Next Generation User Interfaces

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Next Generation User Interfaces
Ex Libris User Group Seminar -- Seoul, South
Korea 19 May 2008

• Delivering content and services to todays
  Web-savvy library users

Marshall BreedingDirector for Innovative
Technologies and Research Vanderbilt
University http//staffweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/
breeding http//www.librarytechnology.org/
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Abstract

• Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative
  Technology and Research at Vanderbilt University
  Library will talk about the trend toward the
  deployment of a new breed of library interfaces
  more familiar to todays Web-savvy library users.
  He will describe some of the general features of
  these new interfaces and talk about the
  experience that Vanderbilt University has had
  with the implementation of Primo from Ex Libris.

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Troubling statistic

• Where do you typically begin your search for
  information on a particular topic?
• College Students Response
• 89 Search engines (Google 62)
• 2 Library Web Site (total respondents -gt 1)
• 2 Online Database
• 1 E-mail
• 1 Online News
• 1 Online bookstores
• 0 Instant Messaging / Online Chat

OCLC. Perceptions of Libraries and Information
Resources (2005) p. 1-17.
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Usage / - from 2005 to 2007
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-10
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The unfortunate exception is the use of library
Web sites usage has dropped from 2005 to 2007.
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Source Sharing, Privacy and Trust in our
Networked World. OCLC 2007
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Crowded Landscape of Information Providers on the
Web

• Lots of non-library Web destinations deliver
  content to library patrons
• Google Scholar
• Amazon.com
• Wikipedia
• Ask.com
• Do Library Web sites and catalogs meet the
  information needs of our users?
• Do they attract their interest?

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The Competition
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The best Library OPAC?
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Typical ILS OPAC
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Better?
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Better?
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Demand for compelling library interfaces

• Urgent need for libraries to offer interfaces
  their users will like to use
• Move into the current millennium
• Powerful search capabilities in tune with how the
  Web works today
• Meet user expectations set by other Web
  destination

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Inadequacy of ILS OPACs

• Online Catalog modules provided with an ILS
  subject to broad criticism as failing to meet
  expectations of growing segments of library
  patrons.
• Not great at delivering electronic content
• Complex text-based interfaces
• Relatively weak keyword search engines
• Lack of good relevancy sorting
• Narrow scope of content

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Disjointed approach to information and service
delivery

• Books Library OPAC (ILS module)
• Articles Aggregated content products, e-journal
  collections
• OpenURL linking services
• E-journal finding aids (Often managed by link
  resolver)
• Local digital collections
• ETDs, photos, rich media collections
• Metasearch engines
• All searched separately

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Change underway

• Widespread dissatisfaction with most of the
  current OPACs. Many efforts toward
  next-generation catalogs and interfaces.
• Movement among libraries to break out of the
  current mold of library catalogs and offer new
  interfaces better suited to the expectations of
  library users.
• Decoupling of the front-end interface from the
  back-end library automation system.
• Eventual redesign of the ILS to be better suited
  for current library collections of digital and
  print content

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Next-Generation Interfaces

• Scope and Concepts

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Working toward a new generation of library
interfaces

• Redefinition of the library catalog
• Traditional notions of the library catalog
  questioned
• Better information delivery tools
• More powerful search capabilities
• More elegant presentation

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Redefining the catalog

• More comprehensive information discovery
  environments
• Its 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 type of content becoming less
  tenable
• Libraries working toward consolidated user
  environments that give equal footing to digital
  and print resources

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Comprehensive Search Service

• Current distributed query model of federated
  search model not adequate
• Expanded scope of search through harvested
  content
• Consolidated search services based on metadata
  and data gathered in advance (like OAI-PMH)
• Problems of scale diminished
• Problems of cooperation persist
• Federated search currently operates as a plug-in
  component of next-gen interfaces.

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Web 2.0 Flavorings

• Strategic infrastructure Web 2.0
• A more social and collaborative approach
• Web Tools and technology that foster
  collaboration
• Integrated blogs, wiki, tagging, social
  bookmarking, user rating, user reviews
• Avoid Web 2.0 information silos

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The Ideal Scope for Next Gen Library Interfaces

• Unified user experience
• A single point of entry into all the content and
  services offered by the library
• Print Electronic
• Local Remote
• Locally created Content
• User contributed content?

