appendix2

[next chapter] [previous chapter] [contents]

CNI Coalition for Networked Information (USA)

Comprised by ARL, CAUSE and EDUCOM, the Coalition for Networked Information is an American group involved in several initiatives which aim to promote the creation of and access to information resources through the use of computer networks. Among the many projects in which the coalition is involved is the Federal Government Information Locator Service (GILS), which aims to improve access to and use of government information. The Coalition is responsible for the production of the CNI White Paper on Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval.

UKOLN (UK Office for Library and Information Networking)

UKOLN is a national centre for support in network information management in the library and information communities in the United Kingdom. UKOLN supports the UK library and information communities through research, network services and awareness raising in the area of network information management. It is funded by the Higher Education Funding Councils, through the Information Services Sub-Committee (ISSC) of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), and the British Library Research and Development Department (BLRDD).

CIIR Centre for Intelligent Information Retrieval (USA)

CIIR is an American organisation which develops software to support access to the ever increasing amounts of information stored in text databases in such areas as healthcare, business and government. The focus of this organisation is research and technology transfer in text based information systems.

DSTC Distributed Systems Technology Centre

The DSTC is a collaborative project comprised of a number of Australian organisations including University of Queensland, Digital Equipment Corporation and Griffith and Bond Universities. The focus of DSTC research is the creation of technology which can be utilised in the development of world wide information systems. Funded through an Australian government grant until 1999, the DSTC are supported through their successful bid for one of the projects in the Research Data Network Cooperative Research Centre.

CNIDR The Center for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval

The main purpose of Centre for Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval is to act as a support and promotion group for the use of information retrieval and discovery software for Internet users. CNIDR aims to support users of NIDR software such as WAIS, WWW, Gopher and Archie through the collection and distribution of relevant documentation, through the creation of protocols for NIDR software developers and through alerting the network community to NIDR applications. The CNIDR is presently involved in a number of projects involving the indexing and access to patents in the United States.

Research Libraries Group (USA)

The Research Libraries Group is an American, non profit organisation which acts as a means through which organisations can collaborate, cooperate and integrate services in order to improve access to global scholarly information. Working both in collaboration with other organisations and alone, the RLG is involved in various projects involving the development of software covering delivery, access, preservation and digitisation techniques for the purpose of integration into the other systems.

CAUSE (Association for managing and using information resources in higher education, USA)

CAUSE is an American group whose focus is higher education and the use of information resources in this area. CAUSE is involved in various activities which support this which include acting as a clearinghouse on issues related to campus information services, providing training courses, and the provision of a number of information services including inhouse databases and Internet resources from higher education institutions. CAUSE also works in collaboration with the ARL and Educom on the Coalition for Networked Information which aims to support the networked information environment in several ways.

CNRI Corporation for National Research Initiatives

The research focus of CNRI is networked based information technology. It is an American non profit organisation which works with industry, academia and government to create a national infrastructure which will enable the nation to maximise the benefits which can be gained from Internet technology and applications. CNRI is working in collaboration with the NSF and ARPA on a national digital library initiative.

NBBI Project Bureau for Information Management in the Netherlands

The focus of NBBI is information and project management. The organisation offers its clients research, advice and information and training in the area of information provision. The organisation is not focused particularly on technological development, its focus lies first in developments in information provision and then how it relates to technological development.

NISS National Information Services and Systems (UK)

National Information Services and systems acts as a medium through which the UK education and research communities may link to a range of services on the Internet and other networks. NISS maintains the EBSCO periodical service (available to subscribers), it provides a WAIS searching service, a gopher service and a bulletin board. NISS research has focused on developing an infrastructure supporting cataloging, which complements the BUBL system. The NISS Resource Descriptions Database provides a descriptive record of everything on the NISS information gateway.

OCLC Online Computer Library Centre (USA)

OCLC is an American, non profit computer library service and research organisation, whose aim is to further information access by the improvement of the availability of library services. Current initiatives include involvement in the world’s largest bibliographic database, online reference, journal, cataloguing and ILL services.

JISC Joint Information Systems Committee (UK)

The main aim of the JISC collaboration is to support the UK higher education and research council communities through the provision of a high quality national network infrastructure. JISC is funded by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

PICA Dutch Centre for Library Automation

PICA is a non profit dutch organisation whose objective is to encourage the participation between dutch academic and public libraries in an effort to improve information supply and access between these institutions. An infrastructure has been developed which offers an online information system containing title information for a large number of monographs, periodicals and journals. Internationally, PICA is involved with a number of organisations who also have access to this infrastructure.

IETF Internet Engineering Task Force

The IETF is comprised of an international group of people who collaborate to help contribute to the smooth operation of the Internet. Providing a forum for exchange of ideas/information between any interested party, it is open to anyone who wishes to join. IETF is responsible for the development of new Internet standard specifications.

CITRI Collaborative Information Technology Research Institute (AUST)

CITRI is an Australian university based research institute concerned with information and communication technologies. Comprised of several research groups in this area, CITRI aims to provide application development, strategic research, consultancy and training courses to assist industry partners in this area. Host institutions are RMIT and University of Melbourne.

IFLA International Federation of Library Associations (USA)

IFLA is a world wide federation comprised of a large number of global associations and bodies founded in 1927. It acts as a forum for libraries to exchange ideas, and promotes collaborative research and development in the area of library and information management.