An Introduction to Next Generation Library Interfaces

1
An Introduction to Next Generation Library
Interfaces
Marshall BreedingDirector for Innovative
Technologies and Research Vanderbilt
University http//staffweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/
breeding http//www.librarytechnology.org/
Northern Suburban Library System Buffalo Grove,
IL March 18, 2008
2
Abstract

• Marshall Breeding, Director of Innovative
  Technologies and Research at Jean Alexander
  Heard Library, Vanderbilt University, and author
  of a 40-page report on Next Generation Library
  Catalogs (Library Technology Reports,
  July/August 2007) will present an overview of
  this emerging genre of products that aim to
  provide libraries with better tools for
  delivering content and services to their users.
  Also included in Mr. Breedings informative
  tour will be the general features and
  capabilities of Next-Gen catalogs and some of the
  options currently available to libraries.  

3
Crowded Landscape of Information Providers on the
Web

• Lots of non-library Web destinations deliver
  content to library patrons
• Google Scholar
• Amazon
• Wikipedia
• Ask.com
• Do Library Web sites and catalogs meet the
  information needs of our users?
• Do they attract their interest?

4
Troubling statistic

• Where do you typically begin your search for
  information on a particular topic?
• College Students Response
• 89 Search engines (Google 62)
• 2 Library Web Site (total respondents -gt 1)
• 2 Online Database
• 1 E-mail
• 1 Online News
• 1 Online bookstores
• 0 Instant Messaging / Online Chat

OCLC. Perceptions of Libraries and Information
Resources (2005) p. 1-17.
5
The best Library OPAC?
6
(No Transcript)
7
Demand for compelling library interfaces

• Urgent need for libraries to offer interfaces
  their users will like to use
• Move out of the 1990s
• Powerful search capabilities in tune with how the
  Web works today
• User expectations set by other Web destination
• Eg iLink / iBistro introduced in 2000

8
Inadequacy of ILS OPACs

• Online Catalog modules provided with an ILS
  subject to broad criticism as failing to meet
  expectations of growing segments of library
  patrons.
• Not great at delivering electronic content
• Complex text-based interfaces
• Relatively weak keyword search engines
• Lack of good relevancy sorting
• Narrow scope of content

9
Typical Library Web site components

• Books Library OPAC (ILS module)
• Articles Aggregated content products, e-journal
  collections
• OpenURL linking services
• E-journal finding aids (Often managed by link
  resolver)
• Local digital collections
• ETDs, photos, rich media collections
• Metasearch engines
• All searched separately

10
Change underway

• Widespread dissatisfaction with most of the
  current OPACs. Many efforts toward
  next-generation catalogs and interfaces.
• Movement among libraries to break out of the
  current mold of library catalogs and offer new
  interfaces better suited to the expectations of
  library users.
• Decoupling of the front-end interface from the
  back-end library automation system.

11
Working toward a new generation of library
interfaces

• Redefinition of the library catalog
• Traditional notions of the library catalog are
  being questioned
• Better information delivery tools
• More powerful search capabilities
• More elegant presentation

12
Redefinition of library catalogs

• More comprehensive information discovery
  environments
• Its no longer enough to provide a catalog
  limited to print resources
• Digital resources cannot be an afterthought
• Forcing users to use different interfaces
  depending on type of content becoming less
  tenable
• Libraries working toward consolidated search
  environments that give equal footing to digital
  and print resources

13
Comprehensive Search Service

• More like OAI
• Open Archives Initiative
• Consolidated search services based on metadata
  and data gathered in advance
• Problems of scale diminished
• Problems of cooperation persist
• Eg Royal Library of Denmark

14
Web 2.0 Flavorings

• A more social and collaborative approach
• Web Tools and technology that foster
  collaboration
• Blogs, wiki, blogs, tagging, social bookmarking,
  user rating, user reviews

15
Web 2.0 supporting technologies

• Web services
• XML APIs
• AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML)

16
The holy grail of New Gen Library Interfaces

• A single point of entry into all the content and
  services offered by the library
• Print Electronic
• Local Remote
• Locally created Content

17
Interface expectations

• Millennial generation library users are well
  acclimated to the Web
• Used to relevancy ranking
• The good stuff should be listed first
• Users tend not to delve deep into a result list
• Good relevancy requires a sophisticated approach,
  including objective matching criteria
  supplemented by popularity and relatedness
  factors.
• Did you mean? and other features to avoid No
  results found
• More like this

