Re: DLF ILS Discovery Interface Task Force - draft recommendation available

This looks like an excellent document that thankfully focusses on functions
and much less on details. Allow each person/organization to work on the
details in their own ways, so long as the whole functions correctly.

The only suggestion I have at this moment is you should emphasize that the
library metadata be made freely available to developers. I know this runs
into problems with OCLC and LC, but if we are going to have any chance to
shape the future in ways we feel are needed, we have to have the data to
work with. So long as it remains locked up in proprietary databases, the
only ones who can experiment with it are those who own it. While I applaud
OCLC that WorldCat (finally!) has been made freely available on the web, and
their attempts with WorlCat Identities, it's not nearly enough and much,
much more is needed.

As I have mentioned in other posts: if people had been free to work with the
Name Authority File for the last 10 years, I think that today there would be
some very interesting uses made of it and the general public might even know
of its existence. As it is, it remains locked away and of almost no use to
anyone besides librarians.

James Weinheimer  j.weinheimer_at_aur.edu
Director of Library and Information Services
The American University of Rome
via Pietro Roselli, 4
00153 Rome, Italy
voice- 011 39 06 58330919 ext. 327
fax-011 39 06 58330992


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Next generation catalogs for libraries
> [mailto:NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Emily Lynema
> Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 3:28 PM
> To: NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu
> Subject: [NGC4LIB] DLF ILS Discovery Interface Task Force - draft
> recommendation available
>
> The Digital Library Federation (DLF) ILS Discovery Interface Task Force
> (a working group convened last summer by DLF) has recently made
> available a draft version of its API recommendation for enabling
> integration between integrated library systems (ILS's) and external
> discovery applications.
>
> http://project.library.upenn.edu/confluence/download/attachments/5963787/I
> LS-DI-Snapshot-2008-Feb15.doc
>
> This Task Force was charged with analyzing issues involved in
> integrating ILS's and discovery systems, and creating a technical
> proposal for accomplishing such integration. For more information, see:
>
> https://project.library.upenn.edu/confluence/display/ilsapi/Home
>
>  From the introduction of the draft recommendation:
>
> "The public interfaces currently provided by most ILS's cannot by
> themselves meet the demands of users in a world where the availability
> and sophistication of digital resources and web applications has
> increased significantly. This does not simply reflect badly designed
> interfaces; it reflects the fact that users now need a wider variety of
> capabilities than any one software package can be expected to provide.
> At the same time, the bibliographic data and services that the ILS
> manages are crucial for the effective use of libraries. These trends
> imply that the ILS needs to become a platform that supports appropriate
> interfaces for discovery applications living on top of it, instead of
> trying to do everything for the user on its own."
>
> The Task Force is seeking feedback on this draft recommendation from
> both the library and vendor communities. Please feel free to post a
> comment to the wiki version of draft [1] or send us an email. [2] We
> anticipate your feedback!
>
> -emily lynema
> Member, DLF ILS Discovery Interface Task Force
>
> [1]
> https://project.library.upenn.edu/confluence/display/ilsapi/Draft+Recommen
> dation
> [2] ILS-DI_at_LISTS.DIGLIB.ORG
>
> --
> Emily Lynema
> Systems Librarian for Digital Projects
> Information Technology, NCSU Libraries
> 919-513-8031
> emily_lynema_at_ncsu.edu