<$BlogRSDUrl$> Marcus P. Zillman, M.S., A.M.H.A. Author/Speaker/Consultant
Marcus P. Zillman, M.S., A.M.H.A. Author/Speaker/Consultant
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Saturday, October 09, 2004  

From Portals to Portlets
http://www.cilip.org.uk/publications/updatemagazine/archive/archive2004/october/lorcan.htm

OCLC VP and Chief Strategist Lorcan Dempsey says the term "portal" is too vague to accurately describe the many variations available today through libraries and academic institutions. "A portal spectrum may include a simple collection of links, a database of resource description which can be customized to particular roles or individuals, a metasearch database federation service, or a complex orchestration of network applications within a consistent framework," says Dempsey. He highlights two recent initiatives that reflect the current trend toward metasearch or cross-searching. ARL's Scholars Portal Initiative will feature a "portlet" (a pluggable user interface component that accesses a specific function or service) that could be included on any Web page, such as a course-related or subject page, allowing the user to conduct a search on an existing Scholars Portal profile. The second initiative is a series of working groups established by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) that will address issues related to search and retrieve; collection/service description; and authentication/authorization. Dempsey says the two initiatives both emphasize the changing role of library portals. "We are used to thinking about the integration of information resources with each other. However, the real integration to be aimed for is the more effective integration of information resources into the research and learning workflows of the user." To extend library services beyond the traditional library portal into the user's "workflow," Dempsey notes that the growing popularity of "portlets" gives visitors easy access to specific library services and reflects a wider trend toward service recombination in multiple portals.

posted by Marcus Zillman | 4:00 AM
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