The UK Serials Group (UKSG) and the National Information Standards Organisation (NISO) have announced the first report by the KBART (Knowledge Bases And Related Tools) Working Group, a joint initiative that is exploring data problems within the OpenURL supply chain. The KBART Recommended Practice (NISO RP-9-2010) contains practical recommendations for the timely exchange of accurate metadata between content providers and knowledge base developers.
The KBART Recommended Practice, a report from Phase I of the KBART project, provides all parties in the information supply chain with straightforward guidance about the role of metadata within the OpenURL linking standard. The report recommends data formatting and exchange guidelines for publishers, aggregators, agents, technology vendors, and librarians to adhere to when exchanging information about their respective content holdings.
The KBART Working Group will shortly embark on the project's Phase II, which will build on the foundation phase to address more complex data issues, including different types of content, emerging business models, and customised licensing. The UKSG Committee and the NISO Discovery to Delivery Topic Committee are in the final stages of approval. Sarah Pearson, E-Resources & Serials Coordinator at the University of Birmingham, is taking on the role of UKSG co-chair for KBART’s Phase II.
KBART was set up following the 2007 publication of the UKSG research report ‘Link Resolvers and the Serials Supply Chain’. Central to the efficient operation of the OpenURL is the knowledge base, which consists of data supplied by content providers including publishers. The report found that a lack of awareness of the OpenURLs capabilities and requirements is impacting the quality and timeliness of data provided to populate knowledge bases, and thus undermining the potential of the sophisticated OpenURL technology.
UKSG partnered with NISO to commission the KBART Working Group to develop guidelines for best practice and provide educational materials. The core NISO/UKSG Working Group consists of representatives from libraries, knowledge base developers, publishers, intermediaries and other content providers, and is supported by a monitoring group of interested parties. Its Phase I report (KBART Recommended Practice (NISO RP-9-2010) and guidelines have been widely reviewed and tested by a wider group of information supply chain stakeholders.
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