
Z39.50 in a Nutshell by John A. Kunze and R.P.C. Rodgers.
Z39.50 by Susannah Iltis
Z39.50: The User's Perspective by Sandra D. Payette and Oya Y. Rieger.
Z39.50 Made Simple by Sonya Finnigan and Nigel Ward
Search with Z39.50:
RUSLANet Z39.50 Gateway. Search Russian and other sources. Russian interface.
La base documentaire JOCONDE est un catalogue des dessins, estampes, peintures, sculptures, photographies et objets d'art conservés dans plus de 60 musées de France. (For more details, see D-Lib)
Nordic Web Index (Swedish entrypoint)
Nordic Web Index (Finnish entrypoint)
Nordiskt Web Index (Danish entrypoint).
Die Deutsche Bibliothek – Z39.50 Gateway
Fensiel Telecommunications Zeta Suite Gateway
ZWeb at Michigan State University.
AHDS gateway Arts and Humanities Data Service Z39.50 gateway
Alpha Java Version of Willow from the University of Washington lets you search many systems. Best if your system supports 800 pixel-wide display. Scroll down page and click on buttons.
NASA's Global Change Master Directory:
Stanford University's DB ConnectLibrary of Congress Z39.50 Search Page.
Canada's GIFT
Europagate WWW to Z39.50 Gateway
Test the Europagate E-mail to Z39.50 Gateway
Search Singapore's ITI Information Retrieval Gateway
Search Poland's Katalogi BG PK using stateful Z39.50 gateway.
Search using the URICA Z39.50 Gateway in South Africa
Plussa: Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen Public Libraries' Bibliographic Database. You can search for information in the bibliographic database of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen Public Libraries. The database contains over half a million records.
State of Iowa Libraries Online (SILO) page provides access to libraries in Iowa.
CNDIR's Gateway is an experimental stateful Z39.50 gateway.
Download Z39.50 Software:
- ZNavigator Z39.50 clinet for Win3.1x and Win95. Development is part of the CaseLibrary project of the TELEMATICS FOR LIBRARIES programme of the European Commission Directorate-General XIII.
Seachange's Bookwhere? Windows-based Z39.50 software. New version compatible with Netscape and Mosaic.
SIRSI's VIZION Pro client with Z39.50 can now be downloaded and purchased online.
Blue Angel Technologies' GILS-compliant Metadata Server for Windows NT. (Click on Products link).
ZAP! Search Module for the Apache WWW server.
A Search Module for Apache: Implements Z39.50 search from within the Apache HTTP Server.
OCLC client with both C and Java versions of their BER manipulation and other Z39.50 support routines publicly available via anonymous ftp.
Free and Commercial Z39.50 software page listed at the Maintenance Agency.
Available Z39.50 software products by Telematics for Libraries projects.
Z39.50's International Scope
- Z39.50 in Europe
Several EU Telematics for Libraries Projects utilize Z39.50/SR (Refer to index under Z39.50)
EC Supported Z39.50 Projects by Gordon Pedersen. presented at the 63rd IFLA General Conference, 1997.
The Bradford OPAC 2 (BOPAC2) Managing and Displaying Retrievals from a Distributed Search in Z39.50
Australia's ZedWeb Project
Metro Toronto Public Libraries Z39.50 Pilot Project. Project to identify the practicality of using the Z39.50 protocol for remote catalogue searching and its impact on resource sharing. Includes project final report.
Z39.50 research in Singapore.
France's Aquarelle uses Z39.50.
Germany's DBV-OSI II.
U.K.s' ROADS project: Z39.50 Experimental Implementation.
Index Data in Copenhagen.
From Italy: SIBYLLA and Z39.50
Z39.50 in Action at the National Library by Michael Williamson
Russia's RUSLANet includes Z39.50 capability. More details in JENC8 paper: RUSLANet - Internet-aware Library System in Russia
Building Z39.50-interfaces to bibliographic relational database for RUSLANet regional library system (In Russian) by I. A. Plemnek and R. T. Usmanov. Includes diagrams understandable by non-Russian speakers.
Lasse Haatajan Z39.50-projektisivu from Finland.
