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Anyone have any experience with this product, anything else to share? Would it possibly be suitable for use as an OPAC replacement, do you think? Jonathan Lisa Schiff wrote: > **This announcement is being sent to many lists; apologies in advance > for duplication.** > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > > > Contact: Lisa Schiff > > California Digital Library > > University of California, Office of the President > > 415 20th St., 4th Floor > > Oakland, CA 94612 > > (510) 587-6132 > > [log in to unmask] <blocked::mailto:[log in to unmask]> > > http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/xtf/ > > > > California Digital Library Announces New Release of the eXtensible Text > Framework (XTF) > > > > Oakland, CA, May 12, 2008 - The California Digital Library (CDL) is > pleased to announce a new release of its search and display technology, > the eXtensible Text Framework (XTF) > <blocked::http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/xtf/> version 2.1 > (http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/xtf/ > > ). XTF is an open source, highly flexible software application that > supports the search, browse and display of heterogeneous digital > content. XTF offers efficient and practical methods for creating > customized end-user interfaces for distinct digital content collections. > > > > > Highlights from the 2.1 release include: > > * Extensive interface improvements, including new search forms, > built-in faceted browsing, and a new look and feel. > * Increased support for document and information exchange formats. > > > * XHTML and OAI-PMH output > * NLM article format indexing and output > * Microsoft Word indexing > > * Streamlined XSLT stylesheets for simpler deployment and > adaptation. > * Updated documentation that has been moved to the XTF project > wiki <blocked::http://xtf.wiki.sourceforge.net/> , allowing XTF > implementers to share solutions with entire user community. > * "Freeform" Boolean query language, offered as an experimental > feature. > * Backward compatibility with existing XTF implementations. > > > > A complete list of changes > <blocked::http://xtf.wiki.sourceforge.net/changeLog_2.1> is available > on the XTF Project page on SourceForge > <blocked::http://sourceforge.net/projects/xtf/> , where the distribution > (including documentation) can also be downloaded. > > > > Since the first deployment of XTF in 2005, the development strategy has > been to build and maintain an indexing and display technology that is > not only customizable, but also draws upon tested components already in > use by the digital library and search communities - in particular the > Lucene text search engine, Java, XML, and XSLT. By coordinating these > pieces in a single platform that can be used to create multiple unique > applications, CDL has succeeded in dramatically reducing the investment > in infrastructure, staff training and development for new digital > content projects. > > > > XTF offers a suite of customizable features that support diverse > intellectual access to content. Interfaces can be designed to support > the distinct tools and presentations that are useful and meaningful to > specific audiences. In addition, XTF offers the following core > features: > > * Easy to deploy: Drops directly in to a Java application server > such as Tomcat or Resin; has been tested on Solaris, Mac, Linux, and > Windows operating systems. > * Easy to configure: Can create indexes on any XML element or > attribute; entire presentation layer is customizable via XSLT. > * Robust: Optimized to perform well on large documents (e.g., a > single text that exceeds 10MB of encoded text); scales to perform well > on collections of millions of documents; provides full Unicode support. > * Extensible: > > * Works well with a variety of authentication systems > (e.g., IP address lists, LDAP, Shibboleth). > * Provides an interface for external data lookups to > support thesaurus-based term expansion, recommender systems, etc. > * Can power other digital library services (e.g., XTF > contains an OAI-PMH data provider that allows others to harvest > metadata, and an SRU interface that exposes searches to federated search > engines). > * Can be deployed as separate, modular pieces of a > third-party system (e.g., the module that displays snippets of matching > text). > > * Powerful for the end user: > > * Spell checking of queries > * Faceted displays for browsing > * Dynamically updated browse lists > * Session-based bookbags > > These basic features can be tuned and modified. For instance, the same > bookbag feature that allows users to store links to entire books, can > also store links to citable elements of an object, such as a note or > other reference. > > > > A sampling of XTF-based applications both within and outside of the CDL > include: > > > > * Mark Twain Project Online > <blocked::http://www.marktwainproject.org/> > (http://www.marktwainproject.org), developed by the Mark Twain Papers > Project, the CDL and the University of California Press. > * Calisphere <blocked::http://www.calisphere.org/> > (http://www.calisphere.org/), a curated collection of primary sources > keyed to the curriculum standards of California's K-12 community, > developed by the CDL. > * The Encyclopedia of Chicago > <blocked::http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/> > (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/), developed by the Chicago > History Museum, The Newberry Library, and Northwestern University > * The Chymistry of Isaac Newton > <blocked::http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/> > (http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/ > <blocked::http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/> ) and The Swinburne > Project > <blocked::http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/swinburne/www/swinburne/> > (http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/swinburne/www/swinburne/), Indiana > University > * Finding Aides at the New York Public Library > <blocked::http://labs.nypl.org/2007/10/30/extensible-text-framework-xtf/ > >> (http://labs.nypl.org/2007/10/30/extensible-text-framework-xtf/) >> > * EECS Technical Reports > <blocked::http://sunsite2.berkeley.edu:8088/xtf/servlet/org.cdlib.xtf.cr > ossQuery.CrossQuery?rmode=btr> > (http://sunsite2.berkeley.edu:8088/xtf/servlet/org.cdlib.xtf.crossQuery. > CrossQuery?rmode=btr), UC Berkeley > > > > > > ### > > > ----------------------------------------------- > Lisa Schiff, Ph.D. > Technical Lead, Publishing > California Digital Library > 300 Lakeside Drive #745 > Kaiser Center > Oakland, CA 94612 > 510-987-0881 (t) > 510-987-0243 (f) > www.cdlib.org <http://www.cdlib.org/> > [log in to unmask] > > > -- Jonathan Rochkind Digital Services Software Engineer The Sheridan Libraries Johns Hopkins University 410.516.8886 rochkind (at) jhu.edu