Elag2013 slides and report for workshop "Creating better user interfaces for libraries catalogues: how to present and interact with (FRBR-based) bibliographic data?" by Tanja Merčun and Maja Žumer

1. Creating better user interfaces for
library catalogues
how to present and interact with
(FRBR-based) bibliographic data?
ELAG Workshop
Ghent, 26. - 28. 5. 2013

2. Workshop Leaders
Maja Žumer, PhD
Professor
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
maja.zumer@ff.uni-lj.si
Tanja Merčun, PhD
Research Assistant
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
tanja.mercun@ff.uni-lj.si

3. ELAG Workshop
• not a tutorial
• identification of issues, trends, and possible solutions
• sharing of experience from different institutions
• discussion on future work

4. Workshop Outline
Overview
– missing features in library catalogues
– FRBR & its potentials
– FRBR-inspired library catalogue implementations &
experiments
– implementing FRBR-based displays

5. General
what kind of search and
exploration features do we
want/need to offer our users?
• user needs
• catalogue objectives
Workshop Outline
Discussion Topics
FRBR
how will FRBR-based user
interfaces look like?
• how to make the best use of
FRBR-based data?
• what will have to be
considered in designing
FRBR-based user interfaces?

6. Workshop Participants
18
6
6
1
0 5 10 15 20
I am interested in the topic of library
catalogue user interfaces.
I want to learn more about FRBR.
I want to discuss issues related to
implementing FRBR.
No particular reason, it just sounded
interesting.
Why did you decide to attend this workshop?

7. Workshop Participants
6
12
4
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
I am not familiar with FRBR.
I have basic understanding of FRBR.
I am quite familiar with FRBR.
I have in-depth knowledge of FRBR, its
issues and current developments.
How familiar are you with FRBR?

8. Workshop Participants
5
16
Yes
No
Have you personally been involved in any projects involving the
implementation of FRBR in a library catalogue?

9. Workshop Participants
3
5
9
5
0 2 4 6 8 10
Yes, we have already made some FRBR
implementations in our catalogue.
Yes, it is one of our ongoing projects.
We are thinking about it.
No, not at this moment.
Is FRBR-based catalogue redesign something you are
dealing with or are thinking about in your institution?

10. Workshop Participants
Topics suggested for discussion:
- alternatives to WEMI
- advantages of FRBR-based catalogue redesign
- user navigation / user expectations

11. Library Catalogue
its troubles & current status
OVERVIEW

12. Why Change?
• the information environment is changing
– libraries are facing competition for the first time
– new technologies, new approaches to knowledge
organization, new generations of users
– changes are becoming a reality also in libraries
(new cataloguing rules, new formats)

13. Why Change?
• issues with current catalogues
– not perceived as intuitive (compared to other tools and
services)
– users actively avoid using the catalogue
– do not fully support users in their information seeking process
– do not fulfil their main objectives
– fail to bring out the richness and value of bibliographic data

14. Theory: catalogue objectives
(2009) Statement of International Cataloguing Principles
The catalogue should be an effective and efficient instrument that
enables a user:
to find bib. resources in a collection as the result of a search using attributes
or relationships of the resource :
- to find a single resource
- to find sets of resources representing
all resources belonging to the same work
all resources embodying the same expression
all resources exemplifying the same manifestation
all resources associated with a given person, family, or corp. body
all resources on a given subject
all resources defined by other criteria (language, date, content
type, carrier, etc.)

15. Theory: catalogue objectives
(2009) Statement of International Cataloguing Principles
to identify a bibliographic resource or agent (to confirm or to distinguish);
to select a bibliographic resource that is appropriate to the user’s needs;
to acquire or obtain access or to access, acquire, or obtain authority or
bibliographic data;
to navigate within a catalogue and beyond (…presentation of relationships
among
works, expressions, manifestations, items, persons, families, concepts,…).

16. Theory: catalogue objectives
(1876) Cutter: Rules for a Printed Dictionary Catalog
(1961) Paris Principles
known-item search discovery
enable a person to find a
known-item specified by
author, title, or some other
identification
enable a person to discover:
• which works by a particular
author
• which editions of a particular
work
• what works on a specific
subject
are in the library.

