Z39.50 and the Scholar's Workstation Concept

Abstract

The scholar's workstation is defined as a single-user microcomputer equipped with a network or telephone communication interface, local storage, and software capable of displaying and manipulating bibliographic data in the USMARC or similar formats. The potential application of the ANSI-NISO Z39.50 library networking protocol as a client-server environment for a workstation is examined. Z39.50 is found to be well suited to the communication needs of this environment. It can provide a major building block for a flexible environment that is vendor-independent at both ends of the link. Appropriate front-end additions can probably be made to existing OPAC systems without disturbing the software beyond the level of the current OPAC interface. This would permit Z39.50 functionality to be made available to users without taking away any of the existing features. Potential benefits include greater flexibility of the user interface and more powerful capabilities for users with access to appropriate equipment and software.