A Comparison of Web Resource Access Experiments: Planning for the New Millennium.

This paper reports on research that compared five leading experiments that aim to improve access to the growing number of information resources on the World Wide Web. The objective was to identify characteristics of success and considerations for improvement in experiments providing access to Web resources via bibliographic control methods. The experiments examined included: OCLC's CORC (Cooperative Online Resource Catalog) project; UKOLN's (United Kingdom Office for Library and Information Networking) BIBLINK (Linking Publishers and National Bibliographic Services), ROADS (Resource Organization and Discovery in Subject-based Services) and DESIRE (Development of a European Service for Information on Research and Education) projects; and the NORDIC Metadata project. The research used a multi-case study methodology and a framework comprised of five evaluation criteria, i.e., organizational structure, reception, duration, application of computing technology, and use of human resources. The paper defines the Web resource access experimentation environment, reviews the study's research methodology, and highlights key findings. The paper concludes that initiating a strategic plan and inviting conference participants to contribute their ideas and expertise to an effort will improve experimental initiatives that ultimately aim to improve access to Web resources in the new millennium. (MES)