Here's a challenge for you coders.

On the ProCite list <[log in to unmask]> there has been, for
several years, lament that ISI (a Thomson company; see
<http://www.procite.com/ <http://www.procite.com/> >) refuses to upgrade
ProCite.  A brief history: ProCite began as an independent software company
back in DOS days.  It migrated to Windoze and then was purchased by ISI, a
comany that already had two low-end bibliography softwares (e.g., EndNote).
ISI was, in effect, buying up the high-end competition (ProCite).  They then
proceeded to ignore further development of ProCite.

ProCite, as some of you know, is a program that holds and manipulates
citation data in a database and outputs in a variety of bibliographical
formats (think Turabian rules, for example) required by journals, academic
institutions, etc.  It includes a "Cite while you write" feature that allows
one to link a ProCite-held database with a Word document to easily create
footnotes, etc. in a document from the ProCite database.  It has a Z30.50
kernal to import MARC, etc. etc.  It ought to be able (but ProCite keeps
ignoring this also) be able to publish easily to the Web.

ProCite is used by quite a number of librarians, but it is especially used
by academic researchers, some of whom have amassed extensive citation
databases.  These folks are all being hung out to dry by ISI.  Many of them
already have M$Access or FoxPro and will gladly use an app that will work
with one of the popular commercial DB packages.

It just occurred to me today -- after a discussion on the ProCite list that
was leaning in the direction of "what would it take to develop ... " -- that
you folks might hold the answer.  The library and academic communities need
a stand-alone (a networkable app would be nice, also) open-source, robust
bibliography application that works in Windoze (for all those researchers
out there!) that will serve the purpose.  Anyone up to the challenge?

OK, back to lurking now.
Din.

Donna Dinberg
Systems Librarian/Analyst
Library and Archives Canada
Ottawa, ON   K1A 0N4
Voice:  613-995-9227
E-mail:  [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>