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Unlocking Your ILS DataUnlocking Your ILS DataMobile access via handheld devices
Michael Doran, Systems Librarian
doran@uta.edu
LITA 2009 National ForumSalt Lake City, UtahOctober 3, 2009
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Where do we get our ILS data?
Our ILS data sits on a server, but to get at it we need an ILS client...
• Acquisitions• Cataloging• Circulation• OPAC• Reports• etc.
Integrated Library System
SQL> DROP DATABASE xxxdb;
Woo-hoo!Got SQL*Plus!This will
fix things!
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
ILS data – the gate keepers
catalogingclient
circulationclient
acquisitionsclient
OPACmobile client
“data”
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
To a computer...
...on a desk
... and for non-OPAC data, (generally)
in an office or behind a counter.
Where do we gogo to get the ILS data?
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Working in the trenches stacks
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
You could carry your PC with you
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
If we could access ILS data with a wireless-enabled hand-held device?
But wouldn’t it be nice...
Windows Mobile
Palm iPhone andiPod Touch any
smart phoneWiFi or cellular data networks
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
…not only for OPAC access…
Innovative Interface’s “AirPAC” catalog
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
…but also for staff
Stacks maintenance would be so much easier if I could look up stuff on a handset.
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
A vendor perspective
John McCullough, “Redesigning Library Applications for PDAs: ILS Vendor Perspective.” Library Hi Tech, 21:4 (2003), p. 396.
“At this time Innovative is releasing a wireless OPAC interface and developing wireless solutions for staff applications”
“Offline circulation suggests itself […and…] Inventory of the physical collection is a second area of great interest in PDAs.”
“Innovative Interfaces is currently developing a wireless Inventory product which will use a PDA to read barcodes using Bluetooth and populate an HTML form on a Web browser on the device. This form will then submit the barcodes over a wireless connection to the library database server and will return a response to the device indicating item status, whether the item is out of shelf order, and giving the option to dynamically, and from within the stacks, update the item record itself.”
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Vendor products for staff use
2004 – originally released as Wireless Workstation
2008 – rebranded as Circa
Innovative Interface’s “wireless solution for inventory and circulation functions”
SirsiDynix’s PocketCirc client “for circulation and inventory functions” 2004 – Unicorn ILS version 2009 – Horizon ILS version
Note: dates are approximate
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Back to the future…
2003
2009
20042005
20062007
2008
AirPAC
Circa &PocketCirc
Where’s my @#$% handheld app!
7
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Waiting for Godot the vendor
How long must we wait for a handheld client for our ILS?
…or one that does what we want?
…or one that doesn’t cost us extra dough?
4
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Waiting for Godot
Vendors are smart and competent Aware of the growing demand for mobile data access Have an intimate knowledge of the ILS systems Have crackerjack programmers
So what’s the hold up? ILS product life cycle – saturation stage No good pricing model for mobile clients
Vendor/ILS programming paradigm: One client/app that does everything
Mobile device programming paradigm: Many clients/apps that do one thing well
the vendor
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Back to the future…
2003
2009
20042005
20062007
2008
“…developing a wireless Inventory product which will use a PDA to read barcodes … and populate an HTML form on a Web browser … then submit the barcodes over a wireless connection to the library database server and will return a response to the device indicating item status…”
Inventory, SQL, Perl, wireless network, PDA, …bingo!
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
ShelfLister 1.0 – released in 2003
Generates a shelf listshelf list - a file of bibliographic records arranged in thesame order as the corresponding materials on the shelves
Additionally, includes any or all of... Item status Historical charges Historical browses Enhanced call number information
And allows user to save item information for batch updating ILS
Oooohh
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian 2
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
End barcode
Start barcode
Minimize data entry
ShelfLister 1.0
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doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian 3
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian 2
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Use as input file for bulk updating ILS
2
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Paging Mr. Godot…
All this time, we’ve been waiting for the vendor to
provide us with (and charge us extra for)
handheld apps.
We could havebeen developingthem ourselves.
But wait… we still can!
3
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Rocket scientists
This is not the Library Systems
staff at the University of Texas
at Arlington.
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
UT Arlington Library Systems staff
…before our first cup of coffee in the morning
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
So, if we can do it, you can do it
If I just knew what button to push!
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
All it requires is an “open” ILS system
They told me I didn’t need to know
what was inside.
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
All it requires is an “open” ILS system
This presenter really knows how to
flog a metaphor.
All I see is anempty box… where
are the donuts?
Did I say “donuts”?I meant data.
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
…and the “Four Knowings”
Know your ILS data
Know the available APIs
Know what you want to do
Know how to (web) program
It’s reallyquite simple!
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
1) Know your ILS data
Relational database system data dictionary – “a list of all
the tables in the database and all the fields in the tables”
entity-relationship diagrams – “a graphical representation of database entities and their relationships to each other”
mental model of data BLOBs and other problems
The leg bone’s connected to the
knee bone…
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Voyager ILS
Oracle Database
ShelfLister – 1st knowing
data
“Know your ILS data”
It’s all up here, baby!
2
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
2) Know the available APIs
Web services (XML, SOAP, RESTful, y.y.) Aleph : “X-Services” Voyager : Web Services Your ILS : ???
