Transcript Videoconferencing

The integrated library
management system – what we
need?
Lucy A. Tedd,
Lecturer, Department of Information Studies, Aberystwyth
Editor: Program: electronic library and information systems
July 2009
1
Plan for session
Brief background - historical
overview – current state
Input from YOU
Some feedback gathered already
2
General definition
An integrated library management
system (ILS or LMS or ILMS)
comprises modules for various
processes ( circulation control,
ordering and acquisitions,
cataloguing, serials control,
interlibrary lending, OPAC) linked
through a relational database.
3
Brief historical overview
1960s- early experimentation
1970s – local systems, use of parent-body
computers, data collection devices, cooperative systems
Early 1980s – turnkey ‘stand-alone’ systems –
mainly for circulation control e.g. ALS Module
4, BLCMP Circo, CLSI-LIBS100, Geac,
Plessey
Online Public Access Catalogues – OPACs
4
.. And a little more history
1980s – integrated library management
systems (LMS) – BLS, DS, Dynix,
DOBIS/LIBIS, SLS, URICA
1990s – industry-standard software,
improved OPACs, etc. plus new
products e.g. ALEPH, ALICE, DS
Galaxy, Heritage, Millennium, Talis,
Unicorn, VTLS, Voyager
5
Some key developments of
the 2000s
Mergers, acquisitions and private equity of
companies supplying LMS
New products
Formation of consortia
Links to mobile ‘devices’
Web 2.0 features appearing to improve user
interface
Open source software
UK Core Specification for LMS
6
New products
Aquabrowser – Medialab
Aspire - Talis
Encore - Innovative Interfaces
Primo - Ex Libris
Symphony – Sirsi Dynix
7
Aquabrowser
Used for example at University of Sussex (with Talis), Napier
University (with Aleph), Aston University (with III Millennium)
Margaret Lobban, Deputy Director of Learning Information Services
at Napier University, says:
“AquaBrowser combines simplicity, relevance and serendipity to
introduce a broad range of
materials to searchers. The Google-type searching ensures
simplicity while the refine option
enables searchers to specify their requirements resulting in
access to the most relevant materials
held within the library. For those who are exploring new topics the
word cloud facility introduces
an element of an all important element of browsing and
serendipity.”
http://www.aquabrowser.com/2008/09/three-uk-universities-purchaseaquabrowser/
8
Aspire from Talis
Talis Aspire, which is already in use at two major UK HE
institutions, exemplifies a new way of approaching old
problems, as Chris Clarke (Education Division Programmer
Manager) explained: "With the rise of e-content over the
last few years, one would expect that student access to
learning resources would be easier than ever. However, we
found that a myriad of publisher platform, link resolvers
and authentication mechanisms was confusing students.
So rather than directing students to content, we decided to
take the content to students, and allow educators to embed
it within their online course packs."
9
Encore at Wellcome History of
Medicine Library
Robert Kiley, Head of e-Strategy the Wellcome
Library says: "We have a clear need to provide
easier access to the Library's holdings, and do so
in ways which are intuitive, engaging and exploit
both Web 2.0 functionality and the richness of the
way we have catalogued these objects. In
implementing Encore, all the Library's
collections—whether they are described in
Innovative's Millennium ILS, Wellcome Images, or
our Archives and Manuscripts—can be available
through a single interface.” – March 2009
http://www.iii.com/news/press_releases.php
10
Southampton Solent and Ex
Libris
“We found Ex Libris well matched to our library needs in areas that
extend beyond product functionality”, explains Elizabeth Selby,
acting dean of the learning and information service at
Southampton Solent University. “Whereas we were very
impressed with the range of services that we would be able to
offer our users and staff by implementing the Ex Libris products
that we selected, the true deciding factor was the “meeting of
visions” that we had with the company. The Ex Libris road map for
development very much reflects the strategic direction of our
library and learning services. By using Ex Libris solutions to
manage our library resources, our users will enjoy all of the
benefits that a completely interoperable system can offer”, adds
Selby.
http://www.exlibrisgroup.com/default.asp?catid={5FD5A4BC-85D94EC4-8D75-49F2F5A84A51}&details_type=1&itemid={16B3438FB089-484E-AAFB-13DD4AAE036A}
11
Symphony from Sirsi Dynix
(release 3.3. July 2009)
Acquisitions Vendor Interface Port (VIP).
Enhanced Usability Wizards
Group Item Circulation – e.g. for study
groups, book clubs and multi-piece kits
Enhanced Personalization for Users
Automated Print Options
StaffWeb Client
Horizon and Dynix Migrations
12
London Libraries Consortium,
Hackney and Open Galaxy
The London Borough of Hackney has moved to the
OpenGalaxy LMS provided by Axiell and joins the London
Libraries Consortium (LLC), which now totals 12 members.
