Jeffrey A. Young

The open archives initiative (panel session): perspectives on metadata harvesting

The Open Archives Initiative [www.openarchives.org] has developed a me tadata harvesting protocol to further its aim of efficient dissemination of content through interoperability standards. In early 2001, at meetings in the U.S. and Europe, the version of the protocol to be used for beta testing was announced. The HTTP-based protocol uses URLs for queries and XML for responses. The default metadata record structure is unqualified Dublin Core using a specified XML Schema. This simple metadata record form is intended to support cross-domain discovery; other record structures for which XML Schemas are defined can also be made available. Developments during the beta test should include the creation of OAI-compliant repositories (data providers) and harvesters (service providers). This panel will explore the purpose and evolution of the Open Archives Initiative from the point of view of various stakeholders, with emphasis on developments during 2001.