RARE Information Services and User Support Working Group (ISUS) =============================================================== RARE is the European Association of Research Networks. RARE has set up several Working Groups to undertake the RARE Technical Programme. The Information Services and User Support Working Group (ISUS WG) is a broad based open group of volunteers with membership consisting of user support staff, library staff, subject based support staff, information providers and applications and protocol developers in the area of networked information retrieval. ISUS WG Remit ============= The ISUS WG has a broad remit which is broken down into several sub-areas: Network User Support Asynchronous Group Communication Networked Information Retrieval and Services Liaison Mailing List ============ Discussion items should be sent to: WG-ISUS@rare.nl This list is open for self-subscription. To subscribe send a message to: mailserver@rare.nl with the text subscribe wg-isus firstname lastname (replacing "firstname" "lastname" with your own name) for example: subscribe wg-isus Jill Foster ISUS Workplan ============= The ISUS Workplan may be retrieved from the UK Mailbase Server. To retrieve it send an email message to: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk with the following command in the text of the message: send wg-isus isus.workplan The additional command: index wg-isus will return you a list of the documents stored for this Working Group. Files are also available via anonymous ftp to: mailbase.ac.uk and are in the directory: /pub/wg-isus They are also available via gopher at mailbase.ac.uk Task Forces =========== WG-ISUS Task Forces are being set up to cover the main tasks outlined in the Workplan. The following task forces are in operation. TF: User Documentation Coordinator: Bert.Stals@surfnet.nl Good progress has been made on producing some very short guides to the various network services. This group is very aware of the IETF efforts in this area and is trying to avoid duplication of effort. The group is also working with the EARN Documentation group to provide input to the EARN "Guide to network resource tools" which is currently being updated. There will be a report on progress to the IETF Userdoc WG in Amsterdam. TF: Document Delivery Coordinator: Maria.Heijne@surfnet.nl Surfnet have carried out a survey on Document Delivery Projects (world wide). This report has just been updated and will be submitted as a RARE Technical Report. It is available via anonymous ftp from: ftp.nic.surfnet.nl file: surfnet/projects/docdel/studyreport-02.en.txt TF: Networked Information Retrieval Coordinator: Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk Ton.Verschuren@surfnet.nl This is a joint RARE/IETF/CNI (Coalition for Networked Information) WG. It has produced a status report on Networked Information Retrieval Tools and Groups. This is currently being updated. The next stage is to do some evaluation of the various tools. The evaluation criteria are being drawn up. The status report is available via anonymous ftp from: mailbase.ac.uk file: /pub/nir/nir.status.report (Version 4.0 is almost ready) TF: Coordination of Networked Information Retrieval Services Coordinator: Anders Gillner, AWG@sunet.se Ton Verschuren Work and discussion has been concentrated on the eurogopher mailing list. See the Subject Tree on the gopher server on sunic.sunet.se for some of the results of this group. TF: UNITE "Total Solution" User Interface Coordinator: G.Munroe@qub.ac.uk UNITE - User Network Interface to Everything! There has been discussion of the requirements on the unite list and a proposal to do a survey of "total solution" user interfaces to the variety networked services and to evaluate some of these. The evaluation criteria are being discussed. An informal survey of "what people have on their desktop" has been conducted. The unite mailing list file store has a good collection of related documents. George Munroe also produces a monthly summary of the main discussion points as well as a monthly news file. TF: RARE Technical Report 1 Coordinator: Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk This is a status report on Information Services and User Support in Europe. It is was updated and reprinted in May. The next update will be in September/October. It is available via anonymous ftp from: mailbase.ac.uk file: /pub/wg-isus/rtr1 TF: Training, Publicity and Awareness Coordinator: Jill.Foster@newcastle.ac.uk This is a joint RARE/IETF WG. Its first role is to collect information on existing training materials using a "TopNode" style template. It will build on the work done by the UK NISP/ITTI Network training materials project - in the first instance. The data elements and subject headings for the template are being discussed. The collection together of Subject resource guides is a task of this group. TF: Support for Special Interest Communities Coordinator: D.W.Hartland@newcastle.ac.uk The COSINE Project P3 (support activities for international user groups), proposed by the forerunner of the ISUS WG, has just finished. This group needs to look at ways of continuing support for these pilot groups and for other special subject groups. A document on "building electronic communities" is being put together. TF: Automatic Mail Based Servers: User Requirements Coordinator: Paul Klarenberg Klarenberg@netconsult.ch This is a joint task force between RARE ISUS and RARE MSG (Mail and Messaging). Some proposals for work in this area and a charter are in preparation. TF: Multi Media Information Services Coordinator: C.J.Adie@ed.ac.uk This is a joint task force between RARE ISUS and RARE IMM (Interactive Multi Media). Some proposals for work in this area are in preparation. A draft report on network access to multi-media data has been produced and is available via anonymous ftp from: ftp.ed.ac.uk directory: /pub/mmaccess filenames: report.ps report.txt Task Force Mailing lists ------------------------ Most Task Forces will start discussions on the main ISUS mailing list and then move this discussion off on to a separate list as appropriate - giving regular update reports to the main list. Documentation TF ---------------- rare-userdoc@mailbase.ac.uk to join a Mailbase list send to mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk the command: subscribe listname your_firstname your_lastname Note: this must be two words only so if your name is Marc van der Noordaa send the command subscribe rare-userdoc Marc van-der-Noordaa Files associated with each list may be retrieved using mail, gopher or anonymous ftp: anonymous ftp to: mailbase.ac.uk file: /pub/<listname>/<filename> Total solution user interface task force ---------------------------------------- unite@mailbase.ac.uk Networked Information Retrieval TF: ---------------------------------- nir@mailbase.ac.uk Multi Media Information Services TF: ----------------------------------- mmis@mailbase.ac.uk Mail Based Servers: User Requirements TF: ---------------------------------------- mbs-user-req@mailbase.ac.uk ISUS WG Electronic Meetings =========================== The third meeting of the ISUS WG took place electronically at the start of March by electronic mail. A fourth such meeting is scheduled for September/October. Face to Face Meetings ===================== In order to minimise travelling expenses of WG members, RARE WGs are meeting around the two European conferences: JENC: Joint European Network Conference in the spring - this concentrates on the more technical side of RARE's work NSC: The Network Services Conference in the Autumn - this concentrates on Network Applications and User Services (although there is still much overlap between the two programmes) In Warsaw (October), ISUS WG will be meeting on Monday (all day) and Thursday afternoon. The agenda will be drawn up nearer the time. This year the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is holding its meetings in Amsterdam in July. This will be its first meeting in Europe. RARE WGs will meet there too. Final Word ========== This is an open group of volunteers. Anyone who is prepared to provide constructive comment or effort in this area - or who simply wishes to "listen and learn" is very welcome. If we each provide a small amount of effort in a coordinated way - we can achieve much for our users and ourselves. Jill Foster - Chair: RARE ISUS WG