Z39.50 interface for BLISS databases. May need to refer to CNIDR Isite
CNIDR Isite is an integrated Internet publishing software package. Isite includes the CNIDR ZDist, Isearch and Search API distributions.
Translate the above linked documents using Alta Vista.
Z39.50 and Other Standards:
- ZDSR Profile:Z39.50 Profile for Simple Distributed Search and Ranked Retrieval. Latest draft.
- Java & Z39.50 by Thomas B. Hickey, Senior Scientist, OCLC. Slides from a October 1996 presentation at LITA (Library and Information Technology Association of the American Library Association).
- White Paper on Javafied Willow
- Verteilte Systeme-Praktikum SS96 Aufgabe 4: Z39.50 Java Client-Applet
- OCLC's Java version of it's Z39.50 API.
- Zjava: Demo of Java-based Z39.50/MOO
- The WILD Thing Project's May Day System includes a Java applet with links to Z39.50 middleware and to Libraries. OLUIT: Object Oriented Librarian User Interface Tool R&D Project. Other EU Telematics for Libraries Projects feature Z39.50/SR.
STARTS - Stanford Protocol for Internet Search and Retrieval: Complementary to Z39.50, or a Rival Protocol?
Z39.50 and Java:
Belgium's Project VirLib (CN/XX/A06) – Deliverable Report T02: Research into Existing Standards includes analysis of Z39.50 and other standards.
Z39.50 and the World Wide Web by Sebastian Hammer and John Favaro.
Final Report of the World Wide Web Consortium's Distributed Indexing/Searching Workshop held at M.I.T. 28-31
The Cheshire II Project unites Z39.50 and SGML.
Z39.50/SQL+: Stateful Web Access to Relational Databases
Z39.50/SQL+ Project – "ZINC" in Postscript format. Proposal by Robert M. Colomb and Sonya M. Finnigan dated September 1996.
Z+SQL – Draft 5 outlines the Z+SQL proposal to extend the Z39.50-1995 Search and Retrieval protocol to support SQL querying and the SQL export record syntax.
General Z+SQL TestBed Characteristics of the Information Retrieval Service
Z39.50 to X.500 Gateway is a DSTC prototype that demonstrates how an information service can use Z39.50 to access data from an X.500 distributed hierarchical database.
SilverPlatter's Z39.50 Option brings Z39.50 to CDROM databases..
Varieties of Z39.50 Implementations and Profiles:
- Projects registered at the Z39.50 Maintenance Agency
- Z39.50/ILL Profile 1 Profile for the Use of Z39.50 Item Order Extended Service to Transport ILL Protocol APDUs
- Z39.50/ILL Profile 2 Profile for the Use of Parameters from the ILL-Request APDU iin Z39.50 Item Order
The LiLI Project: Libraries Linking Idaho. Plans include a Z39.50 gateway.
Chemical Abstract Service's SciFinder uses Z39.50 to search for chemical substance information and chemical literature in CAS databases.
EURILIA access to the OPACs of aerospace library collections
Cal State's Universal Information Access Systems (UCIA) to include Z39.50.
Project Seeks to Make Finding Data On the Web Less Irritating by Sreenath Sreenivasan. New York Times article on Global (formerly Government) Information Locator Service (GILS).
An Evaluation of the Federal Governmentís Implementation of the Government Information Locator Service (GILS) – Final Report By William E. Moen and Charles R. McClure. A hardcopy version is available from NISO.
PARAGON access to sound archives.
Government Information Locator Service (GILS).
Recent Developments in Galen II: Evolution of a Digital Library for the Health Sciences.
Japan CATSS [Cataloguing Support System] includes Z39.50 access to RLIN in order to retrieve CJKR records in the vernacular.
Z39.50 spatial data searching.
Tools to Facilitate Access to Digital Orthophotos by the Planning Support Systems Group, M.I.T. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning and the Massachussetts Geographic Information System (MassGIS), Mass. Executive Office of Environmental Affairs includes Z39.50 metadata search. (This page takes a while to load).
