Transcript presentations__systems_development__slv__amis__final

Escape from Alcatraz
Freeing the OPAC from traditional constraints
Lloyd Sokvitne
Senior Manager (Digital Strategies)
State Library of Tasmania
[email protected]
Information discovery in libraries
Your OPAC
Inhospitable
Distant
Uninviting
Information discovery on the web
Inviting
Friendly
Easy
Today’s presentation
Our experience with a new discovery model
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Based on aggregating metadata from a variety of
sources
What happens when you actually try to use that
metadata for discovery
What other challenges emerge
Providing a single search
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Disillusioned with federated searching
Aggregating metadata as preferred
approach
– NLA, OAI, and other successes
– Include both Marc and Non-Marc Metadata
– Its our own data anyway
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Want control over outcomes
Moving outside the ILMS
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easier web friendly deliverables
applications adaptable/flexible
client-orientated outcomes
– discovery services
– interactive web2.0 developments
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We are seeing a growing need to be able to interact with the ILS in various ways, so that some functionality can be
placed in another interface – Lorcan Dempsey, 20 Jan 20, 2006
A 3-tier architecture
Client Service
Applications
MODULES
1. client
interaction
2. acquisitions
3. indexing
4. searching
5. circulation
6. DOM
Data Storage
Uncoupling the data from the applications that create it
Providing client services that are not defined by data containers
The data should be usable by any or all applications above it
Aggregated Metadata Information System (AMIS)
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Proof of concept developed
– 500,000 OPAC Marc records exported
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Converted to a common XML format
– Other records converted (images, etc)
– XML records were indexed using Lucene
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5 hrs on a desktop pc
– Query screen written
– All up – 2-3 days effort
Screenshot
Fast : Able to add new features
: Able to participate in web environment
Screenshot
Live query works for live data
Also able to provide facets
for format, genre, location,
subject, etc
Prototype results
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Proved concept
– Technology part is easy
– Tender process almost over, market
response good
– Identified that we will need to improve the
actual data
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How did we want our portal to work?
To match user behaviour
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Offline behaviour– browsing
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Online behaviour – satisficing/ranking
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Ignored in virtually every library system
facets: open-display of content, and refining
Ignored in virtually every library system
Ranking as the key determinant
User interaction – ratings, reviews, etc
Now possible because we are outside the ILMS
Aggregator metadata
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Need appropriate metadata
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Valid only if useful to actual searching as performed by our
clients
Data mining
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frequency of use, number of reservations, etc
Data sharing
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reviews, commentaries, tables of contents, etc
Data creation
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Libraries – adding more information, discarding unused data
Users – adding ratings, reviews, etc
Next steps
• Client interaction modules
– reviews,
– ratings,
– wikis,
– RSS,
– Blogs, etc
• will be added progressively
Data is just a commodity
• ILMS integration occurred for efficiency
– data storage, consistency, reuse
• efficiency now possible in other ways
– moving data in large quantities is easy
– accessing data in real time is easy
An OPAC no longer needs to be something provided by
an ILMS
Conclusions
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AMIS – technically easy, doable
Need the right metadata to succeed
Need the right search interface
– not just a slightly modified OPAC
– the design is up to us
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(there couldn’t be a better time to be a librarian)
The new Alcatraz
Easy
A connected OPAC
Relevant
Busy and
used
Thank you
Lloyd Sokvitne
Senior Manager (Digital Strategies)
State Library of Tasmania
[email protected]
Recommended reading
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Don't Make Me Think : A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. Steve Krug,
2nd Ed, New Riders Press; 2005
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Rethinking how we provide bibliographic services for the University of California,
Final Report: December 2005, Bibliographic Services Task Force (BSTF).
http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/sopag/BSTF/Final.pdf
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Integrating Information Resources: Principles, Technologies, and Approaches,
Heather Christenson and Roy Tenant,
http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/metasearch/nsdl/nsdl_report2.pdf
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Recommendations for urgently needed improvement of OPAC and the role of the
National Bibliographic Agency in achieving it. John D Byrum, Jr.
http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla71/papers/124e-Byrum.pdf
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Northern Caroline State University Library catalogue –
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/browse.html ( browsing using Marc data)