Web Editorial: Goodbyeee

This is my last issue as editor of the Web version of Ariadne. In a few weeks time, I will leaving the fluffy bunch of people collectively known as “UKOLN” [1], to join the equally fluffy bunch of people known as the “ILRT” [2]. Just time for a quick look at what is in this issue, and then some thanks to various people who have been useful/groovy/fluffy to Ariadne over the last ooooh, two years or so, now.

Issue 10 in particular

In this particular issue, the topic of metadata looms heavy, with several articles making direct or indirect reference to said subject area [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] - not always in a positive sense. This is a crucial summer for the Dublin Core posse - the Core has been around for a while, now, but for it to be useful and effective, a fair body of quality resources on the Internet need to incorporate it. With a critical mass of Core-d resources, it will be possible in the short term to experiment with more accurate indexing of Web-based resources, while in the longer term, search engines and subject gateways could well incorporate it into their indexing systems. The more quality resources that embed the Core, the greater the chances of this happening. It’s up to you… (but Andy’s got a few tips to share to help you on your way [8]).

Also in this issue, Cultural Change, rears its many-faced head, both in the frank and revealing report [9] on how eLib hasn’t quite (so far) been the catalyst for cultural change that many people were hoping for, and in the wry Cybercollege article [10], where you can test whether your insitution has embraced Cultural Change and IT to full effect. On the eLib front, it isn’t all doom and gloom - Netskills reports some impressive results to date, for example [11], while ACORN reveal how their deliverable will work [12].

The section on resources for librarians (though also embracing all academics) consists of articles from major single-site Web-based resources. So we have NISS [13] and BUBL [14], who form with the ANR services such as SOSIG, OMNI, ADAM and EEVL, a sort of “love triangle” of gateways through which academic librarians can discover quality on-line resources. Speaking of SOSIG, Tracey Hooper reveals the new interface [15] to the premier on-line gateway to Social Science resources, while back in the resources section, the Berkeley Digital Library [16] is an interesting support resource that people involved in building “bits” of the Digital Library should check out.

Other topics of interest to those building the Digital Library include the trials of an Electronic Document Delivery system in an academic library [17], while another article of direct interest to academic librarians and digital library researchers speaks of the implementation of electronic journal systems in libraries [18].

Amidst the many other articles in this issue, the caption competition returns! We were fortunate for someone with a camera to be in the same lobster restaurant as the JISC Head of programmes, Norman Wiseman [19] - have a go, and see if you can win a prize!

And the future

The future. As subscribers to lis-elib will know, Ariadne was offered funding for another year, and decided to take the money and run, for another six issues (minimum). Therefore, every two months until at least July 1998, issues will be appearing on the Web, and in print form. Haven’t seen the print version of Ariadne? Well, if you work in a UK University library, computer centre or learning resource centre, you should have, as several copies of Ariadne are posted to your unit. Ask your librarian/director/cyber-resource facilitator (yuk!) where the copies go to - if this question elicits blank looks, email the folks at ariadne@tay.ac.uk, who will tell you who is hoarding the print copies of Ariadne in your institution.

Issue 11 and onwards of Ariadne on the Web, as well as lot of other things such as the eLib Web pages until someone replaces moi, is handed over to Isobel, UKOLN’s Web Officer (good luck, and beware of thinly disguised adverts for CD-ROMs, masquerading as articles)(you know who you are out there - give it a rest). Suggestions for (proper) articles, comments, thoughts, electronic cash should be sent to: ariadne@ukoln.ac.uk from now on. Similarly, emails about things elib should not go to my email address, but should go to: elib@ukoln.ac.uk (we’re too sensible here to go in for all this silly “capital letters in the middle of words” business).

And thanks

A lot of people have been involved in Ariadne in some way or other; nearly three hundred different people have directly written for us. As well as the aforementioned legions of scribes, Ariadne has had the backing of an excellent and virile editorial board, who have provided much comment and support; so long, petals, and drop into Bristol for the party. In addition, all of UKOLN have participated (sometimes even willingly :-) in some part of Ariadne production, be it writing for Ariadne, snaring authors, administration tasks, keeping out of my way during markup/issue-build week, and so forth. Ariadne stands or gently topples over by its content; the advantages of producing it in an organisation which is in (or maybe, just “is”) the eye of the hurricane of Library and Networking development (Peter: now you know what the logo means!) have been obvious and crucial in obtaining, or providing the means of obtaining, this content.

To use the old cliche, there are simply “too many people to thank”. So cheers to you all; a very special “ta very much” for various things goes to Emma and Catherine from the ILRT, Sarah (Netlinks), Sue (OMNI), the entire Netskills team (well-excellent people), Beckie and Tony (ADAM), Clare “will the last person to leave the IIELR in Milton Keynes please turn off all the lights? Oh shit, it’s me…” Davies, Jon and Martin (ANR would be up the creek without an IAFA template without you), Nicola (fluffy JILT workaholic), Emma (FIDDO) and Fiona from our own library here at Bath.

JISC and the BL have been equally groovy, supportive and useful to Ariadne over the 2 or so years; notable people who well deserve thanks are Dave Cook, Lynne Brindley, Norman Wiseman, Alice Colban, Chris Rusbridge, Kelly Russell and Graham Jefcoate. Finally, but certainly not least, we have the “gang of more or less six or so” who work on Ariadne (all of us part-time), so cheers to Lorcan, John, Isobel, Terry, and (most especially) Alison Kilgour (huge thanks and a slice of Dundee cake there - you’ve done a magnificent job).

Finally, as an afterthought, I’d like to thank the stranger at last years boomerang championships who showed me how to improvise a working boomerang out of a print copy of Ariadne. If you ever read this, it still works, and I did eventually get one made out of an eLib poster to fly - the aptly named “Cultural Change” took off in the end…

References

[1] UKOLN Staff Index,
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/groups/ukoln/staff/

[2] ILRT Staff Index,
http://www.ilrt.bris.ac.uk/about/staff/index.html

[3] Interview with Clifford Lynch,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/clifford/

[4] Dublin Core Management,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/dublin/

[5] Search Engine Corner - Keyword Spamming: cheat your way to the top,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/search-engines/

[6] Minotaur: Gordon Dunsire - Metadata: to be, or not to be (catalogued),
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/metadata/

[7] Metadata Corner - Working Meeting on Electronic Records Research,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/metadata/

[8] Dublin Core Management,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/dublin/

[9] eLib: Changing the Lightbulb - er, the Culture,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/cultural/

[10] Cybercollege Scorecard - How does your University score?,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/cybercollege/

[11] Netskills - Network Skills for the UK Higher Education Community,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/netskills/

[12] The technical implementation of project ACORN,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/acorn/

[13] NISS: What it is and what we do,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/niss/

[14] BUBL: What it is and what we do,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/bubl/

[15] Planet SOSIG - the new SOSIG interface,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/planet-sosig/

[16] A Digital Library Showcase and Support Service - the Berkeley Digital Library SunSITE,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/sunsite/

[17] Electronic Document Delivery: A trial in an academic library,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/edd/

[18] Electronic Journals - problem or panacea?,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/journals/

[19] Caption Competition - starring the JISC head of programmes,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue10/caption/

Author Details