21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston1 Boston College 1 st Gen. Next-Gen. Discovery Bob Gerrity AUL for Library Systems & Information Technology

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston2 outline background background implementation process implementation process quick demo quick demo locally developed add-ons locally developed add-ons user feedback/initial reactions user feedback/initial reactions lessons learned lessons learned future future

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston3 30,000-foot view (NOT!)

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston4 What is Primo? Ex Libris next-gen. discovery and delivery platform Ex Libris next-gen. discovery and delivery platform Decouples discovery layer from the ILS Decouples discovery layer from the ILS Incorporates technologies developed outside the library arena Incorporates technologies developed outside the library arena Two search components: Two search components: Local (your catalog, digital collections, IR content) Local (your catalog, digital collections, IR content) Uses locally indexed dataUses locally indexed data Remote (subscription databases) Remote (subscription databases) Uses federated searchUses federated search

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston5 about BC Private, Jesuit university Private, Jesuit university User Population: 9,000 undergrads, 4,800 grad students, 850 faculty User Population: 9,000 undergrads, 4,800 grad students, 850 faculty Library Metrics: 2.5 million volumes, 200 FTE staff, $8m acquisitions budget Library Metrics: 2.5 million volumes, 200 FTE staff, $8m acquisitions budget ARL library (since 2000) ARL library (since 2000) Carnegie ClassificationDoctoral/Research Extensive Carnegie ClassificationDoctoral/Research Extensive The place Bill Ayers didnt speak at… The place Bill Ayers didnt speak at…

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston6 about library BC Small staff, so Small staff, so No bleeding edge No bleeding edge Early followers Early followers Willingness to experiment Willingness to experiment Perfection is not the goal Perfection is not the goal Just Do It Just Do It Comfortable working with [certain] vendors Comfortable working with [certain] vendors

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston7 Aha! moment

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston8 need for next-gen. catalog Traditional OPAC considered deficient/irrelevant as modern discovery tool Traditional OPAC considered deficient/irrelevant as modern discovery tool Growing number of library discovery systems with separate search interfaces Growing number of library discovery systems with separate search interfaces Google and Amazon have redefined search expectations for most of our users: simple search, relevant results Google and Amazon have redefined search expectations for most of our users: simple search, relevant results Web 2.0 features needed (tagging, recommendations, reviews, support for mobile devices, etc.) Web 2.0 features needed (tagging, recommendations, reviews, support for mobile devices, etc.)

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston9 need for next-gen catalog user perspective: too many search choices

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston10 Administrative perspective: too many discovery systems to maintain dlib.bc.edu:8882library.bc.edu/Fescholarship.bc.edudatabases.bc.edumetaquest.bc.edu Digital Collections DigiTool MARC, DC, METS Digital content we create: image collections, finding aids, streamed media ~15k records discovery category system metadata schema content size OPAC ALEPH MARC What we buy: books, journals, govdocs, media ~2.5m records Institutional Repository DigiTool DC BC-produced scholarship: (ETDs, working papers, postprints, peer-reviewed journals ~10k records Online Databases MetaLib MARC Subscription databases (descriptive info. And configs for federated search) ~500 records E-journals SFX MARC Subscription e- journals (holdings and configs for OpenURL linking) local contentremote content ~64k records

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston11 Administrative perspective: too many discovery systems to maintain dlib.bc.edu:8882library.bc.edu/Fescholarship.bc.edudatabases.bc.edumetaquest.bc.edu Digital Collections DigiTool MARC, DC, METS Digital content we create: image collections, finding aids, streamed media ~15k records primo discovery category system metadata schema content size OPAC ALEPH MARC What we buy: books, journals, govdocs, media ~2.5m records Institutional Repository DigiTool DC BC-produced scholarship: (ETDs, working papers, postprints, peer-reviewed journals ~10k records Online Databases MetaLib MARC Subscription databases (descriptive info. And configs for federated search) ~500 records E-journals SFX MARC Subscription e- journals (holdings and configs for OpenURL linking) local contentremote content ~64k records bc.edu/holmes

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston12 Internal pitch: decoupling search from ILS

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston13 Choices (2006) Endeca Endeca Primo Primo Charter-member program offered clear benefits (pricing, input on development) Charter-member program offered clear benefits (pricing, input on development) Prior experience with Ex Libris as early adopters (SFX, MetaLib) Prior experience with Ex Libris as early adopters (SFX, MetaLib) Opportunity to apply local expertise/resources where they will have biggest impact on our users Opportunity to apply local expertise/resources where they will have biggest impact on our users

