WiLSWorld #2

live blogging, session 2 -

R & D for Libraries
Boguszewski & Meyer, Library Technology Group
UW-Madison Libraries

Management is getting from here to there
Challenge is figuring out where here is and where there is

Google admits they haven't got it all figured out. Their specialized projects are all "Beta"

Library paradigm change - Embrace the beta
Beta implies unfinished. A great time to get feedback to users

Why releasean unfinished product? -- we don't know yet what we don't know.
(but neither do users)

Netflix (exaample) site update schedule: 2 weeks
all services through website
they know the benefits of failing fast
teams that fail fast improve as fast, if not faster. Reason: teams trying to get it right the first time fail as often as everyone else.
90% of the ideas they try fail

R&D can be dangerous, must have clear goals. solve only known problems and problems that are important.

What is the problem?
Do the tools exist?
Does the staff exist?

Infrastructure
Vertualization
Security
=Ability to move fast

Vertualization - they use VM ware
Leverages the hardware they're buying
Virtual servers can be cloned quickly. Take the time up front to set up server, patch, base software, test results for consistency. Ability to have exact replicas of an environment.

Can test things like patches before deploying in live environment
Take a snapshot of the environment before development. can quickly revert to a moment in time if development goes bad.

Help desk system -selection of tool
found many others were using open source
pick your flavor (operating system)
pick your database
Installed 4 products of help desk systems

Advantages of open source
Constantly changing, fixing bugs
Ability to modify source code
Community enhancements and plug ins
Simple, easily changeable interface

Disadvantages of open source
Constantly changing, fixing bus
No direct customer support (get answers from others on their timeframe)
Development is not free

Richard Stallman: "free software" is a matter of liberty, not price . . . .

Chose open source system for help desk. Had plug in to integrate inventory into ticketing system.
Out of the box worked well
Chose Request Tracker
*Email generated tickets
*Web forms
*Inventory information

Make the catalog data work harder
Persistent notion, that libraries build collections (not just collect things)
Why does OPAC suck? We're data rich, but functionality poor.
trying to fix existing system like putting lipstick on a pig (ouch)

Greatest strengths
Patrons come to library because we have good
We collect smartly
Bibliographers and collection managers build collections

"There is no online equivalent to browsing the stacks" (history professor)
Can browse by call number
Wrong assumption - that people know call numbers

Tennant said we've spent a lot of time making people expert searchers
We should be spending more time making computers do what searchers want

Focus - how does one bib record connect to others in the collection?

At the time find one good hit, then provide a way to go to a call number search in order to simulate call number browse of shelf.

Mock up shows it can be done. Given to vendors as a model.