The London Borough of Hackney serves a population of
209,000. By moving to the OpenGalaxy LMS and joining the
LLC, Hackney Libraries now have access to a London-wide
catalogue of over 3 million books, CD’s, DVD’s and other
items. This improves the service available to library users
and, because cataloguing records are shared, reduces the
administrative overhead for the cataloguing and
acquisitions process.
Axiell (formerly DS) provides LMS to about one-third of UK’s
public libraries.
http://www.axiell.co.uk/news#NEWS_HACKNEY
13
‘Mobile’ developments e.g.
from OCLC
(not as in mobile van - do see the film “Sleep Furiously”)
“The WorldCat Mobile pilot allows users to search for and find books
and other materials available in libraries near them through a Web
application they can access from a PDA or smartphone.
Based on WorldCat.org, the world's largest online resource for
finding information in libraries, the pilot has already proved a
huge success in the U.S. and Canada. Thanks to advanced global
positioning capabilities found in most mobiles, WorldCat Mobile
pilot users in these countries will be able to find local library
materials, if the library in question has loaded records in
WorldCat, no matter where they happen to be. Users can even get
a Google Maps view of the library location along with detailed
driving instructions if the mobile device supports the application.”
– July 2009.
14
New-generation OPACs – and
Web 2.0
Tag cloud of recent topics searched in catalogues
Spell checker ( did you mean?)
Borrowing suggestions ( others who borrowed this
also borrowed..)
User ratings
Simple search box
Table of contents, summary, book jacket
See paper by Tam, Cox and Bussey to be published
in Program: electronic library and information
systems, Vol. 43, No.4, 2009
15
16
17
Open source software
Open source refers to software that is free and that includes
the original source code used to create it so that users can
modify it to make it work better for them.
Increasing interest in the UK and Europe following
developments in US ( with Evergreen from Georgia Public
libraries) and rest of the world (with Koha from New
Zealand).
e.g. Breaking the barriers conference May 2009
Use at Royal Homoeopathic Hospital, London is described by
Bissels in a paper in Program: electronic library and information
systems, Vol. 42, No.3, 2008.
18
19
JISC/SCONUL report
Autumn 2007 JISC and SCONUL commissioned an
“evaluation and horizon scan” of LMS and related
systems landscape for UK Higher Education
(HE). Reported March 2008
Adamson, V., Bacsich, P., Chad, K. and Plenderleith,
J. (2008) An evaluation and horizon scan of the
current library management systems and related
systems landscape for UK higher education.
Available at:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/program
mes/resourcediscovery/lmsstudy.pdf
20
Key finding of JISC/SCONUL
UK HE LMS market is mature and dominated (87% of market) by 4
vendors with little product differentiation.
UK HE libraries spend ₤13.1 million annually- about 5% of global LMS
marketplace – most for annual maintenance for systems.
Movement in product replacement is slow – and customer loyalty to
LMS vendor is high
180 HE institutions surveyed
Ex Libris (inc. Endeavor) 43
Talis
42
SirsiDynix
41
Innovative
33
What system is used where YOU work?
21
Key finding 2 of JISC/SCONUL
Service developments – “libraries are
not yet exploiting intelligence about
user habits to enhance their position
in the information value chain.
Libraries are however increasingly
aware of the need to ‘liberate’ their
data for users to create new services
and applications”.
22
Key finding 3 of JISC/SCONUL
Implementation of an open source LMS
is not yet seen as beneficial
Whilst there is widespread use of
Information Environment services
from JISC Data Centres such as
EDINA and MIMAS, further
development of open interfaces is
required
23
Recommendations of
JISC/SCONUL report
Libraries reviewing LMS contracts should seek
increased value, looking at ways to improve
services by implementing features around the
core LMS
The focus on breaking down barriers is endorsed,
involving single sign-on, unifying workflows and
liberating metadata for re-use
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)-based
interoperability across institutional systems is
emphasised as the foundation for future services
and possibly de-coupling of LMS components
24
Library Journal 2009
Innovative Interfaces signed the largest no. of ILMS contracts to newname customers
SirsiDynix signed more contracts overall as customers moved to new
Symphony system
Ex Libris expanded its staff force and led the fields for link resolvers
with SFX
New wave of ‘modern’ interfaces for catalogue – AquaBrowser,
Encore (III), Primo (Ex Libris), Worldcat Local
Available at
Marshall Breeding, Investing in the Future: Library Automation
Marketplace 2009. Library Journal, April 1st 2009.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6645868.html
25
What do YOU think?
