Library-IT Collaboration at Georgetown: Building a New Rich Media Environment

1. Library-IT Collaboration at Georgetown: Building a New Rich Media Environment CSG Workshop University of Colorado at Boulder Charles F. Leonhardt leonhardt@georgetown.edu `

2. Georgetown Libraries • Major library for each campus: • Main: Joseph Lauinger Memorial Library • Medical: John Vinton Dahlgren Library • Law: Edward Bennett Williams Library • Specialized Libraries: • Blommer Science Library • Kennedy Bioethics Library • Woodstock Theological Library

3. Library-IT Collaboration • Historically: • Low level of Collaboration • Technology islands • (e.g. 3 separate instances of the same library management system) • Library systems housed in each library typically without test, development, or business continuity environments • Today: • Regular interaction of librarians, CNDLS (pedagogical support staff), and UIS (central IT) • Encouraging increase in collaborative projects

4. Scholarly Systems Group • Created in the central IT organization to support the enterprise technology needs of the libraries and the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship and their customers • Supports scholarly systems in schools and departments that need enterprise technology services • A dedicated scholarly service group akin to the HR/Payroll, Student System, and Financial Services support groups • Group encourages collaborative projects

5. Examples of Collaborations • Interfacing the IdM & Library Systems • Wireless Network Replacement • NetID-enabling of services; moving to Shib • Web server hosting • Digital Repository Pilots • Course Mgmt/ Library System integration • Planning for migration of library systems to new enterprise data center • Building a new Rich Media Environment

6. Creating a Rich Media Pilot • Academic Year 2003-2004: Multimedia Working Group formed, chaired by the Digital Media Libarian, to determine University requirements for Rich Media. Report published in May 2004 and presented to the University administration. • High Interest in Rich Media • Review of Vendor provided systems • No University Capital Available

7. Librarian Thinking on Rich Media • Dramatically increasing demand • Faculty want to deliver more media to students • Students want “better” access to course materials eliminating restrictions on time on place • Demand for anytime, anywhere services • Download and streaming • Podcasts • Lecture Capture • What’s Next???

8. Technical Drivers • Liabilities of existing Cisco IPTV System • Proliferation of Apple Streaming Servers • No AuthN / AuthZ • “Under someone’s desk” • Varying level of reliability • No enterprise-class services

9. Georgetown brings: Knowledge of higher ed Functional requirements Quality assurance / testing Real-world use cases ShareStream brings: Capital investment Development resources Experience with streaming media and related tech. Risk! The Decision to Partner • Significant capital requirements… with no University funding available • An offer from local startup: ShareStream • Vendor play - Everyone contributes

10. What is ShareStream? • ShareStream provides the means to capture, encode, store, deliver, and archive rich media materials. Media may be streamed, downloaded, or RSS-fed to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the general public as appropriate.

11. High Level Requirements • Access: Public and Privileged • Authentication and Authorization • Content Management – metadata, browsing & searching, asset and collection relationships • Capture, Encode, and Archive • E-Commerce • Interfaces and Interoperability • Monitoring and statistics • Support for a large number of users • Significant Storage

12. If you can’t get Open Source….. Will being Agnostic work? Desired Areas for Agnosticism • Operating Systems • DBMS • Storage Systems / Repositories • Authentication and Authorization Engines • Streaming Media Services • Media Clients • Course, Student, Library, and Portal Systems • Metadata Structures

13. Intellectual Property Issues • Fair Use • TEACH Act Issues • DMCA Issues

14. Capture, Encoding, Storing • Building Relationships with Faculty • “Scope” of content • Faculty planning • A different kind of “bandwidth” problem • Capture & Encode process (high-level)

15. Audio Capture, Encode & Upload • iTunes • Create MP3s • Import metadata • ShareStream uploading tool • Imports metadata from iTunes • Transfers metadata to server • Squeeze (Hint) MP3s so they’re streamable • Upload hinted MP3s to ShareStream

21. VHS Capture, Encode & Upload • VHS • Capture in iMovie • Export as a full quality QuickTime file (dv) • Use QuickTime Pro to compress (H264 MPG4) • Hint the file in QT Pro • Use Sharestream to upload the hinted file • Enter metadata in ShareStream

27. DVD Capture, Encode & Upload • All of these steps are the same as with VHS (i.e. digital to analog to digital) • Capture via iMovie • Use QuickTime Pro to compress (H264 MPG4) • Hint the file in QT Pro • Use ShareStream to upload the hinted file • Enter metadata in ShareStream

28. Technologies • Red Hat Linux / Solaris • AJAX-based front-end • Java-based back-end • Apache • Tomcat • MySQL / Oracle Databases • Darwin streaming server

29. Project Process • Extremely Collaborative effort • CNDLS, Lauinger, Dahlgren, LLT, UIS, ShareStream have met weekly since Fall ‘04 • Close Vendor relationship • Project evolution • Rapid application development vs. • Formal development • Project Tools • PM, Formal Bug Tracking, Version Control, etc. • Pilot Process

30. A Constant Stream of Pilots • Many Pilots • Spring 2006 • ShareStream v 1.0 • Fall 2006 • ShareStream v 1.5 • Spring 2007 • ShareStream v 2.0 • Fall 2007 - Fall 2008 • ShareStream 2.5 • Sometime in Spring 2009: ShareStream 3.0

31. Moving to Production / GA • New hardware (multiple servers and SAN) to support anticipated needs • Locking down addition of new features / requirements • Anticipate general availability for the campus in Fall 2009 once new University Data Center has been completed