1. TRENDS IN LIBRARY
TECHNOLOGIES: AN
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Marshall Breeding
Director for Innovative Technology and Research
Vanderbilt University Library
Founder and Publisher, Library Technology Guides
http://www.librarytechnology.org/
http://twitter.com/mbreeding
30 Mar2012 Col·legi Oficial de Bibliotecaris y
Documentalistas COmunitat Valenciana

2. Abstract
 This session will describe the recent trends in library
automation, including the emergence of a new
generation of library services platforms with different
scope and architectures than the integrated library
systems that have dominated library automation until
now. Breeding will present the broader context that
led to the emergence of these new products and how
he expects them to impact libraries in different
international sectors. He will also talk about the
increasingly globalized business environment and its
positive and negative implications for libraries.

3. Library Technology Guides
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4. ILS Turnover Report

5. ILS Turnover Report -- Reverse

6. Mergers and http://www.librarytechnology.org/automationhistory.pl
Acquisitions

7. 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

8. 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

9. Key Text: 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, e.g.
 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)

10. 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)

11. Specialized automation
 In general, products have emerged to serve each
library sector
 Companies in general cluster around these
specializations
 Some overlap: Public / Academic
 Multi-type consortia: compromise and adapt
systems to serve many types of libraries

12. Cooperation and Resource sharing
 Efforts on many fronts to cooperate and consolidate
 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

13. 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

14. Phase of realignment
 Strong need to realign library automation with
current library realities
 Legacy library systems reinforce workflows no
longer in step with library priorities.
 Need systems that allow libraries to allocate
personnel in proper proportion to collection
 Separate automation platforms for print and
electronic have not proven successful

15. Academic Library Issues
 Greater concern with electronic resources
 Management: Need for consolidated approach that
balances print, digital, and electronic workflows
 Access: discovery interfaces that maximize the value
of investments in electronic content

16. Public Library Issues
 Enhance the experience of library patrons
 Management and access to physical resources
 Self-service through the Web portal:
 View current loans, perform holds, renewals, pay fines
and fees
 Self-service in the physical library
 RFID-based self-issue and returns
 Helps the library deploy service personnel for highest
impact

17. National Library Issues
 Larger-scale collections
 Cultural Heritage responsibilities
 National services: bibliographic, resource sharing,
automation, etc.
 National infrastructure: technology platforms shared
at the widest level

18. A Cloudy Forecast for Libraries
Systems Librarian Column, Sept 2011
“Service-oriented architectures and browser-based
interfaces deployed through cloud-based
infrastructure stand today as the key technologies
preferred for new software development efforts”
http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/sep11/Breeding.shtml

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. Competing Models of Library
Automation
 Traditional Proprietary Commercial ILS
 Aleph, Voyager, Millennium, Symphony, Polaris,
 BOOK-IT, DDELibra, Libra.se
 LIBERO, Amlib, Spydus, TOTALS II, Absys.net
 Traditional Open Source ILS
 Evergreen, Koha
 New generation Library Services Platforms
 Ex Libris Alma, Kuali OLE, OCLC WorldShare Management Services,
Serials Solutions Intota
 Cloud-based systems
 Ex Libris Alma
 OCLC WorldShare Management Service
 Serials Solutions: Intota

24. Beyond the Integrated Library System
 Find a new term for the successor to the ILS
 Integrated Library System now viewed as print-
centric
 Need to designate a name for the new genre of
automation products

25. Library Services Platforms
 Comprehensive Management: Print, Electronic,
Digital
 Shared data models / Knowledge base driven
 Cloud Technology: multi-tenant software-as-a-
service
 Service Platform: Open APIs for extensibility and
interoperability

26. 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

27. 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

28. New Library Management Model
Search: Unified Presentation Layer
Self-Check / Digital
Coll
Automated Library Services
Return Platform ProQuest
Consolidated index
Di Serv
sc ic
API Layer
ov e
EBSCO
er
…
`
y
JSTOR
Stock
Other
Management Resources
Enterprise
Smart Cad /
Resource
Payment
Planning
systems
Learning Authentication
Management Service

29. New models of Library Collection
Discovery
From local discovery to Web-scale discovery

30. Next-Gen Library Catalogs
Marshall Breeding
Neal-Schuman Publishers
March 2010
Volume 1 of The Tech Set

31. 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

32. Online Catalog ILS Data
Search:
Search Results

33. Next-gen Catalogs or Discovery
Interface
 Single search box
 Query tools
 Did you mean
 Type-ahead
 Relevance ranked results
 Faceted navigation
 Enhanced visual displays
 Cover art
 Summaries, reviews,
 Recommendation services

