Issue 30 | WINTER 2013
Silver Linings
Moving Library Management into the Cloud
Re-writing the Book
Digital innovation and traditional values come
together in Birmingham’s new library
Transforming college libraries
A new LMS for Further Education
All change for RFID
– ensure you stay up to date
WELCOME TO PANLIBUS
12
Reach your audience
Leeds City
Council
Welcome to my first edition of Panlibus Magazine. Our Winter
edition has a technological flavour, focusing on the benefits that
technology brings not just to frontline library staff, but to their
customers and partners, whether they’re students or members of
the public.
18
RFID Technology Futures within
the Library
4-5 Library of Birmingham –
Rewriting the book
The new Library of Birmingham
was finally unveiled to the public in
September and has received much
publicity at a local and international
level. Brian Gambles, Director,
Library of Birmingham, explains the
planning and delivery involved in
providing a world-class facility.
digital signage
desktop messaging
mobile applications
solus.co.uk/app
Solus UK Ltd
James Watt Building, James Watt Avenue, East Kilbride G75 0QD
Tel. 01355 813600 Email. [email protected] Web. www.solus.co.uk
The
winter issue 2013
14 People’s Network – exploring
new directions
Insight Media provide examples
of where significant benefits and
cost-saving advantages can be
associated with shared service
delivery to deliver enhanced IT
services.
16-17 Big data – augmented
discovery
Phil John, Capita’s Web Application
Technical Lead, discusses how
unlocking the full potential of the
myriad of data sources you curate,
generate or process is becoming
ever more vital for a library service
in the 21st century.
6 Mobile devices and library
strategy: Meeting expectations
Paul Williams, Birmingham City
University’s eLibrary Manager, talks
about the mobile strategy adopted
at BCU, the voice of their students
and why the provision of services
through mobile devices is no longer
a nice-to-have extra but simply
18-19 RFID technology Futures
expected.
within the library
Mick Fortune reviews the changes
8-9 Reshaping copyright
ahead for Library RFID, outlining the
clearance
standards and key developments
Nottingham Trent University Library you should be aware of.
and Learning Resources simplify
their digitisation workflow, automate 20-21 Discovery and catalogue
complex copyright clearance
inter-operability
checks and deliver scanned
Solving the challenges of
materials to students in their course integration through partnership
reading lists with the help of Talis
and collaboration, the University of
Aspire Education.
Winchester met the challenge of
integrating a discovery service and
10 Capita launch Strato, a new
a library catalogue that met both
LMS for colleges
the needs of the library and the
Panlibus interview Capita’s Head of demands of its students.
Libraries, Karen Reece, about the
launch of their new LMS into the
26 Nielsen
Further Education sector, a logical
Nielsen LibScan most borrowed
step for Capita.
titles over the period 11th August to
7th September, which sees fiction
12-13 Leeds City Council
still dominating the Neilsen LibScan
In this case study we hear about
borrowing chart, with Crime, Thriller
Leeds City Council’s decision to
and Adventure taking seven of the
move their Library Management
ten places.
System to a fully hosted cloud
solution from Capita.
I was delighted recently when I boarded a train heading to Birmingham
City Centre and several stops into my journey, some very excited
primary school children boarded the train. Their teacher explained that
they were going to visit the new Library of Birmingham.
Whether this was a coincidence or not, I thought it was quite ironic - and
timely - given my new role. Here, Brian Gambles, Director, Library of
Birmingham, provides us with an overview of the planning involved to
deliver world-class facilities that incorporate emerging technologies to
provide engaging experiences for their customers.
This issue’s articles span both public and academic libraries, where we
have looked at the success achieved by implementing technology and
solutions that can really make a difference to front line services.
These range from the use of mobile technology, expected as a given
by customers today, to simplifying digitisation workflow and automating
complex copyright clearance checks, through to a move by Leeds City
Council to move to a fully hosted cloud based solution.
Insight Media Internet explain the potential to apply some of the same
principles to the delivery of other library services, given that the People’s
Network and public access computers are now integral to the library’s
core service provision.
Mick Fortune also provides us with insight into the changes ahead for
Library RFID and standards.
So lots of content to digest and I hope you enjoy this issue. We
encourage you to get in touch with your thoughts on any of the articles.
If you have any topics you would like to share with the library world in
future issues, then I would be extremely pleased to hear from you as I
am now planning for 2014.
Wendy Pugh
Editor,
Panlibus Magazine
[email protected]
Panlibus Magazine is a Capita production
ISSN 1749-1002
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Birmingham Business Park
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United Kingdom
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The views expressed in this magazine are
those of the contributors for which Capita
accepts no responsibility. Readers should take
appropriate advice before acting on any issue
raised. Reproduction in whole or part without
written permission is strictly prohibited.
©Capita. All rights reserved. Capita and the
Capita logo are trademarks of Capita or its
licensors in the United Kingdom and/or other
countries. Other companies and products
mentioned may be the trademarks of their
respective owners.
www.capita.co.uk/libraries | Winter 2013 | Panlibus Magazine
3
Library of Birmingham – Rewriting the book
Library of Birmingham – Re-writing the Book
Library of Birmingham –
“Rewriting the book”
Brian Gambles,
Director,
Library of Birmingham (LoB)
Our vision for the Library of Birmingham
aimed to provide world-class facilities
combining digital innovation and the best
traditional values of library and archive
services. To meet this vision we wanted to
embrace emerging technologies so as to
create new and engaging experiences for our
customers.
In the early stages of the building design
and the developing digital vision for LoB, we
spent time talking to innovators in the digital
space. A dialogue took place with the more
traditional innovators such as IBM and Philips,
online leaders like Google, Amazon and
emerging creative SMEs working in the digital
space.
Challenge to libraries
The challenge was to deliver digital in a
way that was relevant to existing and new
customers, but as part of both the physical
experience in the building and the increasingly
important online journey.
From late 2008, the Library of Birmingham
engaged with Service Birmingham, the
City’s ICT partner, to build a team within the
library project, who would lead the digital
strategy development, ICT implementation
and subsequently the service transformation.
Even at this stage, the LoB recognised the
importance of a new transformed business
model enabled by ICT, as was clearly stated in
the original ICT Blueprint for LoB:
4
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
“Taken in its totality this model represents
a new paradigm of customer-focused service
delivery which only becomes possible through
enabling ICT. It releases staff using a range
of technologies and new working practices to
play an increasingly customer-focused role. It
represents a revolution in customer interaction
and service and is entirely consistent with the
developing social themes of personalisation of
service, social interaction and the delivery of a
rewarding, fulfilling and sustainable experience
to the future customer of the library.”
Digital infrastructure
In shaping our programme for ICT,
we recognised the importance of stable
foundations to support the future delivery of
digital services.
With this in mind, we have invested in a
robust future-proofed infrastructure across the
building, comprising of gigabit ethernet across
all floors, redundant high speed wide area
network links and a quality communications
systems. All ICT operates across the IP
network supporting voice, data and wifi
provision.
In the same way that the structural design of
the LoB was critical to get right, so was the ICT
infrastructure supporting all of our online and
in-building services.
As our ICT Programme Manager, Peter
Marsden reported in the first week after
opening, “The ICT systems in the building
have stabilised very quickly, with only a handful
of helpdesk calls outstanding at the end of the
first week of opening. The 4,200 public wifi
sessions and 3,000 internet PC sessions in
the first week were completed by customers
with virtually no problems. This was in the
main due to a robust design and thorough
implementation of the ICT infrastructure.”
New ICT solutions
opening we have received much positive
feedback from visitors with examples such
as: “The whole library is an adventure – I
especially loved the new technology”.
Major new investment into ICT solutions
commenced in 2009 to build a range of
systems to support the future customer
interactions, which included:
The LoB has also developed a modern
digitally enabled conference, interview and
training suite.
• A
new digital asset management system for
digitised content.
• The replacement of the existing library
management system for book issue,
management and automation.
• A new LoB branded web-site to deliver
digital content and library services.
Following the successful opening of the
LoB, internet access throughout the building
has continued to be in high demand with
a mix of standard, research, microform
and information point PCs. Self service
touch based information points have been
well received and are in constant use by
customers, providing access to the book
catalogue, FAQs, membership joining and
building features.
Customer facing staff enabled with hands
free Vocera “mobile telephony” devices
provide instant, wifi supported conversations
with colleagues anywhere in the building.
