Interoperability Standards for Dummies

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Interoperability Standards for Dummies

• Diane Whittaker
• Sales Manager
• diane.whittaker_at_crxnet.com

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A little history.

• The advent of the computer
• How to exchange information?
• Standards the way forward..

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Interop standards

• Z39.50
• ISO ILL
• And two newcomers.
• NCIP
• OpenURL

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Z39.50 what is it?

• Z39.50 is an international standard for
  communication between computer systems primarily,
  library and information related systems.
• Quote from Bibliotech Review article

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ISO-ILL what is it?

• The ISO Interlibrary Loan Protocol specifies
  rules that permit the exchange of Interlibrary
  Loan messages between various computerized ILL
  management systems, regardless of the hardware
  and software packages used by either the
  requester or the supplier.
• ISO 10161
• Barbara Shuh The Inter Library Loan Protocol
  an introduction

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NCIP-what is it?

• NISO Circulation Interchange Protocol
• NCIP defines a set of messages and associated
  rules of syntax and semantics for use by
  applications to perform the functions necessary
  to lend and borrow items, provide controlled
  access to electronic resources, facilitate
  co-operative management of these functions. (from
  ANSI/NISO Z39.83-2002)
• Z39.83
• Web services XML

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Open URL-what is it?

• The OpenURL standard is a syntax to create
  web-transportable packages of metadata and/or
  identifiers about an information object. Such
  packages are at the core of context-sensitive or
  open link technology.
• Quote from NISO website

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Key themes

• Communication
• Finding things
• Asking for them
• Authentication
• Interoperation
• Serving up the right version

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Z39.50
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Z39.50 speak

• Z Server / Z Client
• Origin / Target
• Z Association
• Services
• Facilities
• Attributes
• Record syntaxes

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Client / Server

• Z Servers /Targets catalogues
• Interprets search requests
• Z Clients/ Origins searchers (you!)
• Sends search requests
• Z Association the search session

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Services / Facilities

• During the Z-Association, the Z-client (origin)
  and Z-server (target) exchange a series of
  messages.  Each message is identified as a
  technical service. The services are grouped
  into what the standard calls facilities. There
  are eleven facilities..

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Facilities

• Initialisation Search
• Retrieval Result set delete
• Access Control Accounting
• Sort Browse
• Extended services Explain
• Termination
• But..only 4 are used normally!

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Search Attributes

• Attributes are used to map your search to the
  underlying structure of the catalogue making
  sure you are talking the same language

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Attribute String

• So for example,
• S, "Title", 4, 3, 1, 1, 100, 3
• S - infers a Search attribute
• "Title" - displayed to the user as an index to
  choose
• 4 - the USE attribute (4 title)
• 3 - the relation attribute, (3 equals)
• 1 - the position attribute (1 first in field)
• 1 - structure attribute (1 phrase)
• 100 - truncation attribute (100 do not
  truncate)
• 3 - completeness attribute (3 complete field)

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Z Session

• Initialize request
• Initialize response
• Search request
• Search response
• Present request
• Present response
• Termination

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Client
Server
Initialise request
Initialise response
Search request
Search response
Present request
Present response
Termination
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Where is Z39.50 going ?

• Take up of services in UK
• Academic sector
• Public sector
• Projects eg, WISDOM, CoEast, WiLL, M25Link
• SRU/SRW
• New generation of Z39.50
• XML and Web service based

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ISO-ILL
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ISO-ILL Speak

• IPIG
• Profiles
• Requestors / Responders/ Intermediaries
• Services
• PDUs

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IPIG

• ILL Protocol Implementers Group
• The decision makers and/or suppliers of ISO-ILL
  technology

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Profiles

• You need a standard to use the standard!
• In other words..
• You need to decide which bits of the standard you
  are going to use in order to talk successfully

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What does the talking?

• Requesters
• Responders
• Intermediaries

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What do they say?

• Services /PDUs
• ILL-REQUEST
• FORWARD
• SHIPPED
• ILL-ANSWER
• RECEIVED
• RETURNED
• RENEW

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An ISO ILL conversation..
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CRX Admin Screens Overview Outgoing
Request Incoming Request
 
ILL Message
CRX-Z
Borrower registers request
Automatic authorisation
Automatic authorisation
Request Authorised?
Request Authorised?
yes
yes
no
no
ILL Request
Admin screens
Admin screens
Manual authorisation (Authorise)
Manual authorisation (Will supply or reserved)
ILL Answer
Shipped
ILL Shipped
Received
ILL Received
Returned
ILL Returned
Checked In
ILL Checked In
Completed
Completed
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NCIP.
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NCIP Speak

• Services - messages
• Lookup, update, notification
• Initiation / response message pairs
• Object Classes
• Agency, item, user

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NCIP messages - lookup

• Authenticate User
• Lookup Agency
• Lookup Item
• Lookup User
• Lookup Version

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NCIP messages - update

• Accept item
• Cancel recall item
• Cancel request item
• Check in item
• Check out item
• Etc etc.

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NCIP why use it?

• Support for direct consortial borrowing
• Within ILL systems to link them to LMS
• Self service issue / return/ renewal

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OpenURL...
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OpenURL Speak

• ContextObject
• The info about the reference and who wants it.
  Packaged so that it can be transmitted and
  understood
• OpenURL registry
• The syntax for the ContextObjects
• How they are to be transmitted
• Community profiles
• DOI digital object identifiers
• Supposed to travel with a document where ever it
  goes!

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OpenURL implementation

• Scenarios
• Allows links to resources that are restricted
  authentication built into the OpenURL message
• Allows appropriate resources to be made available
  depending who you are
• Incorporates DOIs making it easier to keep
  track of where things are

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Integrating these together

• Basic Scenario
• Interlending services with a virtual catalogue

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Step 1 public searching the virtual catalogue
Partners system
Partners system
Partners system
Z39.50
Our Organisations system
Public search the catalogue Public place requests
for items Reciprocal arrangement partners Can
search each other
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Step 2 user identifies item to loan
Request details mapped to users Borrower record
Our Organisations system
Our Organisations LMS
NCIP
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Step 3 staff locate item loan request
Partners system
Partners system
Partners system
Z39.50 staff searching ISO-ILL loan request
Our Organisations system
Our Organisations LMS
NCIP
Borrower record amended LMS catalogue has foreign
item added
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Questions / Comments

• Not too difficult!
• Diane Whittaker
• Sales Manager
• Crossnet Systems
• diane.whittaker_at_crxnet.com