access to distributed resources lorcan dempsey vp, research research library directors conference...
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Access to distributed resources
Lorcan DempseyVP, Research
Research Library Directors Conference OCLC Institute Post-Conference, "Building the Global Digital Library: Access, Transform, Create, Integrate," Wednesday, March 6
From portal to environment From portal to environment
• Unified discovery experience across heterogeneous resources
• Focus on access rather than use
• Overview
– Retrospective look at portals (Z)
– OAI
– Towards an information environment
The portal/gateway/broker – mid 90sThe portal/gateway/broker – mid 90s
PresentationPresentation
MediationMediation
ResourcesResources
IndividualpresentationIndividualpresentation
Independent applicationsIndependent applications
MonolithicMonolithic
Aligned presentationAligned presentation
IndependentapplicationsIndependentapplications
MonolithicMonolithic
FlexiblepresentationFlexiblepresentation
United serviceUnited service
Components/dataComponents/data
UseUseUse
RequestLocateDiscover Deliver
Vertical and horizontal integrationVertical and horizontal integration
Z39.50Z39.50Collection/itemCollection/item
Z39.50ResolutionZ39.50Resolution
Z39.50ILLZ39.50ILL
Distributed services access
Search Interfaces
RequestInterfaces
DeliveryInterfaces
Authentication &
authorisation User
profilesInformationlandscape
User access
Collection Description
SchemaDescription
ServiceDescription
Environment intelligence
Broker component examplesBroker component examples
Some observationsSome observations
• ‘interoperability’ a mantra
• Scepticism about ‘strong’ interoperability
• Limited targets
• Information landscape vs information brandscape
• Some emerging demand
– Reference linking
– Metadata sharing (OAI)
– Authentication/authorisation
OAI-based mediationOAI-based mediation
OAIOAIHarvesterHarvester
OAIOAIHarvesterHarvester
WebWebBrowserBrowser
WebWebBrowserBrowser
UnionUnionCatalogCatalogUnionUnion
CatalogCatalog
DC/MARC
HTML
OAI Server#1OAI Server#1DC & EADDC & EAD
OAI Server#1OAI Server#1DC & EADDC & EAD
OAI Server#2OAI Server#2DC & MARCDC & MARC
OAI Server#2OAI Server#2DC & MARCDC & MARC
OAI Server#3OAI Server#3DC & VRADC & VRA
OAI Server#3OAI Server#3DC & VRADC & VRA
DCDC
MARCMARC
DC
Z and OAI working togetherZ and OAI working together
• http://www.humbul.ac.uk
• http://www.rdn.ac.uk
• http://www.renardus.org
RDN
EEVLBIOME
HUMBUL PSIgateSOSIG
Z39.50
Z39.50 client,e.g. Renardus
OAI-PMHOAI-PMH
PersonPerson
PersonPerson
PersonPerson
Towards an information environmentTowards an information environment
• No single resource is the sole focus of a user’s attention
• In a distributed environment resources can be specialized to provide particular function
• Leverage communication between resources to add value to user’s experience
sharedservices
portals
content
brokersand
aggregators
provision
mediationinfrastructure
presentation
Presentation/PortalsPresentation/Portals
• Surface resources, pulling together other services available in the environment
• Learning management, library portal, ‘button’ services
• Tools for manipulation, analysis, assembly, play, …
• No prescription
Infrastructure/Shared servicesInfrastructure/Shared services
• Add value to applications by being provided as part of infrastructure
• Directory services: environment intelligence
– Collection description
– Service description
– Schema description
Infrastructure/Shared servicesInfrastructure/Shared services
• Resolution
– Resolution service
– Institutional profiling
– Personal profiling
• Authorization
• Knowledge services
– Gazetteer
– Terminology services
Applications/MediationApplications/Mediation
• Services which mediate access to distributed heterogeneous resources
– Search services (z39.50, ..)
– Gathering services (OAI, ..)
– Alerting services
ContentContent
• Metadata and data of interest
A note on metadataA note on metadata
• Data which supports operations on entities– Life cycle
• Creation, discovery, assembly, administrative, contextual, preservation, rights, …
– Domain• Learning, library, archives, etc
A couple of other ‘consensus’ issuesA couple of other ‘consensus’ issues
• Semantic diversity – common sense
– subject
– audience level (who is this resource aimed at?)
– resource type (what kind of resource is this?)
– certification (who has created this resource?)
• Collection description
Some issuesSome issues
• Focus on standards and acronyms needs to give way to a focus on architecture
– Clarifies roles and relationships
– Bridges between business and technical perspectives by identifying specialised functions
• Our organisational and business models do not well support such an approach
– E.g. How do we secure infrastructure
AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments
• Draws on work done over several years within UKOLN models project and the DNER
– http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/models
– http://www.dner.ac.uk/arch
• http://www.oclc.org/research/staff/dempsey/publications.shtm