Next generation library automation

1
Next generation library automation

• and its implications for resource sharing

Marshall Breeding Director for Innovative
Technology and Research Vanderbilt University
Library Nashville, TN USA
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Abstract

• Many efforts are underway to re-conceptualize
  library automation in ways that  take into
  consideration the major shifts that have
  transformed libraries.  The library automation
  systems in use today emerged during a time when
  libraries primarily dealt with print
  collections.  But today we need automation
  systems that collapse the distinction between
  print and electronic formats, for example, and
  help libraries to efficiently manage their
  diverse collections.  It may also be time to
  reconsider the automation systems that support
  resource sharing.  Does the current arrangement
  of the circulation module from the ILS,
  interlibrary loan management systems, direct
  consortial borrowing systems, in conjunction with
  local, regional and global interlibrary loan
  brokering systems provide the most efficient
  means for resource sharing?  In an era where
  Amazon.com can offer one-click buying, its time
  for libraries to offer more efficient and
  user-friendly fulfillment systems for their
  resources.

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Library Technology Guides

• http//www.librarytechnology.org
• Repository for library automation data
• Lib-web-cats tracks 39,000 libraries and the
  automation systems used.
• Expanding to include more international scope
• Announcements and developments made by companies
  and organizations involved in library automation
  technologies

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Lib-web-cats

• Started building database in 1995
• Most comprehensive resource for tracking ILS and
  other library automation products
• Many state library agencies do not keep accurate
  records of library automation data
• Problem how to resolve remaining Unknown
  libraries.
• No Web site, no reliable e-mail contact

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LJ Automation Marketplace

• Annual Industry report published in Library
  Journal
• 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

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Recent Major Announcements

• Evidence that a new phase of library automation
  is unfolding

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Summon from Serials Solutions

• New Discovery Service
• Consolidated index harvested from many sources
• ProQuest, Gale, etc
• 300,000,000 articles represented
• Full-text search Citations
• Local catalog data harvested, real-time link to
  holdings
• Other local repositories harvested
• Others available through metasearch

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WorldCat Local discovery service

• Existing service in pilot stage for new discovery
  service
• WorldCat.org data ArticleFirst (30 million
  articles)
• Agreement with EBSCO to load EBSCOhost citation
  data into WorldCat
• Pursuing agreements with additional content
  providers

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WorldCat Local quick start

• No-cost option to FirstSearch subscribers
• No reclamation to reconcile local ILS with
  WorldCat
• One ILS supported must be among supported
  products
• Program to expose thousands of libraries to
  WorldCat Local as a discovery option

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WorldCat Local automation platform

• Extend WorldCat Local to include
• Circulation
• Delivery
• Acquisitions
• License Management
• Positioned as Web-scale, cloud computing model,
  cooperative library system
• Pilot sites being finalized general availability
  in 2010

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Major Upheavals in Library Automation

• Separation of discovery layer from library
  automation tools
• Discovery systems
• Shift in emphasis from Technology to Content
• Open Source Challenging Proprietary ILS
• Proprietary Automation systems respond with more
  openness
• Development of new library automation framework
• OLE open source project for new automation
  platform
• URM Ex Libris commercial project for new
  automation platform
• Library Automation in the Cloud
• OCLC WorldCat Local library system

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Open source in the Library automation sphere
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Open Source Library products

• Integrated Library Systems
• Koha, Evergreen, OPALS, NewGenLib
• Repositories
• Dspace, Fedora
• Discovery Interfaces
• Vufind
• Blacklight
• SOPAC (Social OPAC)
• ILL
• Relais (?)

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Impact of Open Source ILS

• Non-open source systems still represent the vast
  majority of ILS implementations
• Open source ILS a mainstream choice for new ILS
  procurements
• Some libraries moving from traditionally licensed
  products to open source products with commercial
  support plans
• Disruption of ILS industry
• new pressures on incumbent vendors to deliver
  more innovation and to satisfy concerns for
  openness
• New competition / More options

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More Open Systems

• Pressure for traditionally licensed products to
  become more open
• APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) let
  libraries access and manipulate their data
  outside of delivered software
• A comprehensive set of APIs potentially give
  libraries more flexibility and control in
  accessing data and services and in extending
  functionality than having access to the source
  code.
• Customer access to APIs does not involve as much
  risk to breaking core system functions, avoids
  issues of version management and code forking
  associated with open source models.

