Key developments in electronic delivery in LIS 2005-2008

Catherine Ebenezer

Royal College of Nursing Library

16/02/05

Electronic delivery is delivery of content within a particular information environment

Innovations in delivery of content are dependent upon technological developments and their adoption within the user community

Caveat Predicting technology developments an uncertain

business Gartner Inc. uses an adoption framework known as

the ‘hype cycle’ to characterise the over-enthusiasm and subsequent disappointment that typically happen with the introduction of new technologies

The ‘hype cycle is represented graphically Each technology is assigned a ‘time to plateau’, i.e,

to reach a stage where they have been adopted by at least 30% of the market and are still being deployed

Environment trendsInformation consumer characteristics: Self-service/’disintermediation’

Google the dominant search engine – publishers responding by exposing database and journal content within Google

Users prefer to order their own ILL articles

Satisfaction Convenience an overriding factor

Seamlessness Users want a single interface – contrast the diversity of

interfaces offered by libraries e.g. OPACs, BNI, NLH etc. Users want access to full text via direct linking from

bibliographic search tools

OCLC (2003) 2003 environmental scan www.oclc.org/membership/escan/toc.htm

Environment trends

Lifelong learning/e-learning A challenge for libraries to provide access to

material to support non-traditional learning initiatives

Use of learning management systems –libraries need to work with HE providers to integrate content within LMSs

LMSs impinge upon /a ‘rival’ to integrated library systems

Content trends ‘Content is no longer format-dependent and users are

not dependent on traditional distribution channels for access to content’

‘End-users see the most important role for their libraries as making content available in their digital workspace, regardless of what devices are in that space’

‘The real integration to be aimed for is the more effective integration of information resources into the research and learning workflows of the user’

OCLC 2004 Information format trends: content, not containersDempsey, Lorcan (2004) Pick up a portal. Update October

Content trends

New models of research and scholarly/professional communication:

Open access E-journals – electronic-only access increasingly

common – libraries use link resolvers to direct readers to the ‘appropriate copy’ of an article

E-books – entered adoption phase Individual/institutional self-publishing

Blogs, wikis Digital repositories, indexed using OAI-PMH E-prints, learning objects, datasets, theses

Technology trends Improvements in search technologies

e.g. contextualised search - provides context to assist end-users in determining relevance

e.g. WebBrain www.webbrain.com

Automatic data categorisation Automates processes formerly carried out

by information professionals Many techniques in use

Technology trends

Federated search/metasearch/portals Execute a cross-file search across

bibliographic and full-text databases that do not share a common index using an XML version of Z39.50

Aim to create a one-stop information resource – a rival to Google!

Portals aim to customise information delivery – to minimise information overload

Several ILS vendors offer portal products

Technology trends

Web services ‘Self-contained, self-describing modular applications

that can be published, located and invoked across the Web’

XML plays a key role in defining requirements, behaviour and mediation formats

Google makes a Web services API available to developers – could be used by ILS developers

Deploying Web services for their users is a challenge to libraries – the potential is huge

Technology trends

RSS and blogging RSS a simple XML syntax for describing a

feed of recent additions to a web site. RSS content can derive from HTML

(‘scraping’), from a database, or from a CMS RSS content may include news items, blog

updates, library acquisitions, search results, (e.g. HubMed),TOCs etc.

Can be used by libraries to promote their services

Technology trends Users subscribe to the feed using an

aggregator or newsreader – may be a piece of desktop software, or a web-based service

Information is brought together in one place - a good way for the end-user to reduce information overload – avoids visiting numerous web sites or drowning in email newsletters

RSS-based search engines exist (e.g. Technorati) that search RSS sites

NHS library portals

National Library for Health, NHS Scotland e-Library, HOWIS

NLH and other portals will be influential in determining future pattern of service provision by independent health libraries

Planned NLH developments will use a Web services architecture for integration of services

NHS library portals New NLH services implemented or planned:

NHS-wide metasearch NHS e-print server Clinical question answering service Personalised alerts service Primary care current awareness service using

RSS Integration of library content into EPR and Map of

Medicine National document delivery service – to be piloted

Remote library services

Libraries are already providing: Question answering services ‘Ask a librarian’ 24/7 online reference – can

use Internet ‘chat’ applications for this End-user initiated document supply, e.g. BL,

BMA Library Ability to manage loan transactions online:

renewals, reservations, fines PDA-accessible services: alerts, searching

References Dempsey, Lorcan (2004) Pick up a portal. Update October Ebenezer, C M (2005) The new National Library for Health.

ASSIGnation 22(2) 35-41 Fichter, D (2004) Using RSS to create new services.

Online 28(4) 52ff. Johnston, P (2001) After the Big Bang: forces of change and e-

learning. Ariadne 27 www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue27/johnston/intro.html

Luther, Judy (2003) Trumping Google? Metasearching’s promise. Library Journal 10/1/03

OCLC (2004) 2004 information format trends: content, not containers www.oclc.org/reports/2004format.htm

References OCLC (2003) 2003 environmental scan

www.oclc.org/membership/escan/toc.htm Peacock, D et al. (2000 ) The role of LIS in supporting learning.

In Booth, A and Walton G (Eds.) Managing knowledge in health services; pp. 99-112. London: Library Association.

Royal College of Nursing (2004) Speaking up: nurses and NHS IT developments: qualitative analysis results of an online survey…www.rcn.org.uk/publications/ pdf/nurses_and_nhs_it_dev.pdf

Rhyno, A (2003) From library systems to mainstream software: how Web technologies are changing the role of the systems librarian. Library Hi Tech 21(3) 289-296

Wusteman, J (2004) RSS: the latest feed. Library Hi Tech 22(4) 404-413. www.ucd.ie/weusteman/lht/wusteman-rss.html