Libraries in the Cloud

LIBRARIES IN THE CLOUD

Marshall BreedingIndependent Consult, Author, Founder and Publisher, Library Technology Guideshttp://www.librarytechnology.org/http://twitter.com/mbreeding

October 30, 2013Internet Librarian 2013

http://www.librarytechnology.org/

http://twitter.com/mbreeding

Summary While cloud-based technologies have an

incredible potential to benefit libraries, it's important to understand the specific architectures and deployment models involved and their specific advantages or disadvantages. Breeding separates the marketing hype from practical realities and explains ways that cloud computing can transform libraries and enable them to achieve their strategic work.

Cloud Computing for Libraries

Volume 11 in The Tech Set

Published by Neal-Schuman / ALA TechSource

ISBN: 781555707859

http://www.neal-schuman.com/ccl

Book Image Publication Info:

Appropriate Automation Infrastructure

Ensure business applications and technology infrastructure in step with current operational and strategic realities

Tools capable to manage all components of library collections Print – electronic – digital

Interfaces capable of delivering access to all material types for library users Discovery – services – fulfillment

Take full advantage of current computing capabilities and architectures

Key Context: Libraries in Transition

Academic Shift from Print > Electronic E-journal transition largely complete Circulation of print collections slowing E-books now in play (consultation > reading)

All libraries: Need better tools for access to complex multi-

format collections Strong emphasis on digitizing local collections Demands for enterprise integration and

interoperability

Key Context: Technologies in transition

Client / Server > Web-based computing Beyond Web 2.0

Integration of social computing into core infrastructure

Local computing shifting to cloud platforms Application Service Provider offerings standard New expectations for multi-tenant software-as-a-

service Full spectrum of devices

full-scale / net book / tablet / mobile Mobile the current focus, but is only one example of

device and interface cycles

Fundamental technology shift Mainframe computing Client/Server Web-based and Cloud Computing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carrick/61952845/http://soacloudcomputing.blogspot.com/2008/10/cloud-computing.html

http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-10-2001/jw-1019-jxta.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carrick/61952845/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carrick/61952845/

http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-10-2001/jw-1019-jxta.html

Cloud Computing Major trend in Information Technology Term “in the cloud” has devolved into

marketing hype, but cloud computing in the form of multi-tenant software as a service offers libraries opportunities to break out of individual silos of automation and engage in widely shared cooperative systems

Opportunities for libraries to leverage their combined efforts into large-scale systems with more end-user impact and organizational efficiencies

Beyond “Cloudwashing” Cloud as marketing hype Cloud computing used very freely,

tagged to almost any virtualized environment

Any arrangement where the library relies on some kind of remote hosting environment for major automation components

Includes almost any vendor-hosted product offering

Example: ASP now Software-as-a-Service

Cloud computing – characteristics

Web-based Interfaces Externally hosted Pricing: subscription or utility Highly abstracted computing model Provisioned on demand Scaled according to variable needs Elastic – consumption of resources can

contract and expand according to demand

Gartner Hype Cycle 2009





Budget Allocations

Server Purchase Server

Maintenance Application

software license Data Center

overhead Energy costs Facility costs

Annual Subscription Measured

Service? Fixed fees

Factors Hosting Software Licenses Optional modules

Local Computing Cloud Computing

Software as a Service Multi Tennant SaaS is the modern

approach One copy of the code base serves multiple

sites Software functionality delivered entirely

through Web interfaces No workstation clients

Upgrades and fixes deployed universally Usually in small increments

Data as a service SaaS provides opportunity for highly shared

data models Bibliographic knowledgebase: one globally

shared copy that serves all libraries Discovery indexes: article and object-level index

for resource discovery E-resource knowledge bases: shared

authoritative repository of e-journal holdings General opportunity to move away from library-

by-library metadata management to globally shared workflows

Reconceptualization of Automation Current organization of functionality based on

past assumptions Possible new organizing principles

Fulfillment = Circulation + ILL + DCB + e-commerce

Resource management = Cataloging + Acquisitions + Serials + ERM

Customer Relationship Management = Reference + Circulation + ILL (public services)