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Next Generation Interfaces

• Functions and Features

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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
• Navigational bread crumbs
• Enriched visual and textual content
• Single Sign-on

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Relevancy Ranking

• Based on advanced search engines specifically
  designed for relevancy
• Endeca, Lucene, etc
• Web users expect relevancy ordered results
• The good stuff should be listed first
• Users tend not to delve deep into a result list
• Good relevancy requires a sophisticated approach,
  including objective matching criteria
  supplemented by popularity and relatedness
  factors.

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New Paradigm for search and navigation

• Let users drill down through the result set
  incrementally narrowing the field
• Faceted Browsing
• Drill-down vs up-front Boolean or Advanced
  Search
• gives the users clues about the number of hits in
  each sub topic
• Ability to explore collections without a priori
  knowledge
• Visual search tools
• Navigational Bread crumbs
• Select / deselect facets

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Query / Result Enhancement

• Did you mean? and other features to avoid No
  results found
• Validated Spell check
• Automatic inclusion of authorized and related
  terms
• More like this recommendation service
• Make the query and the response to it better than
  the query provided

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Appropriate organizational structures

• LCSH vs FAST (Faceted Application of Subject
  Terminology)
• Full MARC vs Dublin Core or MODS
• Discipline-specific thesauri or ontologies
• tags

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Enriched content

• Rich visual information book jacket images,
  rating scores, etc.
• Syndetic Solutions ICE ()
• Amazon Web Service (AWS)
• Recent changes in term of use seem to preclude
  use by libraries
• Google Book Search API
• Released March 13, 2008
• Liberal terms of use
• No open content approach (yet)

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Personalization / Single Sign-on

• Customized content and service options based on
  personal preference and profile of user
• Persistent sign-on horizontal and vertical
• Seamless navigation in and out of appropriate
  sub-systems
• ILL / ILS patron requests, federated search,
  proxy services
• Credentials follow as user navigates among Web
  site components
• ILS / Interlibrary Loan / proxy services /
  shopping cart / etc
• Carry sign-on into and out of institutional
  resources
• Ability to select and save content initiate
  requests customize preferences, etc.

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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
• Not currently available through library search
  environments
• Deep search highly improved by high-quality
  metadata
• See Systems Librarian, May 2008 Beyond the
  current generation of next-generation interfaces
  deeper search

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Beyond Discovery

• Fulfillment oriented
• Search -gt select -gt view
• Delivery/Fulfillment much harder than discovery
• Back-end complexity should be as seamless as
  possible to the user
• Offer services for digital and print content

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Library-specific Features

• Appropriate relevance factors
• Objective keyword ranking Library weightings
• Circulation frequency, OCLC holdings, scholarly
  content
• Results grouping (FRBR)
• Collection focused (vs sales-driven)

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Enterprise Integration

• Ability to deliver content and services through
  non-library applications
• Campus portal solutions
• Courseware
• Social networking environments
• Search portals / Feed aggregators

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Interoperability

• Decoupled interface implies data synchronization
• Mass export of catalog data
• Hooks back into the ILS for holdings and patron
  services
• Real-time availability

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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
• Time to start thinking about a new generation of
  ILS better suited for current library collections
  and missions.

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Smart and Sophisticated

• Much more difficult than old gen OPACS
• Not a dumbed-down approach
• Wed library specific requirements and
  expectations with e-commerce technologies

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Next Gen Interface Deployments
Source Automation System Marketplace, Library
Journal April 1, 2008
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Open Source opportunity?

• Commercial traditionally licensed solutions
  currently far ahead of open source alternatives
• Time-to-market a critical factor
• Challenge to catch up

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New-Gen Library Interfaces

• Current Commercial and Open Source Products

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Primo Partnership at Vanderbilt University
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What does Primo offer Vanderbilt?

