Dis-Integrated Library Systems Promise & Peril Andrew K. Pace Head, Systems NCSU Libraries Why Do OPACs Suck So Much? Open Source: “You’re gonna call it what?” ILS Vendors: What the hell are they thinking?

Disclaimers I am a librarian I am an American I used to be employed by a library automation company I was a product manager for OPAC, Z39.50, electronic course reserves, and Web authentication Who would claim to be that who was not?

What’s in store? How did this happen? –The ILS timeline –The legacy system –The dismantled system The Wrath of the dis-integrated systems –The broken RFP –Electronic Resource Management Systems –The re-integrated system –OPACs, poor OPACs –The future of ILS vendors Open Source Software –“The innovator’s dilemma” Getting vendors to listen: DLF case study Integration vs. (and?) Interoperability –The future of library automation

The Timeline Integration & sophistication 1936 First library automation – punchcard circulation at University of Texas 1960 Stand-alone modules, separated by department or function 1970 Mainframe and dumb terminals – the birth of integration 1980 Coming of age era – the best of the text-based library systems 1990 GUI, WWW, RDBMS – the great distraction, or “the beginning of legacy status” 2000 The “dance with the one you brung” era. Making the best of a bad situation Peril or Promise?: XML, Java, OSS development. The “new” ILS

Where we are The RFP has not evolved The traditional ILS is a legacy system New innovation requires new technology “If we can be competitive with our ILS offerings and then truly differentiate ourselves through excellent customer service, new products, and a powerful vision, we win." Patrick Sommers, Sirsi “Innovation will have to come via integration with new technology.” Trevor Dykstra InfoVision Amlib “Incremental functionality improvements in the ILS are more and more expensive.” Roland Deitz Endeavor Information Systems

Classic Integrated System MARC Records item holdings serial holdings Patron Records circ transactions reserve records Acquisitions Records websites (856) e-books e-journals databases datasets WEBPAC Patron self- service Serials Control Records

Dis-integrated Library System websites (856) e-books e-journals databases alpha list of databases subject list of databases e-journal finder Serials Solutions TDNet web subject guides Licensing Files ILL Files Collection Management Files Helpdesk Files Statistical Files institutional repository Authentication & Authorization MyLibrary alert services SFX

What hath disintegration wrought? Federated Searching Reference Linking Digital Asset Management Institutional Repository Statistics Workstations Portals Electronic Resource Management OPAC!!

What hath disintegration wrought? Federated Searching Reference Linking Digital Asset Management Institutional Repository Statistics Workstations Portals Electronic Resource Management WebFeat Muse Global

licensing statistics subscript- ion info technical support remote access evaluative data PRESENTATION LAYER ADMINISTRATIVE METADATAADMINISTRATIVE METADATA E-MATRIXE-MATRIX ILSILS Other Databases: E-journal finder ETDs Instn’l Repository Etc. DATA HOOKS Website Catalog E-resources Alert Services Local DBs & Collections Digital Archives Data Repos- itories vendor data Evaluative Tools E-MATRIX

E-matrix Challenges Public interface is secondary concern Leveraging existing ILS data Adherence to emerging standards Avoid solutions looking for problems Get rid of the “E-”

[ERD of E-Matrix, not yet published]

SJERMs Journals / Serials Electronic Resources Databases Collection Mgmt evaluative data Acquisitions and licensing data Local subjects Bib Data Statistical Data Search / Browse MyAccount Patron Database My Courses Course Reserves MyLibrary MyTOCs

OPACs "Most integrated library systems, as they are currently configured and used, should be removed from public view." -Roy Tennant

OPACs E-books Movies & Videos Media Files Books

Where we’re headed Sticker shock Interoperability Web Services (NB: VIIEWS, Vendor Initiative to Enable Web Services) “We spend too much time fighting over small market share points, bludgeoning each other only to result in no significant profit and certainly a loss of opportunity to move the profession forward. Vendors and librarians together must recognize this.” Carl Grant, President of VTLS

“Library systems are changing because library assets are changing, [but] re-integration is inevitable.” Verne Coppi, VP for Development Endeavor Information Systems Where we’re headed, part deux Re-integration More market consolidation More vertical integration More Open Source and local development 25% Public libraries 25% Academic libraries 25% Gov’t / Special libraries 25% Consortial libraries 25% Financial & Inventory Apps 25% Learning Mgmt Systems 25% Portals, Fed. Search, ref linking 25% Serials content and Mgmt

Beware the Homegrown Backlash Why I fear open source where’s the open source marketing? where’s the open source documentation? where’s the open source help desk? will I spend 5 years getting back to where I started? Aut viam inveniam aut faciam

Getting Vendors to Listen How about “because.” Is “because” good enough for you?

Getting Vendors to Listen “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” “A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof. And when you have a good proof, it's because it's proven.”

Don’t Forget to Listen

“The worst level of Internet service that users will accept is the best level of service they have ever seen.” - paraphrased from Ron Dunn, Thomson Learning National Online 1999

What can we do? Mutual Listening is called “Conversation”

Building a Dirt Bike

Thank You. Andrew K. Pace Head, Systems NCSU Libraries