Some modern library management systems come with enrichment services that provide useful extra features for the catalogue/OPAC – book cover images, tables of contents, links to reviews etc. They can be also be part of a whole revamp with a new resource discovery front-end such as Aquabrowser or Vufind, or they could be part of an OPAC enrichment service such as the subscription services offered by Syndetic Solutions.

Even LibraryThing is in on the act. As well as being a hugely popular social networking site for book lovers, it now sells a ‘LibraryThing for Libraries‘ package which works with most LMS/OPACs. Details here, and lists of libraries using it (so you can play with their OPACs) here.

However if you have some technical knowledge and support it is often possible for institutions to add some of these features for free. I’ll just stick to book cover images for now, but that is only one of many enhancements. Going back to LibraryThing, if you only want a basic service then some book covers are available from them for free. Another free source of covers is Open Library. In the past some OPACs have used Amazon for book cover images but Amazon doesn’t seem to support that any more so I won’t cover that. However I will cover Google’s service.

Google Books API

Google is always impossible to ignore, and Google Books is no different. The Google Books API can be used to embed Google Books in your site (see their blog post here and support pages here), or to just give you cover images from their huge database. I got in touch with Google support to discuss the latter use and got the following tips. Basically there are two main ways to go about implementing book covers, and in each case you will need the support of your technical staff.

One option is to use their Embedded Viewer, in which you can change the viewer interactions so that only the jacket covers show. You can find the steps for this option by visiting their API developers’ guide here.

The second option you have is a bit more technically involved, but it does allow you to show the search results within your own application. To do so, you can use the Book Search Data API, which allows your server to obtain results from Book Search and show them within your application. You can also use feeds to show the jacket covers. Examples of these feeds can be found here.

Lastly, you can find more developer documentation for the Data API here and here. There is lots of help available in the API Forum.

Have you implemented any features yourself to pimp up your OPAC? Vote here.

Below are some cards I have been playing with, based on my Twitter friends.

I am disappointed that I was only given a grammar score of 95. Sam beats me with her perfect 100. Sharon Crossan (funkylibrarian, Mid-Wales Regional Development Officer) also beat me. Grrr. I must have missed out a verb somewhere in my tweets.

I do 0.28 tweets per day, this time just beating Sharon. Whereas Christine Davies does around 1 a day; Helen Hodges does one and a half.

I follow 44 people. Almost everyone beats me there. But I like to think that I am selective. Only Lis Parcell is more selective than me.

My average word length in a tweet is 4.8 characters. Paul Jeorrett of Glyndwr University manages 5.02, which is impressive.

I have 79 followers, which seems to be an average score. RSCWales has 168, which is expected; Vashti from Bangor University is extremely popular with 219 (recognition of her Web 2.0 knowledge – she will be speaking at Gregynog 2010 about Web 2.0).

Yes, it is all silly and pointless, but it is Friday afternoon… And is a good example of how Web 2.0 services allow their data to be remixed in new and original ways. The JISC MOSAIC competition looked at what could be done to reuse library data. One example is Aberystwyth University’s entry, which – among many other things – returns library lending data for any course along with the value of those loans (i.e. if the library hadn’t existed and students had been forced to buy the books or do without access). It also draws in links to related articles from the Guardian and New York Times websites. Have a play with it here.

What else could be done with library data? Could we combine a list of the subjects a student studies with the classmarks of new additions to library stock to create personal recommendations when they log into the VLE? Or scan the subject keywords of books borrowed by students, mix it with headings from an online news resource, and list the results when the students click on a ‘News’ link in the library portal? Not particularly great examples, but the age of mashup is becoming a reality.

I thought I would bring together a few tools or sites that I had played with over the last year:

• QR codes
• Cartoons
• Animoto
  
• Crosswords
• Quizzes

QR codes

The basics of these have already been covered by Sam. I have been following examples of use, from US studies of their potential, to commercial uses such as Google’s ‘Favorite Places’. I also tried things out using my work mobile phone, and was impressed at how easy it was. You just have to download some software to your phone if it isn’t already on there (I used QuickMark software but I have also heard good things about the Kaywa Reader). Then you can point your phone camera at QR codes and in a fraction of a second the code is deciphered and displayed on the screen. You can make your own (e.g. try here or here), or point at the code below.

