UKOLN is supported by THE BRITISH

UKOLN is supported by. . . THE BRITISH LIBRARY … and it provides policy, research, and awareness services for the library and information communities. . . www. ukoln. ac. uk York

Overview • Programme • Prospect – step vs continuous development – ‘integration is key’ – dissemination and evaluation • Projects • Prospect York

Philip E. Agre TLS, July 3 1998 … The concept of cyberspace, however, may have had its day. The Internet is now slowly becoming integrated with the institutional world around it, and it is increasingly evident that the very notion of cyberspace is an artifact of this transient situation. … It no longer suffices to ask “what effect will the Internet have on …? ” Rather, we must understand …. . the many and various institutional worlds with which the Internet now coevolves, and make sense of technology in that dynamic context. … York

Chris Rusbridge … living and working with the projects for the last three years … Towards the hybrid library D-Lib Magazine, July/August 1998 York

Programme • “… the e. Lib programme characterised itself right from the start as ‘development’ rather than research. ” • “… the emphasis within e. Lib itself has been very much on ‘action research’ and the programme has encouraged projects to experiment with a variety of approaches whilst accepting that these will meet with varying degrees of success. ” York

Comparing programmes • DLI • research (multidisciplinary - comp sci) • ahead of practice • EU Telematics for Libraries • applied R&TD – market and competetiveness • e. Lib • action research – national motivation – intensity and impact York

As a practitioner I do feel a little removed from the e. Lib projects, however I do feel that the projects have helped greatly in effecting a cultural change … … very successful in generating a sector wide awareness of the volatile nature of the information world we inhabit. . . The explosion of information, publicity, etc. about e. Lib and the sheer number of people involved, even if peripherally, has been one of the most important elements. . . York

What e. Lib has done • A signal that library and information management issues are at centre of academic mission • international attention • exemplary foolish prophets who Woe to the (New Library, NHS, …) follow • Created a knowledge and experience their own spirit and have seen nothing. base which extends into all parts of library community • staff, users, proxy stakeholders, . . . • development, project, collaboration, (costs), … • service, organisation, human, … York

What e. Lib has done - CC • People • The end of business as usual? • Research/development closer to practice • ‘reflexive’ • The end of digital? Technology is in the fabric - not ‘applied’ (IT) • service building – authentication – personalisation – preservation (LLL) – rights York

What e. Lib has done • Examples of Success • ANR services – DC, RDF, FIND • electronic journals (RAE) • CLA (ODER) • hybrid-ready, clumps York

But. . . e. Lib may have or has the potential to create a bit of a two tier library society - those who participate and those who don’t. . . … (need to) turn projects into services which sit comfortably alongside other library services and which are fully integrated into the core services a library offers to its readers. Rapid change - variable participation, variable take-up York

Projects • Star burst effect • • Variable participation, variable take up redundancy of effort extinguished Best outcome? – document delivery • Move towards integration • More direction on basis of unrivalled emerging experience and knowledge York

… from conversations within SCONUL I am not even sure that we have achieved such a cultural change. . . … if by that phrase is meant a realisation throughout higher education libraries and higher education institutions more generally that things library-wise are about to change radically. . . York

Prospect • Prospect • step vs continuous development • ‘integration is key’ • dissemination and evaluation York

Step or continuous. . . • It takes a long time to get big programmes rolling. • The OSI factor • EU programmes • e. Lib • WWW • Lucky? • But … missed the object web? York

… step or continuous? • Structured/Object web • XML/RDF, objects, . . . • changing level of infrastructure - factor out technologies • Continuous development • Coevolves with service building: – commerce, rating, profiling, … • development programmes with definite priorities • absorb JTAP? York

Integration is key • However the most outstanding lesson from this phase and from JISC’s other work in provision of data sets is the need for integration. • Cf EU and DLI • Individual resources are designed for a particular use and IT context, with a bit of specialisation, differentiation and branding thrown in, but with little thought for the user who needs to access many such resources. York • Cf web, remote control: point and click

Integration is key York

Integration is key • Business model (road map) • What the bits are and how they relate • • repositories flows (objects, messages) control (IPR, security, …) actors (Roles) • INDECS, IMS • guide development • priorities • communication - shared view of problem areas York

Integration is key • Concrete • hybrid libraries / DNER • cohesion and autonomy • Work • architecture • ‘Information infrastructure’ York – – authentication collection description user profiling …. • Guidelines • model agreements • interfaces and formats: best practice • Toolkit? ? • systems integration • clearinghouse? • Integrate local metadata with central services

It is all the same thing? • Consider the range of services as part of a fabric • RDNC, caching, mirroring, … • subject gateways, data centres, AHDS, . . • Abstracting and indexing services document stores …. • Hybrid library - DNER • High profile, innovative, exemplary • Disclose the resources of UK HE York • services • UK Internet shop window

Dissemination and evaluation • Dissemination • inform practice, influence policy and contribute to knowledge • programme-led activity • e. g. what do we know about distributed electronic document delivery issues? • Evaluation? • Variable • Monitor - EU annual peer review York

So. . . • More continuous development to build on and lever emerging experience and practice • Strategic projects with. . . • clear goals • appropriate partners • … to deliver key components of DNER/HL • Basis for exemplary development on world scale • Central organisation of targeted guidelines, good practice, toolkit, innovative service • Guide local activity and DNER (interfaces) York

One of the best projects, in terms of awareness raising, was Ariadne - disappointingly this did not receive further funding. York

A good project • Acronym • Motivating scenario • product • service • scale • Appropriate mix of partners • service • technical • project management • Project management York

Prospects New Lib Ng. FL DNER Nel. H York Learning

UKOLN is supported by. . . THE BRITISH LIBRARY … and it provides policy, research, and awareness services for the library and information communities. . . www. ukoln. ac. uk York