Integrated Library System Vendors Research Articles

SAGE White Paper on Discoverability in the Twenty-First Century

Discoverability enables scholars to locate the content needed to advance their research and other creative activities. Improved discovery experiences require heightened collaboration among: (1) scholarly publishers and their published authors; (2) search engine developers, database providers, abstracting and indexing services, and academic publishers; (3) electronic resource management and integrated library system vendors, and ; (4) librarians who advance institutional discoverability. To further exploratory cross-sector conversations, SAGE commissioned a White Paper, Improving Discoverability of Scholarly Content in the Twentieth Century: Collaboration Opportunities for Librarians, Publishers, and Vendors, released in January 2012. The research report presents highlights of interviews conducted from July to October 2011 with fourteen value chain experts. The White Paper also summarizes results of peer-reviewed publications and proprietary research studies to further characterize the currently fragmented discovery environment. In conclusions, the authors propose cross-sector conversations among publishers, vendors, and librarians to further visibility and, ultimately, usage of the scholarly corpus on the open Web and within library services.

Integrated Library System (ILS) Challenges and Opportunities: A Survey of U.S. Academic Libraries with Migration Projects

An online survey was sent to academic libraries and consortia with an integrated library system (ILS) migration project, based on review of press releases from major U.S. ILS vendors. This study takes a systematic approach to provide a snapshot of the academic ILS market and key factors affecting the outcome of an ILS migration project. It reveals the challenges and opportunities facing academic libraries and ILS vendors in an environment with rapidly changing technology and increasingly sophisticated academic users.

Hitting the Trifecta: Alternative Career Paths for Those with an MLS

ABSTRACT This session covered alternate careers for those with MLS degrees. The panelists presented the path their careers took after library school. Most of this group have MLS degrees and have worked in academic libraries. Eventually, they looked for new opportunities to use the skills gained from their library degrees, and found themselves selling books for jobbers and publishers, developing electronic journal management tools, programming systems, converting library systems data for an integrated library system vendor, working as a consortium program director, and working as subscription agents. This lively presentation covered the choices these professionals made, illustrating career opportunities that may exist for anyone interested and willing to strike out in a new direction.

Keeping Pace with OpenURL

The architecture and organization of electronic information have progressed rapidly in the last few years. Since the introduction of the concept of OpenURL, various subscription services and integrated library system vendors, including Innovative Interfaces, Inc., have embraced the opportunity to include the OpenURL standard in their product development and enhancement. The common goal of all involved is to provide opportunities for users to improve their research processes via context-sensitive linking. This article discusses the availability and application of OpenURL as well as the implications for libraries to work with products such as Innovative Interfaces' WebBridge that utilize the OpenURL standard.

Seeing the Forest and the Trees When Developing a New Acquisitions System

SUMMARY A library's automated acquisitions system can be the workhorse of technical services. Developing a new acquisitions system for any automation vendor can be a challenge. How does an ILS vendor create an acquisitions system that meets the needs of libraries when workflows vary from library to library? Dynix has used a process called Contextual Inquiry as they develop a new acquisitions system. Contextual inquiry, or CI, is a process in which one or two members of a development team spend an amount time at libraries watching staff as they work while taking notes and asking questions. This happens before software coding even begins. This information is taken back to a development team where engineers are immersed in how libraries order, receive, and invoice serial titles. Only after the development team has a good understanding of the process does coding begin. This presentation will discuss how an integrated library system (ILS) vendor develops software and describe the methods and processes we use. Although I think that ILS vendors probably use many of the same processes, my remarks will be based only on my own experience.

The NISO Metasearch Workshop

This article describes a workshop held by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) to look at issues involving metasearch systems. The goal of the workshop was to bring together integrated library system vendors, metasearch system vendors, and information providers, such as publishers and aggregators, to determine if there were some areas that were ripe for either standardization or defining guidelines and best practices. Serials Review 2003; 29:256–257.

The NISO Metasearch Workshop

This article describes a workshop held by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) to look at issues involving metasearch systems. The goal of the workshop was to bring together integrated library system vendors, metasearch system vendors, and information providers, such as publishers and aggregators, to determine if there were some areas that were ripe for either standardization or defining guidelines and best practices. Serials Review 2003; 29:256–257.

Working with or around your ILS?: Solutions from the real world. Sponsored by SIG LAN

AbstractThe Integrated Library System (ILS) is the backbone of the library. Traditional systems supplied by a handful of vendors have done the job more or less. However, with the advent of the WWW and the digital library, librarians have become more demanding about the features of these systems. Integrated Library Systems need to be more sophisticated and more adaptable to the needs of libraries. ILS vendors are not always ready or able to keep up with the demand for added functionality and libraries are often left to develop intermediary solutions or look to thirdparty software applications to achieve the functionality they need. This session will present the work of four projects undertaken to add functionality to ILSs.

Are You Who You Say You Are?

A growing yet unresolved problem in access services today is controlling user access to resources in a networked environment. This paper describes the history of network authentication, explores the issues involved in selecting an authentication method, discusses the benefits and drawbacks of the various methods, identifies efforts by some integrated library services vendors and academic institutions to address this problem, and makes recommendations for selecting an authentication scheme for a college library. The discussions are based in part upon the results of a survey conducted with California community college libraries, various integrated library system vendors, and online resource companies. Technical terms are defined in a glossary.

The SISAC bar code symbol

SISAC, the Serials Industry Systems Advisory Committee, was formed in 1982 as a committee of the Book Industry Study Group and a counterpart to BISAC, the Book Industry Systems Advisory Committee, formed in 1974. SISAC's purpose is to develop and promote voluntary standardized formats for the electronic transmission of serial information and, where appropriate, to present them to the National Information Standards Organization (NIS(9) for adoption as American National Standards. The term encompasses all parties involved in the provision and dissemination of serials information, including publishers, libraries, subscription agents, wholesalers, and integrated library system vendors. All components of the industry share a common interest in and need for rapid, economical communication of information.