TOWARDS DISTRIBUTED LIBRARY SYSTEMS - Z39.50 IN A EUROPEAN CONTEXT

Z39.50 is an information retrieval protocol. It has generated much int erest but is so far little deployed in UK systems and services. This a rticle gives a functional overview of the protocol itself and the stan dards background, describes some European initiatives which make use o f it, and outlines various issues to do with its future use and accept ance. It is argued that Z39.50 is a crucial building block of future d istributed information systems but that it needs to be considered alon gside other protocols and services to provide useful applications.