This report discusses the Z39.50 interoperability testbed and serves as an interim report for the Z-Interop Project as of December 31, 2003.

This document provides a status report on the Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed Project (Z-Interop) covering the period of May 1, 2000 through March 31, 2002. Due to a family medical emergency, the Principal Investigator was not able to complete the six-month status report that was due December 1, 2001. The Principal Investigator (PI) communicated with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) staff about this situation, and had sent via email in November 2001 information about the progress of the project.

This article investigates select school behaviors, including school absenteeism, engaging in fights, and discipline for misconduct at school as well as their association with the school environment, school and home connectedness.

Video of Muhibuddin describing (in Urdu) a traditional Burusho house in the village Sultanabad, Gilgit.

This paper attempts to understand what is required to be a data librarian by applying a content analysis approach to job advertisements by hiring professionals in academic libraries in the United States.

Discussion about traditional Lamkang songs called Lam Loon Laa.

Sumshot Khular interviews Beshot Khullar at her home in Thamlapokpi, Chandel, Manipur. Beshot tells of his interests and activities in preserving traditional knowledge, stories, proverbs and the like.

Sumshot Khular interviews Beshot Khullar about his activities and interests in language and culture preservation.

Transcription of a retelling of Raapa paomin (the Story of Raapa), as narrated by Bunghon Suungnem. A tiger, angry at being duped by Koreng, eats him. Koreng's sisters vow to marry whoever kills the tiger, and the only one able to do it is Raapa. Jealous, the other men conspire to kill Raapa, but he survives two attempts and tricks them so that they drown. In the end Koreng's sisters kill Raapa.

Transcription of a retelling of Chaa paa tkhiiu ki paomin (the Story of Seven Sons), as told by Angtoi Sankhil. A man is killed by a tiger, and as his six sons go to avenge him, he kills them too one by one. The mother is pregnant with a seventh son, who is able to foretell events while still in the womb. After the child learns how his father died, he goes to confront the tiger and his wife. He avoids the tiger's attempt to kill him, takes back his father's head from the tiger's possession, and vanquishes the tiger.

An article about the role of society on child education

A translation of an article on Gustave Courbet in Assamese by Bikash Parasar

Abraham Lincoln (Lincon)'s advice to teachers, translated by Kiran Boro.

This a traditional story about two twin girls (hingchong musoso) that are born to the human wife of a king, who also has a second wife who is a witch. The witch is jealous and abandons the girls, who are subsequently brought up by tigers. After having grown up, they return to their father’s kingdom and tell their story. The father learns the truth, the witch dies, and the reunited family lives happily ever after.

This a traditional story about step-parenthood: the mother of two children (with the names Rengso and Onso) dies and the father marries again; the new stepmother is evil and mistreats her step-children, whereupon the father does not know what to do and both abandons his children in the jungle and kills his wife.

This a traditional story about two twin girls (hingchong musoso) that are born to the human wife of a king, who also has a second wife who is a witch. The witch is jealous and abandons the girls, who are subsequently brought up by tigers. After having grown up, they return to their father’s kingdom and tell their story. The father learns the truth, the witch dies, and the reunited family lives happily ever after.

This a traditional story about step-parenthood: the mother of two children (with the names Rengso and Onso) dies and the father marries again; the new stepmother is evil and mistreats her step-children, whereupon the father does not know what to do and both abandons his children in the jungle and kills his wife.

Phalthing Haokip tells the story of a beautiful lady called Lenchonghoi who lived with her seven brothers. In the story, a wicked man called Khalbompu tries to take away Lenchonghoi to be his wife. She is from Manipur (currently living in Lambung village), and speaks Manipuri in addition to Thadou. She is around 83 years old at the time of recording.

This is a story about a king who once takes a walk in his kingdom to check if everyone there is pleased with him. He finds three sisters wishing that if they marry the royal cook, the vizier, and the king, their lives will change forever. This happens, and the king marries the younger sister. She gives birth to a child whom the elder sister replaces with a kitten and leaves him flowing in the river. This happens thrice. The children were found by a gardener who brings them up very well. The story, which is in the Northern (Mandē) dialect with some instances of code-switching to Urdu, continues further.

This is a story of a teacher who once — while teaching his students — says, “I have made you human from donkey by beating, but you don’t understand.” A washerman who had no children passes by and hears this. He then approaches the teacher and pleads with him to turn a donkey into a son for his sake. The teacher agrees to this and asked him to return after six months. The washerman returns after six months and asks for his son. The teacher replies that he taught and trained him so much that he became a judge at the Allahabad High Court. The washerman then visits the court, and the story continues.

This is a story of a husband and wife who once had so little flour left in their house that only three chapatis could be made. The husband says that he will eat two chapatis, and the wife too says the same. A heated exchange took place between them, but they finally agreed that whoever speaks first will eat just one chapati while the other one, two. They lie down and silently stare at each other, and three days pass like this. The villagers, thinking of them being dead, go to their house, wrap them in a shroud and take them to the crematory. At last, the husband says to the wife, okay two chapatis for you!

This is a personal narrative of the life of the speaker Mohammad Khalid. The narrative is in the Northern (Mandē) dialect of Azamgarhi with some code-switching to Urdu.

This is a personal narrative about an incident of the childhood time of Naushad Shaikh, the paternal uncle of the researcher, in Mandē village of Azamgarh.

This is a conversation between four-five people. Maaz — accompanied by his father — visits his (late) paternal grandmother’s ancestral home in Mande village. His father and his grandmother’s sister-in-law have a conversation which was joined by her relatives too. Maaz finds the conversation quite interesting and decides to record it. It ranges from a discussion on the modern age and its issues on family members, religion, current issues, politics, etc.