Impact of Library Resource
Management Trends for
Technical Services
A Budding Flower or a Thorny Future?
Marshall Breeding
Independent Consultant, Author,
Founder and Publisher, Library Technology Guides
http://www.librarytechnology.org/
http://twitter.com/mbreeding
April 11, 2014
New England Technical Services Librarians
Description

Breeding will give an update on the current trends in realm of resource
management technologies. A new genre of Library Services Platforms has
emerged, with multiple products well into their implementation phase,
though others remain in development. Integrated Library Systems continue
as the dominant type of product installed in most libraries. Both
revolutionary and evolutionary courses seem to be underway towards a
goal of more modern approaches to resource management. Any resource
management tool must address the changing reality of libraries that are
ever more involved with print and digital resources, with many seeing
significant declines in acquisitions of print materials. New models of
partnerships among institutions and shared infrastructure impact strategies
on how libraries acquire, manage, and provide access to collections. Other
topics addressed will include the how the work of technical services relates
to Web-scale or index-based discovery services that the library might
deploy.
Library Technology Guides
General Industry Trends
Library Technology Industry Reports
American Libraries

2014: Strategic Competition
and Cooperation
Library Journal












2013: Rush to Innovate
2012: Agents of Change
2011: New Frontier
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
Personnel Resources 2013
2013
Company
EBSCO Information Services
OCLC
Ex Libris
SirsiDynix
EOS International
Follett Software Company
Innovative Interfaces, Inc.
Serials Solutions
The Library Corporation
Polaris Library Systems
VTLS
Equinox Software
ByWater Solutions
2013 2012
Dev
Sup
Sales Admin Other
424
869
554
98
862
194
102
222
170
60
53
46
20
14
40
120
103
124
41
27
25
5
1
164
184
63
93
50
35
7
12
52
61
52
25
17
8
2
2
10
55
5
13
3
9
2
3
15
7
11
27
2
Total Total
2807
1280 1250
536 522
385 369
50
361 341
410 341
255 256
199 199
93
97
86
77
20
18
13
14
Recent ILS Industry Contracts
Company
Product
OCLC
Innovative
Ex Libris
SirsiDynix
Innovative
TLC
Ex Libris
VTLS
Polaris
Biblionix
ByWater Solutions
PTFS LibLime
PTFS LibLime
Equinox
WMS
Sierra
Alma
Symphony
Millennium
Library.Solution
Aleph
Virtua
Polaris ILS
Apollo
Koha
LibLime Academic Koha
LibLime Koha
Evergreen
2009
2010
45
30
47
18
33
55
7
8
126
39
43
39
22
23
87
44
18
44
15
2011
2012
2013
184
206
24
122
32
48
25
13
53
79
54
7
27
21
163
117
17
104
30
13
26
14
30
80
34
5
37
37
92
113
31
128
1
17
25
7
30
87
68
6
30
12
Mergers and Acquisitions
Mergers and Acquisitions Detail
Personnel Growth / Loss
800
700
600
500
Ex Libris
400
SirsiDynix
300
Follett Software
Company
Innovative Interfaces, Inc.
200
100
0
New-generation Library
Management
Appropriate Automation Infrastructure






Current automation products out of step with current
realities
Increasing proportions of library collection funds spent
on electronic content
Majority of automation efforts support print activities
Management of e-content continues with inadequate
supporting infrastructure
New discovery solutions help with access to e-content
Library users expect more engaging socially aware
interfaces for Web and mobile
Library Automation in the Cloud




Almost all library automation vendors offer some
form of “cloud-based” services
Server management moves from library to Vendor
Subscription-based business model
Comprehensive annual subscription payment
 Offsets
local server purchase and maintenance
 Offsets some local technology support
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
Is the status quo sustainable?