• Not just a replacement for the OPAC. A research
  environment with a broader scope, more current
  search-and-retrieval technologies, with an
  interface more in step with other Web
  destinations. Incorporates Web 2.0 concepts.
• A new information discovery and delivery tool
  created by Ex Libris.
• An environment for the discovery of information
  resources provided by the library.
• Provides a mechanism for the delivery of
  materials and services for different types of
  collections including electronic, digital, and
  print materials.
• Works toward an environment that gives equal
  footing to print and digital resources

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Primo consistent with VU Vision

• The vision of Primo addressed many of the
  concerns that we had with our current environment
  and with the inherent problems in the current
  product offerings
• Break down the silos between
• Print and Digital
• Local and Remote
• Consolidated search and information delivery
  environment
• More like the interfaces library users see
  everywhere else on the Web.

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Primo Content

• Direct harvesting and indexing of different
  information resources
• Initially the bibliographic and authority data of
  Unicorn and TV News abstracts
• Other content sources added over time
• Subscription based content brought in through
  integrated metasearch capabilities.
• Acorn and TV News are but the first steps toward
  developing an environment that provides fast
  access to multiple, diverse content sources.

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Primo isnt a Dumbing down of the Catalog

• Most library catalog searches are currently
  keyword
• Primo offers a more sophisticated and effective
  keyword search engine.
• Relevancy ranking.
• Faceted browsing provides a mechanism for users
  to navigate through and narrow search results.
  Faceted browsing has proven itself as a preferred
  approach for Web-based information resources.
  Did you mean? beyond simple spell check
  library specific approach for providing search
  alternatives. example
• Makes use of Authority data
• Incorporates FRBR

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Relationship our Unicorn ILS

• The native version of Unicorn iLink (WebCat) will
  continue to be available.
• Data from Unicorn is replicated in Primo and kept
  up-to-date. All data retained and maintained in
  Unicorn.
• Unicorn infrastructure continues to be the
  mechanism for presenting library services related
  to the physical collection holds, renewals,
  annex requests, faculty book delivery.
• An additional item display in Unicorn/iLink
  (WebCat) will be created specifically for Primo
  that is more consistent with the look and feel of
  Primo.
• Acorn is but one content component of Primo.

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Primo Behind the Scenes
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Primo Architecture
Primo Interface Layer
Subscription Content
Harvested Content
Primo Publishing Platform
Search Engine
ProQuest
SFX
MetaLib
Content Harvesting
Primo Normalized XML (PNX)
Unicorn Bib Records
ScienceDirect
Unicorn Auth Records
Primo Indexes
SFXKnowledge Base
Record Enrichment
JSTOR
TV News Abstracts
Many others
Other Local Content
Other Content Enrichment
Cover art TOC, Abstracts, etc
Other OAI Content
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PNX records

• Primo Normalized XML
• The native record structure of Primo.
• Information from other resources is harvested,
  enriched, and converted to this specification

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Primo Publishing Platform

• Primo Publishing Platform (PPP), a component of
  Primo, handles the harvesting, normalization, and
  enrichment of data

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Why Ex Libris?

• A library automation company with a history of
  developing significant technologies for academic
  libraries
• SFX
• Vanderbilt was a beta test site for SFX, even
  though we ended up not purchasing it until later.
• A company that tends to develop its own
  technologies rather than license them from
  others.
• A stable and growing company. (15 percent growth
  per year) Acquisition by Francisco Partners can
  be seen as an affirmation of their viability.

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Milestones

• Feb 2006 -- Initial conversations with Oren
• Mar 2006 First on-site demo of Primo at VU
• Apr 2006 Decision to partner with Ex Libris for
  Primo
• May 15 2006 Kick-off meeting w/ Ex Libris
• Oct 31 2006 Project plan complete
• Dec 2006 Hardware delivered and installed
• Jan 1007 Full data extracts
• Feb 2007 Version 1.0 of software installed
• Jun 2007 Primo available to all VU staff for
  review and testing
• Aug 2007 Primo available for the general public
• Spring 2008 Soft roll-out continues.
  Traditional interface still default

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Primo out of the box

• Vanderbilts lengthy process not typical for
  libraries that purchase the completed product
• Development partnership gives us opportunity for
  input on the product and responsibility for
  testing and local development
• Our work should result in an easier
  out-of-the-box installation and deployment.

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For more information

• Next Generation Library Catalogs by Marshall
  Breeding
• Library Technology Reports June/July 2007
• ALA TechSource

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Questions and Discussion