eXtensible Catalog

eXtensible CatalogJennifer Bowen

University of Rochester

Agenda

• What is XC and why are we building it?• XC’s approach to metadata– XC Schema– XC Services

• XC software overview: how does it work?• The XC Metadata Services Toolkit• Wrap-up, and What’s next?

What do libraries need?

• Better web presence for resource discovery• A low-effort solution (keep ILS)• Metadata that “works” on the web• An affordable solution• Choices, flexibility

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Enabling multiple baskets

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The eXtensible Catalog

• Set of open-source tools • Facilitate resource discovery and metadata

management• Funding from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

and from XC partner institutions• Software release: March 2009 (but still being

developed)• Governance: not-for-profit

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XC will provide…

• Architecture for moving and managing metadata using OAI-PMH– Works with other OAI-PMH applications

• Five separate “toolkits”• Out-of the-box user-interface functionality• A different paradigm for moving and managing

metadata

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Partnerships

LibLime

Casey Bisson

Georgia PINES

Cornell Ohio State Yale Rochester

User Research Partners:

Technology Development Partners:

Evergreen

Koha

Scriblio

Aleph

Voyager

III

Notre Dame

CARLI (Illinois)

Oregon StateRIT

SUNY Buffalo

Rochester

eXtensible Catalog Project

• Studying users• Building software• Defining governance

Studying Users

• Survey of 68 representative libraries• Wanted to address not-yet-identified user

needs• Twenty interviews at each site• On-camera search• Magic wands• Team based analysis

Building Software

• User Interface: Next-generation library website and search interface

• Metadata Tools: Aggregate metadata from various repositories to enable fast searching

• Connectivity: Create open standards interfaces to Integrated Library Systems

Defining Governance

• Creating the eXtensible Catalog Organization• Host the software and make it available• Foster a community of users and developers• Address software bugs• Encourage code contributions by other

software developers

How is XC different?

• Metadata management– Aggregation– FRBRization– Improves other discovery interfaces

• Uses standards• Native web content• User generated metadata

XC software toolkits

• OAI Toolkit• NCIP Toolkit• Metadata Services Toolkit (MST)• Drupal Toolkit• Learning Management System Toolkit

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XC’s Metadata Services Toolkit

• Based upon proposed NSDL metadata services hub (Hillmann, Sutton, Phipps)

• Enables libraries to aggregate metadata and run services on it

• User interface for managing metadata services• NOT a metadata editor (but can eventually

incorporate one)

XC metadata

Suck it in – Harvest metadata using OAI-PMH

Clean it up– XC Metadata Services Toolkit (MST)

Share it– MST and XC user applications

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XC advantages for metadata

• Enables automated handling of metadata changes:– New records, updates, deletes– Propagates changes throughout the system

• Web interfaces for trouble-shooting• Low risk of data corruption (easy to fix)• Ideal platform for experimentation

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The XC schema: Why?

• Wanted a FRBR-based schema• Waiting for RDA not an option• Needed a schema to enable XC user interface

functionality• Retain granularity of MARC• Facilitate transformation from Dublin Core• Eventually: DC application profile

The XC schema: Elements

• All properties from dcterms namespace• 22 RDA elements (rdvocab namespace)• 11 RDA role designators (rdarole namespace)• XC namespace: 37 elements– Parallel elements to DC properties– Other elements needed for XC functionality

• User-generated metadata – next step

The XC schema: Structure

• Five levels: FRBR Group 1 levels– Work, expression, manifestation, item

• Also a level for “Holdings”– Between manifestation and item– “Placeholder” for summary holdings data

• A valid record can have any one level, multiple levels, or multiples of one level

Advantages of the XC schema

• Flexible, extensible• Optimized to enable XC functionality• Will give us experience manipulating separate

records that represent individual FRBR levels• Not intended for general use• Can be as complex as it needs to be

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Sharing metadata

• Share MARCXML, with enrichments• Share other schemas with enrichments

or transformed • Share XC Schema• Share user-generated metadata

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Sharing software

• Share metadata enrichment services–Libraries can use an existing XC service

as is or modify it –Libraries can develop and share

additional services

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XC metadata services

• Normalization: transform coded metadata so that it can be used/displayed

• Schema transformation: – MARC to XC, DC to XC

• FRBRization• Authority control matching• Aggregation

Normalization Services

• MARCXML, Dublin Core• Stays in same schema• Prepares metadata for use in web applications

