1. Offline Technology Conference
The Evolving Role of the Librarian: Trends and Issues in Technology and collection Management
Marshall Breeding
Independent Consult, Author,
Founder and Publisher, Library Technology Guides
Feb 15, 2013
Offline Technology Conference

2. Library Technology Guides

3. Each Library Type Distinctive
Academic – Public – School – Special
Academic: Emphasis on subscribed electronic resources
Public: Engaged in the management of print collections
Dramatic increase in interest in E-books
School: Age-appropriate resources (print and Web), textbook and media management
Special: Enterprise knowledge management (Corporate, Law, Medical, etc)

4. Academic Library Issues
Greater concern with electronic scholarly articles
Management: Need for consolidated approach that balances print, digital, and electronic workflows
Access: discovery interfaces that maximize the value of investments in subscriptions to scholarly articles and research materials
Since Minuteman (MLN) has a majority of public libraries and 7 academic libraries , might I suggest that you remove Academic from the title. MLN’s public libraries have as much interest in managing and providing access to electronic resources as academic libraries.

5. Public Library Issues
Greater concern for e-books and general article databases
Management: Need for consolidated approach that balances print, digital, and electronic workflows
Emphasis on technologies that engage users with library programs and services

6. Key Context: Libraries in Transition
Academic Shift from Print > Electronic
E-journal transition largely complete
Circulation of print collections slowing
E-books now in play (consultation > reading)
Public: Emphasis on Patron Engagement
Increased pressure on physical facilities
Increased circulation of print collections
Dramatic increase in interest in e-books
All libraries:
Need better tools for access to complex multi-format collections
Strong emphasis on digitizing local collections
Demands for enterprise integration and interoperability

7. Key Context: Technologies in transition
Client / Server > Web-based computing
Beyond Web 2.0
Integration of social computing into core infrastructure
Local computing shifting to cloud platforms
Application Service Provider offerings standard
New expectations for multi-tenant software-as-a-service
Full spectrum of devices
full-scale / net book / tablet / mobile
Mobile the current focus, but is only one example of device and interface cycles

8. Key Context: Changed expectations in metadata management
Moving away from individual record-by-record creation
Life cycle of metadata
Metadata follows the supply chain, improved and enhanced along the way as needed
Manage metadata in bulk when possible
E-book collections
Highly shared metadata
E-journal knowledge bases (KnowledgeWorks / 360 Core)
Great interest in moving toward semantic web and open linked data
Very little progress in linked data for operational systems
AACR2 > RDA
MARC > RDF (recent announcement of Library of Congress)
I think there is a typo Key Text? Or Key Context
Missing an example under E-Journal Knowledge bases – we have Serials Solutions 360 Core, perhaps you could reference that?

9. Changing Role of Librarians
Libraries must adapt strategically to new realities imposed by changes in society, publishing, and higher education
Librarians needed more than ever before
Librarians must adapt in the way they carry out their roles
Same strategic goals and values
New skills and workflows
All roles in the library:
Cataloging / Acquisitions
Circulation
Reference

10. Reference services Reshaped by easy access to information
More of an emphasis for higher-level research assistance
Opportunity to become involved more closely with researchers

11. Acquisitions / Technical services
Dramatic change from print to electronic
Dominant role of electronic vs print
Need management processes and automation systems able to support electronic, digital, print
General shift toward knowledge-base driven management processes
Electronic resource management based on profile of subscriptions, with granular holdings derived from knowledge bases.
New automation systems offering comprehensive resource management:
Library Services Platforms

12. Cataloging Shift from traditional cataloging to metadata management
Leverage core skills of detailed description and organization
Adapt to new metadata schemes
Print materials: MARC21, etc
Digital materials: Dublin Core
Images: VRA

13. Open Linked Data
Increasing interest and involvement of libraries in the semantic web
Important to adapt from self-contained bibliographic records to a fully linked environment
Library resources based on linked data
VIAF: linked authority data
Fast: Faceted access to subject terminology
WorldCat.org (embedded linked data using schema.org)

14. New cataloging rules AACR2 > RDA Resource Description and Access
Intended to be more suitable for linked data environments
Small step toward the semantic Web

15. New Bibliographic Environment
MARC not well suited to modern discovery and management environments
Originally designed to transfer bibliographic records between mainframes
Can be expressed in XML: MARCXML
New initiative to create new carrier for bibliographic records based on RDF
Library of Congress Initiative for Bibliographic Transformation
Bibframe.org

