-------- Original Message --------
Subject: _KBL(sm): A Registry of Library Knowledge Bases_
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2001 14:38:59 -0500
From: Gerry Mckiernan <GMCKIERN@gwgate.lib.iastate.edu>

              _KBL(sm): A Registry of Library Knowledge Bases_

     For a new registry, I am greatly interested in identifying
library-created or library  -related Knowledge Bases. A Knowledge Base /
Knowledgebase may be defined viewed as a database with a focus on
empirical or practical knowledge. In recent years, Knowledge bases have
become common components for many businesses and services. The
RealNetworks "RealSystem Knowledge Base"

                                    [ http://service.real.com/kb/  ]
is an excellent example of a technical support knowledge base.

     I am interested in library-created OR library-related Knowledge
Bases.

An excellent example of a library-created knowledge base is  "VID
Knowledge Base 2000-2001" for the Virtual Information Desk of the
Pennsylvania Inter-Library Online Library (PILOT)

                                  [ http://157.62.21.5/vid/vid-kb.asp ]
AND

The Collaborative Digital Library,  "a database of annotated resources
indexed by research group, title, url, keywords, and comments * that
serves as a virtual bookmark file for teams of researchers working
asynchronously and remotely on projects.

            [
http://www.kie.berkeley.edu/cool_library/library_home.html ]
            [
http://www.kie.berkeley.edu/cool_library/library_search.html ]

AND

Perhaps the most sophisticated Knowledge Base is that planned as part of
the OPAL Project, "an eighteen month research project which is exploring
the development of a fully automated online 24/7 reference service for
students." [BTW: OPAL = Online Personal Academic Librarian]

                            [ http://oulib1.open.ac.uk/wh/research/opal/
].

"The project team is currently developing and testing a prototype
automated reference system designed to answer common questions from OU
distance learners."

                          [
http://oulib1.open.ac.uk/wh/research/opal/intro.html ]
SEE ALSO:

"The OPAL Project: Developing An Automated Online Reference System For
Distance Learners" in the June 2001 issue of D-Lib Magazine.

                            [
http://www.dlib.org/dlib/june01/06inbrief.html ]

  Examples of library-related Knowledge Base could/would include:

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

    [ http://www.update-software.com/cochrane/product-cochrane.html ]

"Cochrane Reviews are full text articles reviewing the effects of
healthcare. The reviews are highly structured and systematic, with
evidence included or excluded on the basis of explicit quality criteria,
to minimise bias."

AND

The ÆGIS Clinical Trials Knowledgebase

                    [ http://www.aegis.com/pubs/trials/index.html ]

Perhaps the sophisticated Knowledge Base, I've discovered are those
offered by Proteome, which provides "a variety of products and services
to integrate the accumulated knowledge from the research literature with
genomic information and software tools to produce a powerful resource
for bioinformatic scientists and biologists of all disciplines."

                                  [  http://www.proteome.com/ ]

[The Proteome  knowledge bases are built upon the review, extraction,
and synthesis of information and data from peer-reviewed journals]
[WOW!]

   Over the coming weeks, I will be adding these and other Library
Knowledge Bases to a new Web-based registry titled:

                       KBL(sm): A Registry of Library Knowledge Bases
            [  http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/KBL.htm ]

 As Always, I Welcome Any and All contributions, queries, comments,
nominations, Cosmic Insights, Etc. Etc. Etc.  [I am NOT interested in
corporate Knowledge Bases per se]

Articles, reports, studies, school papers or projects regarding Library
Knowledge Bases are also of major interest for a planned General
Bibliography [I am NOT interested in literature about Knowledge Bases
per se]

Gerry McKiernan
The Basic, Knowledgeable Librarian
Iowa State Library
Ames IA 50011

gerrymck@iastate.edu