ILS for management of (mostly) print
Duplicative financial systems between library and campus
Electronic Resource Management (non-integrated with ILS)
OpenURL Link Resolver w/ knowledge base for access to
full-text electronic articles
Digital Collections Management platforms (CONTENTdm,
DigiTool, etc.)
Institutional Repositories (DSpace, Fedora, etc.)
Discovery-layer services for broader access to library
collections
No effective integration services / interoperability among
disconnected systems, non-aligned metadata schemes
Integrated (for print) Library System
Public Interfaces:
Staff Interfaces:
Interfaces
Business
Logic
Data
Stores
Circulation
BIB
Cataloging
Holding
/ Items
Circ
Transact
Acquisitions
User
Serials
Vendor
Online
Catalog
$$$
Funds
Policies
LMS / ERM: Fragmented Model
Staff Interfaces:
Public Interfaces:
Application Programming Interfaces
CirculationCatalogingAcquisitions Serials
BIB
Online
Catalog
Protocols: CORE
`
Holding Circ
$$$
User Vendor
Policies
/ ItemsTransact
Funds
E-resource
License
Procurement Management
E-Journal
Titles
Vendors
License
Terms
Common approach for ERM
Staff Interfaces:
Public Interfaces:
Budget
License Terms
Application Programming Interfaces
CirculationCatalogingAcquisitions Serials
Online
Catalog
Titles / Holdings
Vendors
BIB
Holding Circ
$$$
User Vendor
Policies
/ ItemsTransact
Funds
Access Details
Gaps in Automation

Almost no systematic automation support for
references and research services
 Customer


Relationship Management?
Resource sharing / Interlibrary loan management
Collection development support
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
Support for management of metadata in bulk
Continuous lifecycle chain initiated before publication
Academic Libraries need a new model
of library management




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,
fulfillment 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



Delivered through software as a service



Multi-tenant
Unified workflows across formats and media
Flexible metadata management




Knowledgebase architecture
Some may take hybrid approach to accommodate local data
stores
MARC – Dublin Core – VRA – MODS – ONIX
Bibframe
New structures not yet invented
Open APIs for extensibility and interoperability
Library Services Platforms
Category
WorldShare
Alma
Management
Services
OCLC.
Ex Libris
Intota
Key precepts
Global
network-level
approach to
management
and discovery.
Consolidate
workflows,
unified
management:
print,
electronic,
digital;
Hybrid data
model
Knowledgeba
se driven.
Pure multitenant SaaS
Software model
Proprietary
Proprietary
Proprietary
Responsible
Organization
Serials
Solutions
Sierra
Services
Platform
Innovative
Interfaces, Inc
Kuali OLE
Service-oriented
architecture
Technology
uplift for
Millennium ILS.
More open
source
components,
consolidated
modules and
workflows
Proprietary
Manage library
resources in a format
agnostic approach.
Integration into the
broader academic
enterprise
infrastructure
Kuali Foundation
Open Source
Development Schedule
WorldShare
Management
Services
Alma
Intota
Sierra Services
Platform
Kuali OLE
General
Release in July
2011
~200 now in
production
329 libraries
have signed
for Alma.
Over 200 in
production
Libraries in
production by
2015
336 contracts
completed, many
libraries in
production
(~250?)
Version 1.0 released
Dec 2013
Version 2.0 underway
Summer 2014
implementations
planned by
University of Chicago
and Lehigh University
Integrated Library Systems?


ILS products continue to evolve
Continue to be appropriate for libraries with active
physical collections
 Public

Libraries
Development trajectory must include
 Integration
of e-book lending
 Service-oriented architecture
 Improved support for non-print materials

Evolved ILS will eventually resemble library services
platforms
Evolved ILS example: Polaris




Basic structure of an ILS
APIs available for extensibility
LEAP: development of Web-based staff interfaces
Full integration of e-book discovery and lending
 Partnership

with 3M Cloud Library
Continues to see strong sales
New Library Management Model
Unified Presentation Layer
Search:
Library Services
Platform
API Layer
`
Digital
Coll
Consolidated index
Self-Check /
Automated
Return
ProQuest
EBSCO
…
JSTOR
Stock
Management
Enterprise
Resource
Planning
Learning
Management
Other
Resources
Smart Cad /
Payment
systems
Authentication
Service
Metadata Management

MARC-based cataloging prospects
 Library

collections shifting to electronic and digital
Many components of collections appropriately
described with other formats: Dublin Core, VRA,
RDA

