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next_generation

Library Systems Developments

Introduction

This section covers resource *management* systems. It does not cover discovery solution. These are covered in more detail under the discovery entry. Resource management solutions are known in the UK as library management systems (LMS) a term which equates to integrated library system (ILS) which is the term used in the US. From around 2010 a new generation of web and cloud based systems emerged that provided fully integrated management of print and electronic resources. They were fully web based and hosted in cloud. These were termed Library Service Platforms (LSP) such as (Ex Libris) Alma, (OCLC) WMS. Rather than take the path of creating wholly new LSPs some vendors such as Innovative Interfcaes, SirsiDynix and ESS (was Capita) maintained their legacy system and layred web interfaces and additional functionality over that =====
Who is buying Library System? See the Procurements page to see who is out to tender and who has bought a library system

Library management system to library services platform

Characteristics of of a library services platform (LSP) approaches

LSPs encompas some or all of the following characteristics:-


* 'Decoupled' discovery Search and discovery (discovery services) for end users is 'de-coupled' from 'back-end' resource management although some Library Service Platforms (LSP) may only work with a singe discovery service or may certainly have a 'preference' for one (typically the one from the vendor that provides the LSP)

  • Management of print and e-resources

The management of print and electronic (digital) resources is integrated (or 'unified')

  • Improved workflows

Related to the above is more attention to improved workflows leading to saving in staff effort and consequently lower cost of ownership

  • Interoperability

The library system elements interoperate easily with other (external) systems. This is facilitated where overall architecture of the system is based around a (web based) Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) model to allow easier lower cost integration with 'admin' systems such as student registry and finance. This can be viewed as a move from a library system to what has been called a 'library services platform' approach where various components and sub systems are 'loosely' coupled (SOA) to provide an overall solution

  • Cloud based

Systems are typically 'cloud' based. This is a move away from more conventional 'hosting' to a system that is, in effect, a single entity that is shared by many separate and distinct libraries. Such 'multi-tenant' systems offer economies of scale and the opportunity to better share data (bibliographic, data on suppliers, licences etc) across the organisations that share the system

  • Analytics

Related to the above is a move from 'management information' to 'analytics' or 'business intelligence'. This is characterised by not simply providing statistics on transactions recorded by a single library system (number of loans, items catalogued, orders placed etc), to an approach where all activity (including clickstreams) is potentially recorded and might be analysed to deliver new business insights. A cloud environment offer opportunities to collect and analyse data and detect trends across, what is in effect, a global network of systems

Library service platform (LSP) products

The transition of library management systems to library services platforms is described in a number of articles

The Future of Library Systems: Library Services Platforms.By Carl Grant. NISO. Information Standards Quarterly. Fall 2012. Vol 24 Issue 4 ISSN 1041-0031
This is a good summary of Library services platforms. The article provides some good definition of what cloud computing means in a Library Services Platform context and useful summaries/analysis of the various vendor offerings

Library management system to library services platform. Resource management for libraries: a new perspective, Ken Chad HELibTech Briefing Paper August 2015

This briefing paper contrasts the library resource management landscape now with the situation in 2008 when the Jisc/Sconul LMS study recommended that the time was not right for libraries to purchase a new library system. In the intervening period a new generation of 'library services platforms' (LSPs) has emerged and the pace of procurement has quickened. Ken analyses the current landscape and looks at the strategic issues around the changing nature of library collections, shared services, workflows and analytics. The paper is made available under a CC-0 license to enable easy re-use.

Library Services Platforms: A maturing genre of products.By Marshall Breeding Library Technology Reports. (ISSN 0024-2586) American Library Association 2015

Abstract: “The genre of library services platforms helps libraries manage their collection materials and automate many aspects of their operations by addressing a wider range of resources and taking advantage of current technology architectures compared to the integrated library systems that have previously dominated. This issue of Library Technology Reports explores this new category of library software, including its functional and technical characteristics. It highlights the differences with integrated library systems, which remain viable for many libraries and continue to see development along their own trajectory. This report provides an up-to-date assessment of these products, including those that have well-established track records as well as those that remain under development. The relationship between library services platforms and discovery services is addressed. The report does not provide detailed listings of features of each product, but gives a general overview of the high-level organization of functionality, the adoption patterns relative to size, types, and numbers of libraries that have implemented them, and how these libraries perceive their performance. This seminal category of library technology products has gained momentum in recent years and is positioned to reshape how libraries acquire, manage, and provide access to their collections as they go forward into the next decade.”

The following have been characterised as 'next generation' LSP

Alma (ExLibris) NOTE: Ex Libris is (January 2016) 'a ProQuest Company'

BLUE Cloud Campus** (SirsiDynix) Announced 27 June 2014

Chorus (Capita)

Intota (ProQuest) NOTE: Ex libris is now (January 2016) 'a ProQuest Company' so Intota is essentially defunct in terms of new business

Sierra** (Innovative Interfaces) Innovative Interfaces was acquired by Ex Libris in 2020

WorldShare Management Systems-WMS (OCLC)

next_generation.txt · Last modified: 2024/03/20 06:00 by admin