This article was downloaded by: [Central Michigan University]On: 05 November 2014, At: 08:49Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number:1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 MortimerStreet, London W1T 3JH, UK

The Serials Librarian:From the Printed Pageto the Digital AgePublication details, including instructionsfor authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wser20

The Internet, Client-Server Computing,and the Revolution inElectronic PublishingDavid F.W. Robison a & Birdie MacLennanb

a Workshop Leaderb Serials Coordinator, University ofVermont, Burlington, VTPublished online: 22 Oct 2010.

To cite this article: David F.W. Robison & Birdie MacLennan (1995) TheInternet, Client-Server Computing, and the Revolution in ElectronicPublishing, The Serials Librarian: From the Printed Page to the Digital Age,25:3-4, 11-16, DOI: 10.1300/J123v25n03_03

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J123v25n03_03

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The Internet, Client-Server Computing, and the Revolution

in Electronic Publishing

David F.W. Robison

Workshop Leader

Birdie MacLennan

Recorder

SUMMARY. With the broad-based implementation of client-server computing on the Intemet that we see today, a number of applica- lions are appearing and becoming very popular among network users. Most notable among these applications ate Mosaic/World Wide Web (WWW) and gopher. These applications make electronic publishing easier for both publisher and reader. Publishers have begun to take advantage of this new environment, and readers and libraries are not far behind.

The client-server computing model is the basis of most of the major Internet activities, including electronic mail (e-mail), telnet, file transfer protocol (RP), gopher, Wide Area Information Server (WAIS), World Wide Web (WWW), and other applications. Through client-server technology, new paradigms in electronic publishing

Birdie MacLennan is Serials Coordinator at the University of Vermont, Bur- rigton, VT.

[Hawath c&ndcxing entry a]: "The lmcmet. mi&-Sews Computing, d Ulc Rcvohnim in Elccuonic Publisbg." M~~LCIUUUL Bii ic . CopubI'ihed simullsneously in The Sends L i b r a r i ~ (Thc HawonhRear, lnc.) Vol. 25, No. 314,1995, pp. 11-16, and: A Kaleidoscope oJChoiccs: Reslurping Roles and Opporwniriu for Seriolisrs (cd: Be* Hdlcy snd Mary l\m Shcblc) The Hswonh R a s . Ine., 1995. pp. 11-16. Muhiplc copics of this aniclekhaptcr may bc puchared from Thc Hawonh Docurnun D c l i v y Center [I-8003-HAWORTH: 9:00 am. - 5:00 p.m. (EST)].

O 1995 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. I 1

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12 A KALEIDOSCOPE OF CHOICES

and dissemination of scholarly information are emerging. In this presentation, David F. W. Robiion, educational documentation spe- cialist at NorthWestNet, offered an overview of the client-server computing environment and focused on some of the major applica- tions for its use in electronic publishing. New models in publishing were discussed, as well as possible future scenarios in publishing and the implications for libraries.

In the client-server model, computing activities are divided between the client and the server, and separated between a local and a distant location. The client typically resides on a local computer. "Local" could be a local host, such as a Unix machine, or, increas- ingly, clients may reside on a desktop computer. The server resides at a remote location. It could be across the city, across the country, or around the globe. Information requests are sent from a client, using special software from a local computer, to an information server at a remote location. The server receives the request, pro- cesses it, and responds by sending the answer back to the client.

Examples of client-sewer applications in electronic publishing include: e-mail, gopher, and WWW. In the e-mail model, electronic publications are sent to an e-mail server (i.e., an e-mail account on computer host) and e-mail software acts as a client in remeving individual publications as they are distributed to an account. In the gopher model, local gopher client software (e.g., Turbo Gopher for Macintosh, WmGopher for PC's, or Unix Gopher through a termi- nal connection) is used to connect to a distant server to read or remeve information from that site. In the WWW model, Mosaic is probably the most popular client for retrieving multi-media materi- als (e.g., text, graphics, sound, motion pictures, etc.) from Web servers, although other clients are available, such as Cello or Lynx. Local sites that cannot support a high-speed network connection may use Lynx clients to access text-only information from Web servers.

Advantages of client-server computing include greater flexibility in that many different clients can connect to a single remote server. It also allows for the mix or specialization of several diierent interfaces or search and retrieval protocols, whereby users may connect to a single source or site and link to other sources or sites using the same interface to retrieve information. For example, users

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General Session 13

can connect to the University of California's Melvyl system and from there, connect'to other catalogs using a 239.50 interface, which allows users to continue searching catalogs at remote sites using Melvyl's search protocols.

Disadvantages include the need to have more powerful comput- ing resources to support client capabilities (i.e., preferably at least eight megabytes of memory and more hard disk space to accommo- date larger frles). Higher speed connections to the Internet are also necessary to use client-server applications to their fullest potential. Desktop configurations are becoming increasingly more complex to set-up and maintain.

Several client-server models of electronic publishing, using gopher and WWW applications were discussed. Gopher applications included: The Federal Register, NerCetera, and Elemnic Newsstand " . WWW applications included: Global Network Navigator, Palo Alto Wee& 3W-Global Network News, and Wired magazine.

The Federal Register is a U.S. government publication that is being made available on the Internet, with some value-added fea- tures, by Counterpoint Publishing. Interested persons may preview portions of this gopher service for free., however, access to full-text information and/or the full range of services is fee-based.