16. Changes in workflow Moving away from item-by-item description
Need to manage collections in bulk
Lifecycle approach to metadata
Basic Vendor records (Onix)
Full / Provisional record with full bibliographic description and inventory management
Enhance with cover images
Enhance with abstracts, Table of Contents, etc
Enhance with Full Text

17. Navigating changes Build on core skills and values
Must adapt to new metadata formats and cataloging conventions
Changes will happen with increasing frequency

18. Collection Development
New formats, more complexity, more opportunity
Need data to make intelligent decisions about what items to acquire
Management of e-resources critical

19. Providing access to collections
More complexity, more formats
Need tools to provide access to all types of library materials

20. Cooperation and Resource sharing
Limited resources and finite collections drive strategic efforts to share resources
Local, regional, Global
Efforts on many fronts to cooperate and consolidate

21. Automation support for Resource sharing
Increased emphasis on shared infrastructure
Isolated systems make resource sharing inefficient
Many regional consortia merging (Example: suburban Chicago systems)
State-wide or national implementations
Software-as-a-service or “cloud” based implementations
Many libraries share computing infrastructure and data resources

22. Cloud Computing Major trend in Information Technology
Few organizations have core competence in large-scale computer infrastructure management
Essentially outsourcing of server housing and management
Usually based on a consumption-based business model
Most new automation products delivered through some flavor of cloud computing
Many flavors to suit business needs: public, private, hybrid

23. Software as a Service Multi Tennant SaaS is the modern approach
One copy of the code base serves multiple sites
Software functionality delivered entirely through Web interfaces
No workstation clients
Upgrades and fixes deployed universally
Usually in small increments
Typo – Multi Tennant should be Multi-tenant

24. Data as a service
SaaS provides opportunity for highly shared data models
WorldCat: one globally shared copy that serves all libraries
Primo Central: central index of articles maintained by Ex Libris shared by all libraries implementing Primo / Primo Central
KnowledgeWorks database of of e-journal holdings shared among all customers of Serials Solutions products
General opportunity to move away from library-by-library metadata management to globally shared workflows

25. Open Systems
Achieving openness has risen as the key driver behind library technology strategies
Libraries need to do more with their data
Ability to improve customer experience and operational efficiencies
Demand for Interoperability
Open source – full access to internal program of the application
Open API’s – expose programmatic interfaces to data and functionality
This slide is duplicated on p. 22. I think it fits here as a Trend

26. Mobile Computing

27. Challenge: Disjointed approach to information and service delivery
Library Web sites offer a menu of unconnected silos:
Books: Library OPAC (ILS online catalog module)
Articles: Aggregated content products, e-journal collections
OpenURL linking services
E-journal finding aids (Often managed by link resolver)
Subject guides (e.g. Springshare LibGuides)
Local digital collections
ETDs, photos, rich media collections
Metasearch engines
Discovery Services – often just another choice among many
All searched separately

28. Online Catalog Scope of Search
ILS Data
Online Catalog
Search:
Scope of Search
Books, Journals, and Media at the Title Level
Not in scope:
Articles
Book Chapters
Digital objects
Web site content
Etc.
Search Results
Again for MLN articles are in scope.

29. Discovery Interface search model
ILS Data
Discovery Interface search model
Digital Collections
Search:
Local Index
ProQuest
Search Results
EBSCOhost
MetaSearch Engine …
MLA Bibliography
ABC-CLIO
Real-time query and responses

30. Differentiation in Discovery
Products increasingly specialized between public and academic libraries
Public libraries: emphasis on engagement with physical collection
Academic libraries: concern for discovery of heterogeneous material types, especially books + articles + digital objects
I’m not so sure that this differentiation is true in Minuteman.

31. Web-scale Index-based Discovery
ILS Data
Web-scale Index-based Discovery
(2009- present)
Digital Collections
Search:
Web Site Content
Institutional Repositories
Search Results
Aggregated Content packages
Consolidated Index …
E-Journals
Your title is covered up with the ILS data content – DISCO instead of Discovery
Reference Sources
Pre-built harvesting and indexing

32. Citations / Metadata > Full Text
Citations or structured metadata provide key data to power search & retrieval and faceted navigation
Indexing Full-text of content amplifies access
Important to understand depth indexing
Currency, dates covered, full-text or citation
Many other factors

33. Challenge for Relevancy
Technically feasible to index hundreds of millions or billions of records through Lucene or SOLR
Difficult to order records in ways that make sense
Many fairly equivalent candidates returned for any given query
Must rely on use-based and social factors to improve relevancy rankings
I am not sure that all the attendees will know what Lucene or SOLR are-will you provide explanation?