How might libraries use QR codes? Below are a few ideas:

• QR code on textbooks in the library – scan to get a subject guide to resources that area (e.g. catering), including classmarks to look at, core texts, useful magazines, websites etc.
• Fiction collections – scan the code to get the e-book version, e.g. from
  Project Gutenberg if it is a classic text.
• Reference collection book – scan the code to go through to a reference
  website on that subject (e.g. online dictionary or style guide), or the library’s own virtual reference collection.
• Posters linking to the relevant web pages. Or notice boards could have
  QR codes next to headlines, which when scanned take the user through to a blog entry on that subject.
• Used as part of induction, for an innovative quiz where there are blocks of QR code information around the library, with a sort of treasure hunt following QR code clues on signs and hidden in some books. Students would be lent a phone if they don’t have their own. The hunt would involve using library resources such as the OPAC, and only if things are done in the correct order will they get the correct final code (which might open a safe; be a classmark for a book with a voucher in; it could be a map reference; or something more imaginative).
• Library cards could have QR codes with user information on, or to take the user to their library account on their phone so they can renew books etc (after some other form of authentication too, of course).
• Other uses for QR codes on a physical item, enabling users to see the
  catalogue record, reviews, similar items etc.
• On the OPAC so users can get locations, classmarks and item details onto their phone for finding item on shelves, or adding to bibliographies. This was done at Aberystwyth University as one of the mobile phone enhancements (the OPAC also has the ability to send an SMS with item details to a mobile phone). To view the QR code function, search the OPAC then click on the “QR code” link in the “Availability” section when viewing a record.
• To provide context specific help and information in the library, as
  at Huddersfield University.

Will any of this be commonplace in LRCs in 5 years? Let me know if you are
using them yourself!

Update 27 April 2010: I have just become aware of this article by Andrew Walsh, ‘Quick response codes and libraries’ (2009).

Cartoons

Librarians are always looking for ways to get information across to users. Pictorial methods are attractive, but not many of us have any artistic talent. That is where sites like Bitstrips come in, since with Bitstrips it is easy and quick to create a cartoon. You can design your own characters to appear in it, or use the hundreds that are provided on the site already. The system is easy to use – pose the figure, choose a facial expression, stick some props in the background, and add a text or speech bubble; then tweak until you are happy with it. The end result is that you can link to the cartoon on Bitstrips, or download it as an image to use in newsletters and on notice boards. Bitstrips are obviously aware of educational uses, since they have recently launched ‘Bitstrips for Schools‘.

I created a few for my RSC Wales job, see the RSC Wales LR Netvibes account. Also in my other role at Aberystwyth University, to promote our federated search tool. The fact that it is so easy to edit the cartoons means it is simple to go back in and create a Welsh version.

Animoto

I have always been a fan of Animoto. It is a site that lets you upload images and select music, and they get mixed together into a video slideshow which can then be viewed online, embedded on a webpage, or downloaded. In the early days you had to add words to an image yourself if you wanted text, but nowadays there are options to include titles and subtitles, and even to incorporate video clips. The basic version which creates short 60 second clips is free to use; however I took out a subscription so that I can create videos of any length.

I have used Animoto in various ways.

• Sometimes when I am doing a teaching session I like to have looped music and video playing as people come in and settle down: to help create an informal atmosphere, act as a border between the ‘outside world’ and the session proper, and possibly to raise some questions in advance of the session. This is an example I used in a session I ran on using multimedia resources.
• An attractive way of getting a simple message across.
• To promote a new service (ac yn Saesneg)
• As an ‘attract mode’ running on a laptop when you are on a stall e.g. a recent stall I ran demonstrating e-book readers had this animation playing to pull people over.
• A fun way of introducing people with photos and names.
• For your own projects outside of work e.g. presenting a poem, holiday snapshots.

