This document summarizes the goals of the NISO FASTEN Working Group, which aims to modernize technical interoperability between libraries and content vendors through standardized APIs and protocols. The group wants to establish common needs and specifications to streamline processes like authentication, availability checking, and content delivery. Their goals are to improve the user experience, allow more flexibility for libraries, and produce recommendations and API specifications. The working group brings together stakeholders from libraries, systems suppliers, and content providers to analyze pain points and develop solutions.

1. NISO FASTEN: Easing the
delivery of library e-content
ALA Midwinter, January 2019
Nettie Lagace, NISO

2. Summary
This NISO Working Group is modernizing library-vendor technical interoperability using RESTful
Web service APIs and standard mobile application intent calls, to establish community, vendor,
and developer needs in transmitting library-related information related to serving licensed
electronic content such as login/authentication, account information, availability, item status, item
check-out, audio/video/online recording streaming, patron registration with vendor, etc.

3. Make It Real: NISO Work Item
Queens Library launched key technology effort
that began in August 2015 (called The Virtual
Library.)
QL took knowledge gained from working with
its eContent partners since 2013 on its
“Discovery and Delivery” interface for its tablet
loaning program and produced two draft
documents for discussion.
Focused on a combination of wishlist and
common practices that staff/users actively use,
or would like to see utilized across all external
library vendors.

4. The Reality of Current Process
• Users are Confused
• Different Branding, and Language
• Multiple Formats, and File-handling
• Licensing Restrictions and Weird Logins
• App Requirements, Tools, Protocols
• Conflicting Versions
• Varied Product Maps
• Users Invested in “Work-arounds”, “Less Bad”
• All of This Gets In the Way

5. NISO FASTEN Working Group Goals
1. Update communication protocols to modern Web services where appropriate
2. Establish standards on RESTful Web services APIs as well as standards for mobile extensions
3. Provide implementation guidance to support ease of use
4. Allow libraries more flexibility in meeting local needs
5. Produce four (4) deliverables to support the objectives of the above:
A. Introduction and Overview
B. Recommended Practice or Implementation Guide
C. Recommended Standards*
D. API Specifications
*Note: Where there were established standards, we erred on the side of recommending amendments
or extending them. Collaborating with groups such as BIC and LCF Groups so far.

6. Goal
Specification that defines how to use existing protocols to achieve patron-friendly and
librarian-friendly integration between, on one side,
ILS/discovery layer/campus authentication and,
on the other side, eContent vendors.

7. Search & Discovery
● Patrons should come to the library (virtually) for content
● All metadata, including proprietary, should be available to the library
● Authentication should happen through the library, not the vendor
● Single sign-on
● Patron information should reside only on library’s sites
● Real-time availability, weeding, and purchases
● Patrons should see all eContent they can read, including from
consortia and with varying license rights

8. Usability
● Functionality standard to the environment
● Intuitive, clean, consistent interface design
● Familiar, widely-implemented features
● User should stay in initial environment
● Easy to navigate help
● Sign-up should be quick and require minimum data
● Library and open source readers should be an option
● Accessibility
● Internationalization

9. Business
● Patron authentication:
○ OpenID Connect
○ Immutable, anonymized patron identifiers
○ No other patron information
● Vendor-to-vendor communication:
○ HTTPS with HTTP authentication (for passwords) or client certificates
○ Standard server certificate validation

10. Business
● Resource synchronization
○ For ILS, possibly NISO’s ResourceSync
○ Possibly option for ILS to search eContent collection via API
● Circulation activity
○ Evaluating Library Communications Framework (LCF)
○ Should be possible for ILS/discovery to play media
directly

11. NISO Working Group Process
Balanced Set of Stakeholders: Users / Producers / General Interest
Libraries / System Suppliers / Content providers / Industry consultants
Cooperation with BIC & LCF initiative
Work plan: Scope, Process (in general), Timeline
Focus on improving patron experience
Deep dives into industry pain points, user experience challenges, library business practices; Use
cases
Output: NISO Recommended Practice
Related/recommended specifications; API specification