La Nueva Generación en
Automatización de Bibliotecas
Marshall Breeding
Director for Innovative Technologies and Research
Vanderbilt University
http://staffweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/breeding
http://www.librarytechnology.org/
Breeding – NASIG June 6, 2008
Abstract
“Next Generation Library Automation”
gives a forward-looking view of some of the
initiatives currently underway that stand to
substantially revise the models of
automation for libraries.
Rethinking the ILS
 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
ILS: a legacy concept
 ILS = Integrated Library System
(Cataloging + Circulation + OPAC + Serials + Acquisitions)
 Focused on print and physical inventory
 Electronic content at the Journal Title or collection
level
 Emerged in the 1960’s – 1970’s
 Functionality has evolved and expanded, but basic
concepts and modules remain intact
 Note: Some companies work toward evolving the ILS to
competently handle both print and digital content (e.g.
Innovative Interfaces)
ILS: ever diminishing role
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Many libraries putting much less emphasis on ILS
Just an inventory system for physical materials
Investments in electronic content increasing
Management of e-content handled outside of the
ILS
 Yet: libraries need comprehensive business
automation more than ever. Mandate for more
efficient operations. Do more with less.
Dis-integration of Library Automation
Functionality
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ILS -- Print and Physical inventory
OpenURL Link resolver
Federated Search
Electronic Resource Management Module
– More about this later
 Discovery layer interface
Is non-integrated automation
sustainable?
 Major burden on library personnel
 Serial procurement / installation /
configuration / maintenance cycles take
many years to result in a comprehensive
environment
 Inefficient data models
 Disjointed interfaces for library users
 Very long cycle to gain comprehensive
automation
Electronic Resource Management
Systems
 Automation Module specifically designed to
manage a library’s subscriptions to electronic
content
 Managed approach for all aspects of electronic
subscription content
– Product coverage, license terms, cost, payment and
procurement data, vendor data, use data
 COUNTER compliant use statistics
 SUSHI for automated gathering of use statistics
Electronic Resource Management
Systems
 Promising but troubled genre of software designed
to manage e-content
 Extending ILS acquisitions to handle license terms
and other aspects of electronic subscriptions
 Very slow adoption by libraries
 Complex integration issues
 Products launched in 2002-2004
 Increased adoption expected in next 2 years
Profile-based e-content
management
 Reliance on a knowledgebase that describes the contents
of all available publisher packages and aggregated content
offerings
 Ability to identify individual titles and articles available to
library users based on a profile of the library’s current
subscriptions
 OpenURL link resolvers and ERM products both depend
on the knowledgebase
 Synchronization of ILS through MARC update services
 Efficacy of these products depends as much on the
accuracy and currency of the knowledgebase than the
quality of the software
ERM Deployments
Product
Innovative
ERM
Verde
Company
Innovative
Interfaces
Ex Libris
Serials
Solutions
Introduced
June
2002
June
2004
October
2005
360 Resource TDNet Open
Manager
ERAM
TDNet
Number Sold
275
169
227 Not disclosed
Number in
Production Use
235
25
174 Not disclosed
“Helping you buy: Electronic Resource Management Systems”
Computers in Libraries: July 2008 issue
E-Journal Knowledge bases
Commercial
 Serials Solutions
– (KnowledgeWorks)
 Ex Libris
– (SFX Global
Knowledgebase)
 TD Net
 Openly Informatics /
OCLC
Community
 JAKE: jointly
administered knowledge
environment was an
collaborative project
 Now defunct. Displaced
by commercial ventures.
New genre of discovery layer
interfaces
 Traditional ILS OPAC inadequate for today’s
Web-savvy library users
 Scope too narrow
 Complex, non-intuitive interface
 Yet: Necessary for some types of research
 Working toward a single point of entry for all
the content and services offered by the
library
Common Next-Gen Interface
features


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

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Decoupled interface
Advanced search engines
Relevancy ranked results
Faceted Navigation
Graphically enriched displays
Real-time interaction with ILS
Advanced user services and information
delivery features
Current Products
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Primo (Ex Libris)
Encore (Innovative Interfaces)
Aquabrowser (Bowker / Serials Solutions)
WorldCat Local (OCLC)
Visualizer (VTLS)
eXtensive Catalog (University of Rochester)
VUFind (open source / Villanova University)
Scriblio (open source)
http://www.librarytechnology.org/discovery.pl
Deep search
 Entering post-metadata search era
 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
Advancement of Federated
Search
 Shift from Distributed Query to Centralized Search
 Federated search based on distributed query:
– Shallow results
– Limited scalability
– Slow performance
 Harvest metadata or full text for creating comprehensive
consolidated indexes
– E.g. Google Scholar
– Non-commercial efforts?