Crosswords

LRCs often like to offer quizzes as ways of summarising information or reinforcing it later. Crosswords are an easy way to do this, something some users might enjoy (though they shouldn’t be over-used, and many students will hate them – it is just an alternative way of giving information). Creating a crossword by hand is a daunting task, and thankfully unnecessary! Lots of software is available. My favourite is Eclipse Crossword, which is free and simple to use, yet powerful and fast. If you haven’t tried it before, why not incorporate a quick crossword into one of your information literacy sessions, leaflets, inductions or competitions, or use one as part of a promotion of resources and services?

Quizzes

At the end of a teaching session it is good to include some way of reviewing the content. Institutions with voting systems or interactive whiteboards can use those, but there are many other options for running a quiz. One of my favourites at the moment is ‘Multiple Choice Quiz Creator‘, which resembles ‘Who Want To Be A Millionaire?’ in format and sounds. I like the fact that you only need a laptop/PC, speakers, and (ideally) a projector. Sometimes I get a student to take part, helped by the rest of the people at the session; sometimes I get people to call out answers; other times I put the lecturer on the hotspot (depending on the vibe of the session and how relaxed people are!) It has proven to be a fun way to finish off with a laugh, with a prize of some sort for the winner (e.g. a USB memory stick or some pens). The quizzes are free to play (since the display software has no limits), but the quiz creator programme itself is only free for thirty days. You can download sample quizzes here if you want to try it out.

The slides from the day are all available on Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/Mark_H_Swansea/slideshows and Mark Hughes has added an excellent collection of links for more information.

Speakers Mark Hughes, Ken Chad and Nick Dimant gave their perspectives on the background to open source in libraries – the current environment and reasons for and against looking at open source solutions. In the UK there has not yet been a significant take-up of open source LIBRARY systems although the success of the open source VLE Moodle has gone some considerable way to prove the concept of using open source in education. In other countries, the take-up of open source library management systems (LMS) has been growing fast – the US, France and India in particular. Nick Dimant of PTFS Europe commented on the trend that the growth of open source was linked with the existence of capable local support centres.

After lunch Jonathan Field from PTFS Europe gave a detailed demo and comparison of the 2 major open source systems: Koha and Evergreen. I’d definitely recommend a look at his presentation (combined with the demo versions available on the web) for anyone seriously interested in them – both were really impressive in terms of functionality but, like any system, come with their own pros and cons. Thinking of the need for a Welsh language interface, Koha already has the option to be multilingual and Evergreen is currently being developed further to support bilingual use in Canada.

We also had an excellent overview of the ongoing implementation of the open source VuFind system as part of the Virtual Academic Library project in Wales by Paul Johnson (presentation here). VuFind is being used to provide a common interface for searching 3 universities’ print and electronic resource collections. The project is a good example of how Wales is leading the way on library collaboration and open source development!

Mark Hughes also publicised the useful work that has been done at Swansea with RFID, resulting in the Open RFID in Libraries Specification (ORILS) being published under a Creative Commons licence. This can be re-used by anyone undertaking an RFID procurement process and work is ongoing to build a community of practice to encourage interoperability between the different RFID systems. http://groups.google.com/group/ORILS/web for more information!

The fact that question time at the end ran over reflects the level of interest on the day and also the concerns felt about open source. Some of these – lack of vendor support, handling the procurement process and data migration – can be mitigated by using a 3^rd party support company in place of the traditional LMS vendor. This is an added cost but should still return a big saving overall on paying for a commercial system.

I came away from the day full of enthusiasm and hoping an institution in the UK (Wales?) will take the plunge and implement an open source LMS in the near future. I also felt it could be useful to bring in the experiences from the transition to Moodle in terms of allaying the fears (particularly within HE) in switching to open source. One of the key things that emerged from the day was that open source does not mean going it alone – as well as the support of the community, there is always the option of paying for professional support just to get started or as an ongoing safety net.

