Testing and Improving Interoperability The Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed

1. Testing and Improving InteroperabilityThe Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed William E. Moen<wemoen@unt.edu>School of Library and Information SciencesTexas Center for Digital KnowledgeUniversity of North TexasDenton, TX 72603 Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Committee Springfield, Illinois June 2002

2. Overview • The Interoperability Challenge • Key Factors to Address • The Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

3. Factors affecting interoperability • Multiple and disparate systems • operating systems, information retrieval systems, etc. • Multiple protocols • Z39.50, SOAP, HTTP, etc • Multiple data formats and syntax • MARC 21, UNIMARC, XML, etc. • Multiple metadata schemes • ISBD/AACR2-based, Dublin Core, VRA, etc. • Multiple vocabularies, ontologies, disciplines • LCSH, MESH, AAT • Multiple languages, Multiple character sets Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

4. Factors reduced … • Within the library community’s catalogs • Bibliographic records relatively homogeneous • Common metadata scheme • Common syntax for exchanging records • Commonly accepted access points • Common controlled vocabularies, authorities, etc. • Common protocol for IR, namely Z39.50 Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

5. Z39.50 Virtual Catalog Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

6. Key factors to address • Quality of data in records (cataloging quality) • Setting standards for consistent quality • Encouraging adherence to standards • Functionality of online catalog for searches • Keyword, phrase, and exact match searches • Truncation • Proximity searches • Indexing policies on local catalogs • Z39.50 server configuration Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

7. Indexing policies • Common access points (generally) but…. • Why have agreement on indexing policies? • Which fields and subfields to index? • How easy is it to configure indexing policies? Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

8. Profiles are a solution path for improving interoperability • Represent community consensus on requirements • Identify Z39.50 specifications to support those requirements • Aid in purchasing decisions • Provide specifications for vendors Z39.50 server specifications • Use of national and international Z39.50 profiles • Bath Profile, U.S. National Z39.50 Profile • Profiles can: • Identify searching requirements (tasks) • Define the searches (semantics and behavior) • Specify Z39.50 query to represent the search Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

9. Interoperability testing Realizing the Vision of Networked Access to Library Resources: An Applied Research and Demonstration Project to Establish and Operate a Z39.50 Interoperability Testbed • A Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant • Goal: Improve Z39.50 semantic interoperability among libraries for information access and resource sharing Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

10. Vision • Provide a technically and organizationally trusted environment for vendors and consumers to demonstrate and evaluate Z39.50 products • Develop rigorous methodologies, test scenarios & procedures to measure and assess the extent of interoperability • Demonstrate and operate a Z39.50 interoperability testbed Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

11. Outcomes • Improved interoperability • Best practices to identify implementation strategies • Improvements in information retrieval system implementations and Z39.50 products • Interoperability testbed model for others to utilize FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE PROJECT WEBSITE… http://www.unt.edu/zinterop/ Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

12. Testbed components • Test dataset • 400,000 MARC 21 records from OCLC • Z39.50 reference implementations • Z-client, Z-server, information retrieval system • Test scenarios & searches • Searches with known result records from dataset • Benchmarks • Results of test searches against reference implementations Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

13. Analysis logic 1. Examine for occurrence of word “river” 2. Yields Aggregate Record Group for word “river” Test Dataset Aggregate Record Group 3. Examine for occurrence of word “river” in selectedfields/subfields Candidate Record Group 4. Yields Candidate Record Group for word “river” in selectedfields/subfields Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

14. A central question • What are the appropriate Author, Title, and Subject fields to look in for the word? • Guidelines for indexing to support profile searches Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

15. Reference implementations • Online Catalog Software • Phase 1 testing will use SIRSI’s UNICORN system • Test dataset loaded on the system • Indexing policies based on guidelines • Z39.50 Server • SIRSI Z39.50 Module • Configured according to Bath/NISO Profile • Z39.50 Client • Bookwhere 2000 • Configured according to Bath/NISO Profile Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

16. Establishing benchmarks Reference Z39.50 Client Reference Z39.50 Server Test Dataset Configuredto SupportProfileSpecifications Configuredto SupportProfileSpecifications Indexed peragreementsto supportProfile searches Test searches using words selected in analysis of dataset CandidateRecord Group RetrievalBenchmarks Compared to Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

17. Interoperability testing • Test dataset loaded by participants on their systems • Configured and indexed to conform with Bath/NISO Profiles • For participants with Z-servers • Z-Interop will send test searches from reference Z-client • Report results compared with benchmarks • Analyze results to assist implementor to improve interop • For participants with Z-clients • Test searches sent to reference Z-server Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

18. Testing and assessment Test Dataset Loaded by Vendor or Library Reference Z39.50 Client VendorZ39.50 Server Configuredby Vendorfor Conformance to Profile Configuredto SupportProfileSpecifications Indexed by Vendor According to Vendor’s Specifications Test Searches RetrievalBenchmarks RetrievalResults Compared to Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL

19. Will you participate? • Would your organization be interested? • Could you load a 400,000 record test dataset? • How long would it take you to index and configure prior to testing? • How does your system handle data in the 001/003? • What would you like to learn from this testbed? • Once the testbed is operational and proven, would you add to your RFPs, “must demonstrate interoperability through UNT’s Z-Interop Testbed?” Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Commitee -- Springfield, IL