Ex Libris User Group Seminar

-- Seoul, South Korea 19 May 2008

Next Generation User Interfaces

Delivering content and services to today’s Web-savvy library users

Marshall Breeding

Director for Innovative Technologies and Research Vanderbilt University http://staffweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/breeding http://www.librarytechnology.org/

Abstract

• Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technology and Research at Vanderbilt University Library will talk about the trend toward the deployment of a new breed of library interfaces more familiar to today’s Web-savvy library users. He will describe some of the general features of these new interfaces and talk about the experience that Vanderbilt University has had with the implementation of Primo from Ex Libris.

Troubling statistic

• • • • • • • Where do you typically begin your search for information on a particular topic?

College Students Response: 89% Search engines (Google 62%) 2% Library Web Site (total respondents -> 1%) 2% Online Database 1% E-mail 1% Online News 1% Online bookstores 0% Instant Messaging / Online Chat

OCLC. Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources (2005) p. 1-17.

Usage + / - from 2005 to 2007

+5% -10% +30% +14% +19%

“The unfortunate exception is the use of library Web sites; usage has dropped from 2005 to 2007.” Source: Sharing, Privacy and Trust in our Networked World. OCLC 2007

Crowded Landscape of Information Providers on the Web

• • • Lots of non-library Web destinations deliver content to library patrons – Google Scholar – Amazon.com

– Wikipedia – Ask.com

Do Library Web sites and catalogs meet the information needs of our users?

Do they attract their interest?

The Competition

The best Library OPAC?

Typical ILS OPAC

Better?

Better?

Demand for compelling library interfaces

• • • • Urgent need for libraries to offer interfaces their users will like to use Move into the current millennium Powerful search capabilities in tune with how the Web works today Meet user expectations set by other Web destination

Inadequacy of ILS OPACs

• • • • • • Online Catalog modules provided with an ILS subject to broad criticism as failing to meet expectations of growing segments of library patrons.

Not great at delivering electronic content Complex text-based interfaces Relatively weak keyword search engines Lack of good relevancy sorting Narrow scope of content

Disjointed approach to information and service delivery

• • • • • • • Books: Library OPAC (ILS module) Articles: Aggregated content products, e-journal collections OpenURL linking services E-journal finding aids (Often managed by link resolver) Local digital collections – ETDs, photos, rich media collections Metasearch engines All searched separately

Change underway

• • • • Widespread dissatisfaction with most of the current OPACs. Many efforts toward next-generation catalogs and interfaces.

Movement among libraries to break out of the current mold of library catalogs and offer new interfaces better suited to the expectations of library users. Decoupling of the front-end interface from the back-end library automation system.

Eventual redesign of the ILS to be better suited for current library collections of digital and print content

Next-Generation Interfaces:

Scope and Concepts

Working toward a new generation of library interfaces

• • • • • Redefinition of the “library catalog” Traditional notions of the library catalog questioned Better information delivery tools More powerful search capabilities More elegant presentation

Redefining the “catalog”

• • • • • • More comprehensive information discovery environments It’s no longer enough to provide a catalog limited to print resources Digital resources cannot be an afterthought Systems designed for e-content only are also problematic Forcing users to use different interfaces depending on type of content becoming less tenable Libraries working toward consolidated user environments that give equal footing to digital and print resources

Comprehensive Search Service

• • • • • Current distributed query model of federated search model not adequate Expanded scope of search through harvested content – Consolidated search services based on metadata and data gathered in advance (like OAI-PMH) Problems of scale diminished Problems of cooperation persist Federated search currently operates as a plug-in component of next-gen interfaces.

Web 2.0 Flavorings

• • • • • Strategic infrastructure + Web 2.0

A more social and collaborative approach Web Tools and technology that foster collaboration Integrated blogs, wiki, tagging, social bookmarking, user rating, user reviews Avoid Web 2.0 information silos

The Ideal Scope for Next Gen Library Interfaces

• • • • • • Unified user experience A single point of entry into all the content and services offered by the library Print + Electronic Local + Remote Locally created Content User contributed content?

