February 06, 20131

Enhancing life-long learning, teaching and research through information resources and services

February 06, 20132

Putting the Aspire APIs to work

Dr Richard Cross, Resource Discovery and Innovation Team Manager

Libraries and Learning Resources

Talis Aspire User Group | Developer Unconference | 6 February 2013

February 06, 20133

Agenda

• Aspire List linking API

• Item linking API

• Bookmarklet API

• Aspire widgets

• Issues affecting API development

• APIs – possible future developments

February 06, 20134

Talis Aspire – list linking API

February 06, 20135

Aspire linking from the VLE

• Uses the Aspire list-linking API for dynamic deep-linking

•In development: displaying list content directly within the Virtual Learning Environment

• Calling .csv version of the file

• Fastest and lightest of the options

• Need still to review grouping, priority, pagination and presentation options

Next version…

•In development: tracking gaps in dynamic module provision

February 06, 20138

Talis Aspire – item linking API

February 06, 2013

Resource List item checker – mash-up

• Relic – Resource List Item Checker (using an Aspire API)

• http://www.urko.org.uk/library/rlms/relic/index.php?type=doi&search=10.1177/0309132509105004

9

February 06, 201310

Talis Aspire – bookmarklet API

February 06, 2013

Passing OpenURL metadata to Aspire

• LLR developed an SFX-RLMS bookmarking service

• Uses the Bookmarking API for Aspire (now supports OpenURL)

• Enables any OpenURL supporting service to become a bookmarking source

11

• Any metadata received by SFX can be sent to Aspire

• Several other customers have deployed this target service

February 06, 201312

Talis Aspire – widgets

13

‘Suppress Availability Message’ widget

February 06, 2013

‘Suppress Availability Message’ widget

14

February 06, 2013

‘Not current time period’ warning on list edit

• Developed by Talis in response to post-Rollover scenario posed by NTU

• Not customer coded! http://screencast.com/t/nDxTEpOfEu7

15

February 06, 201316

Talis Aspire – API issues

February 06, 2013

Issues affecting API development

• Limitations in the functionality of the existing APIs

• Absence of APIs outside the list / item context

• Linked data structure can require multiple data calls to return data from RDF triple store

• One-version-for-all API configuration

• Existence of lengthy and complex resource lists

• Learning curve on RDF

• Lack of development time and resource

Aspire side Local

February 06, 201318

Talis Aspire – APIs: possible future developments

February 06, 2013

Future Aspire API developments

• Extension of parameters passable in existing APIs

• Extension of new APIs to new areas of functionality and data

• Particular focus on end user interface construction by API

• Extension to collaborative customer-to-customer framework

• Agreement on new method for prioritising possible API enhancements

19

February 06, 201320

Comments?

Nottingham Trent University: Resource Lists

http://resourcelists.ntu.ac.uk

Richard Cross

Resource Discovery and Innovation Team Manager

Libraries and Learning Resources, Nottingham Trent University

richard.cross@ntu.ac.uk