Library notices

1
Library notices new titles via RSS

• What are RSS, ATOM OPML
• RSS usage
• RSS advantages
• Library RSS uses
• New titles and items out at CDU
• Where to next at CDU
• OPACs with RSS
• Conclusions
• Links to RSS resources for libraries

2
What are RSS, ATOM OPML

• RSS and Atom are both attempts at a simple XML
  syntax for describing a feed or channel of
  content.
• RSS has several versions0.9x is obsolete but
  still popular as very simple1.0 uses W3C RDF,
  incompatible with all others http//www.w3.org/RD
  F2.0 is the current version, builds on
  0.9xhttp//blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss

3
What are RSS, ATOM OPML

• Atom has two versions0.3 is the prototype1.0
  is the IETF standard, RFC number
  soonhttp//www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-iet
  f-atompub-format-11.txt
• Atom and RSS 2.0 both try to address the issues
  in RSS 0.9x but avoid the complexity of RSS 1.0
• For simplicity I am referring to all syndication
  formats as RSS feeds.

4
What are RSS, Atom OPML

• I recommend the following links for a reasonably
  complete comparison of the differences between
  Atom and RSS 2.0http//www.intertwingly.net/wiki/
  pie/Rss20AndAtom10Compareddigsighttp//www.tbray
  .org/atom/RSS-and-Atomhttp//www-128.ibm.com/deve
  loperworks/xml/library/x-atom10.html
• RSS 1.0 is still popular with semantic web
  devotees
• Users don't care about religious technology wars
• Most feed aggregators support all formats now
• Choose the format that suits your needs

5
What are RSS, Atom OPML

• Here is an example RSS 0.91 file from our
  catalog, as you can see its just a simple XML
  file.ltrss version"0.91"gtltchannelgtlttitlegtNew
  titles to 17 Aug 05 by Titlelt/titlegtltlinkgthttp//
  phoenix.ntu.edu.au/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profilecaslt/li
  nkgtltdescriptiongtan RSS feed of new items from
  Charles Darwin University Library's
  cataloglt/descriptiongtltlanguagegten-uslt/languagegtlt
  lastBuildDategtSun, 04 Sep 2005 204930
  CSTlt/lastBuildDategtltttlgt360lt/ttlgtltimagegtlttitlegt
  Charles Darwin University Library
  logolt/titlegtlturlgthttp//www.cdu.edu.au/cdufiles/s
  si/images/cdu_banner.giflt/urlgtltlinkgthttp//phoeni
  x.ntu.edu.au/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profilecaslt/linkgtlt/
  imagegtlt/channelgtlt/rssgt

6
What are RSS, Atom OPML

• OPML is Outline Processor Markup Language.
• It lets you simply share subscription lists of
  RSS and Atom feeds with others
• Here's an example from our RSS implementation at
  CDUlt?xml version"1.0" encoding"UTF-8"
  ?gtltopml version"1.0"gtltheadgt lttitlegtCharles
  Darwin University Library RSS Feedslt/titlegtlt/head
  gtltbodygt ltoutline type"rss" text"newtitles"
  title"newtitles" xmlUrl"http//phoenix.ntu.edu.a
  u/rss/newtitles.xml" /gtlt/bodygtlt/opmlgt

7
RSS usage

• Jupiter RSS claims 12 of internet users using
  RSShttp//www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/res
  earchconcept/61/id96131
• Forrester Research says only 2 of US households
  aware of RSShttp//blogs.forrester.com/charleneli
  /2005/07/new_forrester_r.html
• The Pew Internet American Life project found
  9 of US households are aware of RSS
  http//www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Data_Techterm
  _aware.pdf
• MSDN blogger, Alex Barnett says 75 Million RSS
  users http//blogs.msdn.com/alexbarn/archive/2005/
  06/04/425277.aspx

8
RSS usage

• Number of RSS feeds at Syndic8.com 2001 to
  2005http//www.syndic8.com/stats.p
  hp?sectionoverview

Sept 2005428,000 Feeds
Jan 200450,000 Feeds
9
RSS usage

• Syndic8.com breakdown by feed type.Total Feeds
  428,470 Atom Feeds 79,282 RSS Feeds
  331,816(64 of RSS is 2.0)Plus some others

