Next Generation Library Interfaces : Random notes by David Lee King

ALCTS President’s Program: Breaking Down the Silos: Planning for Discovery in Library 2.0 - an ALCTS Midwinter Symposium

Posted: 24 Jan 2009 12:43 PM PST

David Lee King is Digital Branch & Services Manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library http://www.tscpl.org/

Marshall Breeding - title of his presentation: Next Generation Library Interfaces: Overview of concepts and a brief tour of commercial and open source products started with OCLC Perceptions stat - where do you start an info search?

• 89% search engines… library catalogs, 2%

• usage of library websites is going down, everything else is going up … hmm…

• aside - that makes a good case for sticking library content on blogs… users will find you that way

Crowded landscape of info providers on the web - google, amazon, us, etc…

• Nobody has to go to a bibliographic instruction class to use Amazon… Nice.

• Amazon is so easy to use - Marshall accidentally bought a book during a presentation, it’s so easy

Demand for compelling library interfaces:

• urgent need for libraries to offer interfaces their users will like to use

• move into the current millenium

• search in line with how the current web works

Inadequacy of ILS OPACs:

• OPAC modules … failing to meet customer needs - it’s not really built for customers

• Change is Underway! Lots of movement to break out of the current mold of library catalogs

• Marshall hopes the back end will be redesigned, too, to be more modern

Next-Generation Interfaces:

• redefinition of the library catalog - the word “catalog” is not a good one

• more elegant presentation (think amazon)

• more comprehensive info discovery environments

• no longer enough to provide a catalog limited to print resources

• digital resources cannot be an afterthought

• systems designed for e-content only are also problematic forcing users to use different interfaces depending on types of content becoming less tenable federated search currently operates as a plug-in component of next-gen interfaces

web 2.0 flavorings:

• strategic infrastructure + web 2.0

• a more social and collaborative approach web tools and tech that foster collaboration integrated blogs, wiki, user reviews, etc.
  

• avoid 2.0 info silos - don’t have separate blogs, wikis, etc - make sure it’s integrated

2.0 supporting tech:

• web services, xml apis, ajax, relevancy-based search engines, social networking tools and concepts

scope of the next gen library interface:

• attempt to collapse silos or draw appropriately from each silo

• unified user experience

• single point of entry into everything

• print + electronic

• local + remote

• locally created content

Functions and features:

• Interface features/user experience:

• simple point of entry - optional advanced search

• relevancy ranked results

• facets for narrowing and navigation

• query enhancement - spell check, etc

suggested related results / recommendation service

• enriched visual and textual content

• single sign-on

Relevancy Ranking:

• Endeca, Lucene do a good job

• web users expect this! - the good stuff should be listed first

• users tend not to delve deep into a result list

• good relevancy requires a sophisticated approach

new paradigm for search and navigation:

• users drill down through the result set and faceted browsing

• faceted search - gives users clues about eh the number of hits, etc - it’s more like an online store’s faceted/guided navigation

• more visual, has navigational bread crumbs

• talking about boolean - walmart doesn’t teach their customers to do fancy boolean search to get to their products… we shouldn’t do this either!

• Amazon doesn’t say “no results found.” Did you Mean and other features instead validated spell check have More Like This recommendation service
  

• goal - make the query and the response to it better than the query provided

appropriate organizational structures:

• LCSH vs FAST (faceted application of subject terminology)

• full marc vs dublin core or MODS, or unstructured data discipline-specific thesauri or ontologies
  

“tags”

• enriched content - book jacket, summaries, etc

• personalization/single sign on

deep search:

• entering post-metadata search era

• web searches full text. Google print, google publisher, open content alliance, etc

• high quality metadata will improve search precision

• commercial search providers already offer search inside the book

• library search doesn’t do this!!!