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Open Source Issues

• Explosive interest in Open Source driven by
  disillusionment with current vendors
• Seen as a solution to
• Allow libraries to have more flexible systems
• Lower costs
• Not be vulnerable to disruptions that come with
  mergers and acquisitions
• Considered as a mainstream option
• Total cost of ownership
• Many claim genuine financial savings in OSS
  support vs licensed software
• New business model based on services rather than
  software licensing

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New Generation of Library Interfaces
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Discovery product Trend

• Initial products focused on technology
• AquaBrowser, Endeca, Primo, Encore, VUfind
• Mostly locally-installed software
• Current phase focused on content indexes
• Summon (Serials Solutions)
• WorldCat Local (OCLC)
• EBSCO Discovery Service (EBSCO)
• All hosted services

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Working toward a new generation of library
interfaces

• Redefinition of the library catalog
• Traditional notions of the library catalog are
  being questioned
• Better information delivery tools
• More powerful search capabilities
• More elegant presentation

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Redefinition of library catalogs

• More comprehensive information discovery
  environments
• Its no longer enough to provide a catalog
  limited to the traditional library inventory
• Digital resources cannot be an afterthought
• Forcing users to use different interfaces
  depending on type of content becoming less
  tenable
• Libraries working toward consolidated search
  environments that give equal footing to digital
  and print resources

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Comprehensive Search Service

• More like OAI
• Open Archives Initiative
• Consolidated search services based on metadata
  and data gathered in advance
• Problems of scale diminished
• Problems of cooperation persist
• Products emerging with vast content components
  built-in
• Summon, WorldCat Local, EBSCO Discovery Service

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The holy grail of New Gen Library Interfaces

• A single point of entry into all the content and
  services offered by the library
• Print Electronic
• Local Remote
• Locally created Content

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New approach to search interface

• Relevancy ranked results
• The good stuff should be listed first
• Users tend not to delve deep into a result list
• Good relevancy requires a sophisticated approach,
  including objective matching criteria
  supplemented by popularity and relatedness
  factors.
• Faceted Browsing
• Drill-down vs up-front Boolean or Advanced
  Search
• gives the users clues about the number of hits in
  each sub topic
• Ability to explore collections without a priori
  knowledge
• Did you mean? and other features to avoid No
  results found
• Rich visual information book jacket images,
  rating scores, etc.
• More like this / related content

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Deep search

• Increasing opportunities to search the full
  contents
• Google Library Print, Google Publisher, Open
  Content Alliance, Microsoft Live Book Search,
  etc.
• High-quality metadata will improve search
  precision
• Commercial search providers already offer search
  inside the book
• No comprehensive full text search for books quite
  yet
• Not currently available through library search
  environments

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Beyond Discovery

• Fulfillment oriented
• Search -gt select -gt view
• Delivery/Fulfillment much harder than discovery
• Back-end complexity should be as seamless as
  possible to the user

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Next-generation Library automation
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Rethinking library automation

• Fundamental assumption Print Digital Hybrid
  libraries
• Traditional ILS model not adequate for hybrid
  libraries
• Libraries currently moving toward surrounding
  core ILS with additional modules to handle
  electronic content
• New discovery layer interfaces replacing or
  supplementing ILS OPACS
• Working toward a new model of library automation
• Monolithic legacy architectures replaced by
  fabric of SOA applications
• Comprehensive Resource Management

It's Time to Break the Mold of the Original ILS
Computers in Libraries Nov/Dec 2007
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ILS Reinvention projects

• OLE Project
• Funded by the Research in Information Technology
  program of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
• 1-year project to produce the requirements for a
  new approach to library automation
• Will embrace the service-oriented architecture
• Business process modeling based on library
  workflows unconstrained from existing legacy
  software
• Possible follow-on project to build and open
  source reference implementation
• Ex Libris URM
• Mentioned publically but not formally announced
• Working toward new platform that better
  integrates print and electronic content
• Probably will be based on some existing products

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Breaking down the modules

• Traditional ILS
• Cataloging
• Circulation
• Online Catalog
• Acquisitions
• Serials control
• Reporting
• Modern approach SOA

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Comprehensive Resource Management

• Broad conceptual approach that proposes a library
  automation environment that spans all types of
  content that comprise library collections.
• Traditional ILS vendors Under development but no
  public announcements
• Open Source projects in early phases
• Projection 2-3 years until we begin see library
  automation systems that follow this approach. 5-7
  years for wider adoption.

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SOA model for business automation

• Underlying data repositories
• Local or Global
• Reusable business services
• Composite business applications

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OLE Project

• Open Library Environment
• Working toward a next generation library
  automation framework

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What Is SOA

• SOA Service Oriented Architecture
• Design approach
• Independent software pieces
• Pieces can be interchanged or repurposed more
  easily
• Pieces can be combined to create new services or
  systems
• Business experts and IT experts work together
• SOA Process
• Create high-level map of how the business should
  work
• Deconstruct workflows
• Define reusable services
• Recombine services into a system that meets our
  requirements

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Service Oriented Architecture
http//www.sun.com/products/soa/benefits.jsp
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Legacy ILS e-content modules
End User Interfaces
Federated Search
OpenURL Linking
Electronic Resource Mgmt System
Circulation
Acquisitions
Functional modules
Cataloging
Serials
Data Stores
Staff Interfaces
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SOA for library workflow processes
Composite Applications
Reusable Business Services
Granular tasks
Data Stores
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OLE Reference Model
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OLE Project Phase I

• Planning and Design Phase
• Develop Vision Blueprint
• Work with consultants with expertise in SOA and
  BPM
• Instill community ownership of OLE
• Recruit partners for Phase II