Plans are progressing to provision iPad
devices to staff in dealing with customer
enquiries.
Building wide digital engagement
Throughout the building there has been an
emphasis on customer interaction and self
service but at all times we have worked closely
with the architects to ensure that the digital
experience integrates into the building design.
Examples of what has been delivered
include: a large 22 screen digital gallery;
an events and marketing media wall in the
foyer; multiple digital screens across the
building; digital enabled gallery space; suite
of BFI Mediatheque booths; interactive touch
tables with digitised archive content and an
interactive screen based Kinect application
situated in the café area. In the time since
Internet access
Innovation
Digital innovation delivering new online
customer experiences has been at the heart of
the LoB development, with a clear recognition
of the potential to address new channels
of access and build commercially viable
platforms for the cultural sector. Partnerships
with national agencies, online suppliers and
local creative and digital SMEs have been
critical to this area of development. With some
innovative research and development, the LoB
has achieved much in repositioning libraries
in the digital online space. Examples of this
include:
Digital Gallery: Using a multi-screen
array and digital processor unit, amazing
library content is displayed in a wide range of
existing formats. The first digital gallery at the
Library showcases a photographic collection
of 1000 personalised self portrait photos of
Birmingham people.
Dozens & Trails: This mobile app provides
the user with access to the broad range of
LoB collections and content either through
‘Dozens’ - a presentation of 12 linked assets
from the LoB, or ‘Trails’ - themed trails around
the city. Users can share assets via their
social media networks as well as purchase
high quality prints of some of the collections
through a print on demand service which has
been built into the app.
Google partnership: The LoB has become
the first public library partner with Google’s
Cultural Institute - a visual online exhibition
platform. This partnership will provide
access to a worldwide audience for LoB’s
collections. Other partners include the Anne
Frank Museum, Nelson Mandela Archive and
Smithsonian Library.
ways of engaging with customers. For the LoB,
it is primarily about enriching the customer’s
experience through the technology. We
recognised the importance of sustaining the
digital experience through future proofing the
technology (where possible) and developing
opportunities for our partners to work with us
on new investments in innovation to sustain
the vision for LoB’s digital journey.”
The LoB has established itself as a major
visitor attraction. As one of our recent visitors
says, “Good work, stunning on the outside,
stunning on the inside. Absolutely fantastic!”
but we will need to keep our digital innovation
fresh with new initiatives and ongoing
investment.
Information Overlord: Build your own
Library of Birmingham, this prototype mobile
/browser based game is based around a
resource management theme and gives an
informal experience through which to find
out more about the wide variety of content,
collections and services that the LoB offers.
FLIC: Future Libraries Interactive Catalogue
uses visual search to explore the book
catalogue and collections. This application in
development will illustrate the size and scale of
the Library’s holdings and enable exploration
through deep zoom technology.
Photo: Christian Richter
Future
The LoB has achieved much, but as our
innovation lead Rebecca Bartlett explains
we are still in the early stages of developing
the LoB’s digital strategy and sustainability is
crucial. “There is a significant risk that digital
innovation in 2013 will quickly be superseded
as new technologies emerge along with new
FIND OUT MORE
Web: http://www.libraryofbirmingham.com/
Twitter: @LibraryofBham
www.capita.co.uk/libraries | Winter 2013 | Panlibus Magazine
5
Mobile devices and library strategy
Mobile devices and library strategy:
Meeting expectations
Paul Williams ,
eLibrary Manager,
Birmingham City University
Ask anybody who has recently started a
new job in unfamiliar surroundings, and they
will always tell you that it takes a little while
to understand the culture of your new place
of work. Libraries are complex places, with
interdependent teams of very committed
individuals, high standards and a central
service to deliver. They need common goals to
bring them together, a sense of strategy and
purpose, and these need to be articulated with
clarity and a genuine drive to just get it right.
So, as a new member of the team, on my
first day at Birmingham City University, this
is what I was looking for. What did they see
as the most important factor that brings us
together? The answer was clear – we work in
partnership with students, engage with them
in their issues and use every opportunity
to understand what they want from our
service. This message comes through at
every meeting, every corridor conversation,
and underpins every key decision we make,
so as organisational cultures go, it’s pretty
unmistakeable.
Why am I telling you this in an article on
mobile strategies? Well, the uptake of mobile
technology is one of those areas where the
student voice has been quite unambiguous.
Our formal conversations with our student
partners, our feedback gathered online and
in the libraries themselves, and those allimportant chats over the helpdesk all indicate
that provision of our services through mobile
devices is no longer a nice-to-have fringe
benefit. It’s quite simply expected and if we
don’t reflect that in our plans, then we risk
becoming dangerously disconnected from
those students who we work so closely with.
Let’s take a very practical example of this in
action. In common with most University (and
many public) libraries, we now provide access
to an enormous, varied and multi-platform
6
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
array of online resources. At last count, our
resource discovery system numbered over
85 million articles and our library catalogue
served an ever-growing number of users, all
keen to view or download full text books and
articles from wherever they were. While the
last few years have established the model
that people can access at whatever time
they feel most appropriate –“Studying at
3am? No problem, use one of our ebooks!”
- location was a little more binary. Are you
on campus or off? This has become a much
more nuanced conversation very quickly, and
it is reflecting in how we plan our provision.
Expectations dictate that I can access your
service on the train, on my iPad, my mobile,
my previously unheard of tablet that I bought
on eBay. This is not a nice extra which can
make us feel like we’re going the extra mile,
this is pure expectation. Mobile devices are so
all-pervasive across our student body that it
is simply common sense for us to continually
audit our resources to understand how they
work across these platforms. If we don’t
know, we can’t support, advise and purchase
effectively, and that isn’t an option.
Of course, this expectation extends to our
staff too, and here in the eLibrary at BCU, we
feel this very keenly. Staff from across the
department use mobiles and tablets for all
manner of everyday activities, and naturally
expect this to extend to their work, looking
to us for the right tools. Soprano, Capita’s
LMS mobile web application, is the first of
many steps in this direction, opening the
circulation functionality of Alto (Capita’s LMS)
up to library staff in a range of settings across
the University. Student rovers in our libraries
use a fleet of iPads to help their peers settle,
help them understand the library a little
better, and resolve any of those all-important
account issues. For colleagues across the
department, this is expanding into using
Soprano as part of their outreach activities,
taking a tablet device into the departments
and social spaces, advising students on
the resources available to them using the
personalised recommendations. In line with
their expectations, it’s easy to navigate, quick
and simple to use, and very visual.
It’s easy to make incorrect assumptions that
passing trends are a deep-rooted change in
the attitudes of our users, and I’m sure we’ve
all been guilty of that from time to time. In the
case of mobile technology though, it would
take a brave librarian to suggest that this is
anything other than a fundamental part of how
a large portion of the population communicate,
read, share, study and play. That’s an
expectation which, with our students’ help, we
find ourselves in a good position to embrace.
FIND OUT MORE
http://www.bcu.ac.uk
Twitter: @paulwillia
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Reshaping copyright clearance
Re-shaping Copyright Clearance
Re-shaping Copyright Clearance
Nottingham Trent University Library
and Learning Resources simplify their
digitisation workflow, automate complex
copyright clearance checks and deliver
scanned materials to students in their
course reading lists.
The challenges:
• Manual checking of complex copyright
licensing terms
• Disjointed course resource provision
• Meeting the legal requirements for reporting
and documentation
• Difficult to resource digitisation service
• Anxiety about CLA compliance
The Outcomes:
• Seamless workflows with automated
Copyright Licencing Agency (CLA)
clearance checks
• All resources embedded in reading lists
• Reporting and tracking automated to meet
CLA requirements
• Easier for the Library to meet peaks and
troughs in demand
• Peace of mind about CLA compliance
Nottingham Trent University is a large and
successful higher education institution with an
embedded Gold Standard Customer Service
strategy. As part of its commitment to this
corporate objective, Libraries and Learning
Resources (LLR) adopted Talis Aspire Reading
Lists at an early stage, and also established
8
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
a small digitisation service which made more
scanned materials available online to support
student learning. Unfortunately the initial
digitisation workflow was manual and labourintensive. “There was a great deal of data input
and updates involved,” says Dorothy Atherton,
Services Manager in the Resource Acquisition
and Supply Team.