Beyond discovery to fulfillment / delivery: this is the harder part - harder than discovery

Enterprise integration:

• ability to deliver content and services through non-library apps

• courseware, portals, social networking environments, etc

Great Benefit, Great Cost

We’re WAY TOO SLOW. Time on the web moves quickly! We need to catch up.

ideas to buy/use:

• Endeca - one of the first

Widely used in the commercial world high-dollar approach aquabrowser:

• LibraryThing for Libraries:Wow - they are now distributed exclusively by RR Bowker

• Primo: tailored for academic libraries

• Encore from Innovative Interfaces (Nashville Public Library uses it)

• Worldcat Local

• TLCs LS2 (Shanandoah Public Library) good visual design

• SirsiDynix Enterprise. not aware of anyone actually using it yet ; it’s a hosted product does relevancy well uses chilifresh for book reviews
  

Marshall’s example is very ugly! Sirsi really needs a visual designer!

Scriblio:

Wordpress - looks great
Marshall’s not sure how it will scale same stuff - faceted search, relevance, etc

VUFind:
production cat for the National Library of Australia - that’s pretty big.
open source, looks great

BiblioCommons
focuses on social networking, tag, review, comments, etc oakville public library in ontario - in production. Looks great!

Summon serials solutions product eXtensibe Catalog

Polaris, Koha, Evergreen - doing well with providing next-gen features too

Q/A:

question/comment: We have a next-gen catalog, our faculty don’t get it - don’t understand faceted search, don’t know what a tag cloud is, etc - how do you get around that?

Answer: well, Amazon doesn’t seem to need to explain their faceted search, tag, etc stuff… ouch!

Source: http://www.davidleeking.com/2009/01/24/next-generation-library-interfaces/

Para mantenerse al día del acontecer en la EGCTI, visiten: http://egcti.upr.edu

Ya nos encontramos en Facebook bajo Egctiana UprBlog y bajo el grupo Escuela Graduada de Ciencias y Tecnologías de la Información. Una gran Aventura!!!

Saludos,

Luisa Vigo-Cepeda, egctianauprblog@gmail.com

Libro blanco del Acceso Abierto

Publicado en Enero 8, 2009 por julio

Este Libro Blanco se dirige a los profesores y administradores de las instituciones académicas que apoyan el acceso equitativo a la investigación académica y al conocimiento, y que creen que la institución puede desempeñar un importante papel como gestora de la literatura académica producida por sus miembros. Se analizan tanto la motivación como el proceso para establecer una política institucional que posibilite a los investigadores el depósito de los artículos revisados en repositorios institucionales, a partir de la cual las obras estén disponibles para que otros las puedan leerlas y citarlas.

OPEN DOORS AND OPEN MINDS
What faculty authors can do to ensure open access to their work through their institution
SPARC and Science Commons. Version 1.0, April 2008.
http://www.arl.org/sparc/bm~doc/opendoors_v1.pdf

Fuente: Blog de la Biblioteca de la Facultad de Traducción y Documentación de la Universidad de Salamanca: http://www.universoabierto.com/764/libro-blanco-del-acceso-abierto/

Para mantenerse al día sobre el acontecer de la EGCTI, visite: http://egcti.upr.edu

Ya nos encontamos en Facebook bajo Egctiana UprBlog
y bajo el grupo de la Escuela Graduada de Ciencias y Tecnologías de la Información.
Si no te has inscrito, anímate y forma parte de una Gran Aventura!!!

Saludos,
Luisa Vigo-Cepeda
egctianauprblog@gmail.com
http://egctianauprblog.blogspot.com

Student Internships (Spring, Summer, Fall / U.S. Department of State

We are now accepting applications for the 2009 Fall Internship program. Please click on the Gateway to State button above to read the vacancy and start the online application process. Please note that the deadline to submit completed applications is March 4, 2009.

At the U.S. Department of State, we like to say we're the face of America to the world. As an intern, you will be, too. Some of our students work in Washington, DC, and others have the opportunity to work at an embassy overseas. Positions are both paid and unpaid, and many are available during spring, summer or fall.

For internship program details such as duties of an intern, participating offices and bureaus, types of internships, salary/benefit/housing information, please download the Student Internship Information Brochure (805kb, PDF).

