InterLending Conversations

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InterLending Conversations

• ILDS 2003 Plenary Session 9
• Panel on Library Communications Protocols
• Barbara Shuh, Library and Archives Canada
• Carrol Lunau, Library and Archives Canada
• Judith Pearce, National Library of Australia

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Interlending Conversations

• Overview of the Ideal
• Reality
• Question and Answer Period
• Panelists
• Questions from the Floor

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Library Communication Protocols

• Provide rules for sets of messages and associated
  behaviour for use by libraries to perform
  resource-sharing activities
• in a distributed network environment, i.e.,
• from different manufacturers
• under different managements
• of different levels of complexity
• of different technologies
• with a minimum of technical agreement outside the
  standards

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1.1 What is this item? Who owns it?
1.3 Who are X, Y, Z? Will they lend items to
me? Do I have to pay?
Catalogues
5. Item
1.2 Libraries X, Y Z own copies
Library A
1.3 Z is a consortial friend, Y is
Directory
2.1 Will you lend this item to me?
2.2 Sorry, its out on loan
Library Z (consortial friend)
4.2 Yes, and were shipping to you now
3.1 Will you lend this item to me?
3.3 Sorry, our copy is lost
Library X (last resort lender) ILL System
4.1 Will you lend this item to me?
3.2.1 Is this item available for loan?
Library Y ILL System
Library Y Circ System
InterLending Conversations
3.2.2 Strange, its NOS, must be lost
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Library Communication Protocols

• Search and Retrieval of information on
• Bibliographic Items
• Potential lending partners, document suppliers
• Manage Interlibrary Loan activity
• Exchange Circulation information
• Deliver documents electronically
• Accept requests

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Protocols Machine-to-machine conversations

• System to system, application to application
• not person to person
• Human users only interact with local application
• never directly with remote system
• Protocols invisible to the human users of the
  application
• when applications are well designed

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Peer-to-Peer vs. Client-server

• Neither system is subordinate to the other
• Systems co-operate to perform task
• Each system maintains enough information to carry
  out its part of task

• Client is subordinated to the Server
• Client requests that Server perform tasks
• Server doesnt remember anything about Client

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Confirmed vs. Unconfirmed Services

• Confirmed service is
• System receiving message expected to respond
  immediately
• Unconfirmed service is
• No response permitted
• Protocols state tables specify what can happen
  next

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Z39.50

• Search and Retrieval
• NISO Z39.50
• ISO 23950
• Maintenance Agency at the Library of Congress
• Used for
• Verification of bibliographic data
• Identification of locations

Z39.50 Query
Virtual Catalogue
Z39.50 Response
Library A
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Z39.50

• Is an international standard which
• Is a computer-to-computer protocol for
  communication between different systems to search
  retrieve information
• Provides an abstract model of information
  retrieval
• Language for expressing searches (attributes)
• Means to encode searches and results
• Is not
• The user interface
• Local application functionality
• Solution to differences in the underlying
  information retrieval systems

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Z39.50 modelMoen, W.E., Resource Discovery using
Z39.50.
Server
Client
Query
Z server
User Interface
Search results
Conversion
Search
Conversion
Search
DB records
Database
Retrieved records
Z client
Result set
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Zservices

• Initialization facility establishes connection
• Search facility sends search query to target
• Retrieval facility retrieves results
• Termination ends connection
• Browse scans indexes
• Sort orders results
• Access control target requests ID/password
• Explain query the target re protocol
  implementation details

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Z39.50 Issues

• Support different attributes
• Vendors have selected different options or
  interpretations
• Support different record syntaxes
• Can be complex to implement
• Standard does not provide clear product
  specifications for developers
• Until recently no definition for exchange of
  holdings

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Profiles Z39.50 Specs

• Represents community consensus on requirements
• Identifies Z39.50 specifications to support those
  requirements
• Improves search and retrieval results
• Aids in purchasing decisions
• Provides specifications for vendors to build
  Z39.50 products

Author WE Moen
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Current Status

• Z39.50 widely implemented
• Internationally
• WebClarity 1518 targets
• IndexData 554 targets
• Canada 103 targets
• Denmark 101 targets
• UK 73 targets
• Australia 39 targets
• Profiles not widely implemented
• Bath
• NISO ZTexas
• ONE2

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Directories

• ISO 2146 Directories of libraries and related
  organizations
• Revision directed by NLA
• IPIGs Directory Services for Interlibrary Loan

Directory
1.3 Directory Response
1.3 Directory Query
Library A
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ISO 2146

• Not a protocol, not a data schema, but a
  framework
• Identifies directory objects applicable to a wide
  range of directory applications
• High level objects include Organisation,
  Collection, Activity, Service
• Supports description of complex service models
  including protocol information

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IPIGs Directory Services

• A profile of ISO 2146
• Selects objects identified in ISO 2146 that are
  applicable to Interlibrary loan
• Only uses relevant properties
• Applies more specific business rules (eg makes
  more things mandatory)
• Uses enumerated lists specific to interlibrary
  loan scenarios
• Uses LDAP/X.500 as the directory protocol

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X500 / LDAP

• An international standard for distributed
  directory services
• Binds the IPIG Information Model into a standard
  schema
• Provides a protocol for searching and updating
  the data
• Is not
• The user interface
• local application functionality

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Why X.500 / LDAP?

• Library systems already need to support LDAP to
  query external patron databases
• X.500 provides full support for distributed
  directories
• LDAP is also fine as long is there is an X.500
  node to provide referrals

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Why not Local Directories?

