Add a Z39.50 research function

enricinq
It would be nice to browse databases directly from Zotero using the z39.50 protocol just like some commercial software - if you see what I mean. Great Job : I love Zotero.
  • paolinobra
    I agree.
    A searching option in z39.50, as an importing using UNIMARC, would be important function for Zotero.
    I hope for an implementation.
  • adamsmith
    z39.50 implementation may happen (though I'm skeptical), but it would require a substantial addition to Zotero, since it's a search&retrieve standard and Zotero doesn't provide for direct querying of databases. In many ways, the whole point of integrating Zotero into a browser was to make going through z39.50 unnecessary. Instead of querying a library or pubmed or whatever through z39.50 you can just use the catalog and the URL bar importer.
    Having seen this at work in Endnote, I'm not sure I find the speed/efficiency gains very impressive and worth the significant time this would take to add (and Zotero would, if I understand that correctly, still need to add a specific filter for every database it wants to query via the standard).
  • ajlyon
    If I write a z39.50 translator, we could use it to essentially add any major library or database to the current lookup system, which only uses OpenSearch at present (and OpenSearch is not a major standard for the library world).
  • adamsmith
    right - but no search results, which I thought was what people really wanted. But talking about library standards
    Have you seen this?
    http://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/
  • ajlyon
    I have seen SRU. I think that z39.50 and SRU should both be explored as possible future translators... And then, presumably, we would build a plugin (later to be merged into the core) that let people send an arbitrary query to a number of enabled lookup services. I imagine this as something implemented on a chrome:// URL, like the CSL test pane or the translator test status screen.

    z39.50 gives us MARC21, which we are pretty good at reading already, and SRU gives plenty of interesting data formats too (http://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/resources/schemas.html).
  • bdarcus
    z39.50 implementation may happen (though I'm skeptical), but it would require a substantial addition to Zotero, since it's a search&retrieve standard and Zotero doesn't provide for direct querying of databases. In many ways, the whole point of integrating Zotero into a browser was to make going through z39.50 unnecessary.
    This.

    I don't see the point. And adding it would require new UI and backend code; not just translators.
  • ajlyon
    Having just recalled that Z39.50 isn't traditionally built on standard HTTP, I retract my statement that this could be done in translators alone. SRU might still be a valid target.

This is an old discussion that has not been active in a long time. Before commenting here, you should strongly consider starting a new discussion instead. If you think the content of this discussion is still relevant, you can link to it from your new discussion.

Sign In or Register to comment.