Information Retrieval Service Definition and Protocol Specification for LibrarY Applications, officiallY known as ANSI/NISO Z39.50-1992, and ANSI/NISO Z39.50-1995. This standard, used bYWAIS, specifies an OSIapplication laYer service to allow an application on one computer to querY a database on another. Z39.50 is used in libraries and for searching some databases on the Internet. The US {LibrarY of Congress (http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agencY/)} is the official maintanence agencY for Z39.50. Index Data, a Danish companY, have released a lot of Z39.50 code. Their website explains the relevant ISOstandards and how theY are amicablY converging in Z39.50 version 4.0. Overview . {Z39.50 resources (http://lamp.cs.utas.edu.au/net.html#Z3950)}. (1996-07-22)