A New Generation of Technologies for Libraries and Information Centers

Marshall BreedingIndependent Consultant,Founder and Publisher, Library Technology Guideshttp://www.librarytechnology.org/http://twitter.com/mbreeding

25 March 2015 Special Libraries Association/Arabian Gulf Chapter

Description

Libraries and information centers in almost all sectors and geographic regions have experienced a fundamental shift where large proportions of electronic resources and digital materials complement, or even dominate, their print collections. This shift demands a response in the technical infrastructure for libraries so that they can effectively manage and provide access to these multi-faceted collections.

Breeding will describe the major changes in the realm of library automation, including the advent of a new generation of library services platforms which take a significant departure from the integrated library systems that previously dominated. A new generation of Web-scale index-based discovery services likewise provide powerful ways for library users to work with these complex and large-scale collections. These new genres of library systems take advantage of the scalability possible through cloud computing technologies and the extensibility and interoperability enabled through the services-oriented architecture.

Library Technology Guides

www.librarytechnolog

y.org

Appropriate Automation Infrastructure

Current automation products out of step with current realities

Majority of library collection funds spent on electronic content

Majority of automation efforts support print activities

New discovery solutions help with access to e-content

Management of e-content continues with inadequate supporting infrastructure

Technology Shift

Client / Server > Web-based computing Beyond Web 2.0

Integration of social and academic identities and networks into core infrastructure

Local computing shifting to cloud platforms Application Service Provider offerings standard New expectations for multi-tenant software-as-a-

service Full spectrum of devices

full-scale / net book / tablet / mobile Mobile the current focus, but is only one example of

device and interface cycles

Strategic shift for Academic Libraries

Collection Shift from Print > Electronic + Digital E-journal transition largely complete Circulation of print collections slowing Large-scale investment in e-books

Technical infrastructure support: Need better tools for access to complex multi-

format collections Strong emphasis on digitizing local collections Demands for enterprise integration and

interoperability

New Metadata management WorlkFlows

Moving away from individual record-by-record creation Life cycle of metadata

Metadata follows the supply chain, improved and enhanced along the way as needed

Manage metadata in bulk when possible E-book collections

Highly shared metadata E-journal knowledge bases, e.g.

Great interest in moving toward semantic web and open linked data Path emerging for linked data in resource management and

discovery systems AACR2 > RDA MARC > BIBFRAME (http://bibframe.org/)

Software as a Service

Multi Tennant SaaS is the modern approach One copy of the code base serves multiple

sites Software functionality delivered entirely

through Web interfaces No workstation clients

Upgrades and fixes deployed universally Usually in small increments

Data as a service

SaaS provides opportunity for highly shared data models

Bibliographic knowledgebase: one globally shared copy that serves all libraries

Discovery indexes: article and object-level index for resource discovery

E-resource knowledge bases: shared authoritative repository of e-journal holdings

General opportunity to move away from library-by-library metadata management to globally shared workflows

Traditional model of Automation Oriented to Print collections Single Library System

Includes branches or divisional facilities Automation strategies often set when

capabilities of automation systems were limited

Institutional solo of collection management

Fragmented Library Management ILS for management of (mostly) print Duplicative financial transactions between ILS Acquisitions and

enterprise business systems (many shadow systems) Proxy and Authentication services E-book lending platform (multiple?) Interlibrary loan (borrowing and lending) Self-service and AMH infrastructure Electronic Resource Management PC Scheduling and print management Event scheduling Digital Collections Management platforms (CONTENTdm, DigiTool,

etc.) Discovery-layer services for broader access to library collections No effective integration services / interoperability among

disconnected systems, non-aligned metadata schemes

Reconceptualization of Automation Current organization of functionality based

on past assumptions Possible new organizing principles

Fulfillment = Circulation + ILL + DCB + e-commerce

Resource management = Cataloging + Acquisitions + Serials + ERM

Customer Relationship Management = Reference + Circulation + ILL (public services)

Enterprise Resource Planning = Acquisitions + Collection Development

Academic Libraries need a new model of library management

Not an Integrated Library System or Library Management System

The ILS was designed to help libraries manage print collections

Generally did not evolve to manage electronic collections

Other library automation products evolved: Electronic Resource Management Systems –

OpenURL Link Resolvers – Digital Library Management Systems -- Institutional Repositories

Integrated (for print) Library System

Circulation

BIB

Staff Interfaces:

Holding / Items

CircTransact

User Vendor Policies$$$

Funds

Cataloging Acquisitions Serials OnlineCatalog

Public Interfaces:

Interfaces

BusinessLogic

DataStores

LMS / ERM: Fragmented Model

Circulation

BIB

Staff Interfaces:

Holding / Items

CircTransact

User Vendor Policies$$$

Funds

CatalogingAcquisitionsSerials OnlineCatalog

Public Interfaces:

Application Programming Interfaces

`

LicenseManagement

LicenseTerms

E-resourceProcurement

VendorsE-Journal

Titles

Protocols: CORE

Informal management of Electronic Resources

Circulation

BIB

Staff Interfaces:

Holding / Items

CircTransact

User Vendor Policies$$$

Funds

CatalogingAcquisitionsSerials OnlineCatalog

Public Interfaces:

Application Programming Interfaces

Budget License Terms

Titles / Holdings

Vendors

Access Details

Comprehensive Resource Management

No longer sensible to use different software platforms for managing different types of library materials

ILS + ERM + OpenURL Resolver + Digital Asset management, etc. very inefficient model

Flexible platform capable of managing multiple type of library materials, multiple metadata formats, with appropriate workflows

Support for management of metadata in bulk Continuous lifecycle chain initiated before

publication

Library Services Platform

Library-specific software. Designed to help libraries automate their internal operations, manage collections, fulfillment requests, and deliver services

Services Service oriented architecture Exposes Web services and other API’s Facilitates the services libraries offer to their users

Platform General infrastructure for library automation Consistent with the concept of Platform as a Service Library programmers address the APIs of the platform to

extend functionality, create connections with other systems, dynamically interact with data

Library Services Platform Characteristics

Highly Shared data models Knowledgebase architecture Some may take hybrid approach to accommodate local

data stores Delivered through software as a service

Multi-tenant Unified workflows across formats and media Flexible metadata management

MARC – Dublin Core – VRA – MODS – ONIX Bibframe New structures not yet invented

Open APIs for extensibility and interoperability

Con

solid

ate

d in

dex

Search Engine

Unified Presentation LayerSearch:

Digital Coll

ProQuest

EBSCO…

JSTOR

Other Resour

ces

New Library Management Model

`

API Layer

Library Services Platform

LearningManageme

nt

LearningManageme

nt

Enterprise ResourcePlanning

Enterprise ResourcePlanning

StockManageme

nt

StockManageme

nt

Self-Check /

Automated Return

Self-Check /

Automated Return

Authentication

Service

Authentication

Service

Smart Cad /

Payment systems

Smart Cad /

Payment systems

Discovery

Service

Open Systems

Achieving openness has risen as the key driver behind library technology strategies

Libraries need to do more with their data Ability to improve customer experience and

operational efficiencies Demand for Interoperability Open source – full access to internal

program of the application Open API’s – expose programmatic

interfaces to data and functionality

Leveraging the Cloud

Moving legacy systems to hosted services provides some savings to individual institutions but does not result in dramatic transformation

Globally shared data and metadata models have the potential to achieve new levels of operational efficiencies and more powerful discovery and automation scenarios that improve the position of libraries overall.

Changing models of Resource Sharing

BibliographicDatabase

Library System

Branch 1

Branch 2

Branch 3

Branch 4

Branch 5

Branch 6

Branch 7

Branch 8

Holdings

Main Facility

Search:

Integrated Library System

Patrons useCirculation featuresto request itemsfrom other branches

Floating Collectionsmay reduce workload forInter-branchtransfers

Model:Multi-branchIndependentLibrary System

Library Consortia

Groups of libraries want to work together to share an automation system

Number of participants limited by the perceived capacities of the automation system

Shared Infrastructure

Common discovery Retention of local automation systems Technical complex with moderate

operational benefits Common discovery + Resource

Management Systems Shared Resource management with local

discovery options

BibliographicDatabase

Shared Consortia System

Library 2

Library 3

Library 4

Library 5

Library 7

Library 8

Library 9

Library 10

Holdings

Library 1 Library 6

Shared Consortial ILS

Search:

Model:Multipleindependentlibraries in aConsortiumShare an ILS

ILS configuredTo supportDirect consortialBorrowing throughCirculation Module

Progressive consolidation of library services

Centralization of technical infrastructure of multiple libraries within a campus

Resource sharing support Direct borrowing among partner institutions

Shared infrastructure between institutions Examples: 2CUL (Columbia University /

Cornell University) Orbis Cascade Alliance (37 independent

colleges and universities to merge into shared LSP)

2CUL

Shared Services:Collection Development

Technical Services

Shared Infrastructure?:

Orbis Cascade Alliance

37 Academic Libraries Combined enrollment of 258,000 9 million titles 1997: implemented dual INN-Reach

systems Orbis and Cascade consortia merged in

2003 Currently working on implementation of

shared system

The Evolution of Library Resource Discovery

Challenge: More integrated approach to information and service delivery

Library Web sites offer a menu of unconnected silos: Books: Library OPAC (ILS online catalog module) Search the Web site Articles: Aggregated content products, e-journal collections OpenURL linking services E-journal finding aids (Often managed by link resolver) Subject guides (e.g. Springshare LibGuides) Local digital collections

ETDs, photos, rich media collections Metasearch engines Discovery Services – often just another choice among

many All searched separately

Online Catalog

Books, Journals, and Media at the Title Level

Not in scope: Articles Book Chapters Digital objects Web site content Etc.

