The future of the integrated library system
The traditional ILS as we know it will only die out because it will evolve. It will not disappear. More now than ever do libraries need automation and resource management. The thing is, our collections are becoming more and more heavily electronic, we need a system that will handle digital content in an efficient manner. The current ILS does not. Current ILSs are built around the traditional library practice of print collections and services designed around these collections, but the last ten to fifteen years have seen great shifts in both library collections and services. Print and physical materials are no longer the dominant resources. Actually, in many libraries, especially in academic and research libraries, the building of electronic and digital collections have taken a larger role in library collection development. As libraries have moved increasingly to accommodate digital collections, they’ve found the ILS products unable to be reconfigured well enough to smoothly and efficiently handle the integration of all the workflows that are different, yet, necessary, for both print and digital. The current ILS serves the purpose for an academic library but instead of one system with seamless interaction we have one system with add on components to do some of the now necessary functions like electronic resource management and the discovery layer. there are three trends that will lead to the change in the traditional ILS: “1. Increased digital collections; 2. Changed expectations regarding interfaces; 3. Shifted attitudes toward data and software.” There are four distinguishing characteristics of the next-generation ILS we believe are critical. They are comprehensive library resources management; a system based on service-oriented architecture; the ability to meet the challenge of new library workflow; and a next-generation discovery layer. Up until recently, libraries developed collections to serve the communities that they were located in. And that's going to shift because the collections that they create will define the communities they serve, which is the exact opposite of the way it used to be in the physical world. In the electronic world it will be completely opposite. (VINOD CHACHRA, VTLS) Our collections are now booming with digital content and a very inept way to serve it. The traditional ILS wasn’t created to handle digital content. The new ILS, will serve as a library service platform where digital content will be a the forethought instead of an afterthought. Breeding writes that “the next generation of library automation systems needs to be designed to match the workflows of today’s libraries, which manage both digital and print resources.” There are four distinguishing characteristics of the next-generation ILS we believe are critical. They are comprehensive library resources management; a system based on service-oriented architecture; the ability to meet the challenge of new library w
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The future of the integrated library system
- 1. The Future of the Integrated Library System in Academic Libraries It’s here to stay, to grow, to serve…
- 2. TheTraditional ILS Created to manage the print collection. Photo courtesy of Belk Library 350,000+ monographs
- 3. One system with add-on components A work around to handle the drift towards electronic.
- 4. Factors for Change Data and Accessibility • Increase in digital collections • User Interface expectations • Shifted attitude towards data and software "I kind of hate to say it, since I am a librarian," he says. "We pay a lot of money for discovery tools. And then I go off and just use Google Scholar.“ – Andrew Asher (Indiana Univ. )
- 5. Next Gen ILS: the LSP Developed to incorporate the digital collection online databases + online journals + eBooks 350,000+ Books 1 Statistic from Belk Library: http://www.elon.edu/e-web/library/libraryinfo/facts.xhtml
- 6. What can we expect?The future of the ILS in Academia • Cloud Computing [SaaS: Software as a Service] • Open source software (use of APIs) • Greater focus on mobility & UI • Linked data & electronic resources
- 7. Cloud Computing Accessing & Saving data efficiently • Resource pooling • On-demand self-service • Multi-tenant software • SaaS (hosted service) • Sharing ability • Analytical options
- 8. Data & Creation Something that we’re actively engaged in [Image courtesy of www.brandingstrategyinsider.com] • Open source and APIs • Electronic resource integration • Third-party app integration • Interactive data • 3Rs: Ranking, Rating, Relevancy
- 9. Interface makeover Accessed on the go and in your hand Photo courtesy of Three Wire Systems • Greater focus on UX & UI for handheld • Discovery layer • Dynamic & visually rich website
- 10. LSP: the future of the ILS Building the system into your workflow not the other way around.
Editor's Notes
- The traditional ILS as we know it will only die out because it will evolve. It will not disappear. More now than ever do libraries need automation and resource management. The thing is, our collections are becoming more and more heavily electronic, we need a system that will handle digital content in an efficient manner. The current ILS does not.
