The European Library Workshop: The Concept of Web Services

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The European LibraryWorkshop The Concept of Web
Services
Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague, The
Netherlands January 10-12, 2006
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Workshop Web Services

• Definition of service
• Any web application that can be invoked by URL
  that can return some sort of output to enhance
  user experience
• Definition of user/creator of service
• Portal user
• Translation services, annotation, localization,
  personalization
• Libraries/data providers
• Copy cataloging, sharing authority records
• User communities
• Creation of services and service descriptions,
  participation in forums

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Workshop Web Services

• Do we want user control or will the European
  Library want to control which services are
  accepted (quality control)?
• How will services be added?
• Social aspects?
• Promotion and standardization

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Workshop Web Services

• How should the addition of services be
  controlled? Full control by TEL or user control?
• User involvement is desirable
• TEL (along with user community) in a continuous
  process - rates services
• Top rated services can become part of the default
  services offered
• Mozilla/Firefox model vs. Wikipedia model
• In the wikipedia model any user would be able to
  add and modify an existing service (description)
• In the Firefox model a user would only be allowed
  to add services and not edit existing ones
• Firefox model preferred
• Service descriptions should be maintained
  centrally

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Workshop Web Services

• Social aspects
• Implementation of an environment in which the
  services user community can test services
• User forum to discuss services
• Goal of forum is to create more word of mouth
  about TEL and the services it can offer

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Workshop Web Services

• Promotion of services
• Standardization
• TEL should foster standardization of interfaces
  amongst service providers
• E.g. Translation services not one service can
  supply translations for all languages.
  Standardization would lower barrier for creating
  individual services per language
• TELs own services should also follow
  standardization practices
• TEL should encourage and exchange standardization
  of service descriptions