1. APIs (and their Relatives) Can Expand and Unify Library Services
George Leggiero Kent State University
NOTSL
21 November 2016

2. APIs “Application Programming Interface”
Some History of Library Services
How do APIs work?
Other related ways to expand and unify
Widgets
Plugins
Apps
When to use any of these

3. APIs We Have Known APIs happen all the time
Pass data to another system and return results to be displayed within the same web page.
Make web design a lot easier for developers
Web Browsers
Google, Google Maps, Weather Information
Embedded Forms
Searching, Credit Card Transactions
Enhancements to OPAC Displays

4. In the Beginning
Why is all this even necessary?

5. Circulation Discovery OPAC Catalog Acquisitions ILL Patron Database
IR and Digital Collections
Circulation
ILL
Discovery
Consortium
OPAC
Database Authentication & Link Resolver
Bulk Load Records
Catalog
Authority Services
Bibliographic Services
Acquisitions
Accounting
Vendors

6. How could an API connect to an ILS?
Let’s look at several models.

7. Proprietary Programming and Interface Model
Delivered Interfaces
Reports Module
Public Interface
Staff Interface
Core Software
Core Functionality and Logic
Data

8. Application with Database API
Delivered Interfaces
Public Interface
Staff Interface
Reports Module
External Apps.
Core Functionality and Logic
Core Software
RDMS API
Data

9. Application API Exposed to External Applications
API A
Delivered Interfaces
Public Interface
Staff Interface
Reports Module
API Abstraction Layer
APIs
Core Software
Core Functionality and Logic
External Apps.
RDMS API
Data

10. So How does it all work?

11. Some Familiar Examples
Any Web Browser
Google,
Google Maps
Embedded Forms
Suggestions
Credit Card Payments

12. How does it work?
Data source may need to authorize you to work with their APIs.
ILS or other service
Find the descriptions and parameters you’ll need to access the data.
Work with web developer to add them to a website or app.

13. Some ILS Vendors Innovative Interfaces SirsiDynix LibGuides
SirsiDynix
community
LibGuides

14. What’s happening behind the scenes?
Results
What Operations are available
List of APIs for scholarly sources (MIT)

15. What’s the Alphabet Soup?
APIs have been around long enough to go through some changes
For the most part we’d be using hypertext protocol within the web page coding
Results are returned in XML or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)
SOAP Simple Object Access Protocol
based on services
REST Representational State Transfer
AKA RESTful

16. Let’s not Forget

17. Some “Older” Technology
Widgets
Small applications can be added to websites to be installed and used and executed by the user.
Search Boxes
Plugins
Third party application that adds a specific function to an existing program. Flash. QuickTime.
Browser Extensions
Library Toolbars….whatever happened to them?
Custom Search

18. Some Newer Technology Let’s not forget about our mobile friends
Although only about 20% of our web traffic, it’s convenient and growing
Apps!

19. What to use? Depends on your requirements
Trying to lure users to your site?
Embed yourself on websites they frequent
Trying to enhance user experience?
APIs to make services convenient on the site.

20. Questions?
George Leggiero