[OAI-implementers] Launch of OAIster Project

[Kat Hagedorn]

Everyone,

We at the Digital Library Production Service of the University of 
Michigan Libraries are pleased to announce the recent launch of the 
OAIster project. You can access our project site at 
http://oaister.umdl.umich.edu/.

The OAIster project is one of the Metadata Harvesting Initiative Mellon 
Foundation grants awarded to 7 institutions in July 2001. We are 
collaborating with UIUC, one of these institutions, to develop a search 
service using the harvester that they are building.

Our goal is to create a wide-ranging repository of free, useful, 
previously difficult-to-access digital resources irrespective of subject 
area or format that is easily searchable by anyone. The novelty of this 
service is multi-fold:

• Our service will reveal digital resources previously "hidden" from 
users behind web scripts, using the OAI metadata harvesting protocol.

• There won't be any dead ends. Users will not be retrieving merely 
information (metadata) about resources -- they will have access to the 
real things.

• The service will provide one-stop "shopping" for users interested in 
useful digital resources.

• Digital resources will be easily findable and viewable through our 
service. The middleware DLPS uses to index these resources makes this 
possible (http://www.dlxs.org/aboutdlxs.html).

At the same time, we are launching a survey, designed to reveal how 
people use digital resources and what features would interest them in 
the OAIster service. The survey can be taken at 
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=1429194588. Please do take the 
survey, and forward it to anyone you know who uses or is interested in 
using digital resources.

If you have any questions about our service, please don't hesitate to 
contact me.

Thanks,
Kat

-------------------
Kat Hagedorn
OAIster Librarian
Digital Library Production Service
University of Michigan
khage@umich.edu
734-647-8000 (not a direct line)