Emerging Technologies Meet the Challenge of Transformed Libraries
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Transcript of Emerging Technologies Meet the Challenge of Transformed Libraries
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES MEET THE CHALLENGE OF TRANSFORMED LIBRARIES
Marshall BreedingIndependent Consult, Author, Founder and Publisher, Library Technology Guideshttp://www.librarytechnology.org/http://twitter.com/mbreeding
Feb 21, 2013 Academic Library Directors Symposium
Summary
Major trends are in play that contribute to major transformations underway in libraries. In the broader publishing and information arena, the explosion of interest in e-books represents another wave in the shift toward electronic content that in previous times saw the near complete transition of journal articles to electronic form. Web-based and cloud computing stands to bring fundamental changes in the ways that libraries use technology in support of their internal operations and in providing access to their collections and services. In this keynote presentation, Breeding will help library decision makers explore how to harness these trends and technologies to meet the strategic missions.
Role of Academic Libraries in Motion
Transitions complete Print > electronic journals
Transitions Underway E-books Open access publishing Metadata management
Uncertain trends New models of collaboration Defining new roles with the academic institution
Observation: technology infrastructure created in earlier times unlikely to help libraries today succeed
Reshaped collections
Journal content: mostly delivered electronically Monographs: transition to e-books underway
E-books now largely delivered through database aggregations Ebrary, E-books on EBSCOhost, etc.
Academic libraries not yet that involved with downloadable e-book lending services (OverDrive 3M Cloud Library, etc)
Legacy print collections will remain indefinitely Digital collections
Locally digitized materials
Fulfillment activities
Print circulation slowing Interlibrary loan activity rising Increased pressure for resource sharing Traditional models of service blurring together
Circulation Interlibrary Loan Course Reserves Consortial borrowing
Avoid placing the burden on the patron to determine the appropriate service
Allocation of resources
Collection funds devoted mostly to e-content
If true: How does allocation of efforts for personnel
compare to collection expenditures? Does the technology and automation
infrastructure provide the flexibility needed for proportional resource allocation?
Additional academic library roles Deeper involvement in research process Ready reference > in-depth research
support Embedded librarian initiatives Library involvement in research data
NSF data management plans (example) What technology infrastructure do
academic libraries need to support these new activities?
Cumulative effect
Library collections more complex than ever
Library services move diverse Managing electronic and digital content
harder than managing print What technology infrastructure needed
to support libraries in this new phase of complexity?
Technology in transition
New era of cloud computing Client/server architecture becoming
obsolete Any new development:
Web-based applications Designed for delivery through software as a
service Mobile first strategies for end-user
applications
Fundamental technology shift Mainframe computing Client/Server Cloud Computing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/carrick/61952845/
http://soacloudcomputing.blogspot.com/2008/10/cloud-computing.html
http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-10-2001/jw-1019-jxta.html
Computer infrastructure transitions Campus mainframes Distributed / Departmental computing
Library ILS E-mail
Enterprise computing Consolidated university services Campus wide e-mail File storage Server management
Cloud-based services Outsourced student e-mail Selected business services
Cloud Computing
Major trend in broader IT sector Few organizations have core competence in
large-scale computer infrastructure management Essentially outsourcing of server housing and
management Usually based on a consumption-based business
model Most new software products delivered through
some flavor of cloud computing Many flavors to suit business needs: public,
private, hybrid
Infrastructure-as-a-service
Provisioning of computing and storage equipment
Servers, storage Virtual server provisioning
Examples: Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) Rackspace Cloud www.rackspacecloud.com/
) EMC2 Atmos (www.atmosonline.com/)
Software as a Service
Multi Tennant SaaS is the modern approach One copy of the code base serves multiple
sites Software functionality delivered entirely
through Web interfaces No workstation clients
Upgrades and fixes deployed universally Usually in small increments
Data as a service
SaaS provides opportunity for highly shared data models
Shared knowledge bases for OpenURL linking and electronic resource management
Indexes of article-level content to support discovery services
Shared bibliographic data General opportunity to move away from library-by-
library metadata management to globally shared workflows
Library automation increasingly driven by knowledge bases
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
Leveraging the Cloud
Moving legacy systems to hosted services provides savings to individual institutions while preserving existing workflow and functionality
New systems designed for software-as-a-service may enable libraries to reimagine workflows and functionality
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
Transition away from local computing
Local computing increasingly less appropriate for libraries
Managing low-level technical infrastructure not a core area of expertise for libraries
Security requirements increasingly challenging
Opportunity to redirect library technologists to high-value activities May meet cultural resistance
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
Mobile Computing
Social Computing
Web 2.0 as a separate activity largely a distraction
Important to have social orientation built directly into the software and services that comprise library infrastructure
Avoid jettisoning patrons out of the library’s Web presence
Find ways to effectively connect with users, connect users to each other, and especially to connect users to library content and services
Academic Libraries as part of the Campus Enterprise
Academic libraries tend to be well integrated organizationally
Increasingly important for the library to integrate into the technical fabric of its parent institution
Interoperate with other business applications Financial / ERP systems Student records management Learning Management Systems Authentication services
Move beyond batch data exchange to real-time interoperability
Web services and APIs
A new world for Metadata Management
Traditional Cataloging vs Metadata support for new collection realities
How to maintain quality as priorities shift Original and Copy Cataloging based on
one-record-at-a-time workflows Increased need to manage metadata in
bulk E-content packages E-book collections
Cataloging rules and standards FRBR: hierarchies and groupings RDA: Next generation of AACR2, but with
an eye toward the semantic web Tiny step
Library of Congress Initiative for Bibliographic Transition See: bibframe.org Replacement for MARC as the carrier for
bibliographic data A much more radical change
Metadata Management Workflows Less emphasis on record-by-record
processing Knowledge-base approach
Given model for e-resource management Comprehensive knowledge base of what
content is associated with content packages Matched against profile of library subscriptions
Useful for e-book collections Applicable to individual monograph
acquisitions?