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

35. Discovery Products
d iscovery.pl
n ology.org/
ww. librarytech
http://w

36. 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

37. Device Agnostic

38. Discovery from Local to Web-scale
 Initial products focused on technology
 AquaBrowser, Endeca, Primo, Encore, VuFind,
 LIBERO Uno, Civica Sorcer, Axiell Arena
 Mostly locally-installed software
 Current phase is focused on pre-populated indexes that
aim to deliver Web-scale discovery
 Primo Central (Ex Libris)
 Summon (Serials Solutions)
 WorldCat Local (OCLC)
 EBSCO Discovery Service (EBSCO)
 Encore with Article Integration (no index, though)

39. Web-scale Index-based Discovery ILS Data
Digital
Search: Collections
Consolidated Index
ProQuest
Search Results EBSCOhost
…
MLA
Bibliography
ABC-CLIO
Pre-built harvesting and
indexing

40. Web-scale Search + Federated Search ILS Data
Digital
Search: Collections
Index
Consolidated
ProQuest
…
Search Results
MLA
Bibliography
ABC-CLIO
Pre-built harvesting and
Fed indexing
Search
Non-
Interim model to deal with resources not harvestable
possible to harvest into consolidated index Resources

41. Encore Synergy ILS Data
Digital
Search: Collections
Index
Local
ProQuest
Local Index Results …
EBSCOhost
Web Services
Remote Search Results
…
MLA
Bibliography
Local Index Results
ABC-CLIO

42. New Library Management Model
Search: Unified Presentation Layer
Self-Check / Digital
Coll
Automated Library Services Search
Engine
Return Platform ProQuest
Di
Consolidated index
sc
ov
API Layer EBSCO
er
y
…
`
Se
rv
ic e
JSTOR
Stock
Other
Management Resources
Enterprise
Smart Cad /
Resource
Payment
Planning
systems
Learning Authentication
Management Service

43. The Discovery Services Market

44. Adoption of Discovery Services
 Next-gen catalogs or discovery services have been
around since 2002
 Many mature products
 Continuing to evolve and expand
 Online catalog components of ILS products have
taken on many of the characteristics of discovery
layers
 Examples: LS2 PAC, Polaris PowerPAC

45. Discovery Service Installations
Discovery Product 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Installed
Primo 12 37 53 506 111 914
AquaBrowser 55 339 64 69 74 254
Encore 72 72 109 56 72 326
LS2 PAC 46 77 58 88 236
Summon 50 164 214 407
Enterprise 16 75 100 251
Civica Sorcer 7 12 22 39
Axiell Arena 61 57 33 76
Chamo 10 34 7 51

46. EBSCO Discovery Service

47. Global Primo Installations

48. Summon Global Adoption

49. Expanding the Depth of Discovery

50. 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

51. Full-text Book indexing
 HathiTrust: 11 million volumes, 5.3 million titles,
263,000 serial titles, 3.5 billion pages
 HathiTrust in Discovery Indexes
 PrimoCentral (Jan 20, 2012) [previously indexed only
metadata]
 EBSCO Discovery Service (Sept 8 2011)
 WorldCat Local (Sept 7, 2011)
 Summon (Mar 28, 2011)

52. 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

53. 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?

54. Evaluating the Coverage of Index-
based Discovery Services
 Intense competition: how well the index covers the body
of scholarly content stands as a key differentiator
 Difficult to evaluate based on numbers of items indexed
alone.
 Important to ascertain now your library’s content
packages are represented by the discovery service.
 Important to know what items are indexed by citation
and which are full text
 Important to know whether the discovery service favors
the content of any given publisher

55. Example: Summon Unified Index
Growth
p le
a m
Ex

56. Open Discovery Initiative
 NISO Work Group to Develop Standards and
Recommended Practices for Library Discovery
Services Based on Indexed Search
 Informal meeting called at ALA Annual 2011
 Co-Chaired by Marshall Breeding and Jenny
Walker
 Term: Dec 2011 – May 2013

57. Open Discovery Initiative stakeholders
 Libraries: provide discovery services on behalf of
their patrons
 Publishers: provide content to be indexed by
discovery services
 Discovery Service Provides: develop discovery
interfaces and populate indexes

58. ODI Project Goals:
 Identify … needs and requirements of the three
stakeholder groups in this area of work.
 Create recommendations and tools to streamline the
process by which information providers, discovery
service providers, and librarians work together to
better serve libraries and their users.
 Provide effective means for librarians to assess the
level of participation by information providers in
discovery services, to evaluate the breadth and depth
of content indexed and the degree to which this content
is made available to the user.

59. E-book Integration

60. 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

61. 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

62. Technology Issues
 Access to materials controlled through Digital Rights
Management
 Closed ecosystems that control content through
identity management and rights policies
 Imposes significant overhead on the user
experience:
 Download an install DRM components
 Establish user credentials in site trusted by DRM
 Works only with devices that comply with DRM
restrictions

63. Questions and discussion