Comments on: OPAC Web Services Should Be Like Amazon Web Services http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10956/opac-web-services-should-be-like-amazon-web-services A bunch of stuff I would have emailed you about. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:12:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: About My code4lib Presentation « MaisonBisson.com http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10956/opac-web-services-should-be-like-amazon-web-services#comment-32053 About My code4lib Presentation « MaisonBisson.com Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:30:13 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10956#comment-32053 [...] I’ve talked about this before (here, here, here, and here, among others), and I’ll be talking about it more yet. Most exciting for me, I wasn’t alone in my plea, as Art Rhyno made some great points about how our acquisitions and accounting processes are substantially similar to what’s called ERP in the outside world. [...] [...] I’ve talked about this before (here, here, here, and here, among others), and I’ll be talking about it more yet. Most exciting for me, I wasn’t alone in my plea, as Art Rhyno made some great points about how our acquisitions and accounting processes are substantially similar to what’s called ERP in the outside world. [...]

]]> By: WPopac: An OPAC 2.0 Testbed « MaisonBisson.com http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10956/opac-web-services-should-be-like-amazon-web-services#comment-31680 WPopac: An OPAC 2.0 Testbed « MaisonBisson.com Fri, 10 Feb 2006 04:59:20 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10956#comment-31680 [...] What about RSS, XML, OpenSearch? WordPress solves the RSS feed for us (look at this URL to see). A feature-complete XML API, is a bit further off, but maybe somebody wants to pitch in to help solve that one? And full OpenSearch support, taking advantage of the suggested and alternate search features, is my next big project (here’s where I’m going with that). [...] [...] What about RSS, XML, OpenSearch? WordPress solves the RSS feed for us (look at this URL to see). A feature-complete XML API, is a bit further off, but maybe somebody wants to pitch in to help solve that one? And full OpenSearch support, taking advantage of the suggested and alternate search features, is my next big project (here’s where I’m going with that). [...]

]]> By: The Future Of Privacy and Libraries « MaisonBisson.com http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10956/opac-web-services-should-be-like-amazon-web-services#comment-31204 The Future Of Privacy and Libraries « MaisonBisson.com Wed, 01 Feb 2006 19:41:12 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10956#comment-31204 [...] One only need look at LibraryThing to see an alternative. It’s not that I think LibraryThing or Listal or any other service will make better privacy decisions than we will. My point is that our attempts to build out customized services will likely draw resources away from efforts to improve the way our existing services interoperate with the rest of the internet. Listal and LibraryThing work because Amazon built an outstanding API and made it freely available to all. If libraries offered an API like that, those services could easily integrate our holdings, and LibraryThing users could match their interests against materials available at their local libraries without revealing themselves to us. Patrons could run desktop applications like Delicious Library and (mostly) avoid revealing themselves over the network. Libraries are in the awkward position of having identifying information about their patrons, but online-only services might not need any more identification than an anonymous username and password. [...] [...] One only need look at LibraryThing to see an alternative. It’s not that I think LibraryThing or Listal or any other service will make better privacy decisions than we will. My point is that our attempts to build out customized services will likely draw resources away from efforts to improve the way our existing services interoperate with the rest of the internet. Listal and LibraryThing work because Amazon built an outstanding API and made it freely available to all. If libraries offered an API like that, those services could easily integrate our holdings, and LibraryThing users could match their interests against materials available at their local libraries without revealing themselves to us. Patrons could run desktop applications like Delicious Library and (mostly) avoid revealing themselves over the network. Libraries are in the awkward position of having identifying information about their patrons, but online-only services might not need any more identification than an anonymous username and password. [...]

]]> By: Not Invented Here « MaisonBisson.com http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10956/opac-web-services-should-be-like-amazon-web-services#comment-30869 Not Invented Here « MaisonBisson.com Mon, 30 Jan 2006 03:05:59 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10956#comment-30869 [...] I couldn’t say it, but Alexander Johannesen could: libraries are the last bastions of the “not invented here syndrome” (scroll down just a bit, you’ll find it). [...] [...] I couldn’t say it, but Alexander Johannesen could: libraries are the last bastions of the “not invented here syndrome” (scroll down just a bit, you’ll find it). [...]

]]> By: Richard Akerman http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10956/opac-web-services-should-be-like-amazon-web-services#comment-22371 Richard Akerman Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:25:21 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10956#comment-22371 I agree with the sentiment, but not the terminology. ILS / OPAC / WebOPAC / database terms are widely used and misued by librarians. There are a few components: your inventory system, your interface for librarians and your interface for the public. The problem has been that libraries have tried to do all three things with the exact same system. I argued long ago (well, in Internet time, i.e. February 2005) that a key step is first perceiving that the ILS is primarily an inventory system, so it seems that progress is being made in that area http://scilib.typepad.com/science_library_pad/2005/02/why_the_webopac.html The next step, one which I know you and others are working on very hard, is how to build a real, usable, client interface. Do you find a way to talk to the inventory database? Or do you suck the data out and repurpose it? Fundamentally, all the XML Server vs. Web Services discussions boil down to: in order to build a good user interface, libraries MUST be able to fully access and manipulate the data in their inventory systems according to the needs of the LIBRARY, not the whims of the VENDOR. I agree with the sentiment, but not the terminology. ILS / OPAC / WebOPAC / database terms are widely used and misued by librarians. There are a few components: your inventory system, your interface for librarians and your interface for the public. The problem has been that libraries have tried to do all three things with the exact same system. I argued long ago (well, in Internet time, i.e. February 2005) that a key step is first perceiving that the ILS is primarily an inventory system, so it seems that progress is being made in that area

http://scilib.typepad.com/science_library_pad/2005/02/why_the_webopac.html

The next step, one which I know you and others are working on very hard, is how to build a real, usable, client interface. Do you find a way to talk to the inventory database? Or do you suck the data out and repurpose it? Fundamentally, all the XML Server vs. Web Services discussions boil down to: in order to build a good user interface, libraries MUST be able to fully access and manipulate the data in their inventory systems according to the needs of the LIBRARY, not the whims of the VENDOR.

]]> By: Michael Fagan http://maisonbisson.com/blog/post/10956/opac-web-services-should-be-like-amazon-web-services#comment-18228 Michael Fagan Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:58:06 +0000 http://maisonbisson.com/blog/?p=10956#comment-18228 I would point out that OpenSearch and RSS are not different formats. A valid OpenSearch Response *is* RSS (well, unless it is Atom). I would point out that OpenSearch and RSS are not different formats. A valid OpenSearch Response *is* RSS (well, unless it is Atom).

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