NB. The RSC Wales information area on LMS has also been updated with info from the day: http://moodle.rsc-wales.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=2923&chapterid=150

(Image by Wit on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons)

The appearance of the daffodils has brought on a bout of spring cleaning for some of our resources. RSC Wales produced a guide to Library Management System (LMS) purchasing for FE a few years back which was badly in need of a brush up. So now we have a shiny new (Moodle) information area to replace the previous PDF.

Our LMS guide is primarily intended for learning resources staff and their managers in Further Education, but can also be applicable to smaller HEIs, schools and other educational institutions. As well as updating the bulk of the previous guide which focussed on procuring a LMS, we have included more information on some ways of enhancing or enriching existing systems and there is also a snapshot of the LMS in use in Welsh FE.

This area forms part of the wider “Technology for the LRC” section which we’re developing. Links to all our learning resources-related information areas can be found on our Netvibes page.

At the same time libraries are watching their budgets carefully, and are not keen to undergo the major project that changing their LMS would be.

This is where a number of companies and products step in, offering to revitalise the OPAC. The recent JISC report ‘Library Management Systems: Investing wisely in a period of disruptive change’ pointed towards this raft of options as a way of solving some LMS problems:

“Others have gained valuable experience through implementing Vertical Search products. The market for complementary products is widening as the LMS vendors have realised it is to their advantage that their ‘add-ons’ work with the LMS from other vendors.”

Commercial discovery tools like Aquabrowser and Primo aim to provide intuitive search interfaces so users can access all resources from within one interface. Not all the options are commercial though – there are many open source projects such as Vufind.

It is also possible to jazz up the OPAC using OPAC enrichment services such as the services offered by Syndetic Solutions. Or you could incorporate virtual shelf browsing i.e. seeing images of books next to each other – see the University of Huddersfield OPAC for an example – scroll down for the shelf browser. (See here for some information on how it was done.)

Aquabrowser demo

Last week I attended a demonstration of one of the commercial product suppliers, Aquabrowser.

To get an idea of what the OPAC may look like if parsed by Aquabrowser go to the list of customers here and follow some of the OPAC links. For an FE option, have a look at the Croydon College implementation. Bear in mind that many libraries have also purchased OPAC enrichment services, so some of the features may not be part of Aquabrowser.

Click to enlarge – a basic results screen with subliminal messages

In the screenshot above you can see the three main features.

1. Search box and results in the centre.
2. A ‘Refine’ box on the right to narrow down results.
3. A ‘Discover’ box on the left which provides alternative terms (synonyms, related terms, variant spellings and so on) which can also be used to refine the results, or to begin a whole new search. Note that this can show up flaws and inconsistencies in the institution’s cataloguing – hopefully an opportunity to correct them!

I’ll just post my immediate thoughts after using Aquabrowser for a while.

The good

• RSS: Aquabrowser generates flexible RSS feeds with no fuss. It is possible to generate a feed for a particular simple search, or a refined search; and for the feed to include all items or just new ones.
• Accessibility: The ‘Discover’ box is animated, and therefore not suitable for screen readers. However Aquabrowser has an alternative URL which generates an interface suitable for screen-readers, due to being text-based and with a revised box order. Click to enlarge the screenshot below to see what it looks like.

Possible concerns:

• Admin: Aquabrowser does not work live from the bibliographic data – every night you have to do a bulk upload. Aquabrowser works from that, though communicates live with the LMS regarding circulation data and status. Obviously this can be automated, but is another procedure.
• Stats and reports: Aquabrowser generates its own usage statistics. However because it is working off a database dump none of those statistics will have been recorded by the LMS – apart from circulation statistics etc where AquaBrowser transfers to the host LMS. So if you offer Aquabrowser AND the traditional native OPAC to users, as some institutions do, then your search and access statistics will be split between the two systems. Even if you don’t offer a native interface to the OPAC, the lending statistics will be in one system (the LMS) and the search statistics elsewhere (Aquabrowser) so it will be difficult to run reports combining the two.
• My Discoveries is a social networking add-on for Aquabrowser, enabling reviews, book lists and tagging. The idea is good, and it can be used as a system for reading lists. However the data and accounts are not hosted by the subscribing institution; and the system is not Shibboleth compliant. Users have to create an extra account (on the system seller’s database), which is an inconvenience for users and system administrators. Increasingly libraries are looking to the future with single sign-on systems, so it is a shame that the idea here is good, but the implementation is flawed.
• Powered By: It may just be me, but I find overt publicity of brand names to be a distraction. Aquabrowser says ‘Powered by Aquabrowser’ on most screens, which is something I find irritating. If I am paying a company for something I shouldn’t have to advertise their products on my institutional screens and systems as well. The only brand that I want to show is the brand of my library service, but the person demonstrating Aquabrowser said it is not possible to remove it.

