Every day the number and kind of digital resources available through the Libraries grows: online journals complete with illustrations, computerized geographic information and modeling systems, digitized photograph collections and much more. Electronic finding aids for archival materials, microfilm, photographs, music scores and other special collections are making it easier for researchers to locate materials formerly accessed only through printed indexes. Many of these resources and aids are being created at the Libraries, and we subscribe to others, e.g. Britannica Online, so that faculty and students can access them from computer labs and their desktops via the Web.
With this ever-expanding collection of electronic resources, it is often difficult to know what is available and where to find it. Add to that the rapid pace of the digital revolution, and the situation can be confusing. The Libraries Web Gateway, currently under development, will help students and faculty use this multitude of resources by providing a single location through which the Digital Library can be accessed. In addition to resources, the Gateway will integrate services such as book renewals and holds, personalized current alerting and awareness programs, document delivery, and interlibrary loan.
The Gateway will be available to the campus community Autumn Quarter, 1998. Individuals interested in evaluating or testing the Gateway during its development may e-mail wisc@lib.washington.edu.
The Gateway is being developed according to the design principles listed in the accompanying article with an overall goal of creating a single integrated gateway with seamless linking to tools and resources.