To comply with the terms of the CLA licence,
the item requested for digitisation had to be
held by the Library, in print but not in e-book
format, and in the latest edition. Library staff
also had to check that the item was not listed
by the CLA as ‘excluded’ material, and that the
chapter had not already been scanned for that
particular module.
These time consuming checks slowed the
service down, especially when Library staff
needed to return requests to academics for
clarification. In addition, the administrative
burden of reporting and documentation placed
a heavy demand on staff resources and it was
difficult for LLR to scale up provision or adjust
resourcing levels to meet seasonal variations
in demand.
Nottingham Trent University enhances
its acquisitions processing
The adoption of the Talis Aspire Reading List
module raised expectations of course resource
delivery. The module gives academics a
single channel for communicating their
resource requirements to the library and
making course materials available to their
students. However the manual digitisation
service lay outside this streamlined workflow,
and the Library was keen to align it with the
new module. Helen Adey, Team Manager in
the Resource Acquisition and Supply Team,
explains: “We wanted the academic to tell us
what their students needed through a single
communication channel, and let the Library
work out the best way to deliver it.”
Meanwhile students, who wanted quick
and easy access to recommended resources,
could not access digitised content on
their reading lists along with other types of
resource. Instead, they had to go through
the virtual learning environment (VLE), as
this was the only means of allowing access
in a way that complied with restrictions on
printing and downloading defined in the CLA
licence. Because of the nature of the VLE at
Nottingham Trent, the Library would upload the
document to the VLE and ask the academic
to create the link to make the resource
accessible. “We couldn’t be sure that they
always did this,” says Dorothy, “and we had
to be vigilant in case they put the document in
the wrong area, raising compliance concerns.”
Stepping up course resource
provision across the University
The Library explored a number of
alternatives as it tackled these problems,
but neither in-house nor commercial options
provided a comprehensive solution. Around
that time, Dorothy and her colleague attended
a demonstration of Talis Aspire Digitised
Content, which gives academics a single
channel for all digitisation requests, automates
CLA compliance checks and manages access.
“We were impressed,” recalls Dorothy. “We
saw the opportunity to integrate digitisation
with our resource lists and came away thinking
that we’d found the right solution.”
The Library saw that Talis Aspire Digitised
Content represented the next step forward in
their provision of course resources. “It ticked
all the boxes in terms of both authentication
and the compliance-checking workflow,” says
Helen. “We were thrilled that one system could
meet so many of our needs.”
“We were fortunate to have support at the
highest levels in the University, where senior
managers recognised that all students had
the right to access up-to-date and accurate
resource lists through which academics could
communicate recommended reading to all
students,” adds Helen. Talis Aspire Digitised
Content would improve the student experience
and support the University’s strategic aim of
making information available in electronic
format where possible.
Rolling out the benefits of Talis Aspire
Digitised Content
With the help of Talis, Nottingham Trent
University deployed the cloud-based Talis
Aspire Digitised Content, and Library staff
devised the best way of rolling out the project.
“We began the roll-out to academics by
selecting a number of pilot modules within
three schools,” says Dorothy. “We deliberately
chose academics who would give us forthright
feedback, and so far they have all been very
happy.”
With Talis Aspire Digitised Content,
academics can make digitisation requests on
a form which auto-populates with bibliographic
data where possible, reducing guesswork
and errors. All CLA compliance checks are
performed at the point of submission, returning
an immediate decision. The module guides
academics through any queries on the spot,
and resolves any issues directly with the
Library.
“We hope that an improved service for
academics may encourage wider use of the
service,” says Dorothy, “and make more
materials easily available when and where
required.” Nottingham Trent University, being a
customer-centric institution, sees the benefits
primarily in terms of the student experience.
The Library is keen to introduce more
flexibility into its operations. “Previously we
had one staff-member working solely on the
digitisation service,” says Dorothy. “Removing
the need for that specialist knowledge means
that we can draft people in and out of teams
according to peaks and troughs. Talis Aspire
Digitised Content lifts away the burden of
compliance decision-making from individual
staff-members. We know that Talis has worked
with the CLA in development and that we can
“It’s a great system; students love it, academics like its simplicity, and
it has transformed our back-office workflows,” concludes Dorothy.
“When we go fully live, students will find it
easier to access more of their materials directly
through their resource lists. For students,
the fact that it’s all integrated means a more
seamless experience,” says Jill Walker,
Resource Assistant.
Talis Aspire provides reassurance around
access compliance. The module and its
embeddable player work with institutional
authentication mechanisms, opening up
scanned materials on the reading lists,
getting full value from the CLA licence while
restricting print and download rights to cohort
groups. Library staff can publish all scanned
content directly onto the system, as an integral
part of the digitisation workflow, giving the
University complete peace of mind about CLA
compliance. “The module brings everything
together and takes away the complexity of
checking, in a system that is very easy to use,”
says Jill.
Quantifying the return on investment
“When we compared previous workflows
with Talis Aspire Digitised Content, we worked
out that we could save between 10 and 15
minutes on each of the 800 new requests we
receive every year,” says Dorothy. “That’s
a considerable saving, and to that we can
add savings from invalid requests, which
the system rejects before they reach the
Library. The time savings allow us to use
staffing resources more flexibly and make
improvements across all our services.”
depend on the judgement of the system.”
The student experience adds an important
dimension to the return on investment.
“Previously students had to go outside the
resource list environment to find book chapters
and journal articles recommended in their
reading lists”, says Helen. “Providing direct
access from the reading list should increase
their use of the content that academics and the
Library have made available to them.”
A one-stop shop for all digitised
content
The priority for Nottingham Trent University
now is to achieve 100 per cent roll-out, so all
academics can make digitisation requests
directly onto the system by the start of the next
academic year.
“It’s the Library staff who understand how
much work the system carries out behind the
scenes; only we know the difference it make
to our workflows,” adds Helen. “Academics
and students just see that it works for them.
It gives the academic a single route for telling
the Library what they want to recommend to
their students, who now have seamless access
to all electronic resources, whether they’re
e-journals, e-books or digitised documents.”
FIND OUT MORE
talis.com
[email protected]
www.capita.co.uk/libraries | Winter 2013 | Panlibus Magazine
9
Capita launch new LMS for Colleges
Strato – A new library management
system for colleges
Increase student satisfaction by
offering 24/7 access to IT equipment
whist saving valuable staff time!
Karen Reece,
Head of Libraries,
Capita
Panlibus talks to Capita’s Head of Libraries,
Karen Reece, about Strato, a new LMS that
aims to transform college libraries.
Panlibus: There are several library
management systems in use by colleges.
What’s different about Strato?
Karen: With Strato we set out to create an LMS
that’s a significant step up from the solutions
currently being used by the further education
sector. Our aim was to create an LMS that
would meet students’ growing expectations as
well as system that made life easier for college
staff. Prior to developing Strato we did some
significant research amongst the FE library
community to ensure we delivered a solution
that met colleges’ needs.
There are many things that are different but
being a cloud based solution, being optimised
for mobile devices and the discovery
experience particularly stand out.
Panlibus: Use on mobile devices sounds
interesting; can you tell us a bit more about
that?
Karen: The ability to work on smartphones and
tablets was an absolute must have feature.
The latest research from OFCOM reveals that
77% of 16-24 year olds now own a smartphone
and research by IDC (International Data
Corporation) indicates that tablets will outsell
PCs this year. The discovery interface in
Strato recognises the device you are using
and provides an optimal user experience. If
you’re accessing it on your smartphone you
get a simplified experience that’s ideal for your
smartphone’s small screen.
10
We’ve also designed the staff interface to
work on tablet devices enabling staff to roam
around the library and beyond assisting
students wherever they are.
Panlibus: Cloud is a hot topic, why did you go
down that route with Strato?
Karen: College libraries and resource
centres are often staffed by relatively small
teams. Delivering Strato as a cloud based
solution means that library staff can focus on
supporting students rather worrying about
running the latest LMS version, ensuring it is
backed up and secure or installing software
on PCs. Strato is delivered from Capita’s
secure datacentres eradicating the need for
colleges to manage your own costly hardware
and locally installed software all that’s needed
to access the service is a device with a web
browser.
Panlibus: How are electronic resources
catered for?
Karen: Strato enables students to search for
both physical and electronic resources from
a single search box and provides a single
set of relevance ranked search results. If the
college subscribes to electronic journals using
EBSCO’s Discovery service then they even
search both the library catalogue and EBSCO
at the same time and directly access journal
articles provided by EBSCO.