[Two amazing views seen by walking along the river-side towpath to the college, rather than walking along the A470]

It is always interesting to find out what different colleges and their LRCs are doing; to meet the staff who are running these vital services; to find out what issues they face and what innovations they are making; and to get a tour around a new college. Today I met with a number of staff and we discussed a range of subjects, such as open-source library management systems, e-resources, and information literacy. We also discussed the training day that RSC Wales will be running in Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor on 7 May 2008, which will be based around mind-mapping and the importance of integrating e-resources into the curriculum, as well as the role of the LRC and information literacy in developing students’ potential.

It was good to see that the Internet Detective had been embedded into the college VLE. The college is also justifiably proud of the new touch screen technology based in the training kitchen, from which staff and students can download recipes, access the VLE, and upload or download to USB memory stick from the screens.

["Can I help you?"]

Of particular interest for me were Web 2.0: Supporting Library Users and Web 2.0: Addressing the Barriers to Implementation in a Library Context.

The former includes examples of how the library can use Web 2.0 ideas in service delivery, including things such as the ‘wall of books‘ which displays book cover images for new items added to stock, and each image links to the relevant bibliographic record on the OPAC. Some LMS may already have features than can be utilised for Web 2.0-style interaction.

The RSC Wales del.icio.us account has a general section on Web 2.0 if you want to look into it further.

Voting systems

Our Optivote voting system was used in some sessions by Coleg Gwent recently, which were apparently well received. I am thinking of collecting a few case studies on the use of voting systems in FE – please let me know if you would be interested in discussing their use in your college! (This may lead on to perhaps collecting case studies on other aspects of resource use in the future). Our RSC Wales Del.icio.us account has links to voting system suppliers.

[Optivote handsets and receiver]

Information literacy

As you may know, CyMAL has given the FE Learning Resources Managers’ network a sum of money to run more information literacy events, and RSC Wales is helping to organise them. Strand 1 – ‘Skills for success’ will be comprised of two events, one in North Wales (Deeside college, Wed 28th November) and one in South Wales (Swansea College, Fri 14 December). This will be followed by Strand 2 ‘Strategies for Success’, a one-day course aimed at managers and run by Sharon Markless (Thursday 24th January at the University of Wales College Newport Caerleon campus). For the Strand 1 events we want to have a couple of short examples of what librarians are doing to increase the success/impact of information literacy or induction sessions. It might be something online, it might be a classroom based activity, it might be marketing – anything really, as long as you have something achievable that you can show or describe in an enthusiastic way! If you are interested in perhaps talking about something from your college then please let me know. It would also be a chance to disseminate your work across the professional community in Wales. I often hear of interesting innovations (e.g. this September Coleg Powys used the Cephalonian method in their LRC inductions), and it is good to get those messages out to a wider audience.

I am also working on a Moodle module about Information Literacy (currently looking at what other UK RSCs have done) and need to get on with it, but other things have been taking precedence… As the Pet Shop Boys would have said, it is always on my mind…

Our RSC Wales Del.icio.us account has a ‘bundle’ (yes, that is the technical term) set up for information literacy.

Second Life

See my blog entry below. Zombie Greenwood lives! There are many possibilities here. If any FE librarians want to test it out as a communication medium then just let me know and I will teleport over!

Federated Access Management [FAM]

One Welsh FE college has expressed an interest in moving from Athens to FAM, and we are looking into it.

