Resource Discovery Services: DICE project

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Resource Discovery Services DICE project

• Introduction (Aug 06)
• For further details see project web site
  http//www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/DICE/
• 1. About the DICE project - Context
• 2. Demonstrator at http//dplus.staffs.ac.uk8080
  /elf
• links to COSE server at http//dplus.staffs.ac.uk
  /cose_210905/
• Other Project Outputs Report and download
  bundle (COSE / D plus)
• 3. What we did and how
• 4. Metadata considerations (transforms,
  protocols, integration, searching)
• Further work / development opportunities
• Conclusions

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Resource Discovery Services DICE project
1. About the DICE project - Context (D plus and
ICE DICE) Funded through JISC ELF demonstrator
and toolkit strand OSS / service - oriented
architecture SOA http//www.elframework.org/
and see rationale for e-learning programme at
http//www.elearning.ac.uk/ To
evaluate and integrate demonstrator applications
(web service based, open source) with existing
e-learning applications Target application D
plus (aka Discovery plus) resource discovery
services from Edinburgh University Library
http//devil.lib.ed.ac.uk8080/dplus/
Existing e-learning application COSE VLE
http//www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/ Our own
objectives Build on previous work in SURF X4L,
on Integrating COSE with e-resources (ICE) /
synergy of RD in VLEs / migrate to SOA
ALT-C 2005 Mcr Future of VLEs session
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Resource Discovery Services DICE project
2. Demonstrator and Project Outputs For further
details see http//www.staffs.ac.uk/COSE/DICE/ De
monstrator at http//dplus.staffs.ac.uk8080/elf
links to COSE server at http//dplus.staffs.ac.u
k/cose_210905/ can access using guest / guest
account (or otherwise preferable to register
for your own account) Project Report (includes
RD Guide and Evaluation results) and Download
bundle (includes manual supplement and updated
installation guide) are available from web site
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Resource Discovery Services DICE project
3. What we did and how Actually evaluated D plus
with other RD services (cf. DEVIL / GetRef /
Google Scholar). Educational relevance v generic
web search engines. Technical -gt Evaluative
focus. Staffing issues at Edinburgh and Staffs.
Spent most time on evaluation, presentations,
writing RD Guide, recruitment, processing on-line
evaluation form, preparing beta release
bundle. Evaluation results cohort of c. 20
from FE and HE. (Issues largely as expected) Ease
of use / familiarity of interface / robustness /
reference type. Integration per se was approved
but other tools preferred. D plus as
beta. Integration in other VLEs (Moodle,
WebCT, Blackboard, Learnwise, Virtual Campus)
loose coupling. Presentations to user groups
(JISC RSC West MIdlands). Free software/services
of particular relevance to FE sector??
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Resource Discovery Services DICE project
4. Metadata considerations (transforms,
protocols, integration, searching) XSLT engine
built into D plus effects transforms to LOM (or
DC) from GRS / MARC / LoC / http//devil.lib.ed.ac
.uk8080/dplus/aboutinteroperability.jsp - but
how? / transform errors Metadata returned from
target depends on level of support for
z39.50 Results returned to COSE, parsed and not
all metadata (yet) included in saved resource
lists (avoiding overhead of incorporating XSLT
engine) Feedback from evaluators little
appreciation of metadata gt Purchase / Use of
Google Mini search engine allows full text
searching (c 2000 / 100 000 documents) gt
metadata system conformance discuss Supported
/ Unsupported features (ver 1 2, tweed / CP /
RLI, OpenURL). RLI spec BPG / how to use ????
Metadata and other web services ??
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Resource Discovery Services DICE project
5. Further work / development opportunities work
on selection of results (of interest) resolve
issues re individual references and lists.
work on tagged / searchable / reusable
reference objects caveat - system load (cf.
HLSI). Also there are COSE issues in making ref
objects (or lists) full blown COSE objects, and
in published and unpublished content. Our
implementation as half-way house. leverage use
of link resolver software (Staffs University
Library, Metalib / SFX and Google
Scholar) resolve authentication issues (since
introduction of Athens DA) possiblilities in
integrating other applications and web services
RELOAD / MDC ? / PKP ? / RL Services
Ultimately some of these developments to be
included in new COSE release
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Resource Discovery Services DICE project

• 6. Conclusions
• Somewhat mixed results - Draft Report endorsed by
  EUL (? and SSD project)
• Facade design, configuration issues, unhelpful
  information on web site and unhandled exceptions
  thrown, maintenance / support issues.
• Source code modified from open source OCLC
  software was available,
• but not that from JAFER / other
  dependencies
• (being addressed ?)
• 3. Failed / didnt manage to integrate using web
  service (cf RLI project)
• v
• 4. Validate SOA / OSS model / modular design
  promoted in JISC (?)
• 5. Enhanced COSE development / helps in
  upgrading to SOA
• 6. Useful exercise in engaging with (local) user
  communities
• 7. Useful exercise in engaging with Staffs Uni
  Library / Informatics
• Benefits to wider community (ELF et al) in
  sharing what we learned
• debrief w EUL partners .. (? 70 usable)