Scope of SearchSearch:

Search Results

ILS Data

Next-gen Catalogs or Discovery Interface (2002-2009)

Single search box Query tools

Did you mean Type-ahead

Relevance ranked results (for some content sources)

Faceted navigation Enhanced visual displays

Cover art Summaries, reviews,

Recommendation services

Next-gen Catalogs or Discovery Interface

Single search box Query tools

Did you mean Type-ahead

Relevance ranked results Faceted navigation Enhanced visual displays

Cover art Summaries, reviews,

Recommendation services

Books, Journals, and Media at the Title Level

Other local and open access content

Not in scope: Articles Book Chapters Digital objects

Scope of Search

Discovery Interface search model

Search: Digital

Collections

ProQuest

EBSCOhost

…MLA

Bibliography

ABC-CLIO

Search Results

Real-time query and responses

ILS Data

Local Index

Meta

search

En

gin

e

Discovery from Local to Web-scale Initial products focused on technology

Mostly locally-installed software Current phase is focused on pre-

populated indexes that aim to deliver Web-scale discovery

Web-scale Index-based Discovery

Search:

Digital Collections

Web Site Content

Institutional

Repositories

…E-Journals

Reference Sources

Search Results

Pre-built harvesting and indexing

Conso

lidate

d In

dex

ILS Data

Aggregated Content packages

(2009- present)

Usage-generate

dData

Customer

Profile

Open Access

Profile of Library Subscriptions

Bento Box Discovery Model

Search:

Digital Collections

Web Site Content

Institutional

Repositories

E-JournalsSearch Results

Pre-built harvesting and indexing

Conso

lidate

d In

dex

ILS Data

Aggregated Content packages

Open AccessVuFind /

Blacklight

Web-scale Search Problem

Search:

Search Results

Pre-built harvesting and indexing

Con

solid

ate

d

Index

???

Non Participating

Content Sources

Problem in how to deal with resources not provided to ingest into consolidated index

Digital Collections

Web Site ContentInstitution

al Repositori

es

…E-Journals

ILS Data

Aggregated Content packages

Challenge for Relevancy

Technically feasible to index hundreds of millions or billions of records through Lucene or SOLR

Difficult to order records in ways that make sense

Many fairly equivalent candidates returned for any given query

Must rely on use-based and social factors to improve relevancy rankings

Evaluating Index-based Discovery Services

Intense competition: how well the index covers the body of scholarly content stands as a key differentiator

Difficult to evaluate based on numbers of items indexed alone.

Important to ascertain now your library’s content packages are represented by the discovery service.

Important to know what items are indexed by citation and which are full text

Important to know whether the discovery service favors the content of any given publisher

A&I Content in Discovery Services

Will discovery services eventually become powerful enough to displace need for abstracting and indexing services?

Specialized vocabulary and other metadata make positive contributions to the discovery process

Specialized and scoped search methodologies

Researchers value this tools

Challenge for Relevancy

Technically feasible to index hundreds of millions or billions of records through Lucene or SOLR

Difficult to order records in ways that make sense

Many fairly equivalent candidates returned for any given query

Must rely on use-based and social factors to improve relevancy rankings

Objectivity: Does relevancy reflect bias or publisher preferences

Socially-powered discovery

Leverage use data to increase effectiveness of discovery

Usage data can identify important or popular materials to inform relevancy engines

Identify related materials that may not otherwise be uncovered through keyword matching

Be careful to avoid introducing bias loops

Challenges for Collection Coverage To work effectively, discovery services

need to cover comprehensively the body of content represented in library collections

What about publishers that do not participate?

Is content indexed at the citation or full-text level?

What are the restrictions for non-authenticated users?

How can libraries understand the differences in coverage among competing services?

Evaluating the Coverage of Index-based Discovery Services

Intense competition: how well the index covers the body of scholarly content stands as a key differentiator

Difficult to evaluate based on numbers of items indexed alone.

Important to ascertain now your library’s content packages are represented by the discovery service.

Important to know what items are indexed by citation and which are full text

Important to know whether the discovery service favors the content of any given publisher

Reassess expectations of Technology

Many previous assumptions no longer apply

Technology platforms scale infinitely No technical limits on how libraries share

technical infrastructure Cloud technologies enable new ways of

sharing metadata Build flexible systems not hardwired to

any given set of workflows

Reassess workflow and organizational options

ILS model shaped library organizations New Library Services Platforms may

enable new ways to organize how resource management and service delivery are performed

New technologies more able to support strategic priorities and initiatives

Time to engage

Transition to new technology models just underway

More transformative development than in previous phases of library automation

Opportunities to partner and collaborate Vendors want to create systems with long-

term value Question previously held assumptions

regarding the shape of technology infrastructure and services

Provide leadership in defining expectations

Questions and discussion