Cataloger's Desktop Customers- Desktop is coming on the Web! Free beta testing

[Cheryl Calista Cook]

Cataloger's Desktop Coming to the Web!

The Cataloging Distribution Service (CDS) of the Library of Congress
(LC) is pleased to announce that its highly popular cataloging
documentation tool, Cataloger's Desktop, is moving to the Web. Currently
distributed on CD-ROM, Cataloger's Desktop provides access to some of
the most widely used cataloging documentation resources in an integrated
online system.

The Web version will employ nxtTM 4, an open source, XML-based content
delivery system. CDS chose nxtTM 4 because it is one of the few
standards-based software packages on the market that also supports
Unicode.

Beta testing of a Web version of Cataloger's Desktop will take place
from March 1 to April 30, 2004.  Access to the beta version is free.
Testers are encouraged to offer feedback for fine-tuning the Cataloger's
Desktop-Web interface before its scheduled launch as a fee-for-service
product in June.

Current users of Cataloger's Desktop should note that CDS will continue
producing the CD-ROM version for as long as there is significant
interest. However, when the fee-for-service Web version becomes
available in June 2004, subscribers will be able to transfer their
subscriptions, if they like, from the CD-ROM product to the Web.  Annual
subscription prices will be announced as the product nears completion in
late spring.

For up-to-date announcements about the Web version of Cataloger's
Desktop, visit http://www.loc.gov/cds/desktop

Contact: Peter Seligman, (202) 707-1314,  psel at loc.gov