31 Aug 2003

Talking Systems

Janice SimTechnical Services Manager

University of Wales College, Newport

31 Aug 2003

Talking Systems

• One of the JISC funded DiVLE projects

• Linking Digital Libraries with VLEs

• October 2002 – July 2003

31 Aug 2003

Talking Systems

• To investigate the setting up of links

between the VLE - Lotus Learning Space

and the Sirsi Unicorn Library Management

System

31 Aug 2003

Dan Noyes - Project Manager

Centre for Learning Development

Project website:

www.newport.ac.uk/talkingsystems

31 Aug 2003

Partners

• Sirsi UK

• IBM – Lotus Software

• Percussion Software UK

• Lancaster University, Library and Information

Systems

31 Aug 2003

Aims

To create SCORM learning objects and

transfer metadata from these objects to a

Bath Profile compliant Z39.50 server

31 Aug 2003

Why?• To find content across multiple Virtual Learning

Environments e.g. Lotus Learning Space, Blackboard, WebCT

• To standardise search behaviour across disparate e-learning resource bases

• To open access to learning content metadata beyond our institution

31 Aug 2003

SCORM

• Shareable Content Object Reference Model

• Funded by the US Department of Defense.

• Emerging specification combining a

number of existing standards

31 Aug 2003

SCORM

• Specifies a standard way to describe sequenced content that is to be used by a single learner– The learner can identify a specific learning

requirement and have a bespoke tutorial created from distributed content to answer this requirement

31 Aug 2003

SCO

• SCOs represent a collection of one or more

shareable resources that include a specific

launchable asset that uses the SCORM run-

time environment to communicate with a

learning management system.

31 Aug 2003

SCORM learning objects

• The SCORM had not previously been used at UWCN

• Stored using a Windows 2000 development server running an IBM Lotus Domino platform.

31 Aug 2003

SCORM learning objects

• Data is stored in Domino in forms and a

single form was created for SCO input to

automate the production of metadata

31 Aug 2003

SCO FormThree sections:

1. The basic metadata provided by the content author

2.The SCO content itself

3. Automatically created metadata matched to

MARC fields using the Dublin Core crosswalk on

the Library of Congress website

31 Aug 2003

Source data

• A Lotus Domino database of 500 pieces of mainly HTML formatted text each of about 300 words making up a fledgling study skills database.

• This was copied to the mini VLE on the development server

31 Aug 2003

SCORM content

Next steps:

• Stringing the individual documents together to make SCOs and content structure

• Macromedia Authorware used to aggregate and sequence the elements making up tutorials

31 Aug 2003

Percussion Notrix

Originally planned to use ODBC scripting to push data to the Unicorn server but this was not supported.

The live Unicorn library system was used in this project, not a test server.

31 Aug 2003

Unicorn Library System

• Importing records

• Linking to the VLE (s)

• Searching

31 Aug 2003

Unicorn – Importing records

• ODBC scripting not supported

• Bibload– Perfectly successful and capable of being

automated using FTP and reports– Definitely not new

31 Aug 2003

Unicorn – Linking to the VLE

• Searching the catalogue to find items

• Using the 856 field to link to objects in the VLE

31 Aug 2003

Unicorn - Searching

Using the Webcat or a Z39.50 client

to find a MARC record with a URL pointing

to a Domino document or an Authorware

tutorial

31 Aug 2003

31 Aug 2003

31 Aug 2003

31 Aug 2003

31 Aug 2003

What Is Z39.50

• A search and retrieval protocol which enables clients and servers from different vendors to communicate with each other

• Searches are mapped from Z39.50 to the local search protocol and can be run against more than one target at a time

31 Aug 2003

Z39.50

Not the easiest feature of Unicorn to use

Not understood by network staff

- Frequently firewall issues

When access is achieved

- Often error messages

31 Aug 2003

Z39.50 search

Should have 6 attributes each given a numerical value e.g.• Use - such as title, author or ISSN• Relation - equal, greater than, less than• Position - any position in field, first• Structure - word, word list or phrase• Truncation - right hand truncation or do not truncate• Completeness - complete field, incomplete subfield

31 Aug 2003

Unicorn Bath Z Server Behaviour FIND TITLE KEYWORD = “FISH”

Attribute Value Name

use 4 title (keyword indexing policy)

relation 3 equal

position 3 any position in field (keyword)

structure 2 word

truncation 100 do not truncate

completeness 1 incomplete subfield

31 Aug 2003

Where does it go wrong?

• Most vendors do not document their Z39.50 servers capabilities

• Some vendor documentation is inaccurate

• Many exhibit default behaviour when they receive attribute combinations they don’t support giving unreliable search results

• All six attributes are not compulsory

31 Aug 2003

Current State Of Z Implementations

31 Aug 2003

Current State Of Z Implementations

31 Aug 2003

Z Answers

• A recent development in Sirsi is the delivery of preconfigured search name maps for each vendor’s server

• U2003 clients can send all 6 attribute values for a Z search

• Use the Bath profile to fully define searches and make Z39.50 work

31 Aug 2003

Bath Profile

• Bath profile defines which of the combinations of attributes a Bath compliant server should be able to handle and the nature of the response. A core set of requirements.

• University of North Texas is able to test a Z39.50 server for compliance

31 Aug 2003

Z39.50 and Talking Systems

• To meet our aim of searching across disparate sources standardisation was needed.

• For this reason it was decided that our server should be made Bath profile compliant.

• A consultant was needed!

31 Aug 2003

Our consultant

• Slavko Manojlovich

• Memorial University of Newfoundland

• Sirsi’s Z39.50 guru!

31 Aug 2003

Changes to Unicorn

• A new format for Dublin Core records

• A new Library policy (ELECTRONIC! A godsend for E-books, journals and databases and the best bit of the whole project)

• New keyword indexes, name, title, subject and number for each format

31 Aug 2003

Keyword Indexes

• The changes to the keyword indexes for each

MARC field took about 4 days work, following

the specification from Texas.

• The result was a Bath Profile compliant server,

one of the first if not the first in the UK.

31 Aug 2003

The end of the project

• Work will continue to make links between the systems

• The project showed that the SCORM approach is complex and difficult to apply across the institution

• Bath profile provides a good basis for e-learning content discovery.

31 Aug 2003

Slavko ManojlovichZ39.50 clients and servers : the current state of affairs. http://nofish.library.mun.ca/stlouisu2003.ppt

Peter GethinWhy the Bath profile makes Z39.50 workLiber Quarterly 11(4), pp. 372- 381

31 Aug 2003

Useful links

Dr Ed’s SCORM course

www.jcasolutions.com/SC12/index.html

Paul Miller

Z39.50 for all

www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue21/z3950/intro.html