Panlibus: Are there any other features that will
help improve the student experience?
Karen: The whole discovery interface has been
designed with the student in mind. In many
ways it’s more like Amazon than a traditional
library catalogue. The system can recommend
items based on a users borrowing history
and students can leave reviews to help other
students. The system can also be integrated
into your Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to
ensure that students have a single destination
for all College information.
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
Larger colleges may be
interested in the support for self
service kiosks enabling the opening
hours to be extended.
Panlibus: What else can we expect from
Strato?
Karen: Lots. Strato is a complete library
management system so you’ll get all the
features you would expect from an LMS.
Colleges will also benefit from being able
to link Strato to other systems such as the
student management information system
enabling colleges to easily synchronise data
with their LMS.
Panlibus: Why did Capita decide to develop
Strato?
Karen: Capita’s library business has
significant expertise providing library systems
to the academic library market. Our systems
are currently used by over 40 universities
across the UK and Ireland as well as a
small number of colleges. Capita plc has
considerable expertise in the further education
market. For example, today over 150
colleges use our UNIT-e student management
information system. At the same time
colleges are delivering more higher education
and increasingly focusing on the student
experience. Putting these factors together
meant that developing a solution for further
education was a logical step.
Offering an equipment loan service is a great way to increase student
satisfaction. However, many libraries are worried about the potential
drain on valuable staff resources to effectively manage such a facility.
The MyritracTM system from Bretford, offers a secure, self-service
deployment and equipment tracking solution to manage such a
facility with the most efficient use of staff time.
• Allows the potential to provide 24/7 access to IT equipment
• Compatible with existing library management software
• Compatible with standard student interface systems i.e. RFID,
swipe card, key pad or biometric access control
• User access rights can be set and equipment tracked either locally
or remotely via an intranet or web based connection
• Gives responsibility of the IT loan to the student helping to reduce
damage & loss
FIND OUT MORE
Web: www.capita.co.uk/libraries
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0870 400 5000
• Offers total control over the equipment loan process as ALL
transactions are monitored and logged
• Integrated alarms to monitor and advise of improper use or abuse
• Integrated power management system ensures optimum charging
time for stored IT equipment
For more information or to book a FREE
demonstration contact Bretford on
Tel: 01753 53 99 55
Email: [email protected]
www.myritrac.co.uk
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Silver linings
How Leeds City Council moved library management
into the cloud
When the library management system server
needed replacing, Leeds City Council seized
the opportunity to review the latest technology
available to them. It took advantage of the
benefits of Chorus, a fully hosted cloud library
management solution from Capita.
The bigger you are and the more necessary
your service is, the harder it sometimes is to
change it.
Leeds City Council is pretty significant in
terms of size – it has 36 static libraries, eight
mobile libraries, one school library service
and almost 90,000 active borrowers. Its library
management system (LMS) helps users
discover hundreds of thousands of books,
ebooks and other items, and helps its libraries
stock and issue them more than three million
times a year.
A choice
As the hardware supporting the whole LMS
was ageing, the library service was faced with
a choice. Sandra Sharp, Electronic Services M
anager at the Library and Information Service,
explains: “Our server was reaching ‘end of
life’ so we knew we needed to either replace
it or look at other options. I was keen to find
out more about a hosted cloud solution that
could potentially lower costs and reduce the
management time, but it was important that we
did not risk service levels to customers.”
The council had an existing relationship with
Capita and felt Chorus would offer a service
they could rely on as well as the benefits they
were looking for.
“Moving to a cloud based system was
the sensible choice,” says John Daniel, the
Senior Technical Advisor at the Library and
Information Service. “After all, this is the
12
direction the world is heading. I also felt there
were advantages to be gained from having
our LMS hosted by those who had designed
and built it. Who could understand it better, or
provide better support?”
Teamwork
Having made the decision to move to a
hosted solution, the migration to Chorus went
very smoothly. “Capita assigned someone to
walk us through the implementation, and they
were able to pull in the appropriate people for
different parts of the project,” says John.
Moving to a hosted solution requires
planning and, like many organisations, there
was a complex network set up within Leeds
City Council. Integration with the self-service
machines and other council corporate systems
such as the finance system was needed, so
any issues that came up were worked through,
with the Leeds and Capita teams collaborating
closely on solutions.
“Capita don’t leave you to sort things out
by yourself,” says John. “When our existing
network processes needed to be joined to the
new system, such as when a borrower gives
us their postcode and we find their address,
Capita were happy to liaise with Corporate IT
to get this right.”
“We have a fully future proofed
system.”
Sandra Sharp, Electronic
Services Manager at the Library
and Information Service, Leeds
City Council
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
The customer experience
One of the most significant results of the
switch was probably that borrowers were
not aware that anything had changed. “Our
customers didn’t notice any difference, which
is what we wanted,” says Sandra.
The differences behind the scenes were
more significant, however. Using Chorus
means Leeds City Council no longer has any
hardware on site to look after. There are no
servers for Corporate IT to monitor, and Capita
deals with any data protection concerns. It
also means Leeds City Council doesn’t need
to worry about coping with increasing demand
or the system becoming slow at peak times as
it is Capita’s responsibility to ensure there is
always the capacity to meet needs.
Speed and simplicity
“The LMS is now much quicker than it
was before. The team that works on our
performance indicators say they are able to
run their reports faster too, so it’s saving us
time in a number of places,” explains John.
In addition, there are other advantages;
“Security is tighter than ever, and we have
simplified the network which helps integrate
with the third party systems we use. It also
reduces the potential number of points of
failure. If anything happened, we would have
less places to look as well as a single point of
contact at Capita.”
“Overall I feel confident that we have a fully
future proofed system,” says Sandra. “And I’m
glad that in another five years, we won’t have
to buy new servers!”
Key benefits at Leeds City Council
• System runs more quickly
• Improved security
• Capacity to meet peak demands
• Performance reports completed faster
• Energy and time savings anticipated
• Significantly reduced overhead for
Corporate IT
• No interruption to customer service
Key features of Capita’s Chorus
hosted solution
• No need for hardware onsite
• No maintenance, replacement or upgrading
operating system costs
• Frees staff from routine maintenance and
administration
• Fully scalable
• Available 24/7
• Reduces the overall cost of ownership
FIND OUT MORE
Email: [email protected]
In fact, significant time is being saved as
IT staff no longer have to check everything
is running smoothly each day, back up the
server, or perform security patches upgrades
to the operating system as this is now Capita’s
responsibility. The council is also expecting
to note savings in energy costs through not
having the servers located on site.
www.capita.co.uk/libraries | Winter 2013 | Panlibus Magazine
13
People’s Network – Exploring new directions
People’s Network –
Exploring new directions
Neil Johnson,
Managing Director,
Insight Media Internet Limited
We keep hearing phrases like “software as
a service”, “hosted services” and “managed
services” and these have been promoted by
some as the way to go! We can see how some
of these services have been adopted in the
library market with more Library Management
Systems (LMSs) being externally hosted and
service solutions. This combined with a move
towards shared systems and service delivery
does appear to offer some real benefits.
So if it’s recognised that there are benefits
associated with delivering shared, hosted and
managed LMSs, is there the potential to apply
some of the same principles to the delivery
of other library services to provide similar
benefits? The People’s Network and public
access computers are now an integral part of a
library’s core service provision.
With increased demand and greater
expectations by the public for more computers
with internet access and more demanding
applications, the load on library servers and
network services continues to increase.
Replacing these servers and extending existing
networks to accommodate additional public
access can be costly and challenging. It is not
just the hardware, software and centralised
infrastructure that needs to be considered, but
also the telecommunications and connectivity
along with the resources to deliver, manage
and support these services.
Whilst we have seen our customers adopt
externally hosted, shared and managed LMS
implementations, we have also experienced
an increase in the number of People’s
Network deployments where Insight Media
are providing hosted and managed services.
This includes our iCAM range of products
incorporating computer booking and access
management system, our print control
and public wireless hotspots. Although the
products and services provided will vary within
our customer base we believe the majority
of our customers are looking to reduce the
overall cost of ownership and improve the
services they provide but without increasing
workloads or compromising their support and
security levels.
