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.

Move into the Cloud, shall we?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the latest information on cloud computing in a library context.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts an investigative approach including literature review and vendor‐provided information.FindingsCloud computing is both a trend and technology to deliver software and hardware as a service, not as a product. It involves a centralized data center, virtual server space, and secure transfer of data over the internet. The alleged advantages of cloud computing include low cost to own (CTO), agile updates, openness, zero initial investment, just to name a few. Lately library system vendors have begun to deliver cloud computing options. For instance, Ex Libris will release Alma in early 2012. It is an Integrated Library System with a discovery layer based on cloud computing. Amazon (Elastic Compute Cloud called Amazon EC2) and other vendors also offer virtual servers for cloud computing and charge customers by hours, usage, and capacity. If this trend continues for the next several years, it is just a matter of time before librarians will face the decision as to whether they should move into compute cloud.Originality/valueThe paper discusses this new trend, focusing on the pros and cons of moving into cloud computing for libraries.

Editorial: And Now for Something (Completely) Different

Editorial: And Now for Something (Completely) Different

FRBR

The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) data model holds great potential for improving access to library resources, but may not affect all libraries in the same way. The Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR, assisted by the work of its Format Variation Working Group, is exploring ways to incorporate FRBR into the next edition of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules to facilitate collocation at the level of the FRBR entity expression. Several library system vendors are also adding FRBR-based functionality to their systems. A combination of these two approaches to FRBR can provide significant benefits to users. Most FRBR entities and attributes are already present in library catalog records, and the influence of FRBR can also be seen in existing library activities. FRBR is thus not something totally foreign, but a fresh, more rigorous way of thinking about what libraries already do that provides a basis for designing new ways to improve users’ access to library resources.

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.

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.

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.

Why the Bath Profile Makes Z39.50 Work

The Z39.50 standard has been in productive use for several years now. However, due to the way the standard has been interpreted by some Integrated Library System (ILS) vendors, the results of using the standard have often been somewhat varied at best and, at worst, non functional. The lack of consistency in the use of Z39.50 has lead to the standard being held in rather lower regard than it deserves in some quarters. It is a matter that can be debated whether the inconsistency in the implementation of the standard is the fault of the implementers ignoring aspects of the standard to make their task simpler or simply a lack of precision in the standard itself. To circumvent the debate, the Z39.50 Implementers Group (ZIG) has defined profiles for the use of the standard that are clearly defined and can be measured. This paper takes a look back at why the Z39.50 standard was invented in the first place and defines briefly how Z39.50 works. The paper then considers why implementations of the standard appear to fail and how those failures manifest themselves. With this information in hand, it is possible to make sense of the answer to the question, how does the Bath profile make Z39.50 work?

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.

Library automation consultants: Current realities and issues

The reasons for using the services of a library automation consultant are numerous, but the key reason is to obtain help—expertise—not already available in the library staff. When a decision to use a consultant is made, the consultant should be identified, selected, and hired through a careful review process. Not all consultants are equal in ability or share the same areas of expertise. Once a consultant is hired, the library must continuously evaluate the consulting process and provide feedback to the consultant so that necessary adjustments can be made. This symposium presents the related insights and perspectives of both librarians and library system vendors.

Status report on the attitude of automated library system vendors to investing in Nigeria

Successful implementation of an automation project depends not only on proper execution by the library or information centre involved, but also on the commitment and on‐going support from the vendor or agent of the automated library system. This factor is often overlooked whenever there are discussions on the low level of application of information technology in developing countries. It is often wrongly assumed that the services and products of the library system vendors are available to library and information centres in this region. To this end, a survey was undertaken of the current status of marketing activities in Nigeria, of library system vendors, their attitude and commitment to the Nigerian market, their prerequisites for marketing in Nigeria, and projections of their marketing activities for the future; so that decisions could be made on the likely directions of library automation investments and developments in Nigeria. The work was carried out in 1988 when the author was a United Nations University Fellow at Trinity College Dublin.

The Library Automation Market: Why Do Vendors Fail? A History of Vendors and Their Characteristics

Librarians have been concerned about the long‐term success of library automation vendors, and their concerns have been confirmed by the decline and fall of a number of library system vendors, or, at least, by the demise of their products. This paper is an attempt to document the history of events in the library automation marketplace, and to put these events into meaningful business perspective. Among the issues examined here are: a) Who are the players? b) How can vendors be characterized? c) How do these characteristics reflect present and future success in the marketplace? d) How can the marketplace be characterized? e) How do these characteristics influence the success or failure of vendors? f) Is current success of a vendor indicative of a good product, of sound management, of customer satisfaction, and of future success? g) How, in fact, is success measured? h) Are there quantitative measures that can be applied to estimate the likely future success of a vendor?