An idea whose time has com: NetBib

[Jont Allen <jba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Auditory,

I would like to build a public database of everybody's (i.e., anyone who what's
to contribute) bibliography. I am asking that anybody (everybody) who
has a personal bibliography, send it to me, and I (and my collaborators) will
attempt to create a common database that may be accessed via the WWW,
by author, topic, subject, date, or combinations of these fields.
Eventually, my hope is that this database will be able to spit back
a bibliograph for your papers that is highly accurate, that you can
automatically include as your references. It will be accurate because
the authors of the papers will have personally verified that the references
are correct.

If you would like to contribute, here is what I would like you to do.
Prepare an ascii file with all your papers. I would prefer bibtex format
(an ascii format) if possible, because that will be the  lowest common
denominator for the software. However, I will take it in ANY format,
and at some point, I will attempt to convert it into the common database.
The most common ones will be included first, of course.) The more standard
the source file, the more likely it will be included in the database.
Authors will be able to modify their submissions by downloading their
results, correcting it, and resubmitting it. I suppose each author will
be given a password that allows them access to their personal database.

Eventually we can include other verified databases. Hopefully we can find
a way to cross-reference identical references, and remove the bad ones.
This type of processing is for the future however, and can not be part of the
initial scheme.

If you want to search the data base for papers, we will provide a web-site
that you can use to present your request. First you will be presented with
the search results, as a web page, and then you will be given the option to
be sent an email with the final search results. Of course this will all be free.

Feel free to start sending files at any time, in zip or mime encoded format,
to me jba@research.att.com. I'll buy dinner, at the Seattle ASA meeting, for the
first person with an ascii contribution. (PS, I am not font of binary files,
so that is the WORST possible format. They may take a LONG time for us to
 process!
DOC files are in that class, if you didn't know already! :),

Jont

--
Jont B. Allen, Room E161
AT&T Labs-Research 180 Park AV.
Florham Park NJ 07932
973/360-8545voice, x8092fax
http://www.research.att.com/info/jba