PREDICTING THE SMART LIBRARY: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES MEET THE CHALLENGE OF TRANSFORMED LIBRARIES

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

28 Feb 2013 EDGE Conference

SummaryMajor trends are in play that contribute to major transformations underway in libraries.  In the broader publishing and information arena, the explosion of interest in e-books represents another wave in the shift toward electronic content that in previous times saw the near complete transition of journal articles to electronic form.  Web-based and cloud computing stands to bring fundamental changes in the ways that libraries use technology in support of their internal operations and in providing access to their collections and services.  Breeding will help library decision makers explore how to harness these trends and technologies to meet the strategic missions. 

Library Technology Guides

www.librarytechnology.

org

UK Public Libraries

Library Journal Automation Marketplace

Published annually in April 1 issue Based on data provided by each vendor Focused primarily on North America

Context of global library automation market

LJ Automation MarketplaceAnnual Industry report published in Library Journal: 2012: Agents of Change 2011: New Frontier: battle intensifies to win hearts, minds

and tech dollars 2010: New Models, Core Systems 2009: Investing in the Future 2008: Opportunity out of turmoil 2007: An industry redefined 2006: Reshuffling the deck 2005: Gradual evolution 2004: Migration down, innovation up 2003: The competition heats up 2002: Capturing the migrating customer

Cloud Computing for Libraries

Volume 11 in The Tech Set

Published by Neal-Schuman / ALA TechSource

ISBN: 781555707859

http://www.neal-schuman.com/ccl

Book Image Publication Info:

Next-Gen Library Catalogs

Marshall BreedingNeal-Schuman PublishersMarch 2010

Volume 1 of The Tech Set

Appropriate Automation Infrastructure

Current automation products out of step with current realities

Centered on transactional support Proliferation of disconnected tech components Majority of automation efforts support print activities Management of e-content continues with inadequate

supporting infrastructure Need better virtual presence that covers full breadth

of library collection and services Library users expect more engaging socially aware

interfaces for Web and mobile

Allocation of resources Libraries need flexible technical

infrastructure that responds to changing priorities

Collection funds devoted mostly to e-content

Allocation of technology infrastructure and personnel devoted mostly to management of print

Not hardwired to specific content media, workflows, or services

Technology to support all faces of public libraries

Physical Social / Community Digital

Reshaped collections Monographs: transition to e-books underway

Demand for e-book discovery and lending For academics, E-books now largely delivered

through database aggregations Digital collections: local libraries and cultural

organizations actively involved in digitizing unique materials

Journal content: mostly delivered electronically Media collections: LP, CD, DVD, Blu-Ray to

streaming Heritage print collections will remain indefinitely

Fulfillment activities Print circulation Increasing Increasing reliance on self-service Direct consortial borrowing Interlibrary loan activity rising Increased pressure for resource sharing

Additional public library roles Beyond content fulfillment Centers of community engagement Technology access for the under-served Ready reference > in-depth research

support Improve Literacy, promote reading, etc Facilitating use of technology Stimulate creativity: Maker spaces

Public Library Issues Greater concern for e-books and general

article databases Management: Need for consolidated

approach that balances print, digital, and electronic workflows

Emphasis on technologies that engage users with library programs and services

Cumulative effect Library collections more complex than

ever Library services move diverse Managing electronic and digital content

harder than managing print

Tech for Physical Libraries Content stations: Catalog stations, e-book

kiosks, specialized resources Self-service (RFID) – increasingly duplicating

LMS / Online catalog functionality Digital signage and exhibits Computing: Wi-Fi – PCs – printing Multi-media tables Device Lending – increasingly self-service Anything to spark collaboration and

engagement

Social Computing Web 2.0 as a separate activity often counter

productive Important to have social orientation built

directly into the software and services that comprise library infrastructure

Avoid jettisoning patrons out of the library’s Web presence

Find ways to effectively connect with users, connect users to each other, and especially to connect users to library content and services

Key Context: Changed expectations in metadata management 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 (KnowledgeWorks / 360 Core)

Great interest in moving toward semantic web and open linked data Very little progress in linked data for operational systems AACR2 > RDA MARC > RDF (recent announcement of Library of Congress)

Enterprise connectivity Important to be interconnected with the

technical infrastructure of related organizations: Council services, Campus,

UK: strong dynamic between local council business systems and that of the library service

Fundamental technology shift Mainframe computing Client/Server Cloud Computing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carrick/61952845/http://soacloudcomputing.blogspot.com/2008/10/cloud-computing.html

http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-10-2001/jw-1019-jxta.html

Mobile Computing

Cooperation and Resource sharing

Efforts on many fronts to cooperate and consolidate

Many regional consortia merging (Example: suburban Chicago systems)

State-wide or national implementations Software-as-a-service or “cloud” based

implementations Many libraries share computing

infrastructure and data resources

Illinois Heartland Library Consortium

LargestConsortiumin US by Number of Members

Strategic Cooperation Shared infrastructure in support of strategic

collaborative relationships Opportunities to share infrastructure Examples:

2CUL Orbis Cascade Alliance

Opportunities to reconsider automation implementation strategies One library = 1 ILS? Ability to share infrastructure across organizational

boundaries?

Shared Infrastructure Northern Ireland South Australia Denmark (tender process underway) Chile Iceland

Challenge: Disjointed approach to information and service delivery Library Web sites offer a menu of unconnected silos:

Books: Library OPAC (ILS online catalog module) 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

Integrated service Delivery A unified interface that takes full

responsibility for customer experience Avoids abrupt hand-offs Does not jettison customers away from

the library presence Inward vectors of engagement

Integrating e-Books into Library Automation Infrastructure

Current approach involves mostly outsourced arrangements

Collections licensed wholesale from single provider

Hand-off to DRM and delivery systems of providers

Loading of MARC records into local catalog with linking mechanisms

No ability to see availability status of e-books from the library’s online catalog or discovery interface

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

Public Library Information PortalSearch:

Digital Collections

Web Site ContentCommunit

yInformatio

n

…Customer-providedcontent

Reference Sources

Search Results

Pre-built harvesting and indexing

Consolidated Index

LMS Data

Aggregated Content packages

Archives

Usage-generate

dData

Customer

Profile

Discovery Products

http://www.librarytechnology.org/discovery.pl

Fragmented Library Management LMS for management of (mostly) print Duplicative financial systems between library and local

government or other parent organization 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

Library management systems Traditionally focus on circulation,

cataloging, and acquisitions Neglect patron-facing services New generation needs to operate as:

Customer relationship management Enterprise Resource Management Collection management Patron discovery and service fulfillment

Automation priorities Current LMS model focuses on technical

services Discovery interfaces and catalog address

patron self-service General absence of customer relationship

management How can new generations of technology

infrastructure provide tools to facilitate research support, reference, and other public services

Need to generate performance metrics for these critical library services

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

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

Libraries need a new model of library automation Not an Integrated Library System or Library

Management System The ILS/LMS 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

Library Services Platform Library-specific software. Designed to help libraries

automate their internal operations, manage collections, fulfill 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 New structures not yet invented

Open APIs for extensibility and interoperability

Consolidated indexUnified Presentation LayerSearch:

Digital Coll

ProQuest

EBSCO…

JSTOR

Other Resource

s

New Library Management Model

`API Layer

Library Services Platform

LearningManageme

nt

Enterprise ResourcePlanning

StockManagement

Self-Check /

Automated Return

Authentication

Service

Smart Cad /

Payment systems

Discovery

Service

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