Next Generation Interfaces:

Functions and Features

Interface Features / User Experience

• • • • • • • • Simple point of entry – Optional advanced search Relevancy ranked results Facets for narrowing and navigation Query enhancement – spell check, etc Suggested related results Navigational bread crumbs Enriched visual and textual content Single Sign-on

Relevancy Ranking

• • Based on advanced search engines specifically designed for relevancy – Endeca, Lucene, etc Web users expect relevancy ordered results – The “good stuff” should be listed first – Users tend not to delve deep into a result list – Good relevancy requires a sophisticated approach, including objective matching criteria supplemented by popularity and relatedness factors.

New Paradigm for search and navigation

• • • • Let users drill down through the result set incrementally narrowing the field Faceted Browsing – Drill-down vs up-front Boolean or “Advanced Search” – gives the users clues about the number of hits in each sub topic – Ability to explore collections without a priori knowledge Visual search tools Navigational Bread crumbs – Select / deselect facets

Query / Result Enhancement

• • • • • “Did you mean?” and other features to avoid “No results found” Validated Spell check Automatic inclusion of authorized and related terms More like this – recommendation service Make the query and the response to it better than the query provided

Appropriate organizational structures

• • • • LCSH vs FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology) Full MARC vs Dublin Core or MODS Discipline-specific thesauri or ontologies “tags”

Enriched content

• • • • • Rich visual information: book jacket images, rating scores, etc.

Syndetic Solutions ICE ($$$$) Amazon Web Service (AWS) – Recent changes in term of use seem to preclude use by libraries Google Book Search API – Released March 13, 2008 – Liberal terms of use No open content approach (yet)

Personalization / Single Sign-on

• • • Customized content and service options based on personal preference and profile of user Persistent sign-on – horizontal and vertical – Seamless navigation in and out of appropriate sub-systems • ILL / ILS patron requests, federated search, proxy services – Credentials follow as user navigates among Web site components – ILS / Interlibrary Loan / proxy services / shopping cart / etc – Carry sign-on into and out of institutional resources Ability to select and save content; initiate requests; customize preferences, etc.

Deep search

• • • • • • Entering post-metadata search era Increasing opportunities to search the full contents – Google Library Print, Google Publisher, Open Content Alliance, Microsoft Live Book Search, etc.

– High-quality metadata will improve search precision Commercial search providers already offer “search inside the book” No comprehensive full text search for books quite yet Not currently available through library search environments Deep search highly improved by high-quality metadata See: Systems Librarian, May 2008 “Beyond the current generation of next-generation interfaces: deeper search”

Beyond Discovery

• • • • • Fulfillment oriented Search -> select -> view Delivery/Fulfillment much harder than discovery Back-end complexity should be as seamless as possible to the user Offer services for digital and print content

Library-specific Features

• • • Appropriate relevance factors – Objective keyword ranking + Library weightings – Circulation frequency, OCLC holdings, scholarly content Results grouping (FRBR) Collection focused (vs sales-driven)

Enterprise Integration

• • • • • Ability to deliver content and services through non-library applications Campus portal solutions Courseware Social networking environments Search portals / Feed aggregators

Interoperability

• • • Decoupled interface implies data synchronization Mass export of catalog data Hooks back into the ILS for holdings and patron services – Real-time availability

Architecture and Standards

• • • • Need to have an standard approach for connecting new generation interfaces with ILS and other repositories Proprietary and prevail ad hoc methods currently Digital Library Federation – ILS-Discovery Interface Group Time to start thinking about a new generation of ILS better suited for current library collections and missions.

Smart and Sophisticated

• • • Much more difficult than old gen OPACS Not a dumbed-down approach Wed library specific requirements and expectations with e-commerce technologies

Next Gen Interface Deployments

Innovative Interfaces: Encore 2006 Ex Libris: Primo 2006 Medialab solutions: AquaBrowser Endeca VTLS Visualizer 2002 2004 2007 Source: Automation System Marketplace, Library Journal April 1, 2008 5 1 81 77 128

Open Source opportunity?

• • • Commercial traditionally licensed solutions currently far ahead of open source alternatives Time-to-market a critical factor Challenge to catch up

New-Gen Library Interfaces

Current Commercial and Open Source Products

Primo Partnership at Vanderbilt University

• • • • •

What does Primo offer Vanderbilt?