10
RSS advantages

• Online privacy, no handing out email address
• SPAM (but not advert) free
• Simple to cancel subscriptions
• Good for current awareness
• Good for mobile devices that arent always online
• Browser autodiscovery
• Flexible delivery method for disparate content
• Can be encrypted and carry secure content

11
RSS library uses

• New titles. The University of Alabama has 300
  RSS subject feeds of OPAC new titleshttp//librar
  y.ua.edu/rss
• Notices. Items out feed at CDUhttp//www.cdu.edu
  .au/library/rss.html
• Current awareness. The University of Saskatchewan
  has a list of thousands of journals with RSS
  feeds.http//library.usask.ca/ejournals/rss_feeds
  .php
• Podcasting audio files. Purdue University records
  and podcasts its lectureshttp//www.itap.purdue.e
  du/newsroom/news.cfm?newsID449
• Blogging, Amanda Etches-Johnson maintains a large
  directory of blogging in the library world
  http//www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/?page_id93

12
New titles items out at CDU

• Two RSS 0.91 feeds at present, new titles and
  items out
• Static - new titles from the OPAC
• Dynamic - items out
• Cached - syndication of any OPAC search
• Automatically generates an OPML file of all
  feeds.
• Uses a servlet by Casey Durfee at Seattle Public
  Library.
• In service for a year, but usage data not
  collected, anecdotal evidence and feedback only
• An exercise to familiarize us with the technology

13
New titles items out at CDU
14
New titles items out at CDU
15
New titles items out at CDU
16
Where to next at CDU

• Continue with RSS syndication in the OPAC
• Extend the items out to include all notices
• Investigate making RSS notices secure
• Investigate RSSCreator by Dave Walker
  http//public.csusm.edu/dwalker/rss.htm
• Establish library blog
• Syndicate CDU library subject guides
• Establish usage statistics

17
OPACs with RSS

• SirsiDynix Unicorn EPS allows RSS syndication
  of all OPAC searches
• SirsiDynix HIP 4.x can be a web feeds
  aggregator and syndicate some OPAC searches.
• Innovative Interfaces Millenium 2006LE will
  publish RSS feeds into web pages and syndicate
  OPAC searches.
• Endeavour Information Systems home grown
  solutions for syndication of OPAC searches exist.
  Ask the EISI user group.

18
OPACs with RSS

• Ex Libris Aleph. University of Michigan has
  written tools to generate RSS feeds using Aleph
  X-Server. http//www.educause.edu/ir/library/power
  point/MWR0566.pps
• SirsiDynix HIP 3.x. Casey Durfee of Seattle
  Public Library created a servlet that adds RSS
  functionality
• The open source KOHA library management system is
  developing RSS functionality. See the koha-devel
  list http//sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id16466
• Any OPAC could have this functionality added

19
Conclusions

• RSS is simple, widely used and popular
• RSS has many appropriate uses in libraries.
• RSS is great for current awareness. New titles,
  library notices, journal alerts, subject guides
  etc.
• RSS is simple to add to library services
• RSS brings your Internet to you.
• RSS helps protects your online privacy.
• RSS is not subject to SPAM -)

20
RSS resources for libraries

• Indexes of RSS feeds relevant to
  librariansLibrarians' Index to the Internet
  (LII) http//lii.org/RSS4lib is a current
  awareness blog of RSS use in libraries
  http//blogs.fletcher.tufts.edu/rss4lib/Lisfeeds
  is an aggregator of library related blogs
  http//www.lisfeeds.com/
• Keep and share your bookmarks onlineFURL
  http//www.furl.netDEL.ICIO.US
  http//del.icio.us

21
RSS resources for libraries

• Google news RSS and ATOM feeds http//news.google.
  com/intl/en_us/news_feed_terms.html
• Google groups syndicated http//groups-beta.google
  .com/support/bin/answer.py?answer12388queryfeed
  stopic0typef
• Book reviews to new book acquisitions.Amazon.com
  RSS feeds http//www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst
  /xs/syndicate.htmlInformit RSS feeds
  http//www.informit.com/promotions/promotion.asp?p
  romo1298rl1

22
RSS resources for libraries

• Thousands of Journals now have associated RSS
  feedsAny PubMed search can be an RSS 2.0 feed
  http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?dbP
  ubMedBioMed Central provides feeds for all its
  journals http//www.biomedcentral.com/info/about/r
  ssNature publishing group makes a number of
  feeds availablehttp//tinyurl.com/2x7n2