Improved access for end-users through the use of standards

Two recent international standards, the Search and Retrieve Protocol (ISO 29350) and the Interlibrary Loan Protocol (ISO 10160/1), and a recommendation for standardisation of electronic document delivery will have a great impact in the area of inter-library loan and document delivery. In combination, the three standards will allow end-users to search for items, find a location for the item, order it, and receive the item electronically, without the intervention of an intermediary. This paper gives a brief overview of the history and development of the three standards. The two protocols and the important role played by two implementation groups, the ZIG and the IPIG, are discussed. The electronic delivery recommendation was developed by an international group in the early 1990s and has recently been submitted as an international standard. The paper concludes with a description of one major project (UNIverse) that is looking at the integration of all aspects of searching and delivery using these standards.