• Saves Libraries having to report updates to
  multiple sources
• Saves rekeying by ILL staff
• Ensures currency of data
• Saves development effort for library system
  vendors when service models change
• Supports international interLending conversations

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Directory Scenarios

• Who is this Library, will it lend to me and if
  so, how much will it cost?
• Which libraries holding this item will lend to me
  at a price I can afford and using request methods
  that I support?
• What level of protocol support does this library
  have and which address should I use?

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Current Status

• X.500 / LDAP are mature standards
• ISO 2146 is still under development but the core
  directory objects to support interlibrary loan
  are in place - these were derived from the IPIG
  Information Model!
• An X.500 schema based on the IPIG Profile is
  currently under test in Canada, Australia and the
  United States
• Will need a method to synchronise local
  directories in the first instance

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Directions for ISO 2146

• Directory services to support
• User authentication
• Circulation
• Meta searching
• Virtual reference

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NCIP
Library A Circulation System

• Circulation Interchange Protocol
• ANSI/NISO Z39.83-2002
• Connection-oriented, sessionless
• Talks XML

Library Z Circulation System
2.1 Request Item
2.2 Request Item Response
3.2.1 Item Lookup
Library Y ILL System
Library Y Circ System
3.2.2 Item Lookup Response
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NCIP

• Protocol specifies 45 services
• Each service comprised of a pair of messages
• Initiation message
• Response message
• Each service is independent of any other service
• Protocol concerns 3 Objects and the relationship
  between and among them

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NCIP

• Supports
• Direct Consortial Borrowing
• Circulation/Interlibrary Loan Interaction
• Self-Service Circulation
• Enables computer-based applications to perform
  the functions necessary
• to lend items,
• to provide controlled access to electronic
  resources,
• to facilitate co-operative management of
  circulation functions.

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NCIP Objects

• Agency Object
• Library or other organization that lends items
  from its collection(s) or provides related
  services to one or more classes of users
• Item Object
• Physical or logical (electronic) entity within an
  Agencys collection that may be lent or to which
  access may be provided to a User
• User Object
• Person or organization that is or may become an
  authorized user of items owned by an Agency

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NCIP Services

• Lookup
• Tell me something about
• an Agency, an Item or a User
• Update
• Please take an action
• Typical circulation activities, maintaining
  Object info, tracking items
• Notification
• I have taken an action
• Notification of actions taken
• One for each update

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NCIP Implementation

• Most applications still under development
• Active implementors group NCIP-IG
• http//www.lib.uchicago.edu/staffweb/groups/ncip/
• Maintenance Agency
• Colorado State Library

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ILL Protocol

• Interlibrary Loan Application
• ISO 101601997
• ISO 10161-11997
• Uses either
• Internet connections
• E-mail
• Talks ASN.1 BER

Library A
4.2 SHIPPED
3.1 ILL-REQUEST
3.3 ILL-ANSWER, reason unfilled lost
4.1 ILL-REQUEST
Library X (last resort lender) ILL System
Library Y ILL System
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ILL Protocol

• Protocol specifies 20 messaging services
• Covers activities during life of an
  ILL-Transaction
• Always starts with the ILL-REQUEST for an item
• Continues with an ILL-ANSWER or SHIPPED
• Tracks the stages of a Loan (RECEIVED, RETURNED,
  CHECKED-IN, LOST, DAMAGED, etc.)
• Helps applications track ILL activities
• Record the current state of each ILL transaction
• Maintain a history of ILL activities

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ILL Protocol

• Peer-to-peer communications
• Requester (borrower)
• Responder (lender, document supplier)
• Unconfirmed service
• But peers can check status of transaction any
  time

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ILL Protocol IPIG Profile

• Limits use of some messages
• Forwarding handled outside the protocol
• Role of intermediary outside scope of profile
• Provides structures for some information to
  facilitate machine parsing
• Allows for uses of both E-mail (mandatory) and
  Internet connections (optional)

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ILL Protocol Status of Implementation

• Interoperability Testing
• Market-driven conformance
• Implementors
• National Libraries
• Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK
• Bibliographic Utilities
• RLG (Shares), OCLC
• Lending partners outside consortial boundaries
• Universities other large research libraries

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ILL Protocol Players

• Maintenance agency
• Library and Archives Canada
• http//www.nlc-bnc.ca/iso/ill/
• ILL Protocol Implementors Group (IPIG)

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GEDI

• Generic Electronic Document Interchange
• ISO 179332000
• Header elements mapped to equivalent data in ILL
  Protocol

Library A
5. Delivery of Electronic Item
Library X ILL System
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Scope

• Deals only with the interchange step in the
  InterLending process
• the transfer of an electronic copy from the
  supplier to the consumer via FTP or a
  MIME-compliant email system

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Components

• Service Model
• Header (mapped from ILL Request)
• Document (TIFF, JPEG, PDF)
• Transmission protocol (FTP/MIME)

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Gedi Header

• Describes the content and context of an
  electronic document
• Transmitted with the document to tie the document
  to the originating request
• Means the receiving system doesnt have to open
  the file to know what it is
• Provides both a machine-readable and human
  readable record

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Profiles

• Too small for its own profile but included in
  profiles such as
• One-2 OPAC Network in Europe 2

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Current Status

• Supported by Research Libraries Group's Ariel
  document transmission system
• Need for such a standard in mainstream e-commerce
  systems not yet widely recognised

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Request Submission Message

• Message used by a client to submit a request for
  an item
• Developed by IPIG
• Talks XML
• Not yet widely implemented
• Being registered as an OpenURL

Client-initiated request for item
Library A
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Conclusions

• Standards now handle interlending from discovery
  to delivery
• Technical and business knowledge combined during
  development of standards
• Standards make it easier
• for librarians and vendors to communicate
• to write RFPs and detailed specs
• to build systems that meet business needs

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Interlending Conversations

• Question and Answer Period