Subject: Seven ARL Libraries Launch Scholars Portal Project in Collobaration with Fretwell-Downing, Inc.
Judith Matz (judith@arl.org)
Date: Thu, 02 May 2002 09:39:40 -0400
Message-Id: <3CD1419D.3900F6C2@arl.org> Date: Thu, 02 May 2002 09:39:40 -0400 From: Judith Matz <judith@arl.org> To: ARL Announce <arl-announce@arl.org> Subject: Seven ARL Libraries Launch Scholars Portal Project in Collobaration with Fretwell-Downing, Inc.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2002
For further information please contact:
Judith Matz <judith@arl.org>
Communications Officer, ARL
Mary E. Jackson <mary@arl.org>
Senior Program Officer for Access Services, ARL
Matthew Goldner <matt.goldner@fdgroup.com>
Executive Vice President, Fretwell-Downing Inc.
SEVEN ARL LIBRARIES LAUNCH SCHOLARS PORTAL PROJECT IN COLLABORATION WITH
FRETWELL-DOWNING INC.
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) announces the launch of the
Scholars Portal Project, a collaboration between several ARL member
libraries and Fretwell-Downing Inc. (FD). The initial libraries
participating in the project are the University of Southern California,
University of California - San Diego, Dartmouth College, University of
Arizona, Arizona State University, Iowa State University, and the
University of Utah. Plans call for expanding the number of participating
libraries over the course of the three-year project.
The goal of the Scholars Portal Project is to provide software tools for
an academic community to have a single point of access on the Web to
find high-quality information resources and, to the greatest extent
possible, to deliver the information and related services directly to
the user's desktop.
The initial focus of the Scholars Portal Project will use FD’s ZPORTAL
and several related FD products as a base. The initial focus will be on
deploying ZPORTAL to deliver cross-domain searching of licensed and
openly available content in a range of subject fields and from multiple
institutions. The portal will aggregate and integrate the results of
the search, and support delivery of the content to the user.
Future phases will add other services to the portal that improve user
access to and use of information resources. For example, enhancements
include integration of the searching tool within the local online
learning environment for a course and linkage to a 24/7 digital
reference service to consult with a reference librarian.
The initial participants in the Project and FD will collaborate to
develop additional functionality they identify as critical and will
evaluate those new capabilities in teaching and library production
environments. It is anticipated that in most academic environments, the
tools developed through the Scholars Portal Project will function as a
library channel within a university-wide portal.
ARL established a Scholars Portal Working Group in 2000 to explore how
best to establish a collaborative research library presence on the Web.
The project now being launched will demonstrate the viability of that
vision with one vendor's products. The initiative is also intended to
encourage other vendors to enter the marketplace with competitive tools
to advance portal functionality. ARL will continue to monitor available
software tools that can meet the needs of the 21st century academic Web user.
The ARL Scholars Portal Working Group selected FD to participate in this
three-year project after making an assessment of portal software tools
available in the marketplace, how close the tools come to fulfilling and
sustaining the Scholars Portal vision, and the readiness and experience
of the companies to collaborate on advancing priority enhancements.
FD brings extensive expertise and experience to the project. The company
develops open, standards-based solutions that are designed to integrate
with each other, and with other components from third parties. This
allows a library the freedom to “mix and match” from the FD portfolio..
As a company, FD has been active in international standards committees
and has led a number of successful R&D projects particularly in the
United Kingdom.
"Fretwell-Downing Inc. is not the only portal game in town. We selected
them to work with us in this project for two reasons," said Jerry
Campbell, Chief Information Officer and Dean of University Libraries,
University of Southern California. Dr. Campbell chairs the ARL Scholars
Portal Working Group. "The first reason,” he elaborated, “is that we
believe FD’s existing ZPORTAL product suite will work together to take
us significantly down the road toward achieving our initial project
goals. And, secondly, the leadership of the company shares our vision
of a portal and has committed to bearing some of the costs of
developmental work that will lead to enhancements that both we and FD
see as important."
Robin Murray, President of FD, confirms his support for this initiative.
"I believe that the FD/ARL library partnership is a landmark initiative
that will deliver measurable improvements to information provision
within universities in the US and Canada, and beyond. FD are delighted
that the ARL Scholars Portal Working Group selected ZPORTAL to power the
Scholars Portal and we welcome the opportunity to work with ARL
libraries. This partnership will enable ZPORTAL to deliver more services
to assist academics and scholars along the path from information
discovery to content delivery."
In spring and summer of 2002, a small number of ARL libraries will
implement the current version of FD’s ZPORTAL product suite, with the
option to also take on the VDX resource sharing solution. The initial
phase will focus on incorporating the Scholars Portal tools and services
into selected undergraduate courses. Over the next three years these
libraries and FD, working with input from the teaching faculty, will
refine, develop, and evaluate the capabilities provided by the portal
and set priorities for future development.
The participating libraries are financing the project; FD is
contributing some of the costs of the developmental work for
enhancements. ARL’s Senior Program Officer for Access Services, Mary E.
Jackson, is serving as part-time Project Manager to facilitate
communication between and among the libraries working on the project and
FD. In addition, ARL will report on the experience to the research
library community.
Background on the ARL Scholars Portal initiative and related activities
is available on the ARL website
<http://www.arl.org/access/scholarsportal/>. More information about the
FD’s portal solutions can be found at <www.fdusa.com>.
Contacts at Participating Libraries:
University of Southern California: Deb Holmes-Wong dhwong@usc.edu
University of California-San Diego: Geri Ingram gbingram@library.ucsd.edu
Dartmouth College: John James john.r.james@dartmouth.edu
University of Arizona: Kris Maloney maloneyk@u.library.arizona.edu
Arizona State University: Sherrie Schmidt sherrie.Schmidt@asu.edu
Iowa State University: Maureen Hyland-Carver mhylandc@iastate.edu
University of Utah: Gary Rasmussen <gary.rasmussen@library.utah.edu
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a not-for-profit
membership organization comprising 123 libraries of North American
research institutions. Its mission is to shape and influence forces
affecting the future of research libraries in the process of scholarly
communication. ARL programs and services promote equitable access to and
effective use of recorded knowledge in support of teaching, research,
scholarship, and community service. The Association articulates the
concerns of research libraries and their institutions, forges
coalitions, influences information policy development, and supports
innovation and improvement in research library operations. ARL operates
as a forum for the exchange of ideas and as an agent for collective action.
Association of Research Libraries
21 Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
202-296-2296
http://www.arl.org
Fretwell-Downing Inc (FD) has for more than ten years, been a global
leader in the evolution of digital libraries. Delivering unmatched
service and flexibility, FD Inc. offers libraries a seamless choice of
standards-based solutions. Building toward a solid vision of a "library
without walls," FD Inc. boasts the unique ability to integrate with
disparate electronic library systems, as well as creating and managing
entirely new digital systems.
Fretwell-Downing Inc.
1605 East Highway 34
Suite C
Newnan, GA 30265
888-649-6542
email: matt.goldner@fdgroup.com
http://www.fdusa.com
_________________________________________
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_________________________________________
Judith Matz
Communications Officer
Association of Research Libraries
21 Dupont Circle, NW #800
Washington, DC 20036-1118
Phone 202-296-2296
Fax 202-872-0884
judith@arl.org
www.arl.org
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