Library protocols Z39.50 ISO/ANSI/NISO Information Retrieval Protocol 3M SIP (Standard Interchange Protocol) 2.0 NCIP (NISO Circulation Interchange Protocol) DLF’s ILS Discovery Interfaces recommendation
Database connection e.g. Oracle/MySQL/etc. listener
Protocols…boor-ing!
Application Programming Interface
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
APIs – getting around the gate keepers
catalogingclient
circulationclient
acquisitionsclient
OPACZ39.50server
“data”
NCIPserver
webservicesOraclelistener
4
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Which API should you use?
What data can it read database connection – everything! web services, library protocols – eh, not so much
What data can it write database connection – (effectively) nothing web services, library protocols – it depends
Mix and match Response times/latency
All I see are zeros and ones!
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
ShelfLister – 2nd knowing
“Know the available APIs”
2003
2009
20042005
20062007
2008
Oracle listener
Web services
Voyager ILS
Voyager ILS
Oracle Database
data
listener
3
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
3) Know what you want to do
Public access Mobile OPAC? ????????
Staff access Inventory tool? ???????
Be ambitious But not too ambitious (at least the first time)
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
ShelfLister – 3rd knowing
Freethe data!
“Know what you want to do”
2
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
4) Know how to (web) program
I.e. server-side, not client-side Java C/C++ Ruby PHP Perl Lisp bourne shell whatever…
You must code in Perl.It’s the Law.
Just kidding! Use whatever
you want!
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
ShelfLister – 4th knowing
Voyager ILS
Oracle Database
data
listener
shelflister.cgi
Perl DBI/DBD::Oracle
SQL queries
“Know how to (web) program”
form generation,data munging, andformatting output
3
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
ShelfLister – 4th knowing
“Know how to (web) program”
“Most of the folks I know in app development are moving to standardization on web versus device specific development.”
Linda Woods, AT&T Education AdvocateIndustry & Mobility Application Solutionscomment at 2009 Handheld Librarian Online Conference
Web programming… heh, that’s not a real iPhone app!
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
You can (and should) do thisHow hard could it
be? If that imbecile Doran
could do one…
...and maybe a case of Red Bull.
Getting something tobeta would only take me a couple weeks.
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
The Tao of mobile web design
standards compliance web usability design minimal user (data) input design and testing
cross-browser cross-platform
A mobile web app must be as simple as possible, but no simpler.
A mobile web app should do one thing and do it well.
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Mobile design - browser compatibility
Internet Explorer
Firefox
Chrome
2
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
XHTML/HTML/CSS validation
XHTML/HTML CSS Accessibility
Get right with these before you get to the platform compatibility.
3
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
iPhone web apps (according to Apple)
Three types content: compatible with Safari on iPhone optimized for Safari on iPhone iPhone web application
“Most of the folks I know in app development are moving to standardization on web versus device specific development.”
Linda Woods, AT&T Education AdvocateIndustry & Mobility Application Solutionscomment at 2009 Handheld Librarian Online Conference
2
W3C standards compliant- no framesets or- unsupported technologies
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Mobile design – platform compatibility
viewport
4
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Mobile design – platform compatibility
3
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Mobile design – platform compatibility
Larger buttons for finger tapping
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Handheld emulators/simulators
Generally come with handheld OS SDKs webOS (Palm)
http://developer.palm.com/ iPhone (Apple)
http://developer.apple.com/iphone/ Android (Google & Open Handset Alliance)
http://developer.android.com/
Web-based simulators (be leery) Opera Mini Simulator – good
http://www.opera.com/mini/demo/ TestiPhone.com – absolutely worthless
Software Development Kit
Operating System
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Handheld emulators/simulators
Palm iPhone Android Opera Mini
3
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Mobile design – platform compatibility
2
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Test it on the real thing (handset), too!
Just need to… test… my app… one... more time.
Borrow from colleagues
Or, as a last resort…
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Don’t forget the documentation!
Mobile/handheld developer sites have useful information on how to “design for small”
Read it Seriously. Read it.
A viewport?Who knew? It’s a small
world after all.
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Example docs and websites
iPhone Principles and Guidelines for
Creating Great iPhone Content iPhone Human Interface
Guidelines for Web Applications Safari Web Content Guide for
iPhone OS Others
Opera Mini Developer resources many, many, more…
Reading? I just want to code!
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
ShelfLister version 2.0 (for handhelds)
End barcode
Start barcode
3
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
ShelfLister version 2.0 (for handhelds)
2
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
ShelfLister version 2.0 (for handhelds)
UTA hereby grants USER permissionto use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentationfor any purpose and without fee […]
3
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Source codehttp://rocky.uta.edu/doran/
2
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Open systems – ILSs
Hello ILS vendor?I’d like to order an
open system.
What does that mean? It means I want database
access. And web services. Yeah, and an NCIP server.
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Open systems – your mobile client
Consider releasing your mobile app as
free open source. It’s better than free beer!
Ask permission first, though!
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Asking permission http://rocky.uta.edu/doran/ip/
1
doran@uta.eduMichael Doran, Systems Librarian
Questions?
His lips are moving…but I can’t hear a thing
he’s saying.Doran
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