Discuss with colleagues sitting close
about needs for LMS in your
workplace
26
Needs identified by
JISC/SCONUL
Improved user interface (Web 2.0,
Personalisation etc.)
Integration with external systems and open
APIs to do this easily ( e.g. finance dept,
registry, VLEs)
Electronic Resource Management
Reading lists – and improved links with VLE
Better management reporting capabilities
ILL
27
Case 1 – ‘new’ university
library
E-resources development manager
Strategically responsible for LMS and the IT team in the library
Have had Talis since 2002
Looked at marketplace in 2008
Stayed with Talis
Need for LMS to link in more closely to university systems
including the VLE, general student portal etc.
Need for ‘integrated’ resource management system for ejournals and e-books
Good to see developments such as Talis ASPIRE for resource
list management which can be used with other LMS
Need to look at customer needs, business needs and
marketplace ‘outside’ LMS
http://www.talis.com/aspire/documents/plymouth_cs.pdf
28
Case 2 – an ‘old’ university
Library systems officer
Part of ‘library support’ team
Voyager since 1999. SFX for linking and Metalib for
federated searching – both hosted by Ex Libris.
No resources (time/staff) to do a major change
Would like to do a study of user needs – no
time/effort
Would like a system to be totally integrated for print
and e-resources
Feels self-service should have more prominence
29
Case 3 A small research
institute
“I am in the process of writing my own LMS. After
working with MINISIS (where we built our own
very simple system onto a database package)
and then a commercial system, I decided I could
do better myself! We do not need a lot of the
complications of the commercial system - but we
do need a lot of enhancements of our own (e.g.
email updates, document delivery service). I got
frustrated with waiting for the commercial
supplier to make changes/fix bugs and also their
system was a "black box" to me. I've now
completed OPAC (with related functions) and
circulation, and am fairly far on with cataloguing.”
30
Case 4 A medical library
We've used Koha for cataloguing and circulation for well over a year
now, but are still lacking some of the functionality that was part of
the spec, and was meant to be available by end 2007/early 2008:
some basics like authority file control, then more advanced stuff
such as federated searching, EDIFACT, SIP2 support.
….
Overall, I still believe in Koha and the flexibility of OpenSource,
and have to blame the delays we've been experiencing on the
support
situation two years ago - when there was only one tiny company
in the
UK offering to implement and support Koha.
31
Case 5 Engineering
consultancy firm
Was using Sydney Plus
Identified needs: federated searching of technical papers,
journal articles, responses to previous queries, as well as
subscribed databases, User tagging, user rating of ‘docs’,
use of “did you mean”, “other docs like this” etc.
Spell checking for cataloguers
“…there isn't really one that's good for everything. In general,
it seems to take a combination of a traditional LMS with a
bolt-on OPAC for the bell-and-whistles web 2.0
functionality! We really like Aquabrowser for the OPAC- it
has a really good faceted search function, and a nice tag
cloud. Presto from Soutron is also a good one for the Web
2.0 front end, while Heritage (IS) and Liberty (Softlink) are
both quite good and seem straightforward to use”.
32
Case 6 – a supplier
Current LMS were designed for ‘print’ world with users coming
in to library etc.
Very different needs between the academic/national libraries
and the public libraries
In academic libraries great need now for systems to manage
licences and access rights – book lending is falling off
dramatically
Need for totally new approach – but still some years away
Meantime – ‘add-on’ solutions that enable products from
different suppliers to be used e.g. SFX, Metalib, Verde
New-generation OPACs, with Web 2.0 functionality etc., so
that ‘front-end’ searching by users can be achieved through
different supplied software to the ‘back-end software
33
Case 7 – a consultant in the
LMS area
Open source LMS are more mainstream in
the US than the UK – but may come here
Open source LMS are currently replicating
what the ‘closed’ source systems are
doing – need for some re-thinking
Libraries, public and academic are “under
erosive attack”
34
Where to find information?
MmIT group website
http://www.cilip.org.uk/specialinterestgroups/bysubject/multimedia
Library Technology Guides - http://www.librarytechnology.org/
CILIP training events e.g. Library Mangaement Systems – procurement
and implementation October 2009.
http://www.cilip.org.uk/training/training/2009/libinfo/librarymanagemen
tsystemsprocurementandimplementation.htm
Alison Felstead, “Library systems marketplace: a digest of current
literature”, Program: electronic library and information systems 38(2),
2004, pp. 88-96
Lucy Tedd (2007), Library management systems in J.H. Bowman (ed.)
British Librarianship and Information Work 2001-5. Aldershot:Ashgate,
2007.
35