Introduction to the IESR Amanda Hill MIMAS, The University of Manchester, UK

Introduction to the IESR

Amanda HillMIMAS,

The University of Manchester, UK

2006-03-23 NSF Digital Library Service Registries workshop 2

Context

• Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) provides ICT infrastructure, resources and advice for United Kingdom universities and colleges

– Funds a large number of projects, as well as electronic collections for the research, learning and teaching communities

www.jisc.ac.uk


Current digital landscape

"…a vast and sometimes bewildering range of potential sources of electronic information.

Little wonder, then, that many users remain unaware of their existence or fail to discover their value for their own learning, teaching or research."

Investing in the Future:

Developing an Online Information Environment http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=ie_home


JISC Information Environment

"…aims to offer the user a more seamless and less complex journey to relevant information and learning resources"

"…will enable presentation, delivery and use of online resources in ways tailored to support individual and institutional requirements in learning, teaching and research"Information Environment: Development Strategy [c.2003] http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=strat_ieds0105_draft2


IE Technical Model

Information Environment: Development Strategy http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=strat_ieds0105_draft2


Shared Services

"To enable portals and other services to deliver diverse digital resources, machine-readable information about services, content, rights and users is required to act as the 'glue' between portals and the content itself."

Investing in the Future:

Developing an Online Information Environment http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=ie_home


Shared Services

"To enable portals and other services to deliver diverse digital resources, machine-readable information about services, content, rights and users is required to act as the 'glue' between portals and the content itself."


Information Environment Service Registry

• A catalogue of the electronic resources available within the JISC’s Information Environment

• Contains information about:– the resources themselves– how to access the resources– the resource provider(s)

• Is accessible by other applications via machine-to-machine interfaces


Project history

• Partners – MIMAS, University of Manchester– UKOLN, University of Bath– Cheshire Development Team, University of Liverpool

• Funded by JISC in three phases since November 2002

• Current phase started 1 March 2005


Current contents

• 257 electronic resources currently described, supplied by JISC-funded service providers

• 313 services registered, 162 agents

• We will be expanding our content to encompass non-JISC service providers: e.g.– institutional resources (digital repositories, OPACs)– resources of other UK Common Information

Environment partners (National Archives, British Library, National Health Service, BBC)


IESR for service providers

• Provides information about resources based on existing descriptive standards– A 'master description'– Can be re-used in a variety of contexts

• Advertises resources– Should lead to increased use


Issues

• Defining the scope of the IESR

• Embedding the IESR into the JISC IE

• Encouraging contributors to describe their resources: demonstrating benefit

• Ensuring quality and currency of metadata

• Keeping pace with changing/emerging technical standards

• Working with developers of applications that will make use of IESR: demonstrate value

IESR: A Registry of Collections and Services

Ann AppsMIMAS,

The University of Manchester, UK


Outline

JISC Information Environment Service Registry (IESR):

• IESR content description• IESR services• Using IESR• The future


IESR Content

• Descriptions of:– Collections of resources– Made available via Informational Services– Agents: Owners / Administrators– Transactional Services

• Service: a system that provides one or more functions to a consumer

• Contributed by resource providers• QA check by IESR content manager


IESR Entities

Collection

Service Agentadministers

ownsprovides access


IESR Entity Description

• Entities identified with URI• Described by metadata• Metadata defined by Application Profile

– Semantics– Occurrence– Searchable

• AP for human reading– More restrictive than XML schema


IESR Collection Metadata

• Based on RSLP Collection Description• Simplification for electronic resources• Consistent with:

– DCMI Collection Description Application Profile

– NISO MI Collection Description Specification

• Vocabularies for property values– Dewey subject backbone



IESR Service Metadata

• A few IESR properties to support discovery and registry application

• Single access method:– SRU, Z39.50, SOAP, OAI-PMH, Web/CGI

• Location URL• Prototype service type list, e.g. Alert • Interface property for some service

types using appropriate schema



Other Service types

• SOAP: Locator: access URL; Interface: WSDL

• SRU: Interface: ZeeRex

• SRW: Interface: ZeeRex; WSDL

• OAI-PMH: Locator: BaseURL

• OpenURL: Locator: BaseURL

• Web CGI: Interface: arguments

• Web page: Locator: URL


IESR Agent and Administrative Metadata

• Agent: contact details• Administrative:

– Included with every entity

• IESR includes:– creating organisation, publisher: IESR– latest modification date– rights to reuse descriptions: Creative Commons


IESR Services

• Z39.50 – Search via Bib-1 attributes– Results: text (SUTRS); composite XML

• OAI-PMH for harvesting: entity XML

• OpenURL Link-To Resolver– Implements IESR identifier resolution

• Web Search and Browse• Data Editor for Contributors


Use of IESR services, 2005-2006

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Accesses

Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb

2005-2006

Use of IESR by service interface

OAI

OpenURL

Z39.50

Web


Future Services

• SRU (NISO MI MXG)• Web Services SOAP / SRW (planned)• RSS• Data ingest by harvest• UDDI (under investigation)

– Mapping IESR data to UDDI– Prototype registry– Is there a requirement?


IESR Users

• DL Portal; Metasearch Application– amalgamated set of resources

• IESR provides:– Discovery of resource collections– Up-to-date details of access to collections– Discovery of transactional services

• RSS: personal DL portal• OpenURL resolvers


Portal Metasearch Scenario

• Social Science portal discovers collections with e.g. Z39.50 services

• Provides cross-search to end-user• Portal builder doesn’t need to know

about all resources• Users discover collections unaware of• Alternative: OAI-PMH harvest• Static use by Portal builder:

– Necessary for SOAP


Distributed Service Registries

• Scope of IESR– JISC, UK, international?– Scalability and Data ownership issues

• Distributed / federated model– Each node describes own resources

• How to cross search?– Metasearch; UDDI; – Aggregate by OAI-PMH harvest

• Rights issues: common CC Licence?


Standard Metadata Schema

• Sharing collection descriptions– Created by resource provider– Need common / derivable metadata schema

• NISO Metasearch Initiative / DCMI Collection Description– Provides a common core

• IESR a practical example application– Feedback to NISO MI and DCMI CD


IESR Future

• More and updated content• New IESR services• Maintenance of metadata schema

– Use by: OCKHAM; DEST

• Demonstrating viable IESR use• Persistence of content


IESR Details

Thank You! Questions?

Information: http://iesr.ac.uk/

Application Profile: http://iesr.ac.uk/profile/

XML Schema: http://iesr.ac.uk/schemas/iesr.xsd

Web Search: http://iesr.ac.uk/registry/

Z39.50 service: http://iesr.ac.uk/use/z3950/

OAI-PMH service: http://iesr.ac.uk/use/oaipmh/

IESR Helpline service: [email protected]

[email protected]

Documents

Introduction to the IESR Amanda Hill MIMAS, The University of Manchester, UK