Ray has listed a number of next steps for making SRW/U more widely  
implemented across the Internet, and I suggest we start putting names  
and dates next to the action items -- a call for volunteers. See:

   * http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency/zing/forum-june05-output/steps.html
   * http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency/zing/srw/plan.html

As I listen to the discussions regarding next steps, I have not heard  
violent protest regarding very many tasks. More or less, I believe  
the there is general agreement about the next steps. What we need now  
are volunteers who will commit their time to selected items. A  
commitment means you will do the task to your satisfaction within a  
specific period of time of your choosing.

Below are the tasks as they have been articulated. Please consider  
volunteering for one more more tasks, and I will make an effort to  
maintain the list. (I have already taken the liberty of adding a few  
names. This is not set in stone, and the names can just as easily be  
removed.)

Do I see any volunteers out there? First come, first serve.  :-)


   Shift emphasis from SRW to SRU

     * Move website from: www.loc.gov/z3950/zing/srw to:
       www.loc.gov/sru. --Ray Denenberg

     * Provide specification for SRU, with a link to an
       incremental SRW page: www.loc.gov/sru/srw.

     * The SRW spec should also indicate the incremental
       benefits of SRW: better extension support,
       authentication, web service features.

     * Either (a) drop ZING entirely, or (b) ZING refers to
       SRU (and SRW, SRUP) along with CQL.


   Testing

     * Testbed. --Ralph LeVan

     * Reference implementation.


   Real Services

     * SRU gateways to other search engines.

     * SRU interfaces to other collections of content.

     * Directory of implementations.


   Tools

     * SRU libraries written in various languages.

     * Generic SRU client that transform search results into
       different forms of output.

     * SRU client as a browser extension together with a
       list of known SRU base-urls.

     * Adapt the openurl browser extension that takes Google
       scholar results and creates OpenURLs for each item,
       to create an SRU search instead.


   Articulate

     * Articulate the benefits of SRU, what it can be used
       for, what problems it can solve. --Everybody

     * Show that the functionality of OAI is (almost)
       contained in SRU (when the server provides an "update
       date" as index). --Ralph LeVan


   Documentation/literature

     * Powerpoint presentation to illustrate and
       demonstrate the power of SRU – interactive,
       entertaining. --Eric Lease Morgan, Matthew Dovey

     * Guides: how to implement.

     * General workshops (DLF Forums, JCDL, ECDL,
       ALA/LITA, etc.) --Everybody

     * Focused workshops (for specific groups of vendors).


   Formal standard

     * NISO, ISO, OASIS --Rob Sanderson


   OpenSearch

     * Work with A9 people.

     * Look into changes necessary to SRU to make it
       OpenSearch compatible.

-- 
Eric Lease Morgan
University Libraries of Notre Dame