Insight Media’s hosted service from our
Datacentre has become a popular managed
service for our customers where we provide
database and web server provision. Some
customers who initially implemented
our products on their own servers have
subsequently moved to our hosted
solution to improve the service and support
arrangements. Some customers adopted the
hosted route from the onset as opposed to
providing or using their own servers. When
a customer’s server is reaching end of life
or needs upgrading, we would naturally
explore the options of a hosted service and
the additional enhanced benefits this type of
service can provide.
East Renfrewshire Libraries were one such
customer who implemented iCAM Workstation
Control, our booking and access management
solution which utilises the libraries’ public
network and our Datacentre.
Scott Simpson,
Systems Manager at
East Renfrewshire,
said “Insight Media’s
hosted solution has removed the overhead
for us of managing a dedicated server while
at the same time meeting the demands of
our corporate IT dept. We have been able
to maintain the same level of application
administration and control without having to
worry about server hardware, patches and
upgrades. The same hosted database is
also used for our public Wi-Fi provision and
management.”
Enfield Libraries implemented a hosted
Wi-Fi solution running from Insight Media’s
Datacentre completely independently of
the existing council network and lines. This
comprehensive solution is delivered as a
managed service with both customer and end
user support. Within a couple of months of
installing Enfield’s Hotspots in the first three
sites, the library service decided to implement
the same solution in five more libraries.
Madeline Barratt,
Libraries & Museum
Service Business
Manager, Enfield
Council, said “With the growth of hand held
and portable devices, offering Wi-Fi in libraries
is vital to developing new user groups and
ensuring libraries remain relevant in local
Self-Service
Charging Lockers
communities. Insight Media are able to offer
key requirements such as integration with
the Library Management System, a range of
statistical data and a flexible approach to set
up and configuration. Insight Media also offer
a proactive approach to technical support and
system management that gives us a degree
of confidence. Users and staff are very happy
with speed and stability and we’re looking
forward to the further roll out.”
East Lothian Council made significant
changes to their People’s Network to further
enhance the library service when they
implemented iCAM Workstation Control, iCAM
Printer Control and public Wi-Fi across all
their libraries. This work included changes
to the underlying public network, which was
migrated from its existing telecoms provision
onto an ADSL system, with aspects of the
service being delivered as a managed service.
The implementation utilises Capita Keystone
Borrower Services for real time authentication
purposes.
Alan Cruickshank,
IT Services Manager
at the Council, said
“Insight Media’s
solution has enabled
us to completely restructure our People’s
Network, saving approximately £30,000 a
year whilst expanding the service to include
the Wi-Fi hotspots. Insight Media have been
an excellent partner to work with, consistently
meeting the challenging targets set on this
project whilst maintaining a customer friendly
focus which has ensured minimal disruption to
the libraries and the public.”
So in summary, there can, in certain
situations, be significant benefits and cost
savings associated with shared service delivery
when working with strategic partners to deliver
enhanced IT services. These projects are just
a few examples of how a review of service
delivery by IT departments and library services
can lead to changes in service provision that
not only save money but can significantly
enhance the services provided.
FIND OUT MORE
The Diplomat™ range of self-service charging lockers
securely store and safely charge laptops, netbooks or tablets
in individual user bays.
The Diplomat™ LMS provides students and teachers with individual
access to securely stored and charged laptops netbooks or tablets using
our intelligent access control system, which links directly into your
existing Library Management System. The locker enables librarians to
track and monitor equipment use and save resources, whilst providing
students with greater freedom and an improved user experience.
Students take ownership of the loaned device which leads to reduced
damage and loss of equipment.
Functionality
• Individual access, allocation and deployment of securely stored and
safely charged laptops or tablets
• Simultaneous charging of all devices
• Always loans the best charged device
• Provides 24/7 access to IT equipment
• Students can be identified by RFID, barcode, magnetic stripe or
biometrics
• 19” touchscreen user interface - fully customisable
• Unlimited number of lockers can be deployed
• Network compatible for Data Transfer (optional)
Visit www.diplomatlocker.com to view our case studies
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0844 335 6350
Web: www.insight-media.co.uk
Call now for a free onsite demo
14
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
0800 130 3456
[email protected]
Big data – augmented discovery
Big Data – Augmented Discovery
Big data and augmented discovery
Phil John,
Technical Lead,
Capita
What is “Big Data”? Is it a definition based
on the volume of data being processed? How
about the complexity of the data? Or even,
the ability of an entity to store, process and
use this data to power their services? It’s
all of these things, and making sure you’re
unlocking the full potential of the myriad of
data sources you curate, generate or process
is becoming ever more vital for a library service
in the 21st century.
Libraries are finding themselves managing
so many disparate resources that furnishing
their borrowers with effective tools for finding
all of these “things” is no longer a “nice to
have” but a necessity. As the Online Public
Access Catalogue (OPAC) gives way to
the unified discovery interface, a move
spearheaded in the academic sector, but
increasingly being adopted by the public
sector, the requirement for systems that
can handle these increasingly large data
processing needs is coming to the forefront.
Data sets from archival services, institutional
repositories, archaeological reports and
local-interest image repositories need to be
harvested and indexed, which would stretch
the traditional, locally deployed search system
to breaking point; the number of items “held”
by some “average” libraries has increased
exponentially from hundreds of thousands to
many millions.
Disparate data sources pose a problem –
how do you find a common way of expressing
this data that allows it to be indexed, retrieved
and displayed? MARC 21 data from the LMS is
very different to Encoded Archival Description
(EAD) data from the archives system for
example. Several years ago we realised that
we needed a more flexible data model to make
harvesting, processing and knitting together
this volume, and spectrum, of data feasible.
We chose, and have pioneered, the use of
Resource Description Framework (RDF) and
Linked Data to express library data, which
has since been validated by more recent
16
efforts such as OCLC’s Virtual International
Authority File (VIAF), the British Library’s
Linked Open British National Bibliography
(BNB) and Bibliographic Framework Initiative
(BIBFRAME).
We made the decision to build our “next
generation” products on a foundation of RDF
as it brought many benefits over competing
data processing standards, and avoided some
of the common pitfalls. Fitting, and managing,
data of different “shapes” into a traditional
relational database management system
would have led to a sub-optimal schema
design, with hundreds of attributes that may
only apply to a subset of items. Conversely,
using a modern “NoSQL” document or key/
value store would allow a freer, schema-less,
data storage pattern, but preclude us from
performing complex queries or analysis in
real time. RDF on the other hand, allows us
to have “the best of both worlds”: a flexible,
but defined, schema and a powerful query
language (SPARQL) that makes finding
and reasoning about links and patterns in
wildly differing data sets quick and easy.
Furthermore, since it is based on the premise
of “anyone can say anything anywhere” we
can pull in, and merge other data sets (such as
the aforementioned VIAF) simply by ensuring
that we refer to entities by a common identifier,
in this case a URI. We can identify authors in
a MARC 21 record and refer to them by their
VIAF URI, which then allows us to traverse the
graph and find a Wikipedia link, allowing us
to enrich the experience with a biography and
image. This way we can talk about an author,
such as JK Rowling, as a concrete entity, and
not just “text in a record”. Subjects can also
The data is all there, it’s just
waiting to be used.
be augmented with the Linked Data Library of
Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), allowing
us to link to subjects and provide further
jumping off points to related subjects, eg the
Champagne region of France linking to items
about the eponymous beverage.
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
It’s also possible to weave commercial data
sets, such as enhanced enrichments, into
catalogue records; surfacing them in searches
and displaying them prominently on full record
displays. Only storing this data once, and
materialising it when we have matching items,
allows us to keep storage requirements and
query speed manageable.
To support all of these requirements, we’ve
built a Linked Data platform that allows us
to store and reason over tens of billions of
RDF triples, which will allow us to shoulder
the big data needs of our customers for the
foreseeable future. Building a system that
can return results in a split second was no
easy task, and a great deal of research and
development was undertaken to choose the
very best components and ensure they work
together in a robust and performant way.
Our platform is able to harvest data that
sits in the LMS silo, convert it and store it in
a format that can be used for powering these
services. Our recommendations system is
one example; by taking circulation data, we
can generate recommendations for items,
and borrowers, repurposing data that was
previously only used for a single purpose –
managing issues and discharges. This data
is used not only in Prism for generating item
recommendations, but also in Soprano to
recommend new items based on a borrower’s
past lending history, which can be used to
assist vital services such as housebound
visitors, helping them decide what to take
when visiting a borrower. Our ability to merge
in data from other sources also comes into
play here, as we can leverage disparate data
sets like clickstream logs, and user-contributed
lists to further refine the results.
