`THE OPEN LIBRARY ENVIRONMENT PROJECT: RECONCEPTUALIZING TECHNOLOGY FOR MODERN LIBRARY WORKFLOWS KLA / CULS Fall Conference October 24, 2008 Mary Roach Associate Dean, Technical Services University of Kansas Beth Forrest Warner Officer for Grants, Research Support & Library Assessment, University of Kansas

Today’s ILS Environment Does not fit modern scholarly process Workflows designed to manage collections based on outdated assumptions Collections changing more rapidly that systems: Data Mass digitization Result? Dissatisfaction with current systems

Does not fit modern scholarly process

Workflows designed to manage collections based on outdated assumptions

Collections changing more rapidly that systems:

Data

Mass digitization

Result? Dissatisfaction with current systems

Tomorrow’s ILS Environment? Libraries want a system that is: Flexible Agile Customizable Able to address the challenging and changing complex needs of modern academic / institutional libraries Responsive to new technologies and to scholars’ information needs and expectations Community Open Source-based

Libraries want a system that is:

Flexible

Agile

Customizable

Able to address the challenging and changing complex needs of modern academic / institutional libraries

Responsive to new technologies and to scholars’ information needs and expectations

Community Open Source-based

Current open source projects do address some aspects of current ILS limitations Great place to start, but it is time for a somewhat different approach Time to completely rethink current approach & functionality for today’s academic library management system Can build on, and expand from, current systems Apply Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles for flexibility, agility, interoperability Apply Business Process Modeling to identify and standardize basic core processes Place more focus on integration with other enterprise systems Hasn’t This Problem Been Solved?!

Current open source projects do address some aspects of current ILS limitations

Great place to start, but it is time for a somewhat different approach

Time to completely rethink current approach & functionality for today’s academic library management system

Can build on, and expand from, current systems

Apply Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) principles for flexibility, agility, interoperability

Apply Business Process Modeling to identify and standardize basic core processes

Place more focus on integration with other enterprise systems

How Do We Achieve That? Convene the academic library community to design an open, reconceptualized library management system to meet today’s – and tomorrow’s – information management needs Secure project funding Identify project participants Create design specifications Develop new system

Convene the academic library community to design an open, reconceptualized library management system to meet today’s – and tomorrow’s – information management needs

Secure project funding

Identify project participants

Create design specifications

Develop new system

Solicitation of interest – last spring Over 100 academic libraries – large & small, public & private, and other national / large research & archives responded positively Core group selected to submit proposal to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Proposal funded for $495,700 1-year project Design phase 6 Core Partners 10 Advisory Participants Timeframe – Sept to July 2009 Project Beginnings Core Partners Advisory Duke University Columbia Univ. Lehigh University Orbis Cascade Cons. Library & Archives Canada Rutgers Univ. National Library of Australia Univ of Chicago University of Kansas Univ of Florida University of Pennsylvania Univ of Maryland Marshall Breeding Whittier College

Solicitation of interest – last spring

Over 100 academic libraries – large & small, public & private, and other national / large research & archives responded positively

Core group selected to submit

proposal to The Andrew W.

Mellon Foundation

Proposal funded for $495,700

1-year project

Design phase

6 Core Partners

10 Advisory Participants

Timeframe – Sept to July 2009

Base design on Service Oriented Architecture principles Training with SOA expert consultant Goal: Design higher-level workflows for major library operations Use Business Process Modeling principles to analyze processes Training with BPM expert consultant Goal: Standardized methodology to describe library business processes to inform workflow development Gather community input to inform system design Webcasts, website for comments Regional BPM meetings to gather process input Working meetings of partners to: Conduct workflow analysis Produce business process specifications Produce design document to inform development Draft for community comment late spring 2009 Final design document and report to Mellon Foundation in July 2009 Begin working on proposal to Mellon Foundation for build phase What Will We Do?

Base design on Service Oriented Architecture principles

Training with SOA expert consultant

Goal: Design higher-level workflows for major library operations

Use Business Process Modeling principles to analyze processes

Training with BPM expert consultant

Goal: Standardized methodology to describe library business processes to inform workflow development

Gather community input to inform system design

Webcasts, website for comments

Regional BPM meetings to gather process input

Working meetings of partners to:

Conduct workflow analysis

Produce business process specifications

Produce design document to inform development

Draft for community comment late spring 2009

Final design document and report to Mellon Foundation in July 2009

Begin working on proposal to Mellon Foundation for build phase

SOA = Service Oriented Architecture Design approach Independent software pieces Pieces can be interchanged or repurposed more easily Pieces can be combined to create new services or systems Business experts and IT experts work together SOA Process Create high-level map of how the business should work Deconstruct workflows Define reusable services Recombine services into a system that meets our requirements Think Legos™! What Is SOA??

