Primary funding is provided by the JISC and ESRC. Based at Manchester Computing, The University of Manchester.

1

‘The Famous 5’Worked Examples from

MIMAS

Ross MacIntyreCollection Description Briefing Day

14th May 2002

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

But I’m a Service Provider…

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

Service Portfolio

                                                                     

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

ITAM Project

• Extend the MIMAS Metadatabase

• Create Collection Descriptions

• Open Archive compliance

• OpenURL implementations

• SFX trials

• Usability evaluation

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

ITAM CLD Principles

• Simple, high-level

• Consistent

• Open Standards-based

• Resource discovery

• Aligned with other work

• Minimise duplication

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

Finding Stuff

“If you don’t find it in the Index,

look very carefully through the

entire catalogue.”

Consumer’s Guide,

Sears, Roebuck & Co 1897.

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

Finding Stuff

• Want to find stuff, without having to know: name, location and format.

• Search not just by attribute value, but by mapping onto meaningful term(s)

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

The Initial Five Services

• 5 MIMAS services of different type– Bibliographic Reference, e-journals, Chemical

Database, Economic Data, Statistical Software

• RSLP CLD Schema• XML• Dublin Core• Subject & Type Schemes:

– LCSH, UNESCO, Dewey & MIMAS

• Spatial - Country: ISO3166

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

Access to CLDs

• Indexed with ‘Cheshire II’ software(As is Archives Hub, RDN & AHDS amongst others)

• Z39.50 Bath Profile Compliant

• Web Z Gateway

• OAI Compliant

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

Demo

Technology & patience permitting…

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

Observations

• Mindset – Collection not Service being described– Service culture vs m2m data

• Maintenance – CMS & a ‘wiki’

• Classification – Subject & Type

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

Chinese encyclopedia: “Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge”

Animals are divided into: • those that belong to the

Emperor, • embalmed ones, • those that are trained, • suckling pigs, • mermaids, • fabulous ones, • stray dogs, • those that are included in

this classification,

• those that tremble as if they were mad,

• innumerable ones, • those drawn with a very fine

camel's hair brush, • others, • those that have just broken a

flower vase, • those that resemble flies

from a distance.

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

Now what?

• Enabling mechanism, not a portal– “It’s about more than technology and

improving searching” Catherine Grout

• Who will use?

• Quality Control

• Further development

The Famous 5, MIMAS14th May 2002

Thank you

• Don’t forget:

MIMAS OPEN FORUM 2002

Thursday 4 July

To view the programme in detail and book your place, please visit

http://www.mimas.ac.uk/news/mof2002/