Another use for the wealth of data that
resides in the LMS is data mining, of the type
undertaken by supermarkets and other large
businesses. They feed the wealth of data they
collect on customers and transactions into
machine learning systems, which allows them
to target salient offers that will entice shoppers
back into the store. This type of analysis has,
until recently, been out of reach for all but the
largest of companies, but with the massive
decreases in cost of large-scale computing
power, thanks to the commoditisation led
by the likes of Amazon Web Services, it’s
possible for libraries to also use this to drive
re-engagement. Feeding data from the
LMS into our platform, we’ll soon be able to
automatically categorise borrowers into distinct
groups, and allow the library to target them
more effectively, e.g. there may be a group
of borrowers who initially joined, used the
services and then let their level of engagement
tail off; re-engaging these borrowers with
events they may be interested in or informing
them of new stock in genres they’ve shown a
preference for previously.
Having a library management system that
can unlock, analyse, and harness this large
scale of data will give libraries using it a distinct
advantage; offering borrowers innovative and
genuinely useful features to keep them coming
back to the discovery interface, providing
tools to help reach out to and re-engage past
borrowers, giving deeper insights into stock
levels and usage. The data is all there, it’s just
waiting to be used.
FIND OUT MORE
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2013/04/22/
big-data-isnt-about-big/
We can now also pull in external search
results, and present them in a unified way,
as we have started doing with EBSCO’s
discovery service. Academic customers are
able to surface the majority of their physical
and electronic holdings via Prism’s intuitive
interface, all powered by a single search box.
By pulling in other data that we hold, we can
also augment these external search results
with ratings and reviews, and allow them to
be placed on reading lists and exported to
citation management software.
This platform wasn’t just designed with the
goal of search and discovery in mind; over
time, libraries have built up a massive volume
of data; data that is rife for harnessing to offer
innovative services for borrowers, and to drive
engagement of its resources as a whole. The
problem? This data, and therefore this promise
of innovation, is tied up in what we term a
“data silo”.
Some library services have put a lot of effort
into harnessing their data, however, this is
often a labour intensive exercise, one that is
becoming increasingly impractical with the
constant pressures on budgets and staffing
levels. Shouldn’t these data processing
capabilities, and resultant benefits form part of
the standard offering by LMS providers?
Clickstream logs are logs saved by our webserver of every
page accessed by people - which allows us to map a “path”
through the site taken by each visitor.
www.capita.co.uk/libraries | Winter 2013 | Panlibus Magazine
17
RFID Technology Futures within the Library
RFID Technology Futures within the Library
Changes ahead for library RFID
Latest news about standards and other developments
Mick Fortune,
Managing Director,
Library RFID Limited
As long ago as 2009, Cisco published a
presentation suggesting that to focus on the
“ID” part of the RFID acronym was rather
missing the point. A JISC Techwatch report
(published in 2006) referred to the use of
RFID tags in libraries as being “barcodes on
steroids”, an association which has set the
tone for how most UK libraries have viewed
them ever since. But it’s not just an ID – it’s an
interactive, reprogrammable, multi-use, multipurpose piece of intelligence attached to an
item - and we’re only just beginning to figure
out how it can be made more productive.
Many of the changes happening at the
moment are a consequence of what we did
– or didn’t do – when we first started using
the technology, so a little context might help
explain why these changes are needed.
When RFID was first launched into the
library world - I first saw it when 3M invited
me to a discussion at the IFLA congress in
Stockholm in 1990 - it was new and exciting,
and no-one seemed quite sure what to do
with it. In effect it was 3M who made that
decision by using it to combine ID and
security in order to streamline their existing
self-service option - and things haven’t
really changed much since.
All this is now changing…
LMS suppliers, myself included at the time,
have never really got to grips with the potential
RFID offers for improving library workflows
or user experiences and tended to view it as
“someone else’s product” - one that security
companies used to provide self-service
circulation. They all (eventually) adopted SIP
(3M’s Standard Interface Protocol) which
prescribed how data should be exchanged
between an LMS and a self-service solution
(and pre-dated RFID).
Very few considered using RFID for
anything else, thereby establishing both an
interdependence and limits to use that still
prevail today.
Eventually, RFID suppliers began to find
their dependence on SIP a major obstacle to
delivering the functionality that their customers
demanded and began to find their own ways
to work with both tags and connect to LMS
systems. New methods of communication and
new data elements on tags began to appear
both in the UK and in the US. Web services
by passed SIP and tags began to store rather
more than barcodes.
At the same time there was a boom in RFID
adoption – especially in the UK public library
sector. Between 2006 and 2012, investment in
RFID self-service in this sector appears to have
grown more rapidly than almost anywhere else
in the world.
In some countries, especially those with
national library agencies, the potential of RFID
was recognised immediately. The Danes saw
both the threat and the opportunity for using
RFID and rapidly established rules for storing
tag data (the Danish Data Model - DDM)
that ensured future interoperability between
different suppliers.
Outside of the handful of European nations
that adopted or adapted the DDM, suppliers
were left to decide for themselves how best to
meet the demands of individual libraries.
By 2011, these individual solutions had
tended to make it harder to develop new
functionality for the whole market, while
different ways of storing different data on tags
was making the interoperability that libraries
sought very difficult to achieve.
In 2010, RFID suppliers announced their
full support for a new international data
standard to replace the DDM – ISO 28560.
Since its publication in 2011, most new UK
procurements have mandated ISO 285602. The standard defines a total of 31 data
elements, hopefully sufficient for developers to
create new services and functionality without
resorting to proprietary means.
Standardising tag data was only the first
obstacle to be overcome in improving RFID/
LMS integration. The dependence on SIP
with its rather narrow view of RFID use was
another limiting factor. Apart from SIP, APIs and
web services – open and proprietary – have
become the most popular means of interacting
with the LMS. Each uses its own methodology,
data elements and values – and each offers
a potentially unique and non-transferable
solution.
The immediate effects of this change are
twofold. Firstly, anyone using the standard
can be assured that wherever they buy their
RFID devices they will be able to read and
write to their tags. (Early adopters have had
to find workarounds to solve this problem –
with varying degrees of success). Secondly,
application developers now have a standardscompliant – and much larger – market in which
to operate.
I think there are two ways to approach
this problem. The approach favoured by the
National Information Standards Organisation
(NISO) has been to develop a new protocol.
Indeed NISO are currently developing new
versions of both NCIP for self-service and
SIP (having been gifted the protocol by 3M
in 2012). This strategy relies on the industry
supporting the new protocol and potentially
sacrificing solutions developed in the interim.
So one of the changes you are likely to
see in the next year or so is a growth of new
applications for a range of devices able to
interact with stock. Two examples I showed
delegates to the recent National Acquisitions
Group (NAG) conference in York linked items
to social networks (in the Netherlands) and
used stock items as discovery tools for online
searching (in Norway). More are on the way.
The alternative approach – taken by the
members of Book Industry Communication
(BIC) - has been to try and codify all the
elements and values that are exchanged
between third party and LMS systems and
leave the communication methodology to
the developer. BIC members comprise LMS,
RFID and other third party suppliers together
with representatives from libraries and
other interested parties like the Publishers
Association, Society of Chief Librarians
and CILIP, so it’s a good cross-section of
the industry! BIC’s Library Communication
Framework (LCF) will be published before
the end of 2014 and has already attracted
considerable attention in North America.
One other change you may hear about soon
also concerns ISO 28560. The ISO Working
Group (WG11), of which I am a member,
has been asked to agree a new standard for
UHF based systems. Only one UK library has
reported using UHF (almost all preferring HF)
so this is not a matter for concern for the vast
majority of librarians.
Currently most UHF based library systems
use only the tag ID to support self-service
circulation but newer chips carry significantly
more data. To allow for the development of
more functionality, the creation of a new version
of 28560 (28560-4) is in process. But unless
you’re using UHF, 28560-4 is not for you.
All UK LMS suppliers that are members of
BIC are actively involved in developing the
framework which has especially benefited from
the very active participation of Capita.
Privacy concerns
The EU began to worry about RFID in 2008
with the publication of M436 – a mandate for
standards bodies across Europe to examine
the use of RFID in all industry sectors,
including libraries.
This was concerned with two elements
of RFID use - signage and Privacy Impact
Assessments (PIAs).
