Realizing the Vision of Networked Access to Library Resources
An Applied Research and Demonstration Project to
Establish and Operate a Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed

ABSTRACT
Interoperability between diverse information systems in the networked environment presents complex and at times confounding challenges. This project addresses these challenges by designing and demonstrating test methods and metrics to assess interoperability between systems using the ANSI/NISO Z39.50 standard. The Z39.50 interoperability testbed focuses on semantic interoperability between systems providing access to online library resources.
The goal for the project is:

Improve Z39.50 semantic interoperability among libraries for information access and resource sharing.

Recent studies evaluating Z39.50 implementations have found that the same searches done on different Z39.50 compliant systems can yield different results. The studies documented librarians' concern about the reliability of Z39.50 to provide effective search and retrieval across library catalogs. Improvements in interoperability between systems can substantially increase users especially librarians and other information professionals confidence that Z39.50 products provide reliable results when searching across multiple resources.

To address these concerns and the issues related to semantic interoperability, this project has the following objectives:

1. Develop and document a reliable interoperability testing methodology
2. Develop and establish an interoperability assessment model with valid metrics for assessing interoperability
3. Develop and operate an interoperability testbed
4. Produce a best practices guide and model for interoperability testbeds
5. Produce a best practices guide for configuring Z39.50 implementations to improve semantic interoperability.

There are currently no accepted testing methodologies, formal processes, and interoperability benchmarks by which customers and vendors can assess conformance or demonstrate effective interoperability between Z39.50 accessible systems. Applied research is needed to create, define, and demonstrate a Z39.50 interoperability testbed. The testbed will provide a vehicle for measuring the degree of interoperability that is achieved between a vendors implementation of Z39.50 clients and/or servers and the testbeds Z39.50 reference implementations.

The two primary foci of activities for the project are:

1. Producing a model for interoperability testbeds that can be used by other communities (e.g., museums)
2. Developing and demonstrating rigorous methodologies, test scenarios and procedures to measure and assess the extent of interoperability between Z39.50 implementations with the goal of improving interoperability.

Six major activities comprise this project:

1. Prepare Design for Testbed and Develop Detailed Project Management Plan
2. Establish Testbed
3. Validate the Testbed
4. Deploy Operational Testbed
5. Produce Best Practices Guides for 1) Achieving Interoperability and 2) Operating a Testbed
6. Dissemination.

Project results will assist the library community (as well as other information-based communities such as museums) to improve interoperability between information systems, leading to better information access and resource sharing. Best practices for achieving Z39.50 interoperability will help educate and identify strategies. Outcomes of the project include improvements in information retrieval system implementations and Z39.50 products. Interoperability testbeds for the networked environment are not well understood, and the best practices guide to interoperability testing will contribute a model for others to utilize in establishing testbeds for other protocols, resources, and applications.