Library Portals

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• Library Portals

John Akeroyd
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Portal Definitions

• Enterprise Information Portals are applications
  that enable companies to unlock internally and
  externally stored information, and provide users
  a single gateway to personalized information
  needed to make informed business decisions

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Definition of a Portal

• Gateway that provides a single point of entry to
  information and tools
• Web-based aggregation point
• Targeted user groups
• My homepage
• Easy
• Accessible from anywhere, anytime
• Not all web-sites are portals

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Functions of Portals

• Single touch point
• Content and document management
• Personalization
• Integration
• Collaboration
• Authenticate only once

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Authentication

• Most enterprise portals provide single sign-on
  capabilities to their users. This requires a user
  to authenticate only once. Access control lists
  manage the mapping between portal content and
  services over the portal user base.
• Often LDAP
• Shibboleth for 3rd part data

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Interoperability

• Defined as
• exchanging data via a common set of business
  procedures, and to read and write the same file
  formats and use the same protocols

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Standards

• JSR 168 is the Portlet Specification Java
  Specification Request (JSR) from the Java
  Community Process (JCP). To enable
  interoperability between Java portlets and Web
  portals, this specification defines a set of APIs
  for portal computing that address the areas of
  aggregation, personalization, presentation, and
  security.

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User
User
User
User
Portal
LDAP
Repository Research
Repository Bibiographic
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Repository Learning
Repository
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Repository Records
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Types of Portals

• Enterprise wide business
• University/student/staff
• Library
• Subject

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Library Portals

• Access to local resources
• Access to remote resources
• Links to other on site services
• Personalised services
• Common Authentication

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Examples of Portals

• Library system based
• Metafind
• Metalib
• Encompass
• Publisher based
• Illumina
• Scopus
• Open source
• OJAX Ajax-powered metasearch service
• OAIster

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Interoperability
Service Providers
Data Providers
Open Archive Initiative Protocol for Metadata
Harvesting
Figure from Carl Lagoze
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Connected Issues

• Back end management eg access to ejournal data
• Open URL
• Harvesting different model eg OAI
• Channels, RSS

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Problems with Library portals

• Are thye needed
• Are they technically viable
• How easy is it to integrate outputs
• Can they compete with Google

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University Context

• Student portals
• Staff portals
• Expertise and Knowledge transfer
• See Portal Trends in Higher Education by Brad
  Englert, Partner, Accenture February 19, 2003

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User
User
User
User
Portal
LDAP
Repository Research
Repository Bibiographic
Repository
Repository Learning
Repository
Repository
Repository Records
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Student portals

• Access
• Records of results, marks,
• Course content, handouts, papers
• Finance/fees
• Timetables
• Welfare
• Library and IT services

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Services and Benefits for Students
Key Findings Student Centric

• Services
• Universities currently have a wide range of
  student-oriented services
• View curriculum alternatives
• Access own records (exam grades etc)
• Access online library resources/databases
• Have further to go in offering transactional
  services
• Expected benefits
• Highest rated was improved services for current
  students
• Expectation gap
• Wide-range of services provided by universities
  may not all be wanted by students
• Students want services that are
• Easy to use, reliable and fast
• Customizable
• Transactional

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Services and Benefits for Administration
Key Findings Student Centric

• Services
• Access information such as
• University policies/procedures
• Key grading/enrollment statistics online
• Student recruiting Information
• Expected benefits
• First and foremost, help staff improve services
  to students and faculty
• Reduce administrative cost
• Improve staff environment

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Current Status of Portal Development

• Virtually all institutions (96) are either
  planning, developing, or have already implemented
  a portal

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Meeting Portal Objectives
Key Findings Evolutionary

• Most universities have started development
• Most have a long way to go to meet their
  objectives
• 60 said that their objectives had evolved
  significantly in the past 2 years
• Higher expectations
• Improved technology
• Four universities met their objectives

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Key Reasons for Portal Development
Key Findings Improve Service

• Improved service delivery, not cost savings, is
  the primary reason behind portal development.

Top Reasons For Portal Development (Multiple
Responses)
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Integrate / streamline information services
19
Improve service to students/staff
14
Offer personalized / customized / targeted service
12
Improve administration efficiency
9
Attract students
8
Enhance university image / raise profile
5
Engage / connect / build community
4
Offer distance / flexible learning
3
Attract business / research partners
2
Maintain alumni network
0
5
10
15
20
25
Number of universities
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Challenges in Portal Development
Key Findings Improve Service
Main Challenges in Portal Development (Multiple
Responses)
Number of responses
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Implementation and Funding
Key Findings Tech Led

• How will universities develop their portal?
• 25 believe they are capable of completely
  going it alone
• Most universities are using a combination of
• in-house resources
• buying in a number of packages
• tailoring package to meet their own requirements
• Half would consider outsourcing or using an
  external contractor for portal development
• How will universities fund their portal?
• 60 will increase budgets
• 25 budget remain as-is
• 15 reduce budgets

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Summary
Summary

• Five major themes
• Portal development is evolutionary rather than
  revolutionary
• Improved service delivery, not cost savings, is
  the primary driver behind portal development
• University portals strong emphasis on serving
  current students better may risk under serving
  other key user groups
• In the main, portals are being technology led
  rather than user led, with resources first
  directed to what is obvious and easy-to-do
• Improving usage among key user groups will be
  accomplished through multiple approaches
• Students will use portals if they work well

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Portal Futures

• Enterprise information portals, which connect
  people with information
• Enterprise collaborative portals, which provide
  collaborative computing capabilities of all kinds
  
• Enterprise expertise portals, which connect
  people with other people based on their
  abilities, expertise, and interests
• Enterprise knowledge portals, which combine all
  of the above to deliver personalized content
  based on what each user is actually doing.