(faceted browse interface) or back into an ILS• Examples of normalized coded data:– Location codes– Languages– Type of material

Transformation Services

• MARCXML to XC Schema; DC to XC Schema• Parses data into FRBR Group 1 entity structure

(work, expression, manifestation, item, plus holdings)

• Creates additional works and expressions for MARC analytics (7XX fields)

Authority Control Services

• MARCXML, Dublin Core• Match headings against MARCXML authority

resource file• Populate records with authority control

identifier• Tool for debugging probable, unlikely matches• Prototype developed by RIT students

Aggregation Service

• Prepares metadata for use in XC user interfaces (Drupal and LMS Toolkits)

• Aggregates records that represent the same resource

• Manages relationships between records• Will give us experience managing FRBRized

records

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New roles for catalogers

• Design and test metadata services• Manage flow of metadata • System/application design• User research

XC Software Overview

Software Overview

• User Interface:

• Metadata Tools:

• Connectivity:

Drupal Toolkit

OAI Toolkit

Metadata Services Toolkit

Record CleanupFRBRization

Authority ControlAggregation

NCIP Toolkit

LMS Toolkit

OAI-PMH

OAI-PMH

ILS

Software Overview




• Metadata Tools:

OAI Toolkit NCIP Toolkit• Connectivity:

Drupal Toolkit• User Interface:

Repository

NCIP

LMS Toolkit

Software Overview

• Moves metadata with OAI-PMH– Existing sources– OAI Toolkit + ILS– OAI Toolkit + repository– All XC components can talk OAI-PMH– Works with any metadata schema– Synchronizes

Software Overview

• Integrates circulation with NCIP – NCIP Toolkit + ILS– XC discovery interface talks NCIP– Live circulation status– Authentication– Places circulation requests (hold, recall, etc)

NCIP

OAI-PMH

OAI-PMH

ILS

Software Overview




• Metadata Tools:


Drupal Toolkit• User Interface: LMS Toolkit





• Metadata Tools:

• New type of cataloging tool• Services– Automated– Configurable– Pluggable

• User interface for library staff, not end users

NCIP

OAI-PMH

OAI-PMH

ILS

Software Overview




• Metadata Tools:



Software Overview

Search Features• Out-of-the-box search interface• Faceted-browsing of results• Include traditional, digital, and website resources• FRBRization – group related resources by “work”• Easy and robust search customization

• User Interface: Drupal Toolkit LMS Toolkit

Software Overview

Platform for your library website• Integrate discovery with library website• Capture and display user generated metadata• Free add-on features (e.g. tagging, blogs)• Build custom applications• Share code with other libraries

• User Interface: Drupal Toolkit LMS Toolkit

Software Overview

Learning Management Features• User interface for librarians and instructors to:– Associate a resource with a course or range of courses– Migrate associations

• Display library resources within an LMS• Blackboard plug-ins included• Other LMS support through web services

Drupal Toolkit LMS Toolkit

NCIP

OAI-PMH

OAI-PMH

ILS

Software Overview




• Metadata Tools:







• Metadata Tools:

• New type of cataloging tool• Services– Automated– Configurable– Pluggable

• User interface for library staff, not end users


• Add Repositories• Schedule Harvests• Orchestrate Services• Browse Records• Make improved metadata available




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Wrap-up, and, What’s next?

Low-hanging fruit?

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… a platform to reach higher

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Reaching higher with XC

• Separate metadata manipulation from discovery application

• Facilitate compatibility of metadata from various schemas

• Enable metadata enrichment• Provide an infrastructure for automated

metadata management that is easy to use

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Sustaining the XC Community• eXtensible Catalog Organization• Board of Managers• 1-2 staff developers• Founders• Supporters• Corporate Affiliates

Why support the eXtensible Catalog Organization?

• Ensure that XC Software remains viable in the future

• Share information about XC with other users• Support the development and use of open-

source software in libraries• Give libraries choices• Give libraries control

More about XC

• XC software overview (Webcast)http://www.screencast.com/users/eXensibleCatalog70 minutes, in 6 parts

• XC metadata white paper and documentationhttp://www.extensiblecatalog.org/MetadataReports

• eXtensible Catalog Project websitewww.eXtensibleCatalog.org

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http://www.screencast.com/users/eXensibleCatalog

http://www.extensiblecatalog.org/MetadataReports

http://www.extensiblecatalog.org/

Comments/Questions?

Jennifer [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

eXtensibleCatalog.org

Documents

eXtensible Catalog