Vascoda Explained

vascoda was, until 2011, a German web portal which offered access to scientific information in various disciplines. The name vascoda is often associated with the medieval explorer Vasco da Gama, as this implies the connotation of navigating the sea of information. Initially, though, “vascoda“ is a made-up word created by an agency for naming and branding.^[1]

vascoda is also a non-profit organization which offers support and coordination of its members’ subject portals.

vascoda

Portal

The vascoda web portal offers access to information and full texts on various subjects through an integrative user interface. The searches can be performed within a certain subject or interdisciplinarily. Specialized subject portals can also be accessed directly via the vascoda portal.

The vascoda portal and the integrated subject portals are set up and maintained by academic libraries and other information providers with an international reputation. These institutions provide content of high standard, parts of which cannot be found by standard web search engines.

Access to the portal is free. However, for some of its services and resources a fee is required (pay-per-view). Furthermore, vascoda is connected to local library holdings and document delivery services.

vascoda’s data are integrated into the WorldWideScience global science gateway.

Aim

The aim of vascoda is to merge academic resources into a single well-structured integrative information service.

Supporting organization

vascoda is a registered voluntary association with 42 members, which are mostly German libraries and other information providers. The association’s aim is to develop and maintain the interdisciplinary vascoda portal. The vascoda office is based in Hanover. The portal is technically run by the NRW Online Utility and Library Service Centre (hbz).

Subject portals integrated into vascoda

The following subject portals are currently accessible through the vascoda portal. Parts of their data are integrated into the vascoda search (as of June 2009):

arthistoricum.net – Virtual Library for Art History
b2i - library science, book studies, information science
Cibera – Virtual Library Latin America / Spain / Portugal
chem.de – chemistry
Chronicon – history
Clio-online – Internet Gateway for Historians
CrossAsia – Virtual Library East and South-East Asia
EconBiz – Virtual Library for Economics and Business Studies
EVIFA – Virtual Library of Social Anthropology
Fachportal Pädagogik – German Education Portal
Genios – German Business Information
Germanistik im Netz – Virtual Library of German Language and Literature Studies
GetInfo – Specialist Information on Science and Technology
Greenpilot – All About Life and Science
historicum.net – history
ilissAfrica (internet library sub-saharan Africa)
IREON – International Relations and Area Studies Online
MEDPILOT – All you need to know
MENALIB – Middle East Virtual Library
NedGuide – Virtual Library Dutch Culture
Propylaeum – Virtual Library Classical Studies
Psyndex – Reference Database of Psychological Literature and Tests

Savifa – Virtual Library South Asia; Information gateway for South Asia Studies
Slavistics Portal – Virtual Library Slavistics
Sowiport – Social Sciences at your Fingertip
SPORTIF – Sport-scientific information-forum
ViFaArt – Virtual Library of Contemporary Art
vifabio – Virtual Library of Biology
ViFaHolz – Virtual Library of Wood Technology
vifamath – Virtual Library of Mathematics
ViFa medien buehne film – communication studies, media studies, journalism studies, theatre studies, film studies, journalism
ViFaMusik – music
vifanord – Virtual Library of Northern European and Baltic Studies
ViFaOst – Virtual Library Eastern Europe
ViFaPharm – Virtual Library of Pharmacy
ViFaPhys – The Physics Virtual Library
ViFaPol – political science
ViFaPsy – Virtual Library of Psychology
ViFa Recht – Virtual Library Law
ViFa Romanischer Kulturkreis – Virtual Library of Romance Culture
ViFa Sport – Sports science
ViFaTec – Engineering Subject Gateway
ViFaVet – Virtual Library of Veterinary Medicine and General Parasitology
VirTheo – Virtual Library of Theology and Religious Studies
VLib AAC – Virtual Library of Anglo-American Culture

vascoda-related projects

A number of projects and working groups focussing on certain aspects relevant to vascoda were financially supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) or the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Various institutions were in charge of these projects. Some examples are:

Functionality and operation of the vascoda portal
Metadata, standards and questions of heterogeneity
Coordination, marketing, quality assurance
Content: rights, licences and business concepts
Overall structures and tasks
Shared authentication, authorization and permissions management^[2]
Modelling and questions of heterogeneity^[3]

Currently, the German Research Foundation supports the vascoda 2010 project. The project aims at improving and furthering the vascoda portal.

References

http://www.agmb.de/mbi/2005_3/vascoda11-14.pdf Interview with Uwe Rosemann, former speaker of the vascoda-project (pdf)
Verteilte Authentifizierung, Autorisierung und Rechteverwaltung (AAR). (Retrieved on 2009-08-05)
http://www.gesis.org/en/research/programs-and-projects/information-science/project-overview/komohe/ Kompetenzzentrum Modellbildung und Heterogenitätsbehandlung (KoMoHe). (Retrieved on 2009-08-05)

Bibliography

vascoda – das interdisziplinäre Internetportal für wissenschaftliche Information. 10 Fragen von Bruno Bauer an Uwe Rosemann, Direktor der Technischen Informationsbibliothek Hannover und Sprecher des vascoda-Projekts. in: Medizin – Bibliothek – Information 2005; 5(3): 11–14 (Onlineversion pdf-Datei, 98 KB)
Jens E. Wolff, Thomas Oerder: Das vascoda-Portal – barrierefreie Recherche in wissenschaftlichen Fachinformationen. (Proceedings of the 95. Deutscher Bibliothekartag, Dresden 2006). (Onlineversion pdf-datei, 934 KB)
Philipp Mayr, Anne-Kathrin Walter: Zum Stand der Heterogenitätsbehandlung in vascoda: Bestandsaufnahme und Ausblick., in: Bibliothek & Information Deutschland (Hrsg.): 3. Leipziger Kongress für Information und Bibliothek, 19.–22. März 2007. Leipzig: Verlag Dinges & Frick. Preprint pdf (176Kb)
Ralf Depping: vascoda.de and the system of the German virtual subject libraries. In: Prasad, A.R.D. & Madalli, D.P. (eds.): International Conference on Semantic Web and Digital Libraries (ICSD 2007), 21–23 February 2007: 304-314. (pdf file, 730 KB)