ALEG

What I've done

• After hardware hand-wringing (on my behalf), more meetings with Fran, Willma and Marie-Louise. We've decided to buy 2 x 9GB drives for the Library's Sun 450, install our database and software on them and see how it goes, with a view to purchasing separate hardware later in the year

• After further investigating the AUSTLIT dump-for-CD and talking to Fran about options for unambiguously identifying titles and authors, Fran is going to modify the dump program to include the AUSTLIT unique identifiers (and attempt some miracle-work on identifying reviews about multiple works!)

• Produced a short introduction to our chosen design and a summary of issues regarding storing and representing dates. The latter document needs revision following feedback.

• Written some little programs (finally!) which read and analyse the AUSTLIT dump-for-CD file and the BAL and LAW database dumps provided by Kerry. These are helping me to understand the issues we face with data conversion and record merging.

• Spent a few hours with Wilgha, Megan and Marie-Louise looking at their EAD setup and tweaking some scripts and stylesheets.

• Met with Andrew Wells, NLA regarding Kinetica (along with Marie-Louise and Annette). This was a very positive meeting, as we now believe Kinetica is the most suitable source for holdings material for both technical and business reasons.

• Met with the NLA (as ALEG Partners) to discuss the design. This was also a very positive meeting, although we have a lot of feedback to assess. Judith Pearce will probably held us do that. Also, it is possible (not promised) that the NLA will be able to help with the Z39.50 implementation aspects.

• Drafted a physical database design. The major entities and relationships have been designed - more work is needed completing the peripheral database table design and testing it against typical data access scenarios.

• Feedback from partners on all the doco Marie-Louise has sent to them.

• Document how ALEG will handle some tricky cases - The "Poets of the Month" works from the mid 1970's and "Down the Lake with Half a Chook". These are amongst the most "difficult" cases Tessa and Kathy can come up with, so if we think the proposed data model can handle these, we'll be happy!

• More testing of the physical database design

• Use the analysis to date of the AUSTLIT and BAL/LAW data to devise data loading and merging strategies.

• Hardware related tasks have been delayed, and hence setting up the base software probably won't now happen for 2 weeks. Consequently, things dependent on that (such as defining a test database and loading it with data) are now delayed. But, there is plenty to do in terms of analysing the physical database design with a pencil and paper, and working out strategies for loading and merging the AUSTLIT and BAL/LAW data, which promise to raise some challenging issues.