17. Reality
How well does your library catalogue answer basic
questions about the library collection:
– What works by Charles Dickens does the library hold?
– Which is the latest work (!not edition) by Haruki Murakami?
– Which works in the library collection have been performed by
and which composed by Vladimir Horowitz?
– What English translations of Iliad can you choose from?
– Borrowing Pinocchio, whose illustrations can I choose from?

18. Reality
• library catalogues
– library catalogues are edition-centric
– not very efficient or useful for inquiries beyond known-
item search
– Wikipedia as the resource for the fastest and most
complete answer to some questions

19. Reality
• librarians
– libraries are not questioning (enough) their tools
– rely on tradition
– often focused on minor issues, but forget to think about
the big picture
• what questions should a library catalogue be able to answer
• what kind of information seeking behaviour should it
support

20. Reality
• users
– relatively satisfied with the current state/design of
catalogue
– current user expectations shaped (limited) by existing
systems
– do not expect to find such information in a library
catalogue

21. Theory vs. Reality
• Don‘t we want to be THE source for such information?
• Aren‘t libraries supposed to be the source of SUCH
information? (not only library catalogues, also national
bibliographies)
• What is the added value of current bibliographic
information systems?

22. FRBR
potentials
OVERVIEW

23. „The FRBR revolution“
• user-oriented view of bibliographic data
• catalogue as a database and not a replica of a card
catalogue
• re-thinking of current cataloguing theory and practice

24. FRBR Basic Concepts

25. FRBR Basic Concepts
FRBR conceptual model: entities, relationships & attributes
1: products of intellectual or artistic endeavour
WORK
EXPRESSION
MANIFESTATION
ITEM
- an intellectual or artistic creation
- an intellectual or artistic realization of a work
- a physical embodiment of one or more expressions
- a single exemplar of the manifestation

26. FRBR Basic Concepts

27. FRBR Basic Concepts

28. EXPRESSION
Performance of
Paganini Violin
Concerto No. 1
EXPRESSION
Performance of
Saint-Saëns Violin
Concerto No. 3
embodied in
embodies
WORK
Saint-Saëns Violin
Concerto No. 3
WORK
Paganini Violin
Concerto No. 1
is realised in
realises
is realised in
realises
PERSON
Camille Saint-Saëns
MANIFESTATION
CD
D 100186
embodied in
embodies
PERSON
Nicolo Paganini
created
created by
created
created by
PERSON
Gli Sharam
CORPORATE BODY
New York
Philharmonic
CORPORATE BODY
Deutsche
Grammophon
PERSON
Guiseppe Sinopoli
performed by
performed
performed by
performedperformed by
performed
published
published by

29. Many Interesting Aspects…
• conceptual model
• FRBR family of models
• frbrization – transformation of legacy data
• identifiers
• FRBR & catalogization (rules, standards, formats)
• FRBR & catalogue user interface

30. Why FRBR & User Interfaces?
• moving towards implementing FRBR in our catalogues
BUT
– FRBR-based data is not a solution to library catalogue
problems in itself
– pitfall = only partial implementation of FRBR that will fail
to bring the desired effect

31. Why FRBR & User Interfaces?
• current library catalogue linear display approach is not
suited to the FRBR entity-relationship model
• need to design a new type of display to take advantage of
the richness (relationships!) and possibilities of FRBR-
based data
• knowing the end result we want to achieve
 help identify what is needed
 help develop the right set of rules, standards & tools
 help to implement a better library catalogue

32. FRBR Potential
• create better bib. info. system user interfaces
– meaningful clustering & exploration
– different levels of abstraction
• verified by user studies

33. FRBR
user interface implementations/experiments
OVERVIEW

34. FictionFinder OCLC

35. AustLit

36. AustLit

37. OLAC

38. Flemish Central Catalogue

39. Flemish Central Catalogue

40. Scherzo

41. VTLS

42. VTLS
• hierarchical layout
• WEMI
• also expressions
• reverse tree

43. FrbrVis
• Motivation:
– presentation of and interaction with FRBR-based data = unexplored
– bibliographic universe  complex network of entities
– traditional user interface displays  too limited
• displaying FRBR structures & relationships
• insight, exploration & discovery of bibliographic data
– different approaches needed
• allow exploration
• overview of entities and relationships
– develop, implement and evaluate an alternative model