The decision has already been made that
signs should be displayed wherever RFID
is in use – now they’re just discussing what
they should look like. For libraries the most
likely outcome is that the signs should also
display additional information about the way
the technology is being used – and what
information is being stored, on items and/or on
borrower cards.
We don’t know much more about the exact
form the PIA will take as yet. BIC has set up a
group to monitor the progress of the mandate
and to produce guidance for members.
The UK Information Commissioner – who
represents UK interests in this area has also
been contacted by BIC.
Both the PIA and the recommendations on
signage will be published in 2014. Whether
they are mandatory or advisory will depend on
the attitude of the ICO, but if the EU so decides,
it can make compliance a legal requirement.
NAG and BIC also included future support
for LCF as one of their recommendations for
RFID procurement criteria in their guidelines,
published in 2011.
The framework will be available to any
developers for consultation, and new elements
will be added as required – subject to an
approval process managed by BIC on behalf
of the library market.
So a busy year ahead – and that’s without
mentioning the possible impact of Near Field
Communication (NFC) devices on the library
market. If that’s a subject that interests you,
feel free to read my recent blog post on the
subject. It’s a little too complex to cover here!
FIND OUT MORE
Web: http://www.libraryrfid.co.uk/
Twitter: @mickfortune
18
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
www.capita.co.uk/libraries | Winter 2013 | Panlibus Magazine
19
Discovery – Winchester
Discovery – Winchester
Discovery and catalogue interoperability:
Learn how the University of Winchester successfully
integrated Capita’s Prism and EBSCO Discovery Service
David Farley,
University Librarian,
University of Winchester
When students at the University of
Winchester regularly asked the library inquiry
desk if they could look for journal articles in the
library catalogue, Librarian David Farley looked
at ways they could integrate a discovery
service and a library catalogue that would meet
student demand and address the library’s
needs. He didn’t have to look far. Capita and
EBSCO provided a solution that was tailored to
what worked for the University of Winchester.
Winchester has used Capita’s Prism as its
library catalogue for several years, so when
looking for a discovery tool, the goal was to
find a resource that could work with Prism,
because students and library staff were
accustomed to using it. “Students are used
to using the catalogue,” explains Farley. “It is
what we teach them from day one because it is
the first thing they’ve got to get through to find
books on the shelves.”
in multiple resources in a single search
experience. It can provide libraries with more
choices on how they invoke their catalogue
- either with the LMS as the front end, or
through the EDS platform as the front end –
while retaining the benefits of both systems.
Libraries benefit from Capita’s 45 years of
experience as market leaders in the library
management supply field as well as EBSCO’s
position as the leading research database and
discovery service provider.
“When we’re looking at partnerships, we’re
looking at collaborations and integrations that
enable our customers to get an even better
return from their library management system,”
ecplains Rachel Broadbent, Internal Account
Manager for Capita. “Integrating EBSCO’s
Discovery Service into Prism enables our
customers to provide a one-stop shop for their
students. They can access all the different
information resources, including books and
journals, in one place, which provides a great
user experience.”
Prism users can explore library resources
and access data and services right where they
That high-quality metadata and relevancy
ranking system of EDS produces higherquality search results, which leads to increases
in usage. In addition, only EDS provides users
with direct access to full text when available
through the library. For libraries that subscribe
to full-text resources from EBSCO, including
databases, eBooks and individual e-journals,
EDS provides users with one-click access to
PDF or HTML full-text content directly through
the detailed record or from the results list
preview pane.
Initial integrations between Prism and EDS
initially took place by having the data from Prism
extracted and sent into EDS where it could be
searched. David Farley had some concerns
about this method when he was looking at
building a link into the library catalogue. He felt
it wasn’t optimal for students to use discovery
as the primary way into the collections instead
of using the catalogue, which is how they had
been trained. Instead, he was looking at an
implementation where EDS was built into the
catalogue rather than having the catalogue built
into EDS. Capita and EBSCO came up with a
solution that did just that.
“It wasn’t demanding of our time, Capita did the design on our library catalogue. They put a
drop-down menu on the library home page so that people could search for journal articles on
EDS rather than on the catalogue.” David Farley.
EBSCO has long been the library’s primary
source for journals and it has gradually added
more EBSCO databases over the years. After
a trial of EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS),
the library decided to go with EDS, citing
the existing partnership between EBSCO
and Capita as a main reason. “The fact that
there was a relationship between the two
companies, both of which we knew, trusted
and have used for several years, made it a
win-win for us. It was perfect from our point of
view.”
The EBSCO and Capita partnership allows
libraries to maximise their investments
20
need them and can create lists of selected
items, such as wish lists and favourite books or
items needed for study. The pages are highly
configurable so libraries and users have the
convenience of online account and transaction
management. By adding the strength of EDS
to those services, libraries that use Prism can
increase their value by allowing more use to be
made of their data.
“What EBSCO brings to the table is being
very much at the forefront of search and
discovery,” says Capita Partners Manager,
Wendy Pugh. “Libraries not only benefit from
the integrated front end but the rich metadata
and superior relevancy algorithm of EDS.”
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
What makes this possible is the straightforward technology of the EDS API
(application programming interface), which
allows libraries to enable a unique user
interface experience while complementing
and enhancing the users’ experience of the
catalogue and discovery service. EDS API
fits modern technology requirements, offers
easy integration with library systems, provides
comprehensive documentation and support,
and has flexibility and features that allow it to
be consumed in many ways while offering the
best discovery experience.
Working with EBSCO, Capita was able to integrate
the EDS API into Prism. “Once we had the EDS API,
we were able to incorporate it within our coding so
that we could make a request to the EDS API to pull
back the data,” says Gareth James, Capita’s Technical
Partner Consultant.
Incorporating the EDS API into the catalogue has
several benefits. There is no extra training needed
to learn a new interface, no need to log on to a
separate site and no need for separate validations
and passwords. It also eliminates the need to load the
library’s entire catalogue into EDS, greatly reducing
set up time as well as maintenance time.
The University of Winchester can attest to the
ease of implementation. “It wasn’t demanding of
our time,” says David Farley. “Capita did the design
on our library catalogue. They put a drop-down menu
on the library home page so that people could
search for journal articles on EDS rather than on
the catalogue. We did a bit of tweaking to make it
look the way we wanted it to look. The back end was
all there, and all the data was available from EBSCO.”
The ultimate benefit is the convenience of a
powerful search in a familiar interface. “Now you can
just put a term in on the same interface that you use
to find books on the shelf, and bam, there you are,” he
continues. “You’ve got the online full-text of the journal
on your screen. It couldn’t be easier.”
University of Winchester began using the EDSCapita solution in September and based on the
questions being asked at the inquiry desk, early
indications are that patrons are using the service.
“What a lot of academic libraries are telling us is
that they want more integrated electronic resource
management,” concludes Rachel Broadbent. And that
can be made possible through partnerships like the
one between EBSCO and Capita.
FIND OUT MORE
Web: http://www.ebscohost.com/discovery
Twitter: @EBSCO
www.capita.co.uk/libraries | Winter 2013 | Panlibus Magazine
21
Swindon and Gloucester Councils
Strato
Helping to
transform
A new library management
system for colleges
your library
student expectations
Strato, Capita’s library management system (LMS) for colleges,
is designed to support educational achievement by focusing on
the needs of your students.
•
customers better choice and more ways to
access our services, at the same time as
delivering greater value for local tax payers.
Working together with Swindon, we are doing
just that, saving over a quarter of a million over
the life of the contract.”
Two neighbouring councils have selected
Capita’s software service business to deliver
a new shared library management system.
Working together, Gloucestershire County
Council and Swindon Borough Council will
use Capita’s library management software to
provide staff with user-friendly and up-to-date
library systems, and their customers with
greater access to increasingly intuitive library
services.
Capita will manage and maintain the core
system used by both councils via its fully
hosted next generation library management
system (LMS), Chorus. With no need for any
on-premise servers, costs will be reduced
for both councils. Further efficiencies will be
delivered through integration between the LMS
and core council systems, including finance
and payments.
Both councils have worked with Capita
to develop a powerful and accessible
online catalogue in order to promote the
full wealth of stock and formats available to
members, including eBooks. For customers
of Gloucestershire County Council, this will
be the first time they will have access to the
county’s archive collection, be able join the
library (generating an automatic temporary
borrower status), reserve books and pay any
fines via the library’s website, improving the
overall self-service experience.
