Transcript Key developments in electronic delivery in LIS 2005-2008

Key developments in
electronic delivery in LIS
2005-2008
Catherine Ebenezer
Royal College of Nursing Library
16/02/05
Electronic
delivery is delivery of
content within a particular
information environment
Innovations in delivery of
content are dependent upon
technological developments
and their adoption within the
user community
Caveat
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Predicting technology developments an uncertain
business
Gartner Inc. uses an adoption framework known as
the ‘hype cycle’ to characterise the over-enthusiasm
and subsequent disappointment that typically happen
with the introduction of new technologies
The ‘hype cycle is represented graphically
Each technology is assigned a ‘time to plateau’, i.e,
to reach a stage where they have been adopted by at
least 30% of the market and are still being deployed
Environment trends
Information consumer characteristics:
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Self-service/’disintermediation’
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Satisfaction
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Google the dominant search engine – publishers responding
by exposing database and journal content within Google
Users prefer to order their own ILL articles
Convenience an overriding factor
Seamlessness
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Users want a single interface – contrast the diversity of
interfaces offered by libraries e.g. OPACs, BNI, NLH etc.
Users want access to full text via direct linking from
bibliographic search tools
OCLC (2003) 2003 environmental scan
www.oclc.org/membership/escan/toc.htm
Environment trends
Lifelong learning/e-learning
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A challenge for libraries to provide access to
material to support non-traditional learning
initiatives
 Use of learning management systems –
libraries need to work with HE providers to
integrate content within LMSs
 LMSs impinge upon /a ‘rival’ to integrated
library systems
Content trends
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‘Content is no longer format-dependent and users are
not dependent on traditional distribution channels for
access to content’
‘End-users see the most important role for their
libraries as making content available in their digital
workspace, regardless of what devices are in that
space’
‘The real integration to be aimed for is the more
effective integration of information resources into the
research and learning workflows of the user’
OCLC 2004 Information format trends: content, not containers
Dempsey, Lorcan (2004) Pick up a portal. Update October
Content trends
New models of research and
scholarly/professional communication:
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Open access
E-journals – electronic-only access increasingly
common – libraries use link resolvers to direct
readers to the ‘appropriate copy’ of an article
E-books – entered adoption phase
Individual/institutional self-publishing
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Blogs, wikis
Digital repositories, indexed using OAI-PMH
E-prints, learning objects, datasets, theses
Technology trends
 Improvements
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in search technologies
e.g. contextualised search - provides context to
assist end-users in determining relevance
e.g. WebBrain www.webbrain.com
 Automatic
data categorisation
 Automates
processes formerly carried out
by information professionals
 Many techniques in use
Technology trends
Federated search/metasearch/portals
 Execute
a cross-file search across
bibliographic and full-text databases that
do not share a common index using an
XML version of Z39.50
 Aim to create a one-stop information
resource – a rival to Google!
 Portals aim to customise information
delivery – to minimise information overload
 Several ILS vendors offer portal products
Technology trends
Web services
 ‘Self-contained, self-describing modular applications
that can be published, located and invoked across
the Web’
 XML plays a key role in defining requirements,
behaviour and mediation formats
 Google makes a Web services API available to
developers – could be used by ILS developers
 Deploying Web services for their users is a challenge
to libraries – the potential is huge
Technology trends
RSS and blogging
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RSS a simple XML syntax for describing a
feed of recent additions to a web site.
 RSS content can derive from HTML
(‘scraping’), from a database, or from a CMS
 RSS content may include news items, blog
updates, library acquisitions, search results,
(e.g. HubMed),TOCs etc.
 Can be used by libraries to promote their
services
Technology trends
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Users subscribe to the feed using an
aggregator or newsreader – may be a piece
of desktop software, or a web-based service
 Information is brought together in one place a good way for the end-user to reduce
information overload – avoids visiting
numerous web sites or drowning in email
newsletters
 RSS-based search engines exist (e.g.
Technorati) that search RSS sites
NHS library portals
National Library for Health, NHS Scotland eLibrary, HOWIS
 NLH and other portals will be influential in
determining future pattern of service provision
by independent health libraries
 Planned NLH developments will use a Web
services architecture for integration of
services
NHS library portals
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New NLH services implemented or planned:
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NHS-wide metasearch
NHS e-print server
Clinical question answering service
Personalised alerts service
Primary care current awareness service using
RSS
Integration of library content into EPR and Map of
Medicine
National document delivery service – to be piloted
Remote library services
Libraries are already providing:
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Question answering services
 ‘Ask a librarian’ 24/7 online reference – can
use Internet ‘chat’ applications for this
 End-user initiated document supply, e.g. BL,
BMA Library
 Ability to manage loan transactions online:
renewals, reservations, fines
 PDA-accessible services: alerts, searching
References
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Dempsey, Lorcan (2004) Pick up a portal. Update October
Ebenezer, C M (2005) The new National Library for Health.
ASSIGnation 22(2) 35-41
Fichter, D (2004) Using RSS to create new services.
Online 28(4) 52ff.
Johnston, P (2001) After the Big Bang: forces of change and elearning. Ariadne 27
www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue27/johnston/intro.html
Luther, Judy (2003) Trumping Google? Metasearching’s
promise. Library Journal 10/1/03
OCLC (2004) 2004 information format trends: content, not
containers www.oclc.org/reports/2004format.htm
References
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OCLC (2003) 2003 environmental scan
www.oclc.org/membership/escan/toc.htm
Peacock, D et al. (2000 ) The role of LIS in supporting learning.
In Booth, A and Walton G (Eds.) Managing knowledge in health
services; pp. 99-112. London: Library Association.
Royal College of Nursing (2004) Speaking up: nurses and NHS
IT developments: qualitative analysis results of an online
survey…www.rcn.org.uk/publications/
pdf/nurses_and_nhs_it_dev.pdf
Rhyno, A (2003) From library systems to mainstream software:
how Web technologies are changing the role of the systems
librarian. Library Hi Tech 21(3) 289-296
Wusteman, J (2004) RSS: the latest feed. Library Hi Tech 22(4)
404-413. www.ucd.ie/weusteman/lht/wusteman-rss.html