34. Challenges for Collection Coverage
To work effectively, discovery services need to cover comprehensively the body of content represented in library collections
What about publishers that do not participate?
Is content indexed at the citation or full-text level?
What are the restrictions for non-authenticated users?
How can libraries understand the differences in coverage among competing services?

35. The rise of e-books
Academic libraries: e-books included in aggregated content packages
E-books used primarily for research and consultation, not long reading
Public Libraries: Subscriptions to e-book services that provide an outsourced collection of loanable e- books
K-12 Schools, Colleges, Universities: interest in electronic textbooks

36. Integrating e-Books into Library Automation Infrastructure
Current approach involves mostly outsourced arrangements
Collections licensed wholesale from single provider
Hand-off to DRM and delivery systems of providers
Loading of MARC records into local catalog with linking mechanisms
No ability to see availability status of e-books from the library’s online catalog or discovery interface
Will you be speaking to the current work being done with OverDrive, 3M and other eBooks providers and the major ILS systems to integrate the check out and download of eBooks directly from the library’s catalog/discovery platform?

37. Appropriate Automation Infrastructure
Current automation products out of step with current realities
Majority of library collection funds spent on electronic content
Majority of automation efforts support print activities
Management of e-content continues with inadequate supporting infrastructure
New discovery solutions help with access to e-content
Library users expect more engaging socially aware interfaces for Web and mobile

38. Fundamental technology shift
Mainframe computing
Client/Server
Cloud Computing

39. Library Automation in the Cloud
Almost all library automation vendors offer some form of “cloud-based” services
Server management moves from library to Vendor
Subscription-based business model
Comprehensive annual subscription payment
Offsets local server purchase and maintenance
Offsets some local technology support
Where do Open Source systems like Evergreen and Koha fit in here?

40. Leveraging the Cloud
Moving legacy systems to hosted services provides some savings to individual institutions but does not result in dramatic transformation
Globally shared data and metadata models have the potential to achieve new levels of operational efficiencies and more powerful discovery and automation scenarios that improve the position of libraries overall.

41. Is the status quo sustainable?
ILS for management of (mostly) print
Duplicative financial systems between library and campus
Electronic Resource Management (non-integrated with ILS)
OpenURL Link Resolver w/ knowledge base for access to full-text electronic articles
Digital Collections Management platforms (CONTENTdm, DigiTool, etc.)
Institutional Repositories (DSpace, Fedora, etc.)
Discovery-layer services for broader access to library collections
No effective integration services / interoperability among disconnected systems, non-aligned metadata schemes

42. Comprehensive Resource Management
No longer sensible to use different software platforms for managing different types of library materials
ILS + ERM + OpenURL Resolver + Digital Asset management, etc. very inefficient model
Flexible platform capable of managing multiple type of library materials, multiple metadata formats, with appropriate workflows

43. Libraries need a new model of library automation
Not an Integrated Library System or Library Management System
The ILS/LMS was designed to help libraries manage print collections
Generally did not evolve to manage electronic collections
Other library automation products evolved:
Electronic Resource Management Systems – OpenURL Link Resolvers – Digital Library Management Systems -- Institutional Repositories

44. Library Services Platform
Library-specific software. Designed to help libraries automate their internal operations, manage collections, fulfill requests, and deliver services
Services
Service oriented architecture
Exposes Web services and other API’s
Facilitates the services libraries offer to their users
Platform
General infrastructure for library automation
Consistent with the concept of Platform as a Service
Library programmers address the APIs of the platform to extend functionality, create connections with other systems, dynamically interact with data
Typo- fullfill? Or fullfillment

45. Library Services Platform Characteristics
Highly Shared data models
Knowledgebase architecture
Some may take hybrid approach to accommodate local data stores
Delivered through software as a service
Multi-tenant
Unified workflows across formats and media
Flexible metadata management
MARC – Dublin Core – VRA – MODS – ONIX
New structures not yet invented
Open APIs for extensibility and interoperability

46. New Library Management Model
Consolidated index
Unified Presentation Layer
Search:
Digital Coll
ProQuest
EBSCO …
JSTOR
Other Resources
Self-Check / Automated Return `
API Layer
Library Services Platform
Discovery Service
Stock Management
Enterprise Resource Planning
Smart Cad / Payment systems
Learning Management
Authentication Service

47. Questions and discussion