Satisfying growing
•
•
•
Swindon and Gloucestershire
Councils choose new shared LMS
Accessible from anywhere using any mobile device
User reviews help gauge the usefulness of each resource
Personalised recommendations based on previous
borrowing history
Relevance ranked search results with cover images
displayed for quick and easy recognition.
Partnering with Capita and selecting Chorus
will allow the councils to share a library IT
infrastructure, while retaining local work
practices and policies allowing each other to
best serve their own customers’ unique needs.
Launched earlier this year, Capita’s next
generation cloud-based web application,
Soprano, will also be used to provide greater
flexibility for the councils. The application
Sue Laurence, Head of Library Services at
Gloucestershire County Council explains,
“We wanted a library system that would give
CTOR
ONTRA
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E
Y
&
F
F
LIBRAR
E
FOR TH INGHAM
BIRM
allows day-to-day tasks to be completed using
mobile devices, which will deliver a faster and
increasingly efficient service for customers.
Allyson Jordan, Service Manager for Arts
and Libraries at Swindon Borough Council
adds: “We have been very impressed at every
stage of the integration process. Whether
helping customers with queries out on the
library floor or signing up new library users at
external events, we are confident that our staff
and customers will reap the rewards that this
technology offers.”
Karen Reece, Head of Libraries at Capita,
knows exactly where they’re coming from.
“We understand the desire of libraries to use
technology to cost effectively transform the
offering both for staff and citizens and make
services more accessible to users,” she says
“We have been able to draw on our wealth of
experience of being able to tailor systems to
meet the specific requirements of each council
and we are extremely pleased to be building on
our existing relationship with Gloucestershire
County Council and embarking on our new
relationship with Swindon Borough Council.”
plasma screen by others
36
Vending machines
Developed with the user firmly in mind our attractive, yet
powerful, discovery interface means students feel immediately
at home. What’s more, being optimised for mobile devices,
students have access when and where it’s convenient for them.
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REFERENCE
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0870 400 5090 www.capita.co.uk/libraries [email protected]
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See how we can help transform your library for your students, contact us today
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Hosted in our state-of-the-art secure data centre, we eradicate the need for
you to manage your own costly hardware and locally installed software. What’s
more, with automatic back-up processes your data is protected from disaster,
eliminating any downtime and ensuring you have peace of mind at all times.
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To find out more, please visit www.demcointeriors.co.uk
email us [email protected] or call us today, on 01992 454600
Demco Interiors Shipton Way, Express Park, Northampton Road, Rushden, Northants NN10 6GL A Demco family company
Upcoming events
Events
The EDGE 2014, The Roxburghe Hotel, Edinburgh, 2728th February 2014
CILIP’s LMS Suppliers Showcase, CILIP HQ, London,
7th March 2014
We are pleased to again be sponsoring the EDGE
Conference, taking place on 27th & 28th February 2014 at
the Roxburghe Hotel, Edinburgh. The conference brings
together some of the best speakers around to discuss
‘Rising to the Challenge – Delivering value through
Innovation & Partnership’. We look forward to seeing you
there.
We will be exhibiting at the CILIP LMS Showcase in London
on 7th March 2014. The event is taking place at CILIP HQ, 7
Ridgmount Street, London. Visit us throughout the day and
talk to our representatives, who will be on hand to answer
your questions. The showcase is free to attend; register
your place with CILIP today.
For more information on all our upcoming events, visit www.capita-libraries.co.uk/events.
We will updating our Webinar calendar shortly, so please take the time to visit our Webinar page at
www.capita-libraries.co.uk/webinars.
Partner News
Shaping the future together, Capita’s Additions
Partner Programme
3M worked with the architects to incorporate the V-Series
Systems into the library’s bespoke furniture.
The Additions Partner Programme builds strong
relationships with companies providing third party products
that extend the functionality of Capita’s library management
system. The relationship between Capita and partners
delivers the benefits of integrated products, ensuring you
can save time and money while continuing to improve
customer experience.
The new library at the Stratford Campus of UEL opened
in July 2013 and will see its full potential realised in
September, when the new term starts. To view the full story,
please visit: www.3m.co.uk/UEL.
Recent Partner Highlights:
3M helps create a modern library at UEL
The University of East London’s (UEL) Stratford Campus
library recently underwent a £15 million redevelopment,
which saw 3M, the diversified technology company,
working closely with the architects to optimise the library’s
space and offer its users 21st century amenities, including
advanced self-service facilities and 24-hour accessibility.
The newly installed FX Automated Sortation System allows
staff to automatically sort books left by students in study
spaces, on trolleys or returns shelves, as well as those
returned at a SelfCheck System. In addition to the sorter,
24
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries
EBSCO eBooks™ chosen as Vendor for SUPC
Members.
EBSCO eBooks™ from EBSCO Information Services
(EBSCO) has been chosen as an e-book supplier for higher
education libraries in England. Members of the Southern
University Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) will be able to
select e-books from EBSCO’s extensive collection including
nearly 500,000 e-books and audiobooks.
This agreement enables members who participate in this
joint consortia agreement to easily obtain ebooks from
EBSCO in a streamlined format. EBSCO eBooks give
users the best possible search experience by offering the
ability to discover e-books and audiobook titles alongside
databases and other digital content in one search
experience. For further information please visit, http://www.
ebscohost.com/ebooks.
Introducing
Nielsen LibScan data
the NEW 3M
SelfCheck
Kiosk
™
Nielsen LibScan data
™
Nielsen LibScan library borrowing data –
period 9, 2013 (11 August - 7 September2013)
Looking at Nielsen LibScan public library
borrowing data for the 4 weeks ending 7
September 2013, we see Dan Brown’s Inferno
has taken the top spot in the ‘All Titles’ chart.
Lee Child has been toppled off the top spot,
which he has held for some time, however,
James Patterson continues to dominate the
chart with four titles in the Top 10, taking
positions 3, 4, 5 and 8. Jeffrey Archer’s Best
Kept Secret has entered the chart at position 9
with John Grisham’s The Racketeer taking the
last spot in the Top 10. The Casual Vacancy
by J K Rowling is in position 6 – no sign yet
of The Cuckoo’s Calling despite the fact it
has sold over 98,000 copies (lifetime sales) to
date in the UK.
Fiction still dominates the Nielsen LibScan
borrowing chart, with Crime, Thriller &
Adventure taking seven of the ten places;
the other three positions are occupied by
General & Literary Fiction. All of the Top 10
are hardback and priced between £18.99
and £20.00. The difference in issues between
the top and bottom positions is under 500
copies. The data would suggest that library
users prefer to borrow rather than buy new
hardback fiction.
The Nielsen LibScan Non-Fiction borrowing
chart has Jamie Oliver in the top spot with
Save with Jamie and Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals
in position 8, issuing over 1,200 and 500
respectively over the four weeks ending 7
September. Normally there is a lag between a
title hitting the UK TCM top slot and reaching
the Nielsen LibScan top position, interestingly
Jamie Oliver has bucked this trend with Save
with Jamie – could this be a sign of the times?
FIND OUT MORE
Web: www.nielsenbookscan.co.uk
Nielsen LibScan Top 10 Chart – 17 August-7 September 2013
Position
Title
Author
The new kiosk from 3M provides high
performance RFID technology incorporated
into a sleek, compact and contemporary
design.
With a 22 inch touchscreen and fully
integrated payments the new 3M SelfCheck
Kiosk offers exceptional ease of use for
library patrons and staff.
1
Inferno: Robert Langdon
Dan Brown
2,160
2
A Wanted Man
Lee Child
2,016
3
Second Honeymoon
James Patterson
1,783
4
Private Down Under: Private Series
James Patterson
1,719
5
Alex Cross Run
James Patterson
1,716
6
The Casual Vacancy
J K Rowling
1,714
7
Six Years
Harlan Coben
1,711
8
Dead Man’s Time
Peter James
1,698
9
Best Kept Secret
Jeffrey Archer
1,688
To find out more go to
www.3M.co.uk/selfcheckkiosk
10
The Racketeer
John Grisham
1,676
Or phone us on 0800 389 6686
(©2013 Nielsen Book Services Limited [trading as Nielsen BookScan and Nielsen LibScan])
For further information about Nielsen BookScan TCM Panel or LibScan panel, email: [email protected]
26
Volume
RFID self-service for
the modern library
Panlibus Magazine | Winter 2013 | www.capita.co.uk/libraries