1. Next Generation Library Automation
Next Generation ILS:
Mashed-up, Fried, or Half-baked?
Next Generation Library Automation
Historical context and future directions
Marshall Breeding Director for Innovative Technologies and Research
Vanderbilt University

2. Part I. Broad Industry and Product Trends

3. Upheavals Industry Consolidation
Abrupt transitions for major library automation products
Increased industry control by external financial investors
Demise of the traditional OPAC
Frustration with ILS products and vendors
Open Source alternatives hit the mainstream
Breeding, Marshall: Perceptions 2007 an international survey of library automation.
January 2008.

4. ILS Industry in Transition
Consolidation through mergers and acquisitions have resulted in a fewer number of players; larger companies
Uncomfortable level of product narrowing
Increased ownership by external interests
Yet: Some companies and products continue on solid ground
Breeding, Marshall “Automation system marketplace 2008: Opportunity Out of Turmoil”
Library Journal. April 1, 2008.

5. Product and Technology Trends
Innovation below expectations
Conventional ILS less tenable
Proliferation of products related to e-content management
New genre of discovery-layer interfaces

6. Web 2.0 / Collaborative Computing
Currently implemented ad hoc
Many libraries putting up blogs, wikis, and fostering engagement in social networking sites
Proliferation of silos with no integration or interoperability with larger library Web presence
Next Gen: Build social and collaborative features into core automation components

7. Part II. A Mandate for Openness

8. Opportunities for Openness
Open Source
Alternative to traditionally licensed software
Open Systems
Software that doesn’t hold data hostage
Open Content
Open access platforms for scholarly content
Institutional Repositories
Bibliographic Services (OpenLibrary)
Open content communities for tags, cover art, reviews (LibraryThing)
OpenURL / ERMS Knowledgebases? (JAKE)

9. Open Source Alternatives
Explosive interest in Open Source driven by disillusionment with current vendors and near-evangelical promotion of this software licensing model
Beginning to emerge as a practical option
TOC (Total Cost of Ownership) still roughly equal to proprietary commercial model
Still a risky strategy for libraries – traditional licensing also risky

10. A result of industry turmoil
Disruptions and business decisions to narrow options have fueled the open source movement
Benefit to libraries in having additional options
Traditionally licensed and open source ILS alternatives will coexist in the ILS arena

11. Open Source ILS enters the mainstream
Earlier era of pioneering efforts to ILS shifting into one where open source alternatives fall in the mainstream
Off-the-shelf, commercially supported product available
Still a minority player, but gaining ground

12. Open Source ILS options
Koha
Commercial support from LibLime
Evergreen
Commercial support from Equinox Software
OPALS
Commercial support from Media Flex

13. Business case for Open Source ILS
Comparative total cost of ownership
Evaluate features and functionality
Evaluate technology platform and conceptual models
Are they next-generation systems or open source version of legacy models?
“Making a Business Case for Open Source ILS.” Marshall Breeding,
Computers in Libraries March 2008

14. Software Development Models
How do companies approach software development:
Ongoing maintenance work on existing products (enhancement requests, bug fixes)
R&D toward future products (capital investment)
Sponsored Development: contracted custom development paid for by individual sites, code shared with current and future implementers.

15. Observations on Open Source ILS
Current Open Source ILS products similar in modular organization and functionality to existing systems. Evolving to achieve the same level of features and capacity present in established commercial systems.
Initial wave of Open Source ILS commitments happened in the public library arena. Recent activity among academic libraries:
WALDO Consortium (Voyager > Koha)
University of Prince Edward Island (Unicorn > Evergreen)
Do the current open source ILS products provide a new model of automation, or an open source version of what we already have?

16. Impact of Open Source ILS
Library automation industry cannot be complacent
Some libraries moving from traditionally licensed products to open source products with commercial support plans
Disruption of ILS industry
new pressures on incumbent vendors to deliver more innovation and to satisfy concerns for openness
New competition / More options

17. More Open Systems
Pressure for traditionally licensed products to become more open
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) let libraries access and manipulate their data outside of delivered software
A comprehensive set of APIs potentially give libraries more flexibility and control in accessing data and services and in extending functionality than having access to the source code.
Customer access to APIs does not involve as much risk to breaking core system functions, avoids issues of version management and code forking associated with open source models.

18. A Continuum of Openness

19. Closed Systems No programmable Access to the system.
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer access:
No programmable
Access to the system.
Captive to the user
Interfaces supplied by the developer
Cataloging
Circulation
Acquisitions
Functional
modules:
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:

20. Standard RDBM Systems
Database administrators can access data stores involved with the system:
Read-only?
Read/write?
Developer shares database schema
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer access:
Cataloging
Circulation
Acquisitions
Functional
modules:
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:

21. Open Source Model
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer access:
Cataloging
Circulation
Acquisitions
All aspects of the system available to inspection and modification.
Functional
modules:
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:

22. Open API Model Core application closed.
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer access:
Core application closed.
Third party developers code against the published APIs or RDBMS tables.
Cataloging
Circulation
Acquisitions
Functional
modules:
Published APIs
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:

23. Open Source / Open API Model
End User
Interfaces:
Programmer access:
Core application closed.
Third party developers code against the published APIs or RDBMS tables.
Cataloging
Circulation
Acquisitions
Functional
modules:
Published APIs
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:

24. Depth of Openness
Evaluate level of access to a products data stores and functional elements:
Open source vs Traditional licenses
Some traditional vendors have well established API implementations
SirsiDynix Unicorn (API available to authorized customer sites that take training program)
Ex Libris: consistent deployment of APIs in major products, recent strategic initiative: “Open Platform Program”
Innovative Interfaces: Patron API

25. Universal open APIs?
Some progress on API to support discovery layer interfaces, but no comprehensive framework yet.
Many industry protocols work like APIs:
Z39.50, SRU/W, NCIP, OAI-PMH, OpenURL, etd
It would be ideal if there were an open set of APIs that were implemented by all automation system products.
Third party components and add-ons would then work across all products.

