Press Release

NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE AUGUST 1, 2003

CONTACT: Kathy Alshouse 816-926-8727
Ken Krechmer 650-856-8836

Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology Receives Telecommunications Collection

Kansas City, MO - The Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering, & Technology recently received a unique collection on telecommunications standards from Ken Krechmer and Elaine Baskin of Palo Alto, California. The collection includes a complete file of Communications Standards Review (from 1990-2002), in both print and electronic formats, plus a file of related standards committee documents. "We chose the Linda Hall Library as the archival repository for this collection based on the strength of its collections of standards and specifications as well as its extensive holdings in related areas of electronics and the history of technology," states Krechmer.

The CSR collection complements and extends the library's ability to provide information on the process of developing standards. The collection has two components: Communications Standards Review, a journal that abstracts and references reports on standards committee work-in-progress, and an accompanying file of the full committee documents referenced by the journal. The committee reports provide detailed technical information on tests and discussions that influenced choices among alternative approaches in the course of bringing various standards to the marketplace. Together these records document the process of developing telecommunications standards for network access technology for wireless (1990-1996) and wireline (1990-2002) technologies (including modems, facsimile, DSL receivers, structured cabling, home gateways, etc.)

The CSR journals reported on the some or all of the work in the following organizations for various periods between 1990 and August, 2002:

Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions/TIA Joint Technical Committee 1, air interfaces and AVMMS
Canadian Standards Association committee: T-510
DSL Forum
European Telecommunications Standards Institute committees:
- AT
- ATA
- DTA
- NA
- STQ
- TE
- TM6
- TIPHON
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Joint Video Team (ISO/IEC MPEG Video + ITU-T Q6/16)
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) TSAG and WTSC
ITU -T (telecommunications) Study Groups:
- SG8 (previously SGVIII)
- SG9
- SG15
- SG16 (previously SG14 and SGXVII)
ITU -R (radio) Study Groups: 8A
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) technical committees:
- TR-14
- TR-29
- TR-30
- TR-41
- TR-42
- TR-45
- TR-46

Beginning September 2, 2003, all issues of CSR will be accessible at no charge via the library's online catalog, LEONARDO, at http://leonardo.lindahall.org. Keyword searching of the contents of the journal issues will also be available. Copies of specific committee reports identified through the CSR files may be requested through the library's document service web page. Requests will be filled at the library's prevailing rates and subject to issuing committee distribution restrictions.

"These files will be of particular interest to those researching the standardization process, the history of technology and prior art as well as those interested in the influence of standards on technical markets. We are very grateful that Ken and Elaine have chosen the library as the recipient of this distinctive collection. We look forward to preserving these files and to making them accessible to the worldwide research community," states Nancy Day, Information Resources Officer, at the library.

The Linda Hall Library, opened in 1946, is the world's largest privately supported, public research library of science, engineering, and technology. The collection includes 45,000 serial titles, 1.9 million technical reports, 250,000 standards and specifications, and 60,000 conference proceedings.

Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the library processes more than 100,000 requests annually to individuals throughout the world.

Return to CSR Home Page