Enterprise Resource Planning = Acquisitions + Collection Development

Open Systems Achieving openness has risen as the key

driver behind library technology strategies Libraries need to do more with their data Ability to improve customer experience and

operational efficiencies Demand for Interoperability Open source – full access to internal

program of the application Open API’s – expose programmatic

interfaces to data and functionality

Impact of Cloud technologies on Resource Discovery

Challenge: More integrated approach to information and service delivery Library Web sites offer a menu of unconnected silos:

Books: Library OPAC (ILS online catalog module) Search the Web site Articles: Aggregated content products, e-journal collections OpenURL linking services E-journal finding aids (Often managed by link resolver) Subject guides (e.g. Springshare LibGuides) Local digital collections

ETDs, photos, rich media collections Metasearch engines Discovery Services – often just another choice among many

All searched separately

Discovery from Local to Web-scale Initial products focused on technology

AquaBrowser, Endeca, Primo, Encore, VuFind, LIBERO Uno, Civica Sorcer, Axiell Arena Mostly locally-installed software

Current phase is focused on pre-populated indexes that aim to deliver Web-scale discovery Primo Central (Ex Libris) Summon (Serials Solutions) WorldCat Local (OCLC) EBSCO Discovery Service (EBSCO) Encore Synergy (no index, though)

Populating Web-scale index with full text

Citations or structured metadata provide key data to power search & retrieval and faceted navigation

Indexing full text of content amplifies access Every title, phrase, term becomes an

access point Important to understand depth indexing

Currency, dates covered, full-text or citation Many other factors

Web-scale Index-based DiscoverySearch:

Digital Collections

Web Site Content

Institutional

Repositories

…E-Journals

Reference Sources

Search Results

Pre-built harvesting and indexing

Consolidated Index

ILS Data

Aggregated Content packages

(2009- present)

Usage-generate

dData

Customer

Profile

Open Access

Impact of cloud technologies on Resource Sharing

BibliographicDatabase

Library System

Branch 1

Branch 2

Branch 3

Branch 4

Branch 5

Branch 6

Branch 7

Branch 8

Holdings

Main Facility

Search:

Integrated Library System

Patrons useCirculation featuresto request itemsfrom other branches

Floating Collectionsmay reduce workload forInter-branchtransfers

Model:Multi-branchIndependentLibrary System


Library System A

Branch 1

Branch 2

Branch 3

Branch 4

Branch 5

Branch 6

Branch 7

Branch 8

HoldingsMain Facility


Library System B

Branch 1

Branch 2

Branch 3

Branch 4

Branch 5

Branch 6

Branch 7

Branch 8



Library System C

Branch 1

Branch 2

Branch 3

Branch 4

Branch 5

Branch 6

Branch 7

Branch 8



Library System D

Branch 1

Branch 2

Branch 3

Branch 4

Branch 5

Branch 6

Branch 7

Branch 8



Library System F

Branch 1

Branch 2

Branch 3

Branch 4

Branch 5

Branch 6

Branch 7

Branch 8



Library System E

Branch 1

Branch 2

Branch 3

Branch 4

Branch 5

Branch 6

Branch 7

Branch 8


Resource Sharing Application


Discovery and Request Management Routines

Staff Fulfillment Tools

Inter-System Communications

NCIP SIP ISO

ILLZ39.50

NCIP

NCIP

NCIP

NCIP

NCIP

NCIP

Search:

Consortial Resource Sharing System


Shared Consortia System

Library 2

Library 3

Library 4

Library 5

Library 7

Library 8

Library 9

Library 10

Holdings

Library 1 Library 6

Shared Consortial ILS

Search:

Model:Multipleindependentlibraries in aConsortiumShare an ILS

ILS configuredTo supportDirect consortialBorrowing throughCirculation Module

Strategic Cooperation and Resource sharing

Efforts on many fronts to cooperate and consolidate

Many regional consortia merging (Example: Illinois Heartland Library System)

State-wide or national implementations New Zealand: Kōtui, Te Puna

Software-as-a-service or “cloud” based implementations Many libraries share computing

infrastructure and data resources

Iceland Libraries

South AustraliaSA Public Library Network

140 Public Libraries

Chile

Georgia PINES 275 Libraries 140 Counties 9.6 million books Single Library

Card

43% of population in Georgia

Northern Ireland Recently consolidated from 4 regional

networks into one 96 branch libraries 18 mobile libraries Collections managed through single