18
Interface expectations (cont)

• Very rapid response. Users have a low tolerance
  for slow systems
• Rich visual information book jacket images,
  rating scores, etc.
• Let users drill down through the result set
  incrementally narrowing the field
• Faceted Browsing
• Drill-down vs up-front Boolean or Advanced
  Search
• gives the users clues about the number of hits in
  each sub topic
• Ability to explore collections without a priori
  knowledge
• Navigational Bread crumbs

19
Appropriate organizational structures

• LCSH vs FAST (Faceted Application of Subject
  Terminology)
• Full MARC vs Dublin Core or MODS
• Discipline-specific thesauri or ontologies
• tags

20
Deep search

• 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 quite
  yet
• Not currently available through library search
  environments

21
Beyond Discovery

• Fulfillment oriented
• Search -gt select -gt view
• Delivery/Fulfillment much harder than discovery
• Back-end complexity should be as seamless as
  possible to the user

22
Library-specific Features

• Appropriate relevance factors
• Objective keyword ranking Library weightings
• Circulation frequency, OCLC holdings, scholarly
  content
• Results grouping (FRBR)
• Collection focused (vs sales-driven)

23
Enterprise Integration

• Ability to deliver content and services through
  non-library applications
• Campus portal solutions
• Courseware
• Social networking environments
• Search portals / Feed aggregators

24
Smart and Sophisticated

• Much more difficult than old gen OPACS
• Not a dumbed-down approach
• Wed library specific requirements and
  expectations with e-commerce technologies

25
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

26
New-Gen Library Interfaces

• Current Commercial and Open Source Products

27
Common characteristics

• Decoupled interface
• Mass export of catalog data
• Alternative search engine
• Alternative interface
• Hooks back into the ILS for holdings and patron
  services

28
Endeca Guided Navigation

• North Carolina State University
• http//www.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/
• McMaster University
• http//libcat.mcmaster.ca/
• Phoenix Public Library
• http//www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/
• Florida Center for Library Automation
• http//catalog.fcla.edu/ux.jsp

29
AquaBrowser Library

• Queens Borough Public Library
• http//aqua.queenslibrary.org/
• Oklahoma State University
• http//boss.library.okstate.edu/
• University of Chicago
• http//lens.lib.uchicago.edu/

30
Ex Libris Primo

• Discovery and Delivery platform for academic
  libraries
• Vanderbilt University
• http//alphasearch.library.vanderbilt.edu
• University of Minnesota
• http//prime2.oit.umn.edu1701/primo_library/libwe
  b/action/search.do?vidTWINCITIES
• University of Iowa
• http//smartsearch.uiowa.edu/

31
Encore from Innovative Interfaces

• Designed for academic, public and special
  libraries
• Nashville Public Library
• http//nplencore.library.nashville.org/iii/encore/
  app
• Scottsdale Public Library
• http//encore.scottsdaleaz.gov/iii/encore/app
• Yale University Lillian Goldman Law Library
• http//encore.law.yale.edu/iii/encore/app

32
OCLC Worldcat Local

• OCLC Worldcat customized for local library
  catalog
• Relies on hooks into ILS for local services
• Tied to library holdings set in WorldCat
• University of Washington Libraries
• http//uwashington.worldcat.org/
• University of California Melvyl Catalog

33
SirsiDynix

• No faceted search product currently available
• Enterprise Portal Solution
• Rooms / SchoolRooms
• iLink / iBistro (legacy)
• Product based on FAST announced in March 2006
  withdrawn
• Product based on Brainware Globalbrain announced
  in Nov 2007
• Prototype Expected by April 2008

34
The Library Corporation

• Indigo
• Library Positioning Software

35
VUFind Villanova University

• Based on Apache Solr search toolkit
• http//www.vufind.org/

36
Library-developed solutions

• eXtensible Catalog
• University of Rochester River Campus Libraries
• Financial support from the Andrew W. Mellon
  Foundation
• http//www.extensiblecatalog.info/

37
For more information

• Next Generation Library Catalogs by Marshall
  Breeding
• Library Technology Reports June/July 2007
• ALA TechSource

38
Questions and Discussion