The XVIIIth (New) International Congress of Zoology

Le XVIIIème (Nouveau) Congrès International de Zoologie

Zoological Record (ZR) is an index to the world's zoological literature, covering all aspects of animal biology and specialising in systematics and nomenclature. Since 1864 it has provided the international scientific community with both a current awareness service and an archival tool in print. Technological advances in recent years have greatly increased the range of services which can be provided, both in the way in the overall content is provided through CD-ROM and web-based delivery, and in new tools such as the internet-based Index to Organism Names (ION), which allows users to determine the existence and level of usage of names tracked by ZR. Initially restricted to the names indexed in ZR since 1978, the prospect of extending the coverage of ION back to the first volume of ZR published in 1864 is discussed. The issues related to the development of a formal centralised register of zoological nomenclature are considered, and suggestions are put forward on how ZR and ION might be used as the basis for developing a centralised listing of names to which all could refer. Links with projects such as Species 2000, ITIS and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility proposed by the OECD are also explored. Also under development is the provision of information contained in ZR in new, non-bibliographic, formats which will make its use alongside primary data in both existing and novel ways much simpler.