Posted April 21, 2006.

LC, British Library Support E-Journal Standard

The Library of Congress and the British Library have agreed on a common standard for scholarly electronic journals that will help ensure long-term access to online content. The format selected was the National Library of Medicine’s Document Type Definition (NLM DTD), which “defines the way in which electronic journals should be structured and creates a uniform, well-defined, and easily accessible information resource,” according to an April 19 announcement from LC.

Richard Boulderstone, director of the British Library’s e-strategy and programs, said, “We acknowledge considerable work that has to be undertaken by publishers to make the transition to a new structure for their electronic journal content,” but choosing the NLM DTD standard establishes a “shared international context in which such migration can proceed.”

Selecting the standard was part of LC’s National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, a nationwide effort to “collect and preserve at-risk digital content of cultural and historical importance to the nation.”

Posted April 21, 2006.