A Globally Interoperable Scottish Subject Landscape?

HILT, SPEIR and a Scottish Terminologies Server

CIGS Scottish Terminologies Day, September 2004.

Dennis Nicholson:

Centre for Digital Library Research

Overview

HILT: Scope and Participants HILT I: Aims and Outcomes HILT II:

Aims, Overview of the Problem, Outcomes Server Design Summary

Function; Elements; Coverage; Use Other Points of Note; Costs; Alternatives Evaluation, M2M reports HILT futures; Pilot server demo

SPEIR; A Scottish Pilot A Way Forward in Scotland

SCOPE and Participants

JISC focus (funders); but problem tackled of global importance

Both HILT I and HILT II involved: CDLR; mda; NCA; OCLC; UKOLN;

RDN;JISC; FE Representative; NGfL Scotland; SLIC; SUfI; British Library, NLS, others world-wide via email

Terminology experts, Alan Gilchrist and Leonard Will (external evaluator)

HILT 1: Aims

Look into the problem of cross-searching and browsing by subject across UK services in Libraries, Museums, Archives, HE, FE, Public Libraries, electronic services, clumps projects, JISC IE services (RDN etc.)

Were they using different subject schemes, or the same schemes differently, and did it matter?

If it did, could a consensus be reached on a solution that was affordable, sustainable, implementable, politically acceptable, useful, future proofed, and the rest…

HILT 1: Conclusions

Many different subject schemes, practices in use That cross searching by subject was considered of

value to users and staff. That an online service that would map subject

schemes to user terminologies and to each other was the preferred solution (Workshop outcomes)

But that things like level and nature of user need, design requirements, and costs against benefits needed to be examined before we committed to a possibly expensive solution

Finally, there was a strong consensus favouring the creation of a pilot service and an investigation of these issues

HILT Phase II: Aims

Build pilot terminologies service for JISC Information Environment, aiming to: Provide a practical experimental focus

within which to investigate and establish subject terminology service requirements for the JISC I.E

Make recommendations as regards a

possible future service

HILT II: The Problem in Outline

JISC services (and other services JISC users need to cross-search) have:

Different schemes in use Different versions of the same scheme Varied approaches to amending, extending

Schemes, variations vary in ability to reflect terminologies used by users when searching

Resources in distributed services, so users need to: Identify services appropriate to their search Identify relevant items by using correct term for

scheme used

HILT II: Outcomes

Recommended a follow-up development project to build a working terminologies server with

specific features Since consensus, collaboration seen as vital,

recommended (1) A dialogue with key national and international players (2) A server design that

assumed: Mapping between schemes, rather than preference

for a single scheme (HILT I) The need for a facility to allow others to include

their own (self-provisioned) mappings The existence of other terminology servers

Server Functions Improve accurate, informed searching by users Improve accurate, consistent description by staff Harmonise staff amendments and extensions to

schemes (UK Terms Registry) Map between schemes, variations via DDC spine Map user terms to DDC, collections, other schemes Serve up mappings via various m2m and h2m routes Ultimately: improve retrieval from legacy metadata Monitor, learn from user terminology sets

Server Elements

Wordmap; three elements: Database (Oracle) of terminology

mappings User front end that interacts with database

according to staff specifications and user input and feedback

Drag and drop, multi-user interface to support sophisticated staff interaction with database for creation and maintenance of maps, inter-service co-ordination and training

Server Schemes Proposed Development Server:

DDC spine; captions; relative index; standard subdivisions

LCSH to DDC mapping UNESCO to DDC mapping UK terms registry (mapped to DDC) Optional: MeSH, Regional registry, AAT

Pilot: More limited – UNESCO, MeSH illustrative, no

AAT, UK Terms

The Server in Action User enters subject term Term matched to terminology set and mapped to

DDC Options returned; user ‘disambiguates’ DDC number truncated, mapped to collections

database to identify appropriate collections Info on scheme used; advice; sample retrieval Demonstration available at: http://hiltpilot.cdlr.

strath.ac.uk/pilot/top.php Or http://hiltpilot.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/pilot/examples/

Other Points; Costs

More sophisticated user interface facilities needed

Further Research into user needs generally Machine to Machine (M2M) Facilities and

Interactivity Issues No to ‘Limited granularity mapping’ Information Environment Services Registry

(IESR) Issues Costs over 5 years

HILT II Evaluation

Evaluation report conclusions were that: The general approach and proposals of the HILT

project are reasonable and worth pursuing. Some underlying problems in mapping of

compound concepts need to be investigated further and solutions found before investing in major mapping or terminology service implementation work.