– The Royal Library of using the Deep Search architecture to present
items found in the Digital Article Database Service repository of 65
million articles, housed in the Technical Information Center of
Denmark.
Architecture and Standards
 Need to have an standard approach for
connecting new generation interfaces with
ILS and other repositories
 Proprietary and ad hoc methods currently
prevail
 Digital Library Federation
– ILS-Discovery Interface Group
http://www.librarytechnology.org/blog.pl?ThreadID=43
 Initial foray into a broader set of protocols
that open up other aspects of the ILS
For more information
Next Generation Library
Catalogs by Marshall
Breeding
Library Technology
Reports June/July
2007
ALA TechSource
Moving toward a new Generation of
Library Automation
 Legacy ILS concepts not sustainable
 New automation environment based on
current library realities and modern
technology platforms
 Equal footing for digital and print
 Service oriented architecture
Breaking down the modules
 Traditional ILS
– Cataloging
– Circulation
– Online Catalog
– Acquisitions
– Serials control
– Reporting
 Modern approach: SOA
Service Oriented Architecture
http://www.sun.com/products/soa/benefits.jsp
Legacy ILS + e-content modules
End User
Interfaces:
Circulation
Functional
modules:
Federated
Search
Cataloging
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:
Acquisitions
Serials
OpenURL
Linking
Electronic
Resource
Mgmt
System
SOA model for business automation
 Underlying data repositories
– Local or Global
 Reusable business services
 Composite business applications
SOA for library workflow processes
Composite
Applications
Granular
tasks:
Data Stores:
Reusable
Business
Services
Web Services and the ServiceOriented Architecture
 Library Technology Reports
– May / June 2006
 By Marshall Breeding
 ALA TechSource
 The report includes conceptual descriptions of the
technology as well as some technical information on how
Web services are implemented. Library administrators or
others that need to make decisions regarding libraryrelated technology systems or issues will gain a
perspective on the importance of this technology as well as
how the implementation of Web services may relate to
other library trends and initiatives.
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.
A Continuum of Openness
Breeding – NASIG June 6, 2008
Closed Systems
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer
access:
Functional
modules:
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:
Cataloging Circulation Acquisitions
No
programmable
Access to the
system.
Captive to the
user
Interfaces
supplied by the
developer
Standard RDBM Systems
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer
access:
Functional
modules:
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:
Cataloging Circulation Acquisitions
Database
administrators
can access data
stores involved
with the system:
Read-only?
Read/write?
Developer
shares database
schema
Open Source Model
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer
access:
Functional
modules:
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:
Cataloging Circulation Acquisitions
All aspects of
the system
available to
inspection and
modification.
Open API Model
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer
access:
Functional
modules:
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:
Cataloging Circulation Acquisitions
Published APIs
Core
application
closed.
Third party
developers
code against
the published
APIs or
RDBMS tables.
Open Source / Open API Model
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer
access:
Functional
modules:
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:
Cataloging Circulation Acquisitions
Published APIs
Core
application
closed.
Third party
developers
code against
the published
APIs or
RDBMS tables.
Depth of Openness
 Evaluate level of access to a products data stores
and functional elements:
– Open source vs Traditional licenses
 Some traditional vendors have well established
API implementations
– SirsiDynix Unicorn (API available to authorized
customer sites that take training program)
– Ex Libris: consistent deployment of APIs in major
products, recent strategic initiative: “Open Platform
Program”
– Innovative Interfaces: Patron API
Universal open APIs?
 Some progress on API to support discovery layer interfaces, but no
comprehensive framework yet.
 Many industry protocols work like APIs:
– Z39.50, SRU/W, NCIP, OAI-PMH, OpenURL, etd
 It would be ideal if there were an open set of APIs that were
implemented by all automation system products.
– Third party components and add-ons would then work across all products.
 DLF ILS-Discovery Interface protocol. Targets interoperability between
ILS and new genre of interfaces
 AKA: Berkeley Accords
Current initiatives
Breeding – NASIG June 6, 2008
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.
Open Library Management
System
 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
– Research in Information Technology program
– Solicited proposal / Lead institution
 Duke University selected to lead project
 Core Participants: Kansas University, Lehigh University,
National Library of Australia, Library and Archives Canada,
University of Pennsylvania, Marshall Breeding
 Advisory Participants: University of Chicago, Wittier
College, University of Maryland, Orbis Cascade Alliance,
Rutgers University
 Status: Proposal complete, pending consideration from the
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
http://www.mellon.org/grant_programs/programs/rit
Questions and Discussion
Breeding – NASIG June 6, 2008