Trends in Library Automation

1. Trends in Library Automation Marshall BreedingDirector for Innovative Technologies and Research Vanderbilt University http://staffweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/breeding Alaska Library Association Annual Conference February 24, 2006

2. Industry Trends The business is becoming more brutal…

3. Fragmentation vs Consolidation • Library industry fragmented • Industry entering phase of consolidation • Library industry still fragmented • Many companies competing for a limited market with overlapping products with marginal differentiation • Sirsi + Dynix + DocuTek + DRA + NOTIS + MultiLIS + INLEX = SirsiDynix + ? • Library clients captured through acquisition • Greater disparity between the smallest and the largest companies

4. Who owns the Industry? • Some of the most important decisions that affect the options available to libraries are made in the corporate board room. • Increased control by financial interests of venture capital • SirsiDynix -> Seaport Capital + Hicks Muse • Ex Libris -> Walden Israel + Tamar Technology • Geac -> Golden Gate • Polaris -> Croydon Company • Privately owned by Founders • Innovative Interfaces • The Library Corporation • Keystone Systems • Division of Larger corporation • Endeavor • Open Text

5. Growth Strategies • Assembly & Acquisition: • SirsiDynix • BiblioMondo • Some companies continue to prosper and grow organically through steady sales of products to new libraries • Innovative • The Library Corporation • Keystone

6. Libraries demand choice. • Room for niche players • Domination by a large monopoly unlikely to be accepted by library community

7. A New Role for OCLC? • Library-owned cooperative on a buying binge of automation companies: • Openly Informatics • Fretwell-Downing Informatics • Sisis Informationssysteme • PICA • Acquired a broad range of technology components • Open WorldCat will grow into a much broader set of services

8. Key Issue • It’s essential for libraries to partner with a company that will be one of the survivors of the industry. • Very disruptive to a library’s automation strategy if its vendor is acquired. • Given the relative parity of library automation systems, choosing the right automation partner is more important than splitting hairs over functionality. • Understanding of library issues • Vision and forward-looking development

9. The Future? • A fewer number of larger companies • Some weaker companies may allow themselves to become acquired • Consolidated companies will consolidate product offerings • ILS Sales will decline • Fewer opportunities for sales in US and Canada • Focus on Non-ILS offerings • Define a new ILS • More International marketing • More cross-industry ownership • Courseware + ILS? • ERP/CRM + ILS?

10. Technology Trends

11. The ILS is not dead • Rumors of its demise are greatly exaggerated • A well-functioning automation system is essential to the operation of the library • Libraries have never needed automation more than today • The ILS does need to be redefined • Give primacy to electronic content • Maintain solid support for print materials • Designed to integrate with external systems • Evolve into Service Oriented Business Application • Compartmentalize and contain resources invested in traditional ILS functionality to catch up with deficits in supporting electronic content

12. Comprehensive Automation • The goal of the Integrated Library Systems involves the automation of all aspects of the library’s internal operations and to provide key services to library users. • As the scope of libraries evolve, so must the scope and capabilities of the ILS

13. Resource Sharing • Limited budgets demand sharing collections • Opportunities to make ILL more like circulation • Fast delivery of physical items from non-local collections: remote storage, consortium partners, ILL

14. Large-scale automation • Trend toward automation through consortia • The days of single-library ILS implementations are waning • An increasing portion of ILS sales involve independent libraries joining a consortium to gain access to a shared automation environment • Small and mid-sized consortia are merging into larger ones • ASP / Vendor-hosted automation • Take advantage of industrial strength hosting facilities • Realization that small libraries do not have the resources to deal with security, disaster planning, and other technical aspects of maintaining and ILS.

15. The ILS Crisis • The ILS, which had been steadily evolving for over 2 decades reached a crisis in about 2000. While libraries had evolved into new roles involving increasing electronic content, the ILS remained fixated on print and traditional materials.

16. Response to the Crisis • A bevy of add-ons: • OpenURL Link Resolvers • Metasearch environments • Electronic Resource Management modules • New front ends and portals • Replacement OPAC interfaces • AquaBrowser Library • Endeca Guided Search

17. Blindsided despite Obvious Trends • Libraries have been acquiring and creating electronic content since the emergence of the Web • One of the most fundamental changes in the nature of libraries, yet the automation systems fell behind in features needed to manage and deliver electronic content.

18. A fundamental failure • The emergence of these non-integrated add-on applications stand as an indictment that the ILS failed to evolve in step with changes in the library environment. • Libraries failed to demand adequate tools in time of need. Satisfied with ad-hoc solutions. • Vendors failed to incrementally evolve their core products to accommodate electronic content. • The ILS would be much different today if it gained these functions as native capabilities.

19. Threats and challenges -- general • Library users expect more than they currently receive. • Google and other modern Web destinations set high user expectations. • Library offerings seem clumsy, complex, and ineffectual.

20. Threats and challenges – academic • Libraries struggle to find their place in the academic enterprise • Organizationally: Role in academic support and student life • Virtually: Challenge to be both conspicuous and transparent in the academic web presence • Challenges: • be a great destination among the Web services the university offers its faculty and students • To deliver library services through non-library interfaces: campus portal, courseware, etc.

21. Threats and challenges – public • Increased pressure to: • Reduce costs • Share resources • Increase service quality • Integrate with municipal or county IT infrastructure and support structures • Integrate with e-government systems • Deliver access to more electronic content

22. Threats and challenges – schools • Automate at the district level rather than individual school libraries • Decrease IT support burden • Support assessment and reporting requirements • Integrate library automation with other school administration systems • School Interoperability Framework

23. Path to Recovery? • More systematic approach toward hybrid print/electronic collections • Adoption of technologies that support e-content • OpenURL-based linking widely deployed • Metasearch stands as the current kludge for unifying the OPAC and ever-growing collections of electronic content • Develop new search and information discovery models • Redefine the library catalog • Not just the physical holdings • Library portal options still limited and immature • New library interfaces with more comprehensive scope • Library Web services that integrate into strategic higher-level interfaces and portals

24. Questions and Discussion