Making IT work: an overview of the Janus Project

In August 1988, the Library was awarded a project grant from the UTS Vice Chancellor's Development Fund of evaluate the potential of information technology (IT) to assist the individual researcher with the process of information storage, retrieval and transfer. This paper places the project in historical context and outlines the elements of the model workstation. The name 'Janus Project' reflects the ability of this research to assist the library as both a user and provider of information services. The first phase of the project is to build a prototype 'scholar's workstation' for use in library research and management by utilising and integrating appropriate new technology. It is hoped that this working model can then be used both to test further technological enhancements and to explore the use of expert systems to simplify the information retrieval process in other subject areas.