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WP3: Science & Technology Digital Library Portal (PSTDL)

WP3 aims at developing a Portal that:

  • allows a unified access to information resources and services available through the Digital Library;
  • ensures their complete, easy and immediate use by different user communities.

Open platforms and technologies will encourage participation of public and/or private actors and provide direct and simplified use of:

  • commercial and open access resources and services;
  • metaOPAC;
  • repositories;
  • e-learning;
  • library reference;
  • document delivery;
  • virtual helpdesk;
  • information retrieval tools;
  • forums;
  • statistics;
  • performance indicators, and so on.

The integrated and shared approach allows the Portal:

  1. to be developed in close association with all the other components, primarily with the 'core' ones and with the activities of WP4 “Catalogues and MetaOPAC”, WP6 “Repository Platform”, WP10 “Digital Preservation”, in tune with the evolutionary development of the Digital Library;
  2. to be shaped in a manner which is consistent with the needs, experiences, expertise and competences of all the public and/or private actors involved in the initiative.

Open platforms and technologies, as well as multi-level interoperability, simplicity, intuitivity, and ease to use are essential to promote wide and cross-sectoral cooperation and participation.

The Portal will be a Semantic Portal (SEAL) based on the use of Semantic Web, which:

  • enhances and facilitates the access, sharing and exchange of information contents and services between the different communities and their reuse, through a user-centred approach;
  • is able to ensure the integration of the Portal and its interoperability functionalities with the Project components and within the wider National and International R&D information system.

The use of Semantic Web solutions and services will allow the different communities to actively contribute to the Portal, to its conception, design, planning and evolutionary development.

According to the enhancement of the social dimension of the Web, we chose to develop a Social Semantic Web Portal (SSWP), which will promote knowledge sharing, widespread participation, better profiling and advanced customization of services among the project partners and the user communities, combining the current social web needs with the semantic web ones.

Ultimately, the Portal could be one of the National digital library services in the R&D field, and its integration with similar services may take place successfully already in the testing phase, through partnership agreements with the major Italian institutions, intended to harmonize these initiatives.