Axiell OpenGalaxy LMS

http://www.ni-libraries.net/

http://www.ni-libraries.net/

Illinois Heartland Library Consortium

LargestConsortiumin US by Number of Members

Denmark

Denmark Shared LMS Common Tender for joint library system

February 2013 88 municipalities: 90 percent of Danish

population Public + School libraries

Process managed by Kombit: non-profit organization owned by Danish Local Authorities

Dantek awarded contract June 2013 [contested by Axiell]

Orbis Cascade Alliance 37 Academic Libraries Combined enrollment of 258,000 9 million titles 1997: implemented dual INN-Reach systems Orbis and Cascade consortia merged in 2003 Moved from INN-Reach to OCLC Navigator /

VDX in 2008 Current strategy to move to shared LMS

based on Ex Libris Alma

2CUL

Shared Services:Collection DevelopmentTechnical Services

Shared Infrastructure?:

2013: The current state of discovery

Online Catalogs of ILS modules in decline Increasing numbers of academic libraries offer

discovery services Index-based search emerges

Summon, Primo/Primo Central, EBSCO Discovery Service, WorldCat Local

Indexes growing in comprehensiveness and depth. Relevancy algorithms gaining sophistication Increasing numbers of publishers and providers

cooperate with library discovery services Open Discovery Initiative launched October 2011

New-generation Library Management

Fragmented Library Management LMS for management of (mostly) print Duplicative financial systems between library and local

government or other parent organization E-book lending platform (multiple?) Interlibrary loan (borrowing and lending) Self-service and AMH infrastructure Electronic Resource Management PC Scheduling and print management Event scheduling Digital Collections Management platforms (CONTENTdm, DigiTool,

etc.) Discovery-layer services for broader access to library collections No effective integration services / interoperability among

disconnected systems, non-aligned metadata schemes

Is the status quo sustainable? ILS for management of (mostly) print Duplicative financial systems between library and campus Electronic Resource Management (non-integrated with ILS) OpenURL Link Resolver w/ knowledge base for access to

full-text electronic articles Digital Collections Management platforms (CONTENTdm,

DigiTool, etc.) Institutional Repositories (DSpace, Fedora, etc.) Discovery-layer services for broader access to library

collections No effective integration services / interoperability among

disconnected systems, non-aligned metadata schemes

Integrated (for print) Library System

Circulation

BIB

Staff Interfaces:

Holding / Items

CircTransact User Vendor Policies$$$

Funds

Cataloging Acquisitions Serials OnlineCatalog

Public Interfaces:

Interfaces

BusinessLogic

DataStores

LMS / ERM: Fragmented Model

Circulation

BIB

Staff Interfaces:

Holding / Items

CircTransactUserVendor Policies$$$

Funds

CatalogingAcquisitionsSerials OnlineCatalog

Public Interfaces:

Application Programming Interfaces`

LicenseManagement

LicenseTerms

E-resourceProcurement

VendorsE-JournalTitles

Protocols: CORE

Common approach for ERM

Circulation

BIB

Staff Interfaces:

Holding / Items

CircTransactUserVendor Policies$$$

Funds

CatalogingAcquisitionsSerials OnlineCatalog

Public Interfaces:

Application Programming Interfaces

Budget License Terms

Titles / Holdings

Vendors

Access Details

Gaps in Automation Almost no systematic automation

support for references and research services Customer Relationship Management?

Resource sharing / Interlibrary loan management

Collection development support

Comprehensive Resource Management No longer sensible to use different software

platforms for managing different types of library materials

ILS + ERM + OpenURL Resolver + Digital Asset management, etc. very inefficient model

Flexible platform capable of managing multiple type of library materials, multiple metadata formats, with appropriate workflows

Support for management of metadata in bulk Continuous lifecycle chain initiated before

publication

Academic Libraries need a new model of library management

Not an Integrated Library System or Library Management System

The ILS/LMS was designed to help libraries manage print collections

Generally did not evolve to manage electronic collections

Other library automation products evolved: Electronic Resource Management Systems –

OpenURL Link Resolvers – Digital Library Management Systems -- Institutional Repositories

Library Services Platform Library-specific software. Designed to help libraries

automate their internal operations, manage collections, fulfillment requests, and deliver services

Services Service oriented architecture Exposes Web services and other API’s Facilitates the services libraries offer to their users

