AustLit

What I've done

• Multiple creation events for a work has been implemented.

• Progressed the implementation of relationship scopes by generating XML containing scope references and scope attributes. Started work on the maintenance suite to allow entry of scopes.

• Discussions with Creagh Cole (SETIS) on how best to link to the AustLit full text held by SETIS. The issue is that this material is "AustLit susbscriber only", but we want to avoid having to synchronize our authentication database with SETIS. We have a planned solution which hopefully we'll get to implement in the next few weeks.

• Continuing discussions with Kerry about future directions, as part of the planning for the next grant application.

• All works with "Untitled" (or close variants) as a title have had the title marked as "Uncertain" which produces the title in square brackets.

• First line of verse is now shown in table-of-contents and search result summaries.

• A new "brief HTML" format is selectable from the work display format list.

• A CD Burner has been acquired by the ADFA library, and we've created some procedures for producing backups on CD-ROM. The first week's test went well, but today we experienced problems getting the files from the AustLit server to the PC with the PC Burner, which appeared to be local network related. Eventually we succeeded!

• A few minor changes to stylesheets and other formatting following maintainer and user feedback (Issues wording on periodical issues;Changed "Uncertain" heading in Maintenance form to "[Brackets]")

• The system was stable. The power will be turned off at the ADFA library for a few hours sometime in April. The current best guess time is between 11am and 1pm on Saturday 13th April. When I'm given a definate time, I'll alert users (maintainers and subscribers) to the extent of AustLit unavailability.

Next Week

• Continue design/implementation of relationship scopes. The first use for this facility will be year-scoping of award-as-subject relationships.

• Move awards to be event-based rather than work-based.

• Refining NBD Holdings searches.

• Review all subset definitions for efficacy.

• Import/export in MARC and DC formats.

• SDI facility.

• Combining searches

• System Documentation

Links of the week

• John Seely Brown puts the human factor back into technology - Karen Southwick, Forbes Magazine

  "Too many of our information sources are designed to enhance tunnel vision. The irony is that this same access to information from other sources could expand our awareness of the world, but we have to be willing to look for it. My theme for the way ahead is to look around, not forward. If we had been looking around more, putting ourselves in other people's shoes, we might have been more aware. ... Those who want to find out will find out. There is no ultimate protection. As the tools become more powerful, one person can do more damage. The answer is to take more time to create a civil society. "