Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, Under Secretary for Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has signed an agreement with Lynne Brindley, chief executive, the British Library, to partner on the development of a global science gateway. The gateway would eventually make science information resources of many nations accessible via a single internet portal.
Dubbed "Science.world," the planned resource would be available to scientists in all nations and to anyone interested in science. The approach will capitalize on existing technology to search collections of science information distributed around the globe, designed to enable access to smaller sources of valuable science. "Science.world" will rely on scientific resources published by each participating nation. Other countries have been invited to participate in this international effort.
Objectives of the "Science.world" initiative are to: search dispersed, electronic collections in various science disciplines; provide direct, seamless and free searching of open-source collections and portals; build upon existing national models for searching; complement existing information collections and systems; and raise the visibility and usage of individual sources of quality science information.
(www.osti.gov; www.bl.uk; www.science.doe.gov)