[Ricky, David Bearman suggested I post your reply and mine here on Hypernews since many others might have the same question.. Michael Robertson, RIT]

Ricky_Erway@notes.rlg.org wrote: While we do offer z39.50 access to our bibliographic databases, we are not planning z39.50 access for the AMICO Library during the testbed year. We have mapped the AMICO data dictionary to MARC, but expect that retrieval and display requirements will be significantly different than those for BIB1. We anticipate implementing the CIMI profile at RLG, but not in the immediate future. The CIMI profile will likely come closer to meeting the needs of AMICO Library users.

Tell us more about your research and needs; perhaps there's another way to skin the cat....

Ricky,

What we need to be able to do is access the descriptive cataloging data in MARC format from a Z39.50 server whether it's through RLIN and/or RIT's Innovative Interfaces Z39.50 server (ideally both). The MARC descriptive catalog records needs to have 856 tags with the url to AMICO objects and object metadata.

We're working with anthropologists and computer scientists from Xerox's Work Practices and Co-development group to co-design a Z39.50/Web image client prototype that can retrieve images and descriptive data from a MARC record on a Z39.50 server. The client prototype will retrieve images from 856 tags on the MARC record and display them from a Web browser.

So, at the very least, we're interested in downloading all 20,000 AMICO MARC descriptive catalog records in our library catalog so they're available from our Innovative Z39.50 server. The MARC records, at the very least, must have an 856 tag with a url to each image resolution.

Will we be able to FTP (or through some mechanism...even MARC tapes) all 20,000 MARC descriptive catalog records?

In addition, it would be great to test accessing those same records from RLIN's Z39.50 server so we can compare access through Innovative's Z39.50 server. I'd also be curious to see if we could display all of the object metadata records as well from RLIN's Z39.50 server in addition to the object (usually an image?) itself.

Also, can I see some sample RLIN MARC records of the descriptive catalog data now or is it too early?

Appreciate your help and flexibility on this, Michael Robertson, RIT