Kyle Banerjee wrote:
>> I think it is also important to point out that this project is focused on
>> the back-end nature of the library environment in a modular and services
>> manner. Public user interface is merely one module, and not necessarily in
>> scope of this design project; requirements of interoperability for user
>> interfaces probably are, such as the efforts of the DLF ILS Discovery
>> Interface Task Force.
>
> Frankly, if the only thing that comes out of OLE and DLF efforts is
> widespread recognition in the library community that interfaces
> between systems are so essential that products that lack the
> capability to interoperate should be avoided except for under certain
> circumstances, it will be a quantum leap forward.
At a minimum, I believe this is obtainable. The Mellon Foundation,
however, is actively supporting this venture and encouraging us to
consider future development partners for phase 2, which Mellon is
willing to fund. I think this is an important distinction and motivator
for this process.
> Identifying requirements is important, but I hope that neither project
> makes the mistake of overspecifying these requirements. As a
> discipline, we have a tendency to make this mistake. The result has
> been needlessly complicated, poorly understood, and inconsistently
> implemented standards that frustrate librarians, vendors, and IT
> people alike.
These are some of the very conversations we had together a few weeks
ago. Hopefully the ILS-DI can complete their goal while not over
specifying their requirements, as well.
> More importantly, enumerating too much confines us to our needs as we
> understand them today at the expense of being able to adapt to the
> future.
Adaptability is crucial, just as maintaining the workflows that do
actually work in our ILS. There are some. The reason I, and Lehigh,
responded to this project call, is that we desperately want to manage
items of all formats equally: print or electronic, circulating or
archived, owned or subscribed. From connecting our Digital Library with
our other collections to starting an IR or managing electronic
dissertations and theses, our current library systems manage these
either poorly or separately. Bridging these to what the ILS does well
with print circulating collections in a new, adaptable architecture or
framework is what this project is addressing.
Tim
Tim McGeary
Senior Systems Specialist
Lehigh University
610-758-4998
tim.mcgeary_at_lehigh.edu
Google Talk: timmcgeary
Yahoo IM: timmcgeary
Received on Thu Sep 25 2008 - 10:13:49 EDT