SOA = Service Oriented Architecture

Design approach

Independent software pieces

Pieces can be interchanged or repurposed more easily

Pieces can be combined to create new services or systems

Business experts and IT experts work together

SOA Process

Create high-level map of how the business should work

Deconstruct workflows

Define reusable services

Recombine services into a system that meets our requirements

Think Legos™!

Before & After SOA

BPM = Business Process Modeling Design approach BPM process What needs to be done How to do it Separate from the systems and services that do the work Mid-level detail As-Is vs. To-Be process definitions Synergistic with SOA What is BPM??

BPM = Business Process Modeling

Design approach

BPM process

What needs to be done

How to do it

Separate from the systems and services that do the work

Mid-level detail

As-Is vs. To-Be process definitions

Synergistic with SOA

Flexible, adaptable, and community-developed software framework for managing libraries that support research, teaching, and higher learning Seeks to improve how ILS software serves library mission Transforms support for core business processes to address evolving practices Software development & governance are community-based Focuses on better integration of ILS functionality into institutional cyber infrastructure Complements human interactions, reducing repetitive tasks, freeing staff to focus on higher value support to researchers & scholars Scalable support for high levels of service & low incremental cost Scope Statement: Vision

Flexible, adaptable, and community-developed software framework for managing libraries that support research, teaching, and higher learning

Seeks to improve how ILS software serves library mission

Transforms support for core business processes to address evolving practices

Software development & governance are community-based

Focuses on better integration of ILS functionality into institutional cyber infrastructure

Complements human interactions, reducing repetitive tasks, freeing staff to focus on higher value support to researchers & scholars

Scalable support for high levels of service & low incremental cost

Supports wide range of resources, accessed by wide range of customers, in a variety of contexts Provides structures for extending & adding new types of resources, customers, and contexts Designed, built, owned, and governed by and for the library community on an open-source licensing basis Developed using SOA methods in a modular and technology-neutral framework that ensures interoperability of library business systems with variety of solutions to avoid risk of single-vendor dependencies Scope: Principles

Supports wide range of resources, accessed by wide range of customers, in a variety of contexts

Provides structures for extending & adding new types of resources, customers, and contexts

Designed, built, owned, and governed by and for the library community on an open-source licensing basis

Developed using SOA methods in a modular and technology-neutral framework that ensures interoperability of library business systems with variety of solutions to avoid risk of single-vendor dependencies

Designed to adapt to & integrate with other enterprise systems such as research support, student information, HR, repositories, etc. Provides modular application infrastructure that integrates with new & existing academic and research technologies and business processes for current and future business needs of the community Creates reliable & robust framework for identification, documentation, innovation, development, maintenance, and review of software necessary to furthering mission & operation of libraries Scope: Principles (cont.)

Designed to adapt to & integrate with other enterprise systems such as research support, student information, HR, repositories, etc.

Provides modular application infrastructure that integrates with new & existing academic and research technologies and business processes for current and future business needs of the community

Creates reliable & robust framework for identification, documentation, innovation, development, maintenance, and review of software necessary to furthering mission & operation of libraries

Design of a reference implementation that support basic functionality of legacy ILS products Support functions beyond existing ILS core Expect functional scope to expand and evolve – OLE broadens current notion of ILS to incorporate / support additional functions such as: Manage intellectual property and rights Build and maintain content repositories Link content with learning management systems Facilitate authentication & authorization Integrate with institution-wide financial services Scope: Business Processes

Design of a reference implementation that support basic functionality of legacy ILS products

Support functions beyond existing ILS core

Expect functional scope to expand and evolve – OLE broadens current notion of ILS to incorporate / support additional functions such as:

Manage intellectual property and rights

Build and maintain content repositories

Link content with learning management systems

Facilitate authentication & authorization

Integrate with institution-wide financial services

System architecture definition Service Oriented Architecture design will be used Service contract specification that enables development by larger community without restriction to original developers Data models & possible standards implied by SOA; replication of mature & interoperable functionality Scope: Architecture & Data Models

