Using the Primo webservices in a mobile app
Tom Ruthven and Susan Lafferty
UNSW Library
Mobile Services at UNSW Library
•
SMS notifications
– students NEVER read their emails – this seemed the best alternative.
•
Mobile Directory
– Our web-based ‘tour’ is very clunky and not very attractive. A mobile interface
seemed to make more sense.
•
Mobile App incorporating Primo Web Services
– Mobile seems to be the way of the future
– All our students are always on their mobile devices – swamping our wi-fi network
– Makes sense to get in early and avoid the rush further down the track
SMS notices
•
Requirement: opt-in only
SMS notices
•
To enable Opt-in, we created an iFrame within Primo’s Personal Settings in which we
present an Aleph OPAC function (bor-update).
•
SMS actually an email
•
long version - sent to the user’s email address (UNSW’s official form of
communication)
•
short version - sent as email (mobilephonenumber@redcoal.com.au) to external SMS
service (Optus Redcoal), which converts it and sends SMS message.
•
Initial script for sending emails from Aleph was based on work by Anthony and
Christine Moulen at MIT
…and then we removed fines
SMS notices
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
loan due
loan overdue
recall - an item on loan to you has been reserved by another borrower
reserved item is ready for pick up
SMS opt
interlibrary loan is ready for pick up
900
interlibrary loan is being mailed to you
800
intercampus loan is ready for pick up
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
ins
Mobile Directory http://m.library.unsw.edu.au/locate
Mobile Directory
http://m.library.unsw.edu.au/locate
Mobile Directory
http://m.library.unsw.edu.au/locate
Mobile Directory
http://m.library.unsw.edu.au/locate
600
500
Feb
400
Mar
April
May
300
June
July
200
100
0
iPhone
iPad
Android
Windows
MacOSX
iPod
Other
Unknown
Mobile Directory
http://m.library.unsw.edu.au/locate
Total
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Feb
Mar
April
May
June
July
Library app - Boopsie
• Google Docs for the easy stuff.
• Using Primo Web Services for Library
search
• Time trying to match web results
pc_availability_ind“ TRUE
• Upgrade to Primo 4 –Primo Web Services
doesn’t match.
• EZproxy and SFX – mobile interfaces..
• LibGuides/Springshare
Library app - Boopsie
Library app - Boopsie
Library app – Primo Web Services
Order of records displaying
•
Aleph rather than blended view with PCI
– add local scopes in Locations, but also add PCI adaptor (<uic:Location type= "adaptor"
value= 'primo_central_ multiple_fe' />)
–
•
Exclude ‘expand beyond my collections’:
–
•
include the request parameter institution=UNSW (from Primo 3.1.2, institution cannot be null)
prim:delivery where prim:delcategory = Remote Search Resource and prim:fulltext =
no_fulltext
In May- Ex Libris provided advice: how to exclude "Expand beyond library collections" in Primo
Web Services:
o <RequestParams>
<RequestParam key="pc_availability_ind">
true
</RequestParam>
</RequestParams>
Library app – Primo Web Services
Relevance
•
we needed to remove elements to invoke the default of relevance.
•
Show all locations: use dedupmrgXXXXXXXXXX as the docid
Blank detail screen for online resources
•
iOS does not like Primo URLs: URLs must be RFC2396 compliant.
– Problem: :, < and >
– Boopsie converted URLs and solved problem
SFX query string encoding ‘&’: SFX query strings inconsistently encode & as html (&amp;)
http://sfxuat.library.unsw.edu.au:1801/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=84364&amp;custom_att_2=simple
_viewer&amp;search_terms=&amp;pds_handle=
to
http://sfxuat.library.unsw.edu.au:1801/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=84364&custom_att_2=simple_vie
wer&search_terms=&pds_handle=
Library app – Primo Web Services
Selecting multiple links in XML
•
•
•
For the delivery category of
– “Physical Item” and “Online Resources” the URL in GETIT (goes to SFX or vendor as
appropriate).
– "Remote Search Resource", the XML uses linktorsrc or openurlfulltext if record does not
have linktorsrc.
Initially, for all records, Boopsie chose linktorsrc or openurl, whichever it found first
logic finally implemented was:
– if all <sear:GETIT> links are "physical item", then show the detail page
else, look for <sear:LINKS> to find the first <sear:linktorsrc>, or first <sear:openurlfulltext>, or
first <sear:openurl>
else show the detail page
Library app – Human error
•
Dear Boopsie: there’s something wrong with the app!
–
When I log in to myLibrary, I can see that I have an overdue book – but I can’t see the fine.
o Dear Boopsie – please ignore previous email – Aleph doesn’t calculate the fine until I
return the book…
•
Dear Boopsie: there’s something wrong with the app!
–
I can’t renew my loan
o Dear Boopsie – please ignore previous email – my loan is overdue: library rule is that
users cannot renew overdue items…
Library app – App Stores
Boopsie submitted the app to both the
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Android Store (by that time, GooglePlay) and
•
Apple App Store.
GooglePlay happily made the App available, but Apple required some more tweaking, and made it
available about a week later.
Just search for UNSW library.
Library app – some statistics
Unique Users
600
500
400
iPhone
IPad
300
Android
other (inc iPod)
200
100
0
May
June
July
Library app – some statistics
Total unique users
1200
1000
800
600
Total users
400
200
0
May
June
July
Library app – some statistics
Total Queries
6000
5000
4000
iPhone
Android
3000
iPad
other (inc iPod
2000
1000
0
May
June
July
Library app – some statistics
Total queries
12000
10000
8000
6000
Total queries
4000
2000
0
May
June
July
Next Steps
•
•
•
Fix the FRBR
Reserve an item
Primo e-shelf
Item Loan Status
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Using the Primo webservices in a mobile app
• Susan Lafferty
susan.lafferty@unsw.edu.au
• Tom Ruthven
t.ruthven@unsw.edu.au