NetCetera is a weekly newsletter from NorthWestNet, which is mounted on the NorthWestNet gopher as well as distributed to NorthWestNet members. With the gopher version, not only are net- worked resources described, but the gopher menu structure also allows for direct link(s) to the original source. In this way, users are able to pick and choose from NorthWestNet's gopher menus to go directlyto remote sources and services that are cited in the newslet- ter, and NorthWestNet is able to create a kind of interactive newslet- ter environment for their members.

The Electronic Newsstand" is a service of the Internet Com- pany, a commercial fm that works with magazine publishers to make portions of the publishers' magazines available on a gopher server, including an informational file about the publication, a tabb of contents, and one or two complete articles from each current issue. Similar information is also available for back issues. While users are able to browse selected editorial content, they also get information on how to order a subscription to the magazine. Thus,

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the Electronic Newsstand" serves as both a browsing tool for users and a promotional tool for publishers, as the primary purpose of the service is to sell subscriptions.

Global Network Navigator (GNN) is a WWW application and one of its more popular services is a regularly updated Web edition of the "catalog" or list of network resources from Ed Krol's book, The Whole Internet Guide and Catalog. GNN also offers "meta- centers," where users can find information on travelling, busi- nesses, etc., and a "marketplace" where commercial organizations who support GNN services place advertisements.

The Palo Alto Weekly is a free, full-text weekly newspaper from Palo Alto, California. Its Web server includes articles of local inter- est, classifieds, and information about the businesses in Palo Alto. It is a community-oriented newspaper with a commercial slant.

The 3W-Global Network News is a magazine published in Eng- land specifically about the WWW. Information. about the journal, including selected articles, graphics and information files, can be found on their Web server. The full-text of the issues is only avail- able through a paid subscription.

The Wired magazine Web server, which recently received an award for best-designed Web site, includes information about the current issue and the full-text of most of the back issues. However, the full-text does not include all the graphics for which Wired has become famous or infamous. The Web site also includes some adjunct information about the journal. The readers of both the elec- tronic and printed versions will find some articles on the Web server before the issue reaches print, particularly politically oriented articles about cyberspace, where Wired editors wish to get readers' response or reaction on articles or issues that are considered impor- tant or timely.

Robison presented three models, or "classifications" of elec- tronic publishing that are prevalent at this time: (1) full-text pub- lishing, which includes the full-text of an entire article or issue of a journal and also might include graphics; (2) "teasers," where pub- lishers make selected examples of content-oriented information andlor services available in hope that users will be enticed into paying for the full range of services that are offered; and (3) catalogs,

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General Session 15

which are full-text versions of publishers' catalogs and provide descriptive information about publishers and the titles they offer.

In terms of publication itself, new pricing structures are emerg- ing. Traditionally, libraries have paid for books or serials as a one- time payment, or as an annual subscription. In pricing structures for licensed databases, users pay annual fees and often have nothing to show for their fee at the end of the year. In some software Licensing agreements, users might pay a set fee to purchase a one-time "mono- graphic" version, or they might have the option to pay an additional fee if the monograph will be upgradable.

Where "continuously updated" monographs are involved, the lines may become blurred between monographs and serials, particu- larly if the publisher promises that every month an additional chap- ter or a new version will be issued. This is not so different from traditional print looseleaf bider materials. The electronic versions, however, may be more efficient because no one will have to go the shelves to file pages into binders. Instead, updates may be received by e-mail and their receipts may be recorded with a check-in system not unsimilar to check-in systems that are currently in use for printed materials. However, since group authoring is becoming a more common method for individual authors to publish an article on the network and to invite comments and/or revisions to the original work (perhaps for the next issue of the journal, or for a new version of the monograph) librarians will have to be ready to change and adapt. As Robison noted, "This stuff could be really crazy to try to keep txack of." Rather than being overwhelmed by these new technologies and publishing models, Robison encour- aged the audience to look at the current environment as something new and exciting, and as a positive way to think about doing schol- arship.

Some concerns associated with electronic publishing were noted, including unresolved copyright issues, myriad pricing srmcms, and methods for publishers to collect payments for the information they are providig. There is also some concern about how to pre- serve the integrity and/or uniqueness of electronic documents since electronic information is easy to reproduce, edit, modify, or forge. Librarians need to be involved in discussing and influencing these issues because they have a role in helping people find information

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16 A KALEIDOSCOPE OF CHOICES

and in determining whether or not the information that is retrieved is reliable andlor of good quality.

In the future we can expect to see more electronic publications, publishing services, and publishing consultants. ~ecause of the abundance of free and/or affordable commercial services offered on the networks, users may choose to bypass libraries to pay for view- ing or faxing information that is readily available without the ser- vices of a library or librarian. Again, librarians need to maintain a visible presence and be involved in the action as archivers and serv- ers of electronic publications, or as part of the new publishing mod- els by collaborating with university presses, or by becoming their own publishers. Libraries can also be "virtual assistants" in that the library's choices for information can be made available to others through programs, including gophers, web servers, and other pro- grams that locate specific information. In closing, Robison noted that he had no doubt that libraries and librarians can and will accommo- date shifts and changes in new technologies and publishing.

This presentation contained citations to several networked sources, and included many slides and overhead examples of sources on the network. Names and electronic addresses, or Uni- form Resource Locators (URLs) to the sources cited were presented to preconference participants as a handout, "Publishers and Pub- lishing Efforts on the Intemet." Members of the audience were encouraged to try out various addresses/sources at the Internet room, which was available to NASIG delegates throughout much of the weekend, for "hands-on" Intemet access.

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