Subject Gateways Overview

Many academic libraries and institutions are currently looking for ways to help their users discover high quality information on the Internet in a quick and effective way. DESIRE suggests that the development of subject based information gateways can provide a solution.

Researchers and academics do not always have the time, inclination or skills to surf the Internet for resources that could support their work. As Internet publishing and communication become more commonplace this could disadvantage some researchers as they will miss valuable information and communication resources.

In the traditional information environment human intermediaries, such as publishers and librarians, filter and process information so that users can search catalogues and indexes of organised knowledge as opposed to raw data and disparate information. Subject gateways work on the same principle - they employ subject experts and information professionals to select, classify and catalogue Internet resources to aid search and retrieval for the users. Users are offered access to a database of Internet resource descriptions which they can search by keyword or browse by subject area. They can do this in the knowledge that they are looking at a quality controlled collection of resources. A description of each resource is provided to help users assess very quickly its origin, content and nature, enabling them to decide if it is worth investigating further.

DESIRE has created methods and tools for libraries and institutions interested in setting up subject based information gateways. With the software and procedures recommended by DESIRE, there is potential to create an international network of subject gateways which are all compatible and interoperable, providing a wider range of resources for users and avoiding the duplication of cataloguing effort which is the consequence of keeping smaller independent collections. Users would benefit from the expertise of librarians and subject specialists across the continent and be directed to high quality Internet resources rather than have to locate, evaluate, filter and organise the resources themselves.