OpenURL 1.0 Standard Submitted to NISO Members

 Dear members,   I am pleased to transmit for ballot the final text of the OpenURL standard, ANSI/NISO Z39.88-200X. The ballot period is: January 26, 2004-March 10, 2004. The OpenURL standard is a syntax to create web-transportable packages of metadata and/or identifiers about an information object. Part 1 of the Standard introduces the ContextObject; Part 2 lists the initial content of the Registry to support implementation of the standard. As you begin your review of the document please take time to read the Foreword as important background information is provided. In February NISO will host a conference call-briefing session on this standard. As soon as the date and time are set you will receive a meeting announcement. Please send me any questions that come up in your review of the standard; your questions and early feedback will help frame the agenda for the briefing. NISO standards represent a consensus built on the dedicated efforts of skilled, knowledgeable, and very hard working members of our community.  Reaching the ballot stage is an important benchmark in the standards development cycle; thanks and congratulations to the members of Standards Committee AX for their achievement:Eric F. Van de Velde, Committee ChairpersonCalifornia Institute of TechnologyAnn AppsMIMAS-Manchester Computing University of ManchesterOren Beit-ArieExLibris (USA), Inc.Karim BoughidaGetty Research InstituteKaren CoyleCalifornia Digital Library, University of California (now retired)Todd FeganProQuest Information and LearningTony HammondElsevier Science Ltd.Eric HellmanOpenly Informatics, Inc.Lou KnechtNational Library of MedicineLarry LannomCorporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI)Clifford Morgan NISO SDC LiaisonJohn Wiley & Sons LtdMark H. NeedlemanSIRSI CorporationEamonn NeylonManifest SolutionsPhilip NormanOCLC, IncOliver PeschEBSCO PublishingHarry SamuelsEndeavor Information Systems, Inc.Herbert Van de SompelLos Alamos National Laboratory