26. Opportunity out of the Upheavals
More options
Commercial + Open Source
More vendors
New open source support companies provide new competition
More library involvement
Libraries re-energized to make significant contributions to the body of library automation software
Traditionally licensed and open source automation systems will co-exist. We have an interest in the success of both alternatives.

27. Part III. Moving toward new generation of library automation

28. Rethinking the ILS
Fundamental assumption: Print + Digital = Hybrid libraries
Traditional ILS model not adequate for hybrid libraries
Libraries currently moving toward surrounding core ILS with additional modules to handle electronic content
New discovery layer interfaces replacing or supplementing ILS OPACS
Working toward a new model of library automation
Monolithic legacy architectures replaced by fabric of SOA applications
Comprehensive Resource Management
“It's Time to Break the Mold of the Original ILS” Computers in Libraries Nov/Dec 2007

29. ILS: a legacy concept? ILS = Integrated Library System
(Cataloging + Circulation + OPAC + Serials + Acquisitions)
Focused on print and physical inventory
Electronic content at the Journal Title or collection level
Emerged in the 1960’s – 1970’s
Functionality has evolved and expanded, but basic concepts and modules remain intact
Note: Some companies work toward evolving the ILS to competently handle both print and digital content (e.g. Innovative Interfaces)

30. ILS: ever diminishing role
Many libraries putting much less emphasis on ILS
Just an inventory system for physical materials
Investments in electronic content increasing
Management of e-content handled outside of the ILS
Yet: libraries need comprehensive business automation more than ever. Mandate for more efficient operations. Do more with less.

31. Dis-integration of Library Automation Functionality
ILS -- Print and Physical inventory
OpenURL Link resolver
Federated Search
Electronic Resource Management Module
Discovery layer interface

32. Is non-integrated automation sustainable?
Major burden on library personnel
Serial procurement / installation / configuration / maintenance cycles take many years to result in a comprehensive environment
Inefficient data models
Disjointed interfaces for library users
Very long cycle to gain comprehensive automation

33. New genre of discovery layer interfaces
Traditional ILS OPAC inadequate for today’s Web-savvy library users
Scope too narrow
Complex, non-intuitive interface
Yet: Necessary for some types of research
Working toward a single point of entry for all the content and services offered by the library

34. Common Next-Gen Interface features
Decoupled interface
Advanced search engines
Relevancy ranked results
Faceted Navigation
Graphically enriched displays
Real-time interaction with ILS
Advanced user services and information delivery features

35. Current Products Primo (Ex Libris) Encore (Innovative Interfaces)
Aquabrowser (Bowker / Serials Solutions)
WorldCat Local (OCLC)
BiblioCommons
Visualizer (VTLS)
eXtensive Catalog (University of Rochester)
VUFind (open source / Villanova University)
Scriblio (open source)

36. 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
Beginning to appear in library search environments
U of Mich ( )
Deep search highly improved by high-quality metadata
See: Systems Librarian, May 2008 “Beyond the current generation of next-generation interfaces: deeper search”

37. Architecture and Standards
Need to have an standard approach for connecting new generation interfaces with ILS and other repositories
Proprietary and ad hoc methods currently prevail
Digital Library Federation
ILS-Discovery Interface Group
Initial foray into a broader set of protocols that open up other aspects of the ILS

38. Moving toward a new Generation of Library Automation
Are Legacy ILS concepts sustainable?
New automation environment based on current library realities and modern technology platforms
Equal footing for digital and print
Service oriented architecture

39. Breaking down the modules
Traditional ILS
Cataloging
Circulation
Online Catalog
Acquisitions
Serials control
Reporting
Modern approach: SOA

40. Service Oriented Architecture

41. Legacy ILS + e-content modules
End User
Interfaces:
Federated
Search
OpenURL
Linking
Electronic
Resource
Mgmt
System
Circulation
Acquisitions
Functional
modules:
Cataloging
Serials
Data Stores:
Staff Interfaces:

42. SOA model for business automation
Underlying data repositories
Local or Global
Reusable business services
Composite business applications

43. SOA for library workflow processes
Composite
Applications
Reusable
Business
Services
Granular
tasks:
Data Stores:

44. Comprehensive Resource Management
Broad conceptual approach that proposes a library automation environment that spans all types of content that comprise library collections.
Traditional ILS vendors: Under development but no public announcements
Open Source projects in early phases
Projection: 2-3 years until we begin see library automation systems that follow this approach. 5-7 years for wider adoption.

45. Open Library Environment (OLE) project
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Research in Information Technology program
Solicited proposal / Lead institution
Duke University selected to lead project
Core Participants: Kansas University, Lehigh University, National Library of Australia, Library and Archives Canada, University of Pennsylvania, Marshall Breeding
Advisory Participants: University of Chicago, Wittier College, University of Maryland, ORBIS Cascade Alliance, Rutgers University
Status: Proposal complete, pending formal approval from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

46. Preparing for next generation library automation
Reassess workflows
Separate streams for print and digital?
Integrated processing of print and digital?
Opportunities to take advantage of SOA-based composite business applications
Assemble a more ideal set of tools for managing serials and periodicals

47. Practical implications
Determine the level of openness your library requires
Off-the-shelf, closed systems ok for many libraries
Identify issues:
Vendor vulnerability
Flexibility to reprogram
Special reporting needs
Cost of operation
Software-as-a-service
Research and Development toward next-generation automation systems

48. Questions and Discussion