Think Globally, Act Locally: A oneday workshop to discuss improving interoperability in distributed

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Think Globally, Act LocallyA one-day workshop
to discuss improving interoperability in
distributed and physical union catalogues be
implementing strategies for cataloguing and
indexing standards.

• John Gilby
• M25 Systems Team

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General Notes

• Welcome
• Housekeeping Notes
• Travel Expenses claim procedure
• Introduction to the CC-interop Project

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What is a Distributed Catalogue?

• Each institution has a database located within
  their Library Management System
• The database can be accessed from outside the
  institution
• Searches can be performed
• using the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol
• against multiple databases concurrently
  (broadcast search)
• Software gathers results from the remote
  databases and presents them to the user
• Databases searched can be a sub-set of those
  available e.g.InforM25 currently has 1-36 member
  institutional library databases in and around
  London

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What is COPAC ?

• Institutional databases are copied and fused
  together
• Single, very large, database
• Regularly updated
• 26 libraries at present from all over UK
• Includes British Library
• Run by MIMAS, Manchester Computing

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CC-interop Project

• Full title is COPAC/Clumps Continuing Technical
  Cooperation Project
• JISC funded via JISC Committee for the
  Information Environment
• Began in May 2002 and runs to April 2004
• Three work packages
• WP A M25 Systems Team and MIMAS
• WP B - CDLR RIDING
• WP C CERLIM Project Partners

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WP A

• Thorough technical investigations looking at
  cross-searching/linking between different
  architectures
• Tasks
• Comparing how searches are carried out at target
  database
• Analysis of record retrieval process
• Performance testing
• Detailed technical analysis of combined
  architecture options

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WP B

• Using CAIRNS (CDLR) and RIDING clumps with SCONE
  Collection Level Description (CLD) service for
• Investigating and specifying collection
  description standards requirements
• Looking at CLD schemas in relation to both the
  clumps and COPAC
• Looking at the intelligent selection of databases
  in clumps by CLDs based on dynamic landscaping
• Working towards guidelines for dealing with
  variations in cataloguing indexing practices to
  facilitate interoperability between the clumps
  and COPAC TODAY

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WP C

• User Behaviour Study areas such as
• What do users do when they search large union
  catalogues?
• Do they understand what it is they are searching?
• Do they find what they are looking for?
• What features would they like to see?
• CERLIM (MMU)
• 11 user sessions at 3 partner sites
• Pre-search questionnaire
• Recorded searches of local clump and COPAC
• Interview immediately after to discuss their
  experience
• 3 focus groups of librarians
• Set of 10 questions about range of issues
• Report recently issued

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Why are we doing this?

• To carry on work from previous JISC funded
  programmes, eLib Phase 3, etc.
• UK National Catalogue was UKNUC
• Still on agenda
• Likely to incorporate national, university and
  large public libraries
• Recommended to be a mix of COPAC and clump
  architectures
• Serials Union Catalogue SUNCAT (project awarded
  to EDINA)

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Demonstration Search
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Further Details

• Project web site has related documents and
  linkshttp//ccinterop.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/index.ht
  ml
• Project Contacts
• Sean Dunne, MIMAS (sean.dunne_at_man.ac.uk)
• Gordon Dunsire, CDLR (g.dunsire_at_strath.ac.uk)
• John Gilby, M25 Systems Team (j.gilby_at_lse.ac.uk)