System architecture definition

Service Oriented Architecture design will be used

Service contract specification that enables development by larger community without restriction to original developers

Data models & possible standards implied by SOA; replication of mature & interoperable functionality

Capacities to migrate legacy library data Schematic framework enabling integration and interoperability with campus, institutional, or national systems with respect to range of enterprise functions Support for consortial applications of OLE software Facilitation of inter-institutional cooperative programs Integration with external data services such as OCLC, ILL services, resource vendors, etc. Scope: Integration & Interoperability

Capacities to migrate legacy library data

Schematic framework enabling integration and interoperability with campus, institutional, or national systems with respect to range of enterprise functions

Support for consortial applications of OLE software

Facilitation of inter-institutional cooperative programs

Integration with external data services such as OCLC, ILL services, resource vendors, etc.

Develop a generalized, extensible concept of a resource that represents variety of entities, both physical & virtual Development of logical requirements that support role-based actions and responsibilities Support business logic needed for interoperability Management of security relationships between systems to ensure stability & data integrity Data governance & security to support individual privacy Support federated authentication / authorization technology Scope: Data Governance & Security

Develop a generalized, extensible concept of a resource that represents variety of entities, both physical & virtual

Development of logical requirements that support role-based actions and responsibilities

Support business logic needed for interoperability

Management of security relationships between systems to ensure stability & data integrity

Data governance & security to support individual privacy

Support federated authentication / authorization technology

Support for variety of user and administrative interfaces Reference implementation will conform to community developed specification for interoperability Services will be configurable to accommodate community, disciplinary, and format-specific taxonomies Scope: Discovery & User Experience

Support for variety of user and administrative interfaces

Reference implementation will conform to community developed specification for interoperability

Services will be configurable to accommodate community, disciplinary, and format-specific taxonomies

Beginning to outline basic functions and processes that will be supported Will need community input and interaction to fully define and develop these functions Scope: Basic ILS Functions

Beginning to outline basic functions and processes that will be supported

Will need community input and interaction to fully define and develop these functions

OLE Project Activities & Plans Weekly conference calls for Core & Advisory Partners First in-person meeting held at Duke University Training in SOA principles and approaches Scope document refinement Community participation planning First open Webcast held 2 nd in-person meeting scheduled for Nov. 6-8 at Rutgers University Training on Business Process Modeling (BPM) methodologies Regional meetings to gather input on business processes (Nov./Dec.) Additional SOA training & open webcasts planned Draft report out for general comment & review late next spring Report / design document due in July 2009

Weekly conference calls for Core & Advisory Partners

First in-person meeting held at Duke University

Training in SOA principles and approaches

Scope document refinement

Community participation planning

First open Webcast held

2 nd in-person meeting scheduled for Nov. 6-8 at Rutgers University

Training on Business Process Modeling (BPM) methodologies

Regional meetings to gather input on business processes (Nov./Dec.)

Additional SOA training & open webcasts planned

Draft report out for general comment & review late next spring

Report / design document due in July 2009

What happens once we have a design document? Starting to gather information on institutions interested in participating in a build phase Will begin working on proposal to Mellon Foundation for build phase funding this winter Intent is to have proposal for build phase to Mellon Foundation next summer OLE Project Activities & Plans

What happens once we have a design document?

Starting to gather information on institutions interested in participating in a build phase

Will begin working on proposal to Mellon Foundation for build phase funding this winter

Intent is to have proposal for build phase to Mellon Foundation next summer

OLE Project is dependent on active participation by as many libraries as possible to reflect full range of ideas Stay current on project developments via the project website ( oleproject.org ) Provide feedback on documents and reports Participate in webcasts Consider becoming an active partner for the build phase Participate in regional project meetings KU is planning a business process meeting in late Nov/early Dec. – watch for announcement with details soon! Getting Involved

OLE Project is dependent on active participation by as many libraries as possible to reflect full range of ideas

Stay current on project developments via the project website ( oleproject.org )

Provide feedback on documents and reports

Participate in webcasts

Consider becoming an active partner for the build phase

Participate in regional project meetings

KU is planning a business process meeting in late Nov/early Dec. – watch for announcement with details soon!

Questions or Comments?? oleproject.org Mary Roach Assoc. Dean, Technical Services University of Kansas [email_address] Beth Forrest Warner Officer for Grants, Research Support & Library Assessment, University of Kansas [email_address]

Questions or Comments??

oleproject.org