To view current and recent research projects involving the use of Z39.50, see the Research Projects page.
Original uses envisioned for the protocol look very little like current implementations and uses.
In the 1980s, users on one library catalog system would search and retrieve bibliographic records on a remote system. By the late 1990s, there was a need for discovery networked resources and integrating access to them. Yet, the Z39.50 protocol has been addressed both these scenarios. This paper provides a portrayal of Z39.50 that explains its flexibility in response to a variety of information retrieval requirements in the networked environment. This document reflects the hands-on experiences of a small group of graduate students and is the outgrowth of a seminar led by Dr. William Moen at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of North Texas during the autumn of 1999.