ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Coalition for Networked Information: The second year, part 1

By Thomas G. Kirk College Librarian Berea College

and Noreen S. Alldredge Dean of Libraries Montana State University

In an effort to be a catalyst for the develop- ment of networked information services, the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) begins an ambitious set of activities in 1991-92.

CNI, now in its second year of operation, is an organization doing something about the development of national information networks. After a first year of getting organized and setting goals, CNI has, in the first six months of the second year, taken on a new flavor. It has imaginatively combined many activities of member organizations, and the individuals who represent them, with its own projects to create a multifaceted program. The program is designed to promote the development of a more effective national network to meet the information needs of American society.

The creation of CNI and its organization activities have been reported earlier. These reports provide background for those unfamiliar with its purposes and program. (See C&RL News, September 1990, 751-753, and April 1991, 229-230.) In the paragraphs that follow here and in a follow-up article in the February issue we report on the activities of the Coalition since the last meeting in the spring of 1991, as well as the fall meeting of the Coalition. In the February issue we report in more detail on the presentations at the November 21-22 meeting of the Task Force of the Coalition.

In the last six months some of the activities of the Coalition include:

• The number of organizations and institutions that are members of the Task Force of the Coalition has grown from 117 to 143.

• Two of the working groups were renamed, leadership was diversified, and charges clarified. The working groups now focus on: Modernization of Scholarly Publishing; Transformation of Scholarly Communication; Directories and Resource Information Services; Architecture and Standards; Legislation, Codes, Policies, and Practices; Access to Government Information; Teaching and Learning; and Management and Professional and User Education.

• The Coalition-sponsoring organizations (Association of Research Libraries [ARL], CAUSE, and EDUCOM) are discussing the most effective ways of representing both “network content” and “network conduit” interests. A key factor is ensuring the most effective working relationship between the Coalition and EDUCOM’s Networking and Telecommunications Task Force. The boards of ARL, CAUSE, and EDUCOM are reviewing recommendations for an expanded Coalition program that would include a “conduit” agenda.

• In June the Working Group on Directories and Resource Information Services held an invitational meeting to find common ground on providing directory information and services on the Internet and the proposed NREN. Technical and policy experts, producers of products, and service providers attended. While a single directory solution is not envisioned, all are encouraged to share information as various models are explored.

• Michael Swartz (University of Colorado) described the NetFind project which is a facility that searches the Internet itself and avoids the need for a directory. Brewster Kahle (Thinking Machines, Inc.) described the Wide Area Information Server (WAIS), a navigation technique which allows for English-language questions, feedback, and iterative retrieval, dialog and dynamic hypertext links. A third project was described by David Ely (Corporation for National Research Initiatives) in which knowbots assist in providing parallel access to several NLM databases.

An outcome of the meeting was a recommendation that CNI implement a directories TopNode on its server. This will be an ongoing, regularly updated directory of directories using standard data elements and including evaluative information. This is now in the development stage. Anyone interested in this project should contact Craig Summerhill, systems coordinator for CNI.

• The Teaching and Learning Working Group had an invitational agenda-setting meeting in midsummer. The work of the group for the year will include a competition for models of networks for education resources and services; development of information packets for specific new network user communities to advance linkages between K-12 and higher education; and building links with other educational associations and interest groups. Those interested in the work of the Teaching and Learning Group should contact a member of the group leadership: James Luckett, Executive Director of NYSERNET, 111 College Place, Room3-211, Syracuse, NY 13244-4100; Susan Lane Perry, Director, Departmental Systems Group, Stanford University, Stanford Data Center, Stanford, CA 94305- 4136; Art St. George, Executive Network Services Officer, University of New Mexico, CIRT, Albuquerque, NM 87131; or Philip Tompkins, Director of Library Information Services, Estralla Mountain Community College Center, Maricopa Community College District, 3910 East Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85034.

• An ad hoc group met to discuss ways in which the Z39.50 and CWISP “client/server” information retrieval protocols can be combined. Both protocols were designed to enable users to instruct client systems to search and retrieve information across a network from a variety of server systems. While the Z39.50 was developed in a predominately bibliographic setting, the CWISP protocol evolved in a predominately non-biblio- graphic setting. The meeting of developers and implementors recognized their common interests and have agreed to integrate their efforts and work in a common setting.

• Susan Brynteson, leader of the Working Group on Legislation, Codes, Policies, and Practices, has prepared a compilation of position statements, principles, statutes, and other pertinent statements related to and entitled Information Policies. The almost 200-page document includes a wide range of policies, mission statements, and guidelines from information organizations (e.g., ALA, NSF, EDUCOM, National Public Telecomputing Network) and United States laws and statutes relevant to networked information. The plan is to revise the publication and have a current edition available on the CNI server. Paper copies of the November 1991 version are available from CNI.

• The Working Group for Management, Professional & User Education is developing a packet of information for use in formulating and addressing institutional and organizational issues arising from the emergence of a national networked information infrastructure and environment. The plan is to develop a number of brief statements that cover a wide range of topics including the current state of electronic information resources and services; NREN development; issues of standards, legislation, directories, publishing, teaching and learning, training, and security; and network planning in individual organizations including long-term planning recommendations in the areas of information policy, administration, fees, and technology support. The Working Group plans to have the packet ready by mid-1992.

In addition to the meetings of the Interest Groups the November 21-22 meeting of the Task Force of the Coalition for Networked Information included a series of talks and discussions of various ongoing projects related to networked information. The talks focused on the economics of information deliveiy, alternatives to revision of the copyright law to protect rights holders interests, and the information needs of humanities scholars and networked information. We will report the substance of these talks along with brief reports on the other portionsof the Task Force meeting in the February issue of CR&L News.