44. M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
44

45. MM M M M M M M M
E E EE EEEE
W W W W W W
45

46. novel
literary criticism
TV documentary
W
W
W
W W
W
W
W
W
W
W W
W
W
WW
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
WW
W
W
W
W
W
W W
novel
motion picture
musical
picture book
play
illustrations
foreward
46

47. W A
byW
W
W
W
W
W
W
WW
W
W
W
W
W
W W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
author about
W
W
W
W
biographies
TV
documentariesW
W
reference
works
literary
criticism
W
W
W
novels
fairy tales
plays
poems
poems
children‘s
stories
essays
47

48. FrbrVis
versions display

49. FrbrVis
versions & editions of the work
related worksworks related to the author
work
expression
manifestation
workauthor
work family

50. FrbrVis
• information visualization
• hierarchical technique: 4 layouts

51. FrbrVis
related works display

52. FrbrVis
by/about author display

54. FrbrVis
missing attributes
unidentified entities
inconsistent cataloging
consistent use of descriptive
identification
using field linkingrelating attributes and agents to correct
entities when there are more works or
expressions within a manifestation
adding relator codesdistinguishing between the roles of
agents and connecting them to
appropriate primary entity level
creating relationships
between primary entities
missing W-W, E-E, M-M relationships
IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS RECORD IMPROVEMENTS

55. 001
008
020
041
100
240
245
260
300
336
337
338
380
655
700
700
700
776
1
10
14
10
11
11
08
263064953
081203s2008 nyua sb 000 0 eng d
$a9780307272119
$aeng $hswe
$aLarsson, Stieg $d1954-2004 $4aut
$aMillenium $n1 $pMan som hatar kvinnor $leng
$aThe girl with the dragon tattoo $cby Stieg Larsson ; translated from the
Swedish by Reg Keeland
$aNew York $bAlfred A. Knopf $c2008
$a1 online resource (465 p.)
$atext
$abook
$aelectronic
$aNovel
$acrime fiction
$aKeeland, Reg $d1943- $4trl
$isequel $aLarsson, Stieg $d1954-2004 $tMillennium $n2 $pFlickan som
lekte med elden $kNovel $4aut
$iadapted as $tLuftslottet som sprängdes $kMotion picture
$ielectronic reproduction of $aLarsson, Stieg, 1954-2004 $tThe girl with the
dragon tattoo $b1st United States ed $dNew York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2008
$h465 p. ; 25cm $z9780307269751
CONSISTENT USE OF
DESCRIPTIVE IDENTIFICATION
RELATOR CODES
CREATING RELATIONSHIPS

56. 001
008
020
041
245
260
300
336
337
338
380
380
520
520
600
655
655
700
700
700
700
0
10
12
12
12
11
000589797
940128s1994 enk b 000|1 eng
$a0192827650
$aeng
$aLittle women $cLouisa May Alcott ; with an introduction by Valerie Alderson
$aOxford $bOxford University Press $c1994
$axxxvi, 489 p. $c19cm
$atext $81 $82 $83
$abook
$aprint
$aNovel $81 $82
$aForeword $83
$aThe joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young
women in nineteenth-century New England. $81
$a Three years on from "Little Women", the March girls and their friend Laurie
are young adults with their futures, full of trials ahead of them. $82
$aAlcott, Louisa May $d1832-1888 $tLittle women $kNovel $4aut $83
$ayoung adult fiction $81 $82
$anon-fiction $83
$aAlcott, Louisa May $d1832-1888 $tLittle women $leng $4aut $81
$aAlcott, Louisa May $d1832-1888 $tGood wives $leng $4aut $82 $84
$aAlderson, Valerie $t[Introduction to Little women] $leng $4aui $83
$isequel to $aAlcott, Louisa May $d1832-1888 $tLittle women $4aut $84
FIELD LINKING

57. Little women
[Series]
Little women
[Novel]
English, text
part
L.M. Alcott
book - electronic
Oxford Press
1994
sequel
Good wives
[Novel]
Little women
[Play]
English, text English, text
book – print
Dramatic Pub.
1941
realization
embodied
K. Laurence
created
embodiment
audio book – CD
Briliance, 1998
English, spok
en word
English, spok
en word
realization realization
embodiment
adaptation
created
English, text
Introduction to
Little women
[Foreword]
V. Alderson
created
is subject of
adaptation
adaptation
realization
S. Burr
realized

58. FrbrVis
• hierarchical visualization techniques
– not a perfect match for complex networks of bib. data
– enables grouping based on rel. types and attributes
– more effective and user friendly display
– quick overviews and efficient navigation
• missing horizontal and bottom-up relationships
– partial solution = multiple views in a work record display

59. FrbrVis
• FrbrVis prototype – beyond classical WEM display
• established relationships within a broader work family
• interactive exploration
• particularly useful for complex work sets
• future development: sunburst and indented list

60. Obstacles to Implementation
• conservative views
• model is perceived as ‘very abstract and theoretical’
• open to interpretation (e.g. expression)
• legacy data
• no data model, no cataloguing rules

61. Discussion Topics

62. Group discussion
• What do we need to do to design FRBR-based interfaces?
– Are any questions/issues missing?
– Which should be answered first?
• Your solutions/ideas connected to any of the questions?

63. Future Library Catalogue
a) Functional & Content Requirements
– What functions should be supported?
– Is the full implementation of the FRBR model what we need to
achieve? Is it too much or too little?
– What data do we need to enable the desired features? Is this
data included in our catalogue records or will it be?
– What entities, relationships, and attributes are important?
– How much do functions and data depend on the type of
material or the type of catalogue?

64. Future Library Catalogue
b) Interaction Design & Information Architecture
– How should entities be clustered? Will we adopt the FRBR WEMI
approach? Or maybe create less granular or more granular
categorizations?
– How do we deal with the varying complexities of works and authors?
Is there a one size fits all solution?
– What will be presented to the user at what point in their search?

65. Future Library Catalogue
c) Interface & Navigation Design
– What kind of links-paths for exploration should be enabled at a
particular point in the catalogue?
– How would we best display the hierarchical and network
relationships in the data? Is visualization a viable option?

66. Workshop Report

67. Strategy
define the jobs to be done
site objectives
user needs
content
requirements
functional
specifications
information
architectureinteraction design
interface design navigation design
visual design
(Garrett, 2002)

68. Scope
define the data needed
define the FRBR
implementation model
site objectives
user needs
content
requirements
functional
specifications
information
architectureinteraction design
interface design navigation design
visual design
(Garrett, 2002)

69. Structure
• define elements & clustering
- for different complexities
- for different types of data
• define navigation paths
at different search/
exploration points
site objectives
user needs
content
requirements
functional
specifications
information
architectureinteraction design
interface design navigation design
visual design
(Garrett, 2002)

70. Skeleton
• define presentation
& layouts
site objectives
user needs
content
requirements
functional
specifications
information
architectureinteraction design
interface design navigation design
visual design
(Garrett, 2002)

71. Discussion Outcomes
Who is going to lead the development of FRBR-based
catalogues?

72. Discussion Outcomes
• libraries are thinking about implementing FRBR, but
currently there is no centre, group or library to turn to
– huge task
– no forum for exchange of ideas, experience, implementation
models
– no tools available
– do not even know what has been or is being done in individual
institutions
– most libraries cannot afford to develop everything from scratch

73. Discussion Outcomes
• What should be the result set?
Works, expressions, manifestations or a combination?
• How to create intuitive displays that would not be
confusing to the users?
• no one-size-fits-all solutions: different interfaces for
different purpuses, needs, circumstances

74. Discussion Outcomes
• our first important mission is to get the data right
• frbrization of records vs FRBR only in discovery layer
• FRBR-born data need new interfaces to support FRBR-
based catalogization
• WEMI model might be too complicated

75. Discussion Outcomes
• stop waiting for everything to be perfect & start with the
changes
• incremental modelling and development approach
• start with small steps to improve existing functionality
and data
• we cannot solve all the problems, but we need to start
somewhere

76. thanks for participating!
contact: tanja.mercun@ff.uni-lj.si
slides and the report prepared by Tanja Merčun and Maja Žumer