Case Study: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

The Need:

EPRI recognized the need to catalog thousands of research reports accumulated since its founding in 1973, as well as a incorporate a stream of new reports and related documents. The EPRI also saw increases revenue potential through then emerging internet technology to seamlessly present needed report titles, descriptions, and publication information to users.

Background:

EPRI is an independent, nonprofit center for public interest energy and environmental research. The organization brings together members, participants, the Institute’s scientists and engineers, and other leading experts to work collaboratively on solutions to the challenges of electric power. These solutions span nearly every area of electricity generation, delivery, and use, including health, safety, and environment.

The Solution:

Access Innovations prepared the records for and performed the maintenance of the EPRI publications database, doing abstracting and indexing of various types of documents. Editors used Data Harmony’s machine aided indexing software (M.A.I.) to suggest controlled vocabulary terms suitable to each document, and from them, manually selected the best terms for extremely high indexing, accuracy and completeness. In addition to enabling users to obtain exceptionally precise search results, the detailed data entry also allowed searchers to view complete bibliographic data in a standardized format.

Access Innovations’ editorial staff maintained the database by abstracting and indexing journals and technical reports directly online. Staff also maintained all the authority files and data tables, including the addition of new terms, deletion or changing of terms, updating relationships, cross-references, and codes, all consistent with authority files developed by EPRI. The Access Innovations editorial staff also processed document delivery requests for the EPRI membership.

Results:

The research database provides the foundation for multi-pronged uses of this valuable data – by utilities, government agencies, and environmental organizations. EPRI continues to be a leader in energy research and technology innovation.