- Current ILSs are built around the traditional library practice of print collections and services designed around these collections, but the last ten to fifteen years have seen great shifts in both library collections and services. Print and physical materials are no longer the dominant resources. Actually, in many libraries, especially in academic and research libraries, the building of electronic and digital collections have taken a larger role in library collection development. As libraries have moved increasingly to accommodate digital collections, they’ve found the ILS products unable to be reconfigured well enough to smoothly and efficiently handle the integration of all the workflows that are different, yet, necessary, for both print and digital.
- The current ILS serves the purpose for an academic library but instead of one system with seamless interaction we have one system with add on components to do some of the now necessary functions like electronic resource management and the discovery layer.
- there are three trends that will lead to the change in the traditional ILS: “1. Increased digital collections; 2. Changed expectations regarding interfaces; 3. Shifted attitudes toward data and software.” There are four distinguishing characteristics of the next-generation ILS we believe are critical. They are comprehensive library resources management; a system based on service-oriented architecture; the ability to meet the challenge of new library workflow; and a next-generation discovery layer.
- Up until recently, libraries developed collections to serve the communities that they were located in. And that's going to shift because the collections that they create will define the communities they serve, which is the exact opposite of the way it used to be in the physical world. In the electronic world it will be completely opposite. (VINOD CHACHRA, VTLS) Our collections are now booming with digital content and a very inept way to serve it. The traditional ILS wasn’t created to handle digital content. The new ILS, will serve as a library service platform where digital content will be a the forethought instead of an afterthought. Breeding writes that “the next generation of library automation systems needs to be designed to match the workflows of today’s libraries, which manage both digital and print resources.” There are four distinguishing characteristics of the next-generation ILS we believe are critical. They are comprehensive library resources management; a system based on service-oriented architecture; the ability to meet the challenge of new library workflow; and a next-generation discovery layer.
- Why is the metadata about the stuff the library collects on this local machine either under somebody's desk or in a server room someplace, being maintained library by library by library? (ANDREW PACE, OCLC)
- “But it isn't just offering Software-as-a-Service. It's an architecture that goes with it that means that we can use one instance of software to service many users. We have a common pooling of resources, and it's from that common pooling of resources that come the analytical capabilities and the ability to develop new scalable library services. So it gives us the capability to transform librarianship, but it does mean that we have to make the transition into the cloud.” (CARL GRANT, EX LIBRIS GROUP) Our users are going to be in control of the shifts that are made in our technology. We want to serve the community and the best way to do that is to allow them to tell us what they want, cloud technology allows for this. Cloud computing will also open up the option for multi-tenants, one software instance that can be distributed to multiple users at once. One install as compared to 100 installs.
- “involves releasing what it is that the library data is, and to everyone around the table, have systems that allow users to augment that, to turn that into their own, and then when they do that, they become more invested in their library….then they will naturally support it because it isn't something that's being done to them, it isn't something that's being done for them, it's something that they're actively engaged in.” (PETER MURRAY, LYRASIS) Users are accessing the library resources remotely. We need to not only have a system that integrates the electronic resources they want access to but we need to have a system that will allow us to create interactive data (linking records) that will allow our user turn it into their own and manipulate their searches to what they want. Through the use of APIs (application programming interfaces) “you can develop extensions to the systems to continue to offer unique services” (CARL GRANT, EX LIBRIS GROUP) Being able to develop APIs for the LPS will allow us to decide how the system interacts with other software. This will allow libraries to provide better services to their users tayloring specific needs and requests, such as relevancy ranking of results in the OPAC.
- The ideal system would have a unified search interface with a single search box, but with relevance ranking, faceted search, social tagging of records, persistent links to records, RSS feeds for searches, and the ability to easily save searches or export selected records to standard bibliographic management software programs. The ideal system would also integrate with the library’s OPAC, overlaying its current interface with a more nimble and navigable interface that still allows real-time circulation status and provides as much support as possible for foreign language fonts. It would also be as customizable as possible.
- In the academic world we are given a set of users, our enrolled students, we don’t have to encourage them to sign up for a library card, that comes in the package of attending school but we do need to convince them that the library is viable, credible and needed resource. The students that come to Elon, or any other college, very few of them will remember a life without search engines, without Google. We must compete with them and the only way to do this is to allow the system to shift the way we and they (students) interact with our data and resources.