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston14 Implementation Sept.-Dec Proposal developed and approved internally; contract negotiated with Ex Libris April-May 2007 Hardware installed (Production=1 IBM 3850, 3 IBM 3550 Linux servers, Test = 1 IBM 3550) June 2007 Prerequisite software upgrades completed for ALEPH (to v18) and MetaLib (to v4) July 2007 Primo installed on test server, staff training August 2007 Primo installed on production server Sept.-Oct Pipes for data sources configured. Primo search scopes created; normalization rules customized and tested, Web interface localized November 2007 Primo released to users as SuperSleuth *beta* 5 months

6 June June June 2014ARL Membership Meeting, Houston15 Implementation Small technical implementation team Small technical implementation team included staff from Systems, Reference & Instructional Services, and Cataloging. included staff from Systems, Reference & Instructional Services, and Cataloging. Larger Public services group Larger Public services group established to coordinate ongoing assessment, recommend enhancements. established to coordinate ongoing assessment, recommend enhancements. Intent was to solicit and incorporate feedback from end users, not just library staff Intent was to solicit and incorporate feedback from end users, not just library staff

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston16 Scope of BCs Primo Local index (BC Collections) Local index (BC Collections) Local catalog (ALEPH) Local catalog (ALEPH) faculty publications (ALEPH-separate db) faculty publications (ALEPH-separate db) statistical data (ALEPH-separate db) statistical data (ALEPH-separate db) ETDs (Digital Commons/DigiTool) ETDs (Digital Commons/DigiTool) digital collections (DigiTool) digital collections (DigiTool) course reserves (ALEPH-separate db) course reserves (ALEPH-separate db) research guides (LibGuides) research guides (LibGuides)

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston17 Scope of BCs Primo Remote: Articles/Databases Remote: Articles/Databases Federated search via MetaLib Federated search via MetaLib

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston18 Expanding local content

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston19 Expanding local content

6 June June June 2014ALA 2008 Midwinter Meeting, Philadelphia20 Primo past (Nov. 07): SuperSleuth *beta* Feedback loop

21 May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, Houston 21 Primo present: Holmes OneSearch

21 May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, Houston 23 Quick look at Primo in action

21 May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, Houston 24 Results de-duped and FRBRized

21 May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, Houston 25 E-shelf with push to Web 2.0 services

21 May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, Houston 26 Push to mobile device

21 May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, Houston 27 Support for tagging

21 May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, Houston 28 Local development: stack mapping

21 May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, Houston 29 Local development: recommender

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston30 usage stats: trends 93% Jan – May

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston31 usage stats

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston32 User feedback A sampling (grad student):

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston33 A sampling (grad student): User feedback

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston34 A sampling (staff): User feedback

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston35 A sampling (staff): User feedback

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston36 A sampling (staff): User feedback

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston37 big issues so far separate search tabs for local and remote searches separate search tabs for local and remote searches understandable from technical standpoint understandable from technical standpoint …but users dont know or care why …but users dont know or care why remote search not fast, unpredictable remote search not fast, unpredictable understandable from technical standpoint understandable from technical standpoint …but users dont know or care why …but users dont know or care why

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston38 Lessons learned Focus on user needs, not librarians Focus on user needs, not librarians Redefining library search is easier for users than for librarians Redefining library search is easier for users than for librarians We need more Java expertise We need more Java expertise Targeted locally developed add-ons appear to be worth the investment Targeted locally developed add-ons appear to be worth the investment Library technology landscape is changing faster than we expected Library technology landscape is changing faster than we expected

Staff effort Quality Good Good enough Lessons learned Agree on the goal Perfect

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston40 Future? Were comfortable with Primo for near term (2-4 years) Were comfortable with Primo for near term (2-4 years) Good alternatives available that we would be looking at if we were looking now Good alternatives available that we would be looking at if we were looking now VuFind (open source), AcquaBrowser (commercial) VuFind (open source), AcquaBrowser (commercial) Elephant in room (or at least on horizon) is WCLmay be a game-changer Elephant in room (or at least on horizon) is WCLmay be a game-changer

Whither (wither?) competition? 21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston41 This first step toward Web-scale, cooperative library management services connects your users search experience with library systemstoday, that means WorldCat, your catalog, local availability and resource sharing. Soon, OCLC will take the next steps and pilot Web-scale delivery and circulation, license management, print and electronic acquisitions, and more. [what else is there?]

Back to the future! 21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston42

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston43

21 May 2009ARL Membership Meeting, Houston44 Thank you Questions? Questions? url: contact: