Transcript The Library of the Future

The Library of the Future
Great libraries of the world: the enduring
need for access to quality information
Libraries have been central to the
history and maintenance of civilisation
Storing
the intellectual output of mankind
Transmitting
the recorded knowledge of
the world
Making
information accessible for
contemporary uses
Preserving
knowledge for future
generations
The challenge of the digital era:
electronic information on a global scale
The potential of the new technologies
 A growing corpus of knowledge in
digital form
 The transformation of access
 The commoditisation of information
 The physical library superseded?
 ‘The death of the printed book’?

The complex and mixed economy of
communication technology ‘revolutions’
The
post-Gutenberg mix of print and
manuscript
The computer age and the world of paper
E-mail and handwritten letters
Electronic information and the increased
production of printed books
The Internet and the use of research
libraries
Libraries have always adapted both to a changing world
and to evolving technologies
Technologies
Society
Clay Tablets
Papyrus Rolls
Scrolls
The Priesthood
Rulers
Bureaucrats
Illuminated
Manuscripts
The Wealthy
Printed books
The General
Population
Towards greater volume
and efficiency
Towards greater
democracy
At the threshold of an extraordinary
revolution in human knowledge
Moore’s Law, Metcalfe’s Law, The World Wide Web
All combining to create something never
before seen in the world:
For the first time, the prospect of
encompassing ALL human knowledge – and
making it available to
EVERYONE on Earth
The possibilities of current technologies:
making universal knowledge universally available
Mass
storage
Mass-digitisation of content
The Internet
Wireless technology
PCs and portable devices
Cell phones
High-speed/high-quality output devices
‘The Internet myth’:
access to universal knowledge
The
myth of Internet comprehensiveness
Universal desk-top access not yet here
Only partial access via the search engines
Historic knowledge repositories largely
untapped
The urgent need:
a marriage of information convenience
To
make the digital revolution more
effective
To pool cross-sectoral expertise and
content
To find a more collaborative, global
approach
To feed the information-hungry
To raise the bar on content quality
The Hybrid Library:
a blueprint for universal access
Electronic
access to digital and nondigital stuff
Towards an integrated information
environment
 Desk-top searching of the hitherto
inaccessible
The Open Web, the Deep Web, and the
non-digital in a single virtual space
The Hybrid Library:
a general paradigm
A
place-holder for the future
Harnesses the historic commitment of
knowledge-based repositories
A new model for quality information
provision
For surfacing valuable information
Helping to enhance the Internet
The Oxford Library system (1) :
the ideal ‘proof of concept’ testbed
One
of the world’s largest knowledge
repositories
A wide range of physical formats
A wide range of external users
Printed legal deposit since 1610
Electronic legal deposit since 2003
The Oxford Library system (2) :
electronic resource developments
The
Oxford Digital Library:
established 2000
Unique materials online
The ‘Google deal’: mass-digitisation
of out-of-copyright books
High-quality research databases
An institutional e-print archive
Wider access to licensed content
The Oxford Library system (3) :
a workshop for the ‘Library of the Future’
Electronic
resources accessible
principally to local users only
Physical holdings only partially
accessible by electronic means
The incomplete reach of an automated
stack request system
A range of standards in use
Fragmented access requiring integration
The Oxford Library system (4) :
a microcosm of the information world
A
typically fragmented picture
Inadequate for modern needs
Based on old and new paradigms
Needing integration and remodelling
Incoherent access to information
Complex presentation layer(s)
Barriers to research and personal enquiry
The Oxford Library system (5) :
the hub of a collaborative federation?
The Bodleian Library and
the Oxford University Library Services
?
?
?
?

Embedded in a leading-edge research
institution

A world-class knowledge repository

Extensive collaborative experience

Well-placed to bring organisations
together
A new model for resource discovery
and access: the keys


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Sophisticated array of user-interfaces:
technology; authentication; rights
management/licensing; e-commerce;
metrics
A collaborative approach
High-quality content
Work underway in the Oxford Library
system
Benefits of the new model:
for Oxford (1)
Seamless
searching of Oxford’s Hybrid
Library content
Sophisticated navigation options
Seamless access to large range of
resources:
MARC-based and non-standard catalogues;
mss/archival finding aids; image files;
bibliographic databases; e-journals; harvested
metadata
Direct
links to local and remote sources
Benefits of the new model:
for Oxford (2)
Integrated
access to digital and non-
digital
Enhanced personal access to non-digital
On-demand creation of digital
surrogates
Added value for subsequent users
New model tested in live service
environment
Benefits of the new model:
for wider application
Way
forward to new model of sustainable
information management and delivery
Scalability tested in range of contexts
Customisable applications for users
Interoperability with range of protocols
and standards
Designed for new technology devices
Value in academic, business and home
computing worlds
The Library of the Future:
the challenges (1)
Designing
the appropriate architecture
Using OLIS as a starting-point
Exploring Google-like metadata harvesting
Developing and testing in partnership
Overcoming search engine shortcomings
Blending free and charged-for access
The Library of the Future:
the challenges (2)
Designing
flexible interfaces
Handling copyright and other legal
issues
Refining the search engines:
- access points to disparate materials
- repurposing search results
- specialist portals and customised
browsing facilities
The way forward:
collaborative action
Selection
of partner organisations
12 months’ concerted effort
Six expert groups with specific tasks
Co-ordinated by an Oxford Advisory
Board
Project costs: $408k (£240k)
Project deliverables and outcomes
A
tested and scalable model
Enhanced interface design
Refined search engine capabilities
Enrichment of Internet use
Towards a global electronic
information framework
What will the Library of the Future
offer?
Worldwide
access to mankind’s collective
knowledge
Universal education for the one billion
consumers coming on line in the
Developing World
Unprecedented access to research
materials by scientists around the globe
First access by Library of the Future
partners to the new products and markets
created
We need your help
To
work on the technical complexities of
this project
To establish a plan of action to build the
Library of the Future
To develop the businesses that will
support the larger goals of the Library
of the Future
To support those parts of the Library of
the Future that are not financially
independent
The Library of the Future:
Are we up for it ?
Nothing we will do in our careers
may ever be as important…
or as enduring