OpenSIGLE

Key takeaways

OpenSIGLE belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OpenSIGLE to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OpenSIGLE from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The OpenSIGLE repository provides open access to the bibliographic records of the former SIGLE database. The creation of the OpenSIGLE archive was decided by some major European STI centres, members of the former European network EAGLE for the collection and dissemination of grey literature (European Association for Grey Literature Exploitation). OpenSIGLE was developed by the French INIST-CNRS, with assistance from the German FIZ Karlsruhe and the Dutch Grey Literature Network Service (GreyNet). OpenSIGLE is hosted on an INIST-CNRS server at Nancy. Part of the open Access movement, OpenSIGLE is referenced by the international Directory of Open Access Repositories.

History of OpenSIGLE SIGLE (System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe) was a unique multidisciplinary bibliographic database dedicated to grey literature. Up to 15 European partners participated in SIGLE, mostly national libraries or important research libraries. Created in 1980 and produced from 1984 onwards by EAGLE (European Association for Grey Literature Exploitation), the database was last available through STN International and on CD-ROM via Silverplatter/Ovid Technologies, until it stopped input in 2005. Together with other former EAGLE members, INIST decided to make the data publicly available on an open access platform. The OpenSIGLE website went live in December 2007. OpenSIGLE is indexed by Google and Google Scholar, integrated in the portal of the WorldWideScience Alliance and included in the bookmarks of national libraries and research institutes.

Implementation of OpenSIGLE OpenSIGLE was developed on a MIT DSpace platform 1.3.2. In the following the database migrated to DSpace version 1.4. It is available under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) License.

OpenSIGLE metadata DSpace uses a qualified Dublin Core metadata set less detailed than the SIGLE metadata received from the former SIGLE operating agent DPC (FIZ Karlsruhe). The FIZ Karlsruhe XML records were written in the SIGLE format and completed by some server-related fields. Several specific fields from the source format were merged to one field for OpenSIGLE. For example in the SIGLE record the English title could be either in the field for the original title or in the field for the English title. In the OpenSIGLE metadata, the English title appears systematically in the field labelled "Title". Other fields were defined differently to fit with the metadata set. Some qualified fields were added to the metadata set used by DSpace without disturbing the OAI compliance: conference title, report number and availability statement. The most significant change was a simplification in the document type information. The original SIGLE format distinguished between document type and literature indicator, but diverging conversion practices led to inconsistencies. OpenSIGLE proposes a simplified list of the principal document types.

OpenSIGLE content DSpace allows organizing the contents of a repository according to communities and collections. INIST decided to use 2 types of communities: the member countries and SIGLE subject categories on their primary level. Each country or subject category holds a collection of records. Some minor and less used subject categories were regrouped in one collection. In a mass upload on DSpace each record (or item) can be "attributed" to only one community or collection. We decided to choose the first classification code of each record. Since the files of each member country are treated separately, it is possible to declare also the country community for each record. Contrary to the CD-ROM version, the document type is no longer searchable in OpenSIGLE. We found it interesting to display the information in the list of results, along with the title, the authors and the publication date. This is not a feature of the basic version of DSpace, but we observed similar practices in other repositories (see ERA 2006 and Glasgow 2006). The SIGLE classification scheme with its 246 subject sub-categories can be searched through the subject field, either by its code or its wording. A specific help page accessible at any moment lists the complete classification schemes with both the codes and their description. As mentioned above, the subject areas were reduced to 15 entries for the organization of the database in collections and for browsing purposes. For OpenSIGLE INIST chose the latest stable version available of the software which was then DSpace 1.3.2. One of the new features in this version is the support of multilingualism of the user interface (cf. DSpace system documentation 2006). This feature has been developed a bit further by a LIS student and OpenSIGLE can now be used with interfaces in English (the main version), French, German and Italian. These are the four most representative languages in the database. The help pages and the "About" information are available in English and French only, since they must be translated specifically. Document delivery being very important for the SIGLE database, INIST decided to add an order form to facilitate contact with the holder of the document (former EAGLE member) and the information about the document’s availability in each record. In addition INIST gives updated information for each participating centre on each of the "Countries" pages.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OpenSIGLE

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OpenSIGLE claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OpenSIGLE before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OpenSIGLE ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OpenSIGLE

In research: OpenSIGLE appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OpenSIGLE in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OpenSIGLE is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bibliographic databases and indexes, Grey literature, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OpenSIGLE outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study OpenSIGLE in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OpenSIGLE means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OpenSIGLE out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OpenSIGLE in simple terms?

The OpenSIGLE repository provides open access to the bibliographic records of the former SIGLE database. The creation of the OpenSIGLE archive was decided by some major European STI centres, members of the former European network EAGLE for the collection and dissemination of grey literature (Europe…

Why does OpenSIGLE matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OpenSIGLE?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OpenSIGLE.