Resource Description and Access
 http://www.loc.gov/aba/rda/


Major change relative to resources devoted to
transition
Minor impact relative to operational and strategic
use of metadata
BIBFRAME

Emerged from the Initiative for Bibliographic
Transformation of the Library of Congress
 http://www.loc.gov/bibframe/
 bibframe.org




Replacement for MARC (Machine Readable
Cataloging), but broader in scope
Encoded using RDF (Resource Description
Framework)
Major departure from MARC
Today more conceptual than operational
New Technical processing workflows



Demand-driven acquisitions
Managing records in bulk
Personnel Resources distributed among acquiring
and describing electronic, print, and digital
resources
 Resource
allocation should be loosely proportionate to
collection budgets and high-level strategies

New systems provide more flexibility to handle
multiple families of metadata
Resource Management for Discovery
Web-scale Index-based Discovery
(2009- present)
Digital
Collections
Search:
Profile of Library
Subscriptions
Customer
Profile
Consolidated Index
Search Results
Usagegenerated
Data
ILS Data
Web Site
Content
Institutional
Repositories
Aggregated
Content
packages
…
Open Access
E-Journals
Reference
Sources
Pre-built harvesting and
indexing
Demise of the local catalog?



Many library services platforms do not include the
concept of an online catalog dedicated to local
physical inventory
Designed for discovery services as public-facing
interface
Implication: Discovery service must incorporate
detailed functionality for local materials and
related services
Development / Deployment
perspective



Beginning of a new cycle of transition
Over the course of the next decade, academic
libraries will replace their current legacy products
with new platforms
Not just a change of technology but a substantial
change in the ways that libraries manage their
resources and deliver their services
Eventual product consolidation

Alma for resource management
 Eventual
transition of Voyager and Aleph
 Immediate transition of Verde
 SFX
 DigiTool for digital collections


Primo / Primo Central for Discovery
Rosetta for Preservation
 Possible
integration into Alma?
Open source and Open Access




Open source development of platform services
Open source infrastructure components
Open APIs to expose platform services
Knowledge base components
 Open
access
 Community maintained
 Adequately resourced
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
Open Source Integrated Library
Systems

Major thread in library systems development
 Koha
 Evergreen
 Kuali
OLE
Competing Models of Library
Automation

Traditional Proprietary Commercial ILS




Traditional Open Source ILS


Aleph, Voyager, Millennium, Symphony, Polaris,
BOOK-IT, DDELibra, Libra.se
LIBERO, Amlib, Spydus, TOTALS II, Talis Alto, OpenGalaxy
Evergreen, Koha
New generation Library Services Platforms





Ex Libris Alma
Kuali OLE (Enterprise, not cloud)
OCLC WorldShare Management Services,
Serials Solutions Intota
Innovative Interfaces Sierra (evolving)
Leveraging the Cloud


Moving legacy systems to hosted services provides
some savings to individual institutions but does not
result in dramatic transformation
Globally shared data and metadata models have
the potential to achieve new levels of operational
efficiencies and more powerful discovery and
automation scenarios that improve the position of
libraries overall.
Development / Deployment
perspective



Beginning of a new cycle of transition
Over the course of the next decade, academic
libraries will replace their current legacy products
with new platforms
Not just a change of technology but a substantial
change in the ways that libraries manage their
resources and deliver their services
Progressive consolidation of library
services


Centralization of technical infrastructure of multiple
libraries within a campus
Resource sharing support
 Direct

borrowing among partner institutions
Shared infrastructure between institutions
 Examples:
2CUL (Columbia University / Cornell
University)
 Orbis Cascade Alliance (37 independent colleges and
universities to merge into shared LSP)
Convergence

Discovery and Management solutions will
increasingly be implemented as matched sets
 Ex
Libris: Primo / Alma
 Serials Solutions: Summon / Intota
 OCLC: WorldCat Local / WorldShare Platform
 Except: Kuali OLE, EBSCO Discovery Service


Both depend on an ecosystem of interrelated
knowledge bases
API’s exposed to mix and match, but efficiencies
and synergies are lost
Questions and discussion