Automation priorities
Current ILS model focuses on technical services
Discovery interfaces and catalog address patron self-service
General absence of customer relationship management How can new generations of technology
infrastructure provide tools to facilitate research support, reference, and other public services
Need to generate performance metrics for these critical library services
Data-driven management
Business systems generate high volume of use data
Traditional ILS products have not been strong in generating actionable use data
Increased emphasis on mining use data and providing analytical tools to support operational decisions Collection development Personnel allocation Service definition Resource allocation Provide evidence to defend budget proposals
Cooperation and Resource sharing
Efforts on many fronts to cooperate and consolidate
Many regional consortia merging (Example: suburban Chicago systems)
State-wide or national implementations Software-as-a-service or “cloud” based
implementations Many libraries share computing
infrastructure and data resources
Strategic Cooperation
Shared infrastructure in support of strategic collaborative relationships
Opportunities to share infrastructure Examples:
2CUL Orbis Cascade Alliance
Opportunities to reconsider automation implementation strategies One library = 1 ILS? Ability to share infrastructure across organizational
boundaries?
Technology Support for Academic Libraries
Greater concern with electronic scholarly articles
Management: Need for consolidated approach that balances print, digital, and electronic workflows
Access: discovery interfaces that maximize the value of investments in subscriptions to scholarly articles and research materials
Appropriate Automation Infrastructure
Automation infrastructure must be in step with current realities
Allow administrators to allocate personnel easily among collection management priorities
Adequate data and analytics for administrative decision support
Discovery solutions that fully expose library collections
Library users expect more engaging socially aware interfaces for Web and mobile
Disjointed approach to information and service delivery
Library Web sites offer a menu of unconnected silos: Books: Library OPAC (ILS online catalog module) Articles: Aggregated content products, e-journal
collections OpenURL linking services E-journal finding aids (Often managed by link resolver) Subject guides Local digital collections
ETDs, photos, rich media collections Metasearch engines Discovery Services – often just another choice among
many All searched separately
Online Catalog
Books, Journals, and Media at the Title Level
Not in scope: Articles Book Chapters Digital objects Web site content Etc.
Scope of SearchSearch:
Search Results
ILS Data
Web-scale Index-based Discovery
Search:
Digital Collections
Web Site ContentInstitution
al Repositori
es
…E-Journals
Reference Sources
Search Results
Pre-built harvesting and indexing
Conso
lidate
d In
dex
ILS Data
Aggregated Content packages
(2009- present)
Integrating e-Books into Library Automation Infrastructure
Current approach involves mostly outsourced arrangements
Collections licensed wholesale from single provider
Hand-off to DRM and delivery systems of providers
Loading of MARC records into local catalog with linking mechanisms
No ability to see availability status of e-books from the library’s online catalog or discovery interface
Proliferation of library automation components
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
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
Libraries need a new model of library automation
Not an Integrated Library System or Library Management System
The ILS 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, fulfill 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 Knowledgebase architecture Some may take hybrid approach to accommodate
local data stores Delivered through software as a service
Multi-tenant Unified workflows across formats and media Flexible metadata management
MARC – Dublin Core – VRA – MODS – ONIX New structures not yet invented
Open APIs for extensibility and interoperability
Con
solid
ate
d in
dex
Unified Presentation LayerSearch:
Digital Coll
ProQuest
EBSCO…
JSTOR
Other Resource
s
New Library Management Model
`
API Layer
Library Services Platform
LearningManageme
nt
LearningManageme
nt
Enterprise ResourcePlanning
Enterprise ResourcePlanning
StockManagement
StockManagement
Self-Check /
Automated Return
Self-Check /
Automated Return
Authentication
Service
Authentication
Service
Smart Cad /
Payment systems
Smart Cad /
Payment systems
Discovery
Service
How to Harness new technology to meet the needs of Transformed academic libraries?
Challenge:
Reassess expectations of Technology
Many previous assumptions no longer apply
Technology platforms scale infinitely No technical limits on how libraries share
technical infrastructure Cloud technologies enable new ways of
sharing metadata Build flexible systems not hardwired to
any given set of workflows
Reassess workflow and organizational options
ILS model shaped library organizations New Library Services Platforms may
enable new ways to organize how resource management and service delivery are performed
New technologies more able to support strategic priorities and initiatives
Reassess the role of library technologists
Cloud-based services allow libraries to re-focus technology personnel
Less emphasis on routine infrastructure Technologists can focus on higher-level
services
Reassess how to shape software to local needs
Shift from customization and enhancements to open APIs Less encumbered by vendor priorities More empowered to create local value-
added services From monolithic closed system to
flexible platform Opportunities to build more unified
virtual services for patrons
Time to engage
Transition to new technology models just underway
More transformative development than in previous phases of library automation
Opportunities to partner and collaborate Vendors want to create systems with long-
term value Question previously held assumptions
regarding the shape of technology infrastructure and services
Provide leadership in defining expectations
Questions and discussion