Eligibility requirements
You must be:

• a U.S. citizen. U.S. citizenship and good academic standing are required, along with the successful completion of a background investigation, and the ability to receive either a Secret or Top Secret clearance (34kb, PDF). Random drug testing will be performed.
• a Student. A student is an individual who has been accepted for enrollment, or who is enrolled as a degree-seeking student in an accredited college or university
• a full- or part-time continuing college or university junior, or graduate student (including graduating seniors intending to go on to graduate school.) An applicant is considered a junior if he/she will have completed all sophomore credits (60 or more hours or 90 quarter hours) by the time the internship begins will be entering at least the junior year immediately completion of the internship.

IMPORTANT: You are eligible to apply for the Department's internship program if you have not yet completed your registration at a college or university for graduate or post-graduate studies (including law school) or are awaiting an admissions determination for graduate or post-graduate studies (including law school). However, if selected for an internship, you must provide proof that you have registered, or have been accepted for enrollment, for studies in the semester or quarter immediately following the internship before you can begin your internship.

A broad range of academic majors is sought in areas such as Business, Public Administration, Social Work, Economics, Information Management, Journalism and Biological, Physical or Engineering Sciences; intern duties and responsibilities vary according to post or office assignment, from scientific/technical tasks to administrative projects to logistical support.

For overseas assignments, applicants must present evidence of medical insurance coverage. All students must be available to begin their internship within the appropriate application timetable. Click here to download the 2008 Student Internship Information Brochure (3089kb, PDF).

Source: http://careers.state.gov/students/programs.html#SIP

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Nos encontramos en Facebook bajo Egctiana UprBlog y bajo el grupo Escuela Graduada de Ciencias y Tecnologías de la Información. Seamos todos parte de esta gran Aventura.

Saludos,

Luisa Vigo-Cepeda, egctianauprblog@gmail.com

Chronicling America

The Chronicling America website is a project of the National Digital Newspaper Program, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress to provide enhanced access to American newspapers. Over a period of approximately 20 years, NDNP will create a national digital resource of historically significant newspapers from all the states and territories published between 1836 and 1922.

This searchable database will be permanently maintained at the Library of Congress and be freely accessible via the internet. On December 11, the NDNP added 183,698 historic newspaper pages (including 14 new titles) to the site, which accesses 864,509 pages from 108 titles that were published in nine states (California, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas, Utah, and Virginia) and the District of Columbia between 1880 and 1910. Six additional states (Arizona, Hawaii, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington) will be contributing content in 2009.

http://www.loc.gov/chroniclingamerica/index.html

Do you know of a digital library collection that we can mention in this AL Direct feature? Tell us about it.

Para mantenerse al día sobre el acontecer de la EGCTI, visiten http://egcti.upr.edu

Ya nos encontramos en Facebook bajo Egctiana UprBlog y bajo el grupo de la Escuela Graduada de Ciencias y Tecnologías de la Información. Invitamos a los que no hayan ingresado en nuestro espacio a hacerlo y ser parte de una Aventura extraordinaria.

Saludos,

Luisa Vigo-Cepeda, egctianauprblog@gmail.com

Celebremos la noticia y disfrutemos de Asturias

De camino al 40mo Aniversario de la EGCTI, celebremos la noticia que nos ha aportado Enrique Feliciano sobre la acreditación de la EGCTI que aparece en el suplemento de American Libraries http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/4696d0a9#/4696d0a9/1

Con el corazón contento disfrutemos la interpretación magistral que hace John Williams de Asturias, pieza de Albeniz.

Este video lo comparte Héctor Rincón en su espacio de Facebook dentro de Egctiana UprBlog y lo compartimos con ustedes.

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=oEfFbuT3I6A



Un aplauso.

Para mantenerse al día sobre el acontecer de la Escuela,
visiten: http://egcti.upr.edu

Ya nos encontramos en Facebook bajo Egctiana UprBlog y bajo el grupo
Escuela Graduada de Ciencias y Tecnologías de la Información.
Para aquellos que no se hayan integrado, les decimos:
Anímense a participar en el espacio y a compartir
una Aventura extraordinaria.

Un abrazo,
Luisa Vigo-Cepeda
egctianauprblog@gmail.com