It is possible that there could be a UC&R Wales event on this in Spring 2008.

See the RSC Wales Del.icio.us account Access Management bundle for more information.

RSC Wales Del.icio.us account

You may have spotted the mentions of this above! I have been tidying, removing dead links, repairing broken URLs, updating, re-tagging, adding new categories, merging others etc. If anybody wants to suggest links or changes then just let me know. Hopefully it will be a useful resource. I have a few more routine updates to do when I get the chance. View it here – then feel free to bookmark it!

Welsh Heritage User Group

I had been involved in talks on the future of this group. Ian Cockrill (Swansea College) then did a survey of all Heritage users in Wales to gauge support, but due to the small number of reponses it was decided that, at this point in time, establishing a Wales Heritage User group appears non-viable. However Ian will continue to represent the FE/HE sector and Wales at the national user group, which Heritage users can join, and he offered to raise issues at that forum. There may be an option of a library management system event in the future – something that is under consideration.

RSC Wales website

The RSC Wales website has been updated recently. I have been updating some of the useful documents originally created by Samantha Edwards, and will be making them available on the website as soon as the new access arrangements are finalised. In the meantime subscribers to FE-LRC-WALES will have received some of them (free e-resources etc.)

[The new-look RSC Wales website]

College queries

Obviously these go on all the time, from queries about LMS bids to requests for copyright-cleared image sources.

One interesting query was about accessing electronic copies of articles to store in the institutional VLE. Some of you may be aware of the British Library’s new Higher Education Scanning Service, which could be a really useful resource in Wales, but the HESS service is currently HE only. I have spoken to staff at the British Library who were very helpful and said they would be looking to possibly roll the service out to the FE sector. However there may be some issues that need clearing up with the Copyright Licensing Agency [CLA] first. I have been in touch with the CLA and am awaiting a definitive response on the issue. If I get any news I will inform FE LRC managers.

Open Source Library Management Systems [LMS]

In FE in Wales we have seen proprietary VLEs replaced with the all-conquering Open Source Moodle. Just about every Welsh FE college is using Moodle, or about to, leading to a situation where colleges can easily share resources and be involved in a community-support situation.

Could this happen with Library Management Systems? There are a few possibilities listed on the RSC Wales Del.icio.us account, and a few of our colleges are looking at them. But there are many crystal ball questions: What is the situation elsewhere? Could an Open Source LMS become the de facto standard in FE libraries? Which are the best? What support could RSCs offer? Is the situation similar to what happened with Moodle, or not?

There does seem to be a growth of interest in this area. In the last few weeks I have been in communication with the head of a research consultancy and with a lecturer writing an article, both unrelated conversations, yet both people were interested in the potential for Open Source LMS.

I have raised the issue in the national RSC Forum, and will see what happens, and also what the findings of the lecturer I was in contact with are.

Team meeting

Thursday 27th September was an RSC Wales team meeting in Swansea. A good chance for me to catch up with the rest of the team – and a personal challenge to me, since I have to be up before 5am, and leave the house before 6am to walk into Aberystwyth to catch the X40 bus to Swansea!

In my first post I said I would mention my experiences of public transport. Well, on Wed 6th June I tried to get to Newtown for an all day ILT Champions meeting. However, although I was at the National Express bus stop for 8am (and the bus came 20 minutes late) the driver still wouldn’t let me on, saying that he was expecting to pick up lots of people with tickets later. I even offered to stand at the back, but to no avail… So I was late for the meeting, but the group were friendly and informal so it was okay. I got to meet Berni Tyler of Fforwm, and I will be going to the Fforwm LRS Manager’s Network meeting at Deeside next week (fingers crossed for the public transport links to get there from Aberystwyth!) The day ended with a meeting with Neil Smyth, the Coleg Powys FE LRC manager, that involved some pints and games of pool in a pleasant Newtown pub. By the time the evening train trundled towards Aberystwyth and the setting sun shone over the Dyfi Estuary, I had forgotten the stresses of the morning’s journey, and felt a glowing contentment instead.