Platform General infrastructure for library automation Consistent with the concept of Platform as a Service Library programmers address the APIs of the platform to

extend functionality, create connections with other systems, dynamically interact with data

Library Services Platform Characteristics

Highly Shared data models Knowledgebase architecture Some may take hybrid approach to accommodate local

data stores Delivered through software as a service

Multi-tenant Unified workflows across formats and media Flexible metadata management

MARC – Dublin Core – VRA – MODS – ONIX Bibframe New structures not yet invented

Open APIs for extensibility and interoperability

Library Services PlatformsCategory WorldShare

Management Services

Alma Intota Sierra Services Platform

Kuali OLE

Responsible Organization

OCLC. Ex Libris Serials Solutions

Innovative Interfaces, Inc

Kuali Foundation

Key precepts Global network-level approach to management and discovery.

Consolidate workflows, unified management: print, electronic, digital; Hybrid data model

Knowledgebase driven. Pure multi-tenant SaaS

Service-oriented architectureTechnology uplift for Millennium ILS. More open source components, consolidated modules and workflows

Manage library resources in a format agnostic approach. Integration into the broader academic enterprise infrastructure

Software model

Proprietary Proprietary

Proprietary Proprietary Open Source

Consolidated indexUnified Presentation LayerSearch:

Digital Coll

ProQuest

EBSCO…

JSTOR

Other Resour

ces

New Library Management Model

`API Layer

Library Services Platform

LearningManageme

nt

Enterprise ResourcePlanning

StockManageme

nt

Self-Check /

Automated Return

Authentication

Service

Smart Cad /

Payment systems

Discovery

Service

Development / Deployment perspective

Beginning of a new cycle of transition Over the course of the next decade,

academic libraries will replace their current legacy products with new platforms

Not just a change of technology but a substantial change in the ways that libraries manage their resources and deliver their services

Product consolidation Example: Alma for resource management

Eventual transition of Voyager and Aleph

Immediate transition of Verde SFX DigiTool for digital collections

Convergence Discovery and Management solutions will

increasingly be implemented as matched sets Ex Libris: Primo / Alma Serials Solutions: Summon / Intota OCLC: WorldCat Local / WorldShare Platform Except: Kuali OLE, EBSCO Discovery Service

Both depend on an ecosystem of interrelated knowledge bases

API’s exposed to mix and match, but efficiencies and synergies are lost

Public Libraries: Traditional Proprietary Commercial ILS

Polaris, Symphony, Library.Solution, Sierra Open Source ILS

Evergreen, Koha Academic Libraries:

New generation Library Services Platforms Ex Libris Alma Kuali OLE (Enterprise, not cloud) OCLC WorldShare Management Services Serials Solutions Intota Innovative Interfaces Sierra

Competing Models of Library Automation

Library Automation in the Cloud Almost all library automation vendors offer

some form of “cloud-based” services Server management moves from library to

Vendor Subscription-based business model Comprehensive annual subscription

payment Offsets local server purchase and maintenance Offsets some local technology support

Leveraging the Cloud Moving legacy systems to hosted

services provides some savings to individual institutions but does not result in dramatic transformation

Globally shared data and metadata models have the potential to achieve new levels of operational efficiencies and more powerful discovery and automation scenarios that improve the position of libraries overall.

Development / Deployment perspective

Beginning of a new cycle of transition Over the course of the next decade,

academic libraries will replace their current legacy products with new platforms

Not just a change of technology but a substantial change in the ways that libraries manage their resources and deliver their services

Progressive consolidation of library services

Centralization of technical infrastructure of multiple libraries within a campus

Resource sharing support Direct borrowing among partner institutions

Shared infrastructure between institutions Examples: 2CUL (Columbia University /

Cornell University) Orbis Cascade Alliance (37 independent

colleges and universities to merge into shared LSP)

Open source and Open Access Open source development of platform

services Open source infrastructure components Open APIs to expose platform services Knowledge base components

Open access Community maintained Adequately resourced

Reassess workflow and organizational options

ILS model shaped library organizations New Library Services Platforms may

enable new ways to organize how resource management and service delivery are performed

New technologies more able to support strategic priorities and initiatives

Concluding thoughts Urgency to align technology with library

missions Innovate locally Collaborate aggressively collectively Drive strategic development

Questions and discussion

Documents

Libraries in the Cloud