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