ends I am happy to announce the Beta testing of version 2.0 of NewGenLib. Both the librarian's Applet interface and the OPAC are under test and I welcome the comments and suggestions from professionals. I have provided two URLs which can be used in order to explore the version 2.0 OPAC. New features in The Applet Interface It will now be possible to import authority file records from the Library of Congress Authorities site. Authority records thus imported will become part of the local authority file and during cataloguing data entry the authority records can be seen. It is hoped that this will improve consistency and accuracy of catalogue records. Version 2.0 will allow a library to build an open archive of an Institution's pre-prints, post-prints, internal reports, slides, etc. This feature has become possible because version 2.0 supports the OAI-PMH protocol. Resources which are to be open-archived are identified specifically in the interface and only these records will be able to be harvested by others. The new version has also built functionality to connect to existing open archives compliant with OAI-PMH. The librarian can then selectively harvest records from the site. All such records then become an integral part of the local database and hence become searchable apart from the fact that they will point to the digital content attached to the harvested metadata record. Based on requests that we received from existing customers we have added a Simple template for cataloguing data entry. This template has the most widely used fields and will be adequate for most monograph records. Records created with this template will still be stored as MARC-21 records. For more complete cataloguing one would still need to use the General and/or MARC-21 templates. It will now be possible for a library to configure to receive news feeds from one or more Remote Site Summary (RSS) feeds. The news feeds can be viewed from the OPAC. The new version will allow a degree of customization of patron records. New features in the OPAC Two new search options have been provided: A Google-like search option using the Lucene search engine. names, single terms, or phrases can be entered in this and all fields of the metadata database are searched; and An Expert search interface that will allow a librarian/information specialist to enter complex search queries using the most important features of the Common Query Language (CQL). The possibility to choose between tabular and citation displays in the search output. The possibility to sort search output by different keys. The possibility for the search output to be exported (in addition to text and MARC-21 and MARC-XML) to the more recent MODS metadata standard and also to the AGRIS-Application Profile format in XML. The possibility for a user to define his/her SDI profile and constraints (time and type) and save it to the server. Once this is done, the software automatically pushes content to the user's email at intervals defined by the user. The possibility for viewing news feeds from one or more RSS sites already configured by the library. The viewing of statistics including OPAC usage. Kindly see the following OPACs and give us your comments/suggestions. ICRISAT, Patancheru OPAC at http://220.227.242.217:8080/newgenlibctxt/jsp/aportal/cataloguing/index1.jsp http://220.227.242.217:8080/newgenlibctxt/jsp/aportal/cataloguing/index1.jsp and An experimental digital library OPAC for the visually impaired at London at http://217.34.8.235:8080/newgenlibctxt/jsp/aportal/cataloguing/index1.jsp http://217.34.8.235:8080/newgenlibctxt/jsp/aportal/cataloguing/index1.jsp . The second OPAC has only a few records and is primarily to demonstrate how large font full text, audio and video can be accessed by visually impaired users. To test out this site please enter % in the opening page's text box and click Begin Search. You will see all the records in the database. Each of these has a digital attachment which can then be viewed by clicking the E-Resources icon and entering 1 and abc in the user id and password dialogue. I welcome comments and suggestions from professionals. L J Haravu Trustee Kesavan Institute of Information and Knowledge Management Dear friends I am happy to announce the Beta testing of version 2.0 of NewGenLib. Both the librarian's Applet interface and the OPAC are under test and I welcome the comments and suggestions from professionals. I have provided two URLs which can be used in order to explore the version 2.0 OPAC. New features in The Applet Interface It will now be possible to import authority file records from the Library of Congress Authorities site. Authority records thus imported will become part of the local authority file and during cataloguing data entry the authority records can be seen. It is hoped that this will improve consistency and accuracy of catalogue records. Version 2.0 will allow a library to build an open archive of an Institution's pre-prints, post-prints, internal reports, slides, etc. This feature has become possible because version 2.0 supports the OAI-PMH protocol. Resources which are to be open-archived are identified specifically in the interface and only these records will be able to be harvested by others. The new version has also built functionality to connect to existing open archives compliant with OAI-PMH. The librarian can then selectively harvest records from the site. All such records then become an integral part of the local database and hence become searchable apart from the fact that they will point to the digital content attached to the harvested metadata record. Based on requests that we received from existing customers we have added a Simple template for cataloguing data entry. This template has the most widely used fields and will be adequate for most monograph records. Records created with this template will still be stored as MARC-21 records. For more complete cataloguing one would still need to use the General and/or MARC-21 templates. It will now be possible for a library to configure to receive news feeds from one or more Remote Site Summary (RSS) feeds. The news feeds can be viewed from the OPAC. The new version will allow a degree of customization of patron records. New features in the OPAC Two new search options have been provided: A Google-like search option using the Lucene search engine. names, single terms, or phrases can be entered in this and all fields of the metadata database are searched; and An Expert search interface that will allow a librarian/information specialist to enter complex search queries using the most important features of the Common Query Language (CQL). The possibility to choose between tabular and citation displays in the search output. The possibility to sort search output by different keys. The possibility for the search output to be exported (in addition to text and MARC-21 and MARC-XML) to the more recent MODS metadata standard and also to the AGRIS-Application Profile format in XML. The possibility for a user to define his/her SDI profile and constraints (time and type) and save it to the server. Once this is done, the software automatically pushes content to the user's email at intervals defined by the user. The possibility for viewing news feeds from one or more RSS sites already configured by the library. The viewing of statistics including OPAC usage. Kindly see the following OPACs and give us your comments/suggestions. ICRISAT, Patancheru OPAC at http://220.227.242.217:8080/newgenlibctxt/jsp/aportal/cataloguing/index1.jsp and An experimental digital library OPAC for the visually impaired at London at http://217.34.8.235:8080/newgenlibctxt/jsp/aportal/cataloguing/index1.jsp. The second OPAC has only a few records and is primarily to demonstrate how large font full text, audio and video can be accessed by visually impaired users. To test out this site please enter % in the opening page's text box and click Begin Search. You will see all the records in the database. Each of these has a digital attachment which can then be viewed by clicking the E-Resources icon and entering 1 and abc in the user id and password dialogue. I welcome comments and suggestions from professionals. L J Haravu Trustee Kesavan Institute of Information and Knowledge Management