Xgrain Learning and Teaching Associates Workshop 1

Welcome and Introductions Welcome Housekeeping Introductions Timetable for the day

Timetable Welcome and Introductions The Xgrain Project The JOIN-UP Programme Coffee The RDN Subject Portals Project Cross-searching and L&T - a discussion Lunch Functionality - introduction Breakout groups Report from group Coffee Report from group Summary of findings from groups Final discussion and Q&A session Close

The Xgrain project Moira Massey, EDINA

Aim of Xgrain To enhance and promote the use and usability of specialist Abstracting and Indexing, and electronic Tables of Contents, services across the DNER in learning and teaching

Xgrain Project Objectives 1 & 2 To provide a broker for use by DNER portals and local institutions that will enable cross-searching between Z39.50-compliant abstracting and indexing, and tables of contents, services; To provide a cross-search portal to enable the end- user to carry out 'shallow' cross-searching specialist abstracting and indexing and electronic tables of contents services, with the option of linking to the native interfaces for 'in-depth' searching;

Xgrain Project Objectives 3 & 4 To work with 10 Learning and Teaching Associate Sites to undertake a user requirements analysis for the development of a cross-search portal that meets the needs of learning and teaching, and to promote its use in learning and teaching; To develop a cross-searching portal that meets the needs of learning and teaching, by providing contents-level descriptions of the services, and adding appropriate content for learning and teaching purposes.

Summary of X-grain Project led by EDINA Associate Partners: RDNC and BIDS Now part of JOIN-UP Programme January May 2003 Broker to carry out searching Cross-search portal Supplemented by learning and teaching materials Project supported by 10 Learning and Teaching Associates Project evaluator: Catherine Edwards, UNN Further information available at:

Xgrain broker Will offer portals within the DNER, especially Resource Discovery Network (RDN) portals and local institutions, the means to carry out co- ordinated searching across Z39.50 targets on diverse abstracting and indexing, and tables of contents, services; Developing this infrastructural component of the DNER as a central broker means that RDN portals and local sites are spared the work involved in each developing such facilities on an individual basis

Xgrain Cross-Search Portal To allow the end-user to conduct easy cross- searching across the specialist bibliographic services and Tables of Contents services, using a simple sub-set of fields and requiring a single Athens login; To allow the end-user to conduct in-depth searches in the native database interfaces; To allow the end-user to access non-Z compliant services, such as the Web of Science at MIMAS, using the http protocol.

Cross-searching and L&T Xgrain project will undertake user requirements analysis to enhance the cross-search portal for learning and teaching with the 10 L&T Associates; Xgrain proposal originally envisaged tutorial materials, case studies of use of databases and cross-searching in teaching, and links to related web resources; Need to base L&T materials on sound pedagogy and learning objectives, and DNER thinking since proposal written;  Learning units, rather than tutorials, compliant with IMS metadata; Exact nature of learning units, and concepts to be addressed, needs discussion by L&T Associates; Funding available in Xgrain grant to go out to community with call for proposals later this year.

Project Milestones (provisional) April 2001: L&T Associates Workshop 1 October 2001: Xgrain broker November/December 2001: call for proposals December 2001: Cross-search interface (prototype) January 2002: L&T Associates Workshop 2 March 2002: L&T materials development begins April/May 2002: Trials of cross-search interface June 2002: L&T Associates Workshop 3 September/October 2002: Trials of interface (2) November 2002: Cross-search interface released December 2002: L&T materials released January 2003: L&T Associates Workshop 4 May 2003: IMPEL evaluation report

Contacts Project Manager: –Sandy Shaw Xgrain L&T Co-ordinator: –Moira Massey Xgrain Business Development Co-ordinator: –Margarete Tubby Xgrain Software Engineers –Tim Stickland –Ben Soares Xgrain website: