31 aug 2003 talking systems janice sim technical services manager university of wales college,...
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31 Aug 2003
Talking Systems
Janice SimTechnical Services Manager
University of Wales College, Newport
31 Aug 2003
Talking Systems
• One of the JISC funded DiVLE projects
• Linking Digital Libraries with VLEs
• October 2002 – July 2003
31 Aug 2003
Talking Systems
• To investigate the setting up of links
between the VLE - Lotus Learning Space
and the Sirsi Unicorn Library Management
System
31 Aug 2003
Dan Noyes - Project Manager
Centre for Learning Development
Project website:
www.newport.ac.uk/talkingsystems
31 Aug 2003
Partners
• Sirsi UK
• IBM – Lotus Software
• Percussion Software UK
• Lancaster University, Library and Information
Systems
31 Aug 2003
Aims
To create SCORM learning objects and
transfer metadata from these objects to a
Bath Profile compliant Z39.50 server
31 Aug 2003
Why?• To find content across multiple Virtual Learning
Environments e.g. Lotus Learning Space, Blackboard, WebCT
• To standardise search behaviour across disparate e-learning resource bases
• To open access to learning content metadata beyond our institution
31 Aug 2003
SCORM
• Shareable Content Object Reference Model
• Funded by the US Department of Defense.
• Emerging specification combining a
number of existing standards
31 Aug 2003
SCORM
• Specifies a standard way to describe sequenced content that is to be used by a single learner– The learner can identify a specific learning
requirement and have a bespoke tutorial created from distributed content to answer this requirement
31 Aug 2003
SCO
• SCOs represent a collection of one or more
shareable resources that include a specific
launchable asset that uses the SCORM run-
time environment to communicate with a
learning management system.
31 Aug 2003
SCORM learning objects
• The SCORM had not previously been used at UWCN
• Stored using a Windows 2000 development server running an IBM Lotus Domino platform.
31 Aug 2003
SCORM learning objects
• Data is stored in Domino in forms and a
single form was created for SCO input to
automate the production of metadata
31 Aug 2003
SCO FormThree sections:
1. The basic metadata provided by the content author
2.The SCO content itself
3. Automatically created metadata matched to
MARC fields using the Dublin Core crosswalk on
the Library of Congress website
31 Aug 2003
Source data
• A Lotus Domino database of 500 pieces of mainly HTML formatted text each of about 300 words making up a fledgling study skills database.
• This was copied to the mini VLE on the development server
31 Aug 2003
SCORM content
Next steps:
• Stringing the individual documents together to make SCOs and content structure
• Macromedia Authorware used to aggregate and sequence the elements making up tutorials
31 Aug 2003
Percussion Notrix
Originally planned to use ODBC scripting to push data to the Unicorn server but this was not supported.
The live Unicorn library system was used in this project, not a test server.
31 Aug 2003
Unicorn – Importing records
• ODBC scripting not supported
• Bibload– Perfectly successful and capable of being
automated using FTP and reports– Definitely not new
31 Aug 2003
Unicorn – Linking to the VLE
• Searching the catalogue to find items
• Using the 856 field to link to objects in the VLE
31 Aug 2003
Unicorn - Searching
Using the Webcat or a Z39.50 client
to find a MARC record with a URL pointing
to a Domino document or an Authorware
tutorial
31 Aug 2003
What Is Z39.50
• A search and retrieval protocol which enables clients and servers from different vendors to communicate with each other
• Searches are mapped from Z39.50 to the local search protocol and can be run against more than one target at a time
31 Aug 2003
Z39.50
Not the easiest feature of Unicorn to use
Not understood by network staff
- Frequently firewall issues
When access is achieved
- Often error messages
31 Aug 2003
Z39.50 search
Should have 6 attributes each given a numerical value e.g.• Use - such as title, author or ISSN• Relation - equal, greater than, less than• Position - any position in field, first• Structure - word, word list or phrase• Truncation - right hand truncation or do not truncate• Completeness - complete field, incomplete subfield
31 Aug 2003
Unicorn Bath Z Server Behaviour FIND TITLE KEYWORD = “FISH”
Attribute Value Name
use 4 title (keyword indexing policy)
relation 3 equal
position 3 any position in field (keyword)
structure 2 word
truncation 100 do not truncate
completeness 1 incomplete subfield
31 Aug 2003
Where does it go wrong?
• Most vendors do not document their Z39.50 servers capabilities
• Some vendor documentation is inaccurate
• Many exhibit default behaviour when they receive attribute combinations they don’t support giving unreliable search results
• All six attributes are not compulsory
31 Aug 2003
Z Answers
• A recent development in Sirsi is the delivery of preconfigured search name maps for each vendor’s server
• U2003 clients can send all 6 attribute values for a Z search
• Use the Bath profile to fully define searches and make Z39.50 work
31 Aug 2003
Bath Profile
• Bath profile defines which of the combinations of attributes a Bath compliant server should be able to handle and the nature of the response. A core set of requirements.
• University of North Texas is able to test a Z39.50 server for compliance
31 Aug 2003
Z39.50 and Talking Systems
• To meet our aim of searching across disparate sources standardisation was needed.
• For this reason it was decided that our server should be made Bath profile compliant.
• A consultant was needed!
31 Aug 2003
Our consultant
• Slavko Manojlovich
• Memorial University of Newfoundland
• Sirsi’s Z39.50 guru!
31 Aug 2003
Changes to Unicorn
• A new format for Dublin Core records
• A new Library policy (ELECTRONIC! A godsend for E-books, journals and databases and the best bit of the whole project)
• New keyword indexes, name, title, subject and number for each format
31 Aug 2003
Keyword Indexes
• The changes to the keyword indexes for each
MARC field took about 4 days work, following
the specification from Texas.
• The result was a Bath Profile compliant server,
one of the first if not the first in the UK.
31 Aug 2003
The end of the project
• Work will continue to make links between the systems
• The project showed that the SCORM approach is complex and difficult to apply across the institution
• Bath profile provides a good basis for e-learning content discovery.
31 Aug 2003
Slavko ManojlovichZ39.50 clients and servers : the current state of affairs. http://nofish.library.mun.ca/stlouisu2003.ppt
Peter GethinWhy the Bath profile makes Z39.50 workLiber Quarterly 11(4), pp. 372- 381
31 Aug 2003
Useful links
Dr Ed’s SCORM course
www.jcasolutions.com/SC12/index.html
Paul Miller
Z39.50 for all
www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue21/z3950/intro.html