Répertoire International de Sources Musicales project at Harvard University.
eLib Project to establish a Music Library Profile. Proposed additions to the Bib-1 Attribute Set.
Catalogue Interoperability Protocol. Document available through ftp. The CIP is developed under the umbrella of the CEOS Protocol Task Team.
Z39.50 Type 102 Ranked List Query.
Holdings Export and Z39.50 by Carrol D Lunau.
Draft Holdings(ILL) Profile 1 with scenarios prepared by Joe Zeeman and document by Fay Turner
Profile for the Use of Parameters for the ILL Request APDU in Z39.50 Item Order (available in pdf only)
Union Catalog Profile allow a data creator to update a database in a distributed environment using the Database Update Extended Service of the standard.
Aquarelle Z39.50 Profile for Access to Cultural Heritage Information (ftp or postScript)
CIMI Profile (Z39.50 Application Profile for Cultural Heritage Information)
Z39.50 Application Profile for Geospatial Metadata
MODELS Library Interoperability Profile Family
Collection Companion Profiles Background Document.
Z39.50 Profiles from the Maintenance Agency
Events - Where you can learn more about Z39.50
Z39.50 Technology and Services:
- (See Download Z39.50 Software:for downloadable products)
Taliesin Software Research, Inc. Z'Est® – Z39.50 Enhanced Server Technology. (Click on Z39.50 Servers and other Products ).
Australia's Structured Information Manager (SIM).
Simple Abstract API for Z39.50 Client (2nd Draft);
Further Information on Z39.50:
- For Ordering Information: NISO Press Catalog ANSI/NISO Z39.50-1995, Information Retrieval (Z39.50): Application Service Definition and Protocol Specification. Bethesda, MD: NISO Press, 1995. Electronic version of the Z39.50 Standard available from the Maintenance Agency. Available electronically.
Library of Congress Z39.50 Maintenance Agency: Information on the Z39.50 Implementors Group (ZIG) and its listserv, plus links to technical papers and standards documents not listed here. The Maintenance Agency can provide information on any changes to the standard and advise on how to implement the standard. Contact person: Ray Denenberg. E-Mail: rden@loc.gov
Z39.50 Hosts and Databases in BookWhere? provides a list of Z39.50 "targets" which can be searched. These are the systems registered with the Bookwhere? client.
CIC initates large scale assessment of Z39.50 applications. As part of the development of their Virtual Electronic Library initiative, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) has commissioned Mark Hinnebusch, Associate Director for the Florida Center for Library Automation and the Chair of the Z39.50 Implementersí Group, to conduct the study.
Z39.50 Application Issues. Issues included here are the issues which are being identified by end-users who are using Z39.50 systems within their organizations.
Z39.50 stand-alone client software review from Biblio Tech Review.
Z39.50 Client and Web Gateway Surveys
ACLIN Grant Funds Z39.50 Upgrades by Jerry McCarthy.
The building and maintenance of robot based internet search services: A review of current indexing and data collection methods by T. Koch, A. Ardö, A. Brümmer and S. Lundberg for project DESIRE. Contains information on Z39.50, as well as much other information.
Architecture For Access To Government Information: Report of the IMSC – Technical Group
Configuring Z39.50 Clients And Servers For Prime Time (A View From The Trenches) Slide presentation by Slavko Manojlovich, Memorial University Of Newfoundland. Presented at ETIG Internet Preconference Workshop, CLA Ottawa, 1997.
Z39.50 Technical Issues by Dennis Lynch. : [Acrobat PDF version: 100K]. No HTML version available.
Z39.50 UNLEASHED (Internet Trends) Slide presentation by Slavko Manojlovich.
The ANSI/NISO Z39.50 Protocol: Information Retrieval in the Information Infrastructure by William Moen.
Discussion Paper: Networked Information Retrieval Standards by DSTC Resource Discovery Unit.
Fulcrum now support WAISserver. (Press release).
An Evaluation of Z39.50 within the SILO project report presents the results of evaluating the use of the Z39.50 search and retrieval protocol within the State of Iowa Libraries Online (SILO) project.
Contact Information
Resource page maintained by NISO Headquarters. Comments and suggestions are welcome.