2. Designing A Discovery Interface
to Address User Needs:
the eXtensible Catalog (XC)
Jennifer Bowen
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
NISO Future of the ILS, Part 2: User Interaction
Webinar, May 18, 2011
6. Studying users
We know what they need.
What do they need?
What do they need to do?
Slide 6
7.
8. Problem:
• User research is of limited value if a library
doesn’t have control over its discovery
environment
• Our solution:
– Develop our own software (eXtensible Catalog)
– Offer a modular architecture (4 “toolkits”)
– Build in tons of configurability
– Use established standards and protocols
– Give it away (open source)
9. eXtensible Catalog (XC) Software
User Interface
Highly customizable
Metadata Tools
Enables batch cleanup, augmentation, etc.
Connectivity Tools
Connect to an ILS, etc.
9
10. XC: “Taking Control” of metadata
More Control More Options for
over Metadata Customizing the
User Interface
10
11. XC User Interface Customization
Themes
Indexes
Facet definitions
Result Lists
Record Displays
Browse interfaces for specific users/purposes
11
13. XC User Research Partners
Cornell University
Ohio State University
University of Rochester
Yale University
14. XC User Research Approach
• What articles, books and other resources had
researchers used most recently?
– How did they know the items existed?
– How did they obtain them?
– How did they use them?
• How do they keep current in their fields?
16. User Research Findings
• Users want to choose between versions of a
resource, see relationships between resources
• XC approach:
– Underlying XC metadata is based on FRBR
model: works, expressions, manifestations, etc.
– Use some RDA data elements in FRBR structure
– Metadata services to aggregate/group FRBR
entities in the User Interface
16
17. User Research Findings
• Researchers value scholarly networks
– Teacher/student relationships, etc.
• XC approach:
– Define a local metadata element for thesis
advisor
– User interface can display it appropriately (NOT
as another author!)
– Metadata limitations: non-standard, not in our
legacy metadata
17
18. User Research Findings
• Users have preferred material and format
types, depending upon their projects
– Show online materials only
– Exclude microforms
• Users want to know why items appear on a
search result list
– Show keywords in context
18
19. XC User Interface Demo
Translating User Research
Findings into XC Functionality
19
28. RDA in the XC Schema
• RDA elements can interact with data elements
from other schemas using an Application
Profile
• XC Schema contains a subset of RDA elements
• RDA elements help us maintain granularity of
MARC data and improve upon it
• RDA serves as a “bridge” between MARC-
based systems and emerging applications
28
29. Implementing RDA in XC
• FRBR-based, not MARC-based
• Separate but linked records for FRBR Group 1
entities
• XC works alongside a MARC-based ILS
• Implements a subset of RDA in a non-MARC
environment
• Sets stage for other non-MARC RDA
implementations, perhaps linked data?
29
30. Benefits of RDA in XC
• Enables conversion of MARC fields to RDA
elements using bulk processing services
• Uses RDA data in a working discovery
interface
• Integrates with current library systems
• Will make library metadata more usable via
the open web
30
51. Current Installations
Darien Library,
Darien, Connecticut
www.darienlibrary.org
Ann Arbor District Library,
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.aadl.org
Palos Verdes Library District,
Palos Verdes, California
www.pvld.org
101. Thank-you! For more information, visit:
thesocialopac.net
John Blyberg
Assistant Director for Innovation and UX
Darien Library
john@blyberg.net
www.blyberg.net
102. NISO
5/18/2011
END USERS
Discovery
Allie Flanary Anya N. Arnold
Faculty Librarian, Resource Sharing Program Manager
Portland Community College anyaa@uoregon.edu
@shinylib anyaarnold (gtalk/gmail)
@AnyaNArnold
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
103. The mission of the Orbis Cascade Alliance is to
strengthen member libraries through
collaboration in order to support the work of our
students, faculty, staff, and researchers. Alliance
members join together to enhance our services, share
our information resources and expertise, enrich
and preserve our collections, and develop library staff to
meet the challenges of a rapidly changing
information environment.
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
104. Alliance Libraries
7
Puget Sound
5
20
Cascade Range Eastern
2
Willamette Valley
Central
2
Southern
105. Summit catalog allows students, faculty,
and staff to easily search and request
library materials owned by member libraries.
The Summit catalog is on the WorldCat
platform. Some members use WorldCat Local
and some use their local OPAC with links to the
Summit catalog, a Group display of
WorldCat Local.
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
106. You and I may call it a discovery
platform, but to many of them, it’s
the library catalog... and it
doesn’t function like it used to.
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
107. Many features and elements of
WorldCat Local did work exactly
as designed, it’s just that there
were more types of users and
use scenarios than anyone
originally thought.
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
108. "Because Google and Amazon
can do it..." is a reasonable user
expectation for WorldCat Local
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
109. Communications mechanisms
• WorldCat Discovery Day Symposium
• Weekly update
• Newsletters
• Individual site usability testing (submitted to Alliance for review
and cross-referencing)
• Alliance email lists
• OCLC email lists
• OCLC usability focus group
• OCLC usability testing (recent Usabilla test)
• User group meetings - virtual and at ALA
• SPOT (Summit Planning and Operations Team)
• SPOT representatives
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
110. Alliance libraries have used WorldCat Local or
Group view for over two years.
A lot has changed......
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
111. 2010
2011
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
112. 2011
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
113. 2010
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
114. 2011
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
115. 2010
2011
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction
116. Anya N. Arnold
Resource Sharing Program Manager
Allie Flanary
Faculty Librarian, Portland Community College
May 18 NISO webinar on the future of the ILS: User Interaction