Finally, it must be recognised that any service of this kind will have to be sustainable in the long term, and that continuing work will be needed long into the future to maintain and develop it.

HILT II M2M

Special report on m2m; follow-up project should:

Provide m2m demonstrator services based on controlled vocabularies mapped within Wordmap (Develop SOAP based interfaces between JISC IE components and Wordmap).

Look into use of the Zthes protocol. Track developments within the Semantic Web and

activities within e-Science to ensure forward compatibility of syntax for structuring vocabularies, and data exchange protocols

HILT Futures

Known futures: M2M Feasibility Study M2M Demonstrator Then what?

Possible futures: JISC and others finance ongoing work in a ‘global’

terminology mapping service Limited implementations in domain-based

environments Do Nothing?

Leave it to others (OCLC? Google?) Global; Will deteriorate until tackled

Demonstration The Server in Action (2)

User enters subject term Term matched to terminology set and mapped to

DDC Options returned; user ‘disambiguates’ DDC number truncated, mapped to collections

database to identify appropriate collections Info on scheme used; advice; sample retrieval Demo: http://hiltpilot.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/pilot/top.php

HILT Offline Demo

The slides you are about to see are screen shots

But the pilot works – try it and see But use Internet Explorer and

remember it is illustrative – you won’t be able to ‘break it’ but you have to use known examples to see it at its best…

Examples

Aliment Loch Bairn Population Leisure Child Development Opinion polls Tooth But try what you like – just don’t expect miracles An amusing thing to try is the contraction for

General Practitioner - GP

SPEIR…

A Scottish Pilot Adapted from HILT Small selective mapping:

Aliment Provost Bairn etc

Ends with CAIRNS search As with HILT, many issues

A Way Forward in Scotland

Tidy up our own backyard (and keep it tidy!)

Assume HILT or similar will solve the global problem and base our tidy up on that (e.g. map to LCSH or DDC)

Maybe it will… Even if it doesn’t, we’ll still have made

things better here and have a sound basis in international ‘standards’

A Way Forward in Scotland

Where possible, adopt international ‘standards’ – probably LCSH

Only adapt or extend if essential Try to get extensions adopted via SACO Standardise other essential additions via

a Scottish authority file Map Scots and Gaelic terms to LCSH Work within COSMIC’s SCI, maybe with

a physical interoperability group, maybe with a virtual one, maybe both

Coordination and Management: To guide strategy, policy, planning, infrastructure design & development, training, institutional representation etc | Implemented via COSMIC and existing or new groups.

Research & Development:Technical and non-technical work to progress the infrastructure in line with an agreed joint R&D plan | Undertaken by participating groups or institutions | Backed by COSMIC

Funding Processes: To coordinate bids for existing funds and influence future funded R&D programmes

Local UserEnvironments

User services, includingIndependent portals utilising mix of local and centralservices | Localcontrol of some shared servicefunctions via staff portal | User needs assessment

Shared Central Services

Cross-searchable catalogue | Collection and collection strengthdatabases | Portal landscaper | Scottish Distributed Digital library| E-journals service |Terminologies server | ILL &DD | Authentication

Interoperability Forum

Advice and training on standards and their implementation | Inclusive seamlessaccess to global information services | JISC & Resource IEcompatibility| Scottish web presence

Collaborative Activities

On collecting andcataloguing, onpurchase and storage,on digitisation andcourse development,on user & staff training,, onquality control,and so on

Professional Support

Current awareness and general supportservices for staffvia online facilities for professionals, emaillists, journals and e-journals, conferences and meetings, professional groups, staff collaborativecollecting portal

Feedback from Research & Practice

The Scottish Cooperative Infrastructure

Management and R&D of Online and Offline:

Finally…

Don’t run before you can walk… Don’t assume it’s easy… Don’t duplicate effort… Long term and slow is a possible

alternative to expensive (if we’re careful)

Think globally before acting locally Don’t forget the user!

Further Information

Websites: http://hilt.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/ http://cosmic.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/

e-mail: d.m.nicholson@strath.ac.uk

Demonstrators: http://hiltpilot.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/pilot/top.php OR http://hiltpilot.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/pilot/examples/