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OLE Team _at_ Duke
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Regional Workshops

• Conduct business process modeling (BPM) exercises
• Define library workflows which must be supported
  in OLE
• Small group work to develop descriptions of
  library workflows
• Workshop output will shape project design

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OLE Project Phase II

• Build project
• Community source reference implementation
• Create software based on OLE blueprint from
  current project
• Build partners will have a high level of
  investment in OLE and will commit to
  implementation

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OLE Governance

• Library Driven
• Not vendor-driven
• Interest in joining Kuali
• Existing organization for non-profit status,
  legal support, user community

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Status and Next Steps

• Recruit partners for Build Phase
• Write Build Proposal
• Complete OLE Blueprint components
• Scope Document
• Reference Model
• Inventory of workflows / processes

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Competing Models of Library Automation

• Traditional Proprietary Commercial ILS
• Millennium, Symphony, Polaris
• Traditional Open Source ILS
• Evergreen, Koha
• Clean slate automation framework (SOA,
  enterprise-ready)
• Ex Libris URM, OLE Project
• Cloud-based automation system
• WorldCat Local (circ, acq, license management)

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ILL and Resource Sharing

• In the Context of Next-generation Automation
  Systems

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Development of Resource sharing

• Layered on top of ILS
• Millennium ILS
• INN-Reach
• SirsiDynix URSA
• ALEPH ILL
• Fretwell-Downing VDX

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Current Resource sharing Automation

• Very complex genre of software
• Connect diverse systems
• Difficult to address all needed functionality
  through standard protocols
• Challenge to design systems to reduce cost of
  fulfilling a request

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Trends in ILL and Resource Sharing

• Libraries under tremendous financial pressure
• Most resource sharing programs expanding
• Make up for diminished collection growth through
  increased resource sharing
• Increased volume of requests
• Improving percentages of fulfilled requests
• Returnables and non-returnables

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Impact of Next-gen library automation

• Better tools with next-generation automation
• Beyond whats been possible to do accomplish with
  library protocols
• Z39.50, NCIP, ISO ILL
• OCLC WorldCat
• Record sharing policy will make a difference
• Peer-oriented resource sharing

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Next Generation Resource sharing

• Better discovery environments that span print and
  electronic resources
• SOA will allow better tools for resource
  fulfillment
• More options for supporting partnerships,
  consortia, and regional resource sharing
• Cloud computing model
• OCLCs private cloud

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Fulfillment oriented

• Next-generation discovery and automation systems
  should be oriented toward more unified
  fulfillment processes
• Search gt Request gt Fulfillment
• Similar to worlflows in e-commerce environments
• Content silos -gt syndicated content providers
• Fulfillment Circulation ILL Consortial
  borrowing Request management

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Break out of Legacy software models

• Current legacy systems make it too hard
• Force users and staff to shift in and out of
  multiple systems
• Discovery / OPAC
• Local Catalog / Union Catalog
• Link Resolvers
• Interlibrary Loan request system
• Circulation
• Direct consortial borrowing
• Remote storage request

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Next-Generation Resource Sharing

• An inherent component of next-generation library
  automation framework
• Opportunities to reassess workflows
• Print vs Digital
• Fewer isolated systems
• Better interoperability
• Less reliant on quirky library-specific standards
• More use of services that span beyond the library
  arena

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Resource sharing obstacles

• Current automation models make cost higher?
• Many libraries lack basic automation
  infrastructure
• Current library standards not well-developed or
  universally deployed
• Need automation framework designed from the
  ground up for partnerships and resource sharing
• Cross-institutional Identity management

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E-commerce comparison

• Amazon.com federated groups of sellers sharing
  common infrastructure
• Unified from end-user perspective
• Web Services, cloud computing model
• Modern user interfaces
• High level of usability
• Discovery, Fulfillment
• Web 2.0 features
• User-contributed ratings and reviews

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Impact of Mass digitization

• Digitization of book content will lead to
  increased discovery by end-users
• Some opportunities for electronic delivery
• Increased commercial competition for fulfillment
  of content

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Serving the underserved

• Many US public libraries still without basic
  library automation
• Small libraries most isolated
• PC-based automation systems
• Most in need of participating in larger-scale
  information environment
• Many libraries Not automated / Under automated
• Its hard to provide access to resource sharing
  services when the local library lacks automation
  basics
• Large portions of public libraries in the United
  States operate with no automation system,
  outdated systems, or products not suited for
  their type of library
• Small rural libraries
• Many public libraries run PC-based systems built
  for schools because the cannot afford more
  full-featured systems
• Current automation options priced well above what
  libraries with limited resources can afford.
• Cost of consortial participation can also exceed
  financial thresholds

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Observations and conclusions

• Legacy automation products constrained to deliver
  efficient resource sharing
• Resource sharing a major consideration in the
  design of most next-generation automation or
  discovery projects
• SOA and enterprise integration will support more
  efficient resource sharing services

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Discussion and Questions