Not just a replacement for the OPAC. A research environment with a broader scope, more current search-and-retrieval technologies, with an interface more in step with other Web destinations. Incorporates “Web 2.0” concepts.

A new information discovery and delivery tool created by Ex Libris.

An environment for the discovery of information resources provided by the library.

Provides a mechanism for the delivery of materials and services for different types of collections including electronic, digital, and print materials.

Works toward an environment that gives equal footing to print and digital resources

Primo consistent with VU Vision

• • • • The vision of Primo addressed many of the concerns that we had with our current environment and with the inherent problems in the current product offerings Break down the silos between – Print and Digital – Local and Remote Consolidated search and information delivery environment More like the interfaces library users see everywhere else on the Web.

Primo Content

• • • Direct harvesting and indexing of different information resources – Initially the bibliographic and authority data of Unicorn and TV News abstracts – Other content sources added over time Subscription based content brought in through integrated metasearch capabilities.

Acorn and TV News are but the first steps toward developing an environment that provides fast access to multiple, diverse content sources.

• • • • •

Primo isn’t a Dumbing down of the Catalog

Most library catalog searches are currently keyword Primo offers a more sophisticated and effective keyword search engine.

– Relevancy ranking.

Faceted browsing provides a mechanism for users to navigate through and narrow search results. Faceted browsing has proven itself as a preferred approach for Web-based information resources. “Did you mean?” – beyond simple spell check: library specific approach for providing search alternatives. [example] Makes use of Authority data Incorporates FRBR

Relationship our Unicorn ILS

• • • • • The native version of Unicorn iLink (WebCat) will continue to be available.

Data from Unicorn is replicated in Primo and kept up-to date. All data retained and maintained in Unicorn. Unicorn infrastructure continues to be the mechanism for presenting library services related to the physical collection: holds, renewals, annex requests, faculty book delivery.

An additional item display in Unicorn/iLink (WebCat) will be created specifically for Primo that is more consistent with the look and feel of Primo.

Acorn is but one content component of Primo.

Primo: Behind the Scenes

Primo Architecture

Subscription Content ProQuest ScienceDirect JSTOR Primo Interface Layer Primo Publishing Platform Search Engine Primo Normalized XML (PNX) Content Harvesting Primo Indexes Record Enrichment Many others … Cover art TOC, Abstracts, etc Other Content Enrichment Harvested Content Unicorn Bib Records Unicorn Auth Records TV News Abstracts Other Local Content Other OAI Content

PNX records

• • • Primo Normalized XML The native record structure of Primo. Information from other resources is harvested, enriched, and converted to this specification

Primo Publishing Platform

• Primo Publishing Platform (PPP), a component of Primo, handles the harvesting, normalization, and enrichment of data

Why Ex Libris?

• • • • A library automation company with a history of developing significant technologies for academic libraries – SFX Vanderbilt was a beta test site for SFX, even though we ended up not purchasing it until later.

A company that tends to develop its own technologies rather than license them from others.

A stable and growing company. (15 percent growth per year) Acquisition by Francisco Partners can be seen as an affirmation of their viability.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Milestones

Feb 2006 -- Initial conversations with Oren Mar 2006 – First on-site demo of Primo at VU Apr 2006 – Decision to partner with Ex Libris for Primo May 15 2006 – Kick-off meeting w/ Ex Libris Oct 31 2006 – Project plan complete Dec 2006 – Hardware delivered and installed Jan 1007 – Full data extracts Feb 2007 – Version 1.0 of software installed Jun 2007 – Primo available to all VU staff for review and testing Aug 2007 – Primo available for the general public Spring 2008 – Soft roll-out continues. Traditional interface still default

Primo – out of the box

• • • Vanderbilt’s lengthy process not typical for libraries that purchase the completed product Development partnership gives us opportunity for input on the product and responsibility for testing and local development Our work should result in an easier out-of-the box installation and deployment.

For more information

Next Generation Library Catalogs by Marshall Breeding Library Technology Reports June/July 2007 ALA TechSource

Questions and Discussion