Renardus: a case study

1. Collaborative Systems and Tools: Renardus case studyLesly Huxley, Leona Carpenter, Marianne Peereboom

2. Renardus: a case study • Project aims, concepts and rationale • Collaborative systems and tools to support: • Data modelling, cross-mapping, metadata sharing • System architecture and technical infrastructure • Organisation and collaboration: now and in future • Implementation examples lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

3. Aims, concepts and rationale

4. What is Renardus? • An EU-funded project (1 Jan 2000 - 30 June 2002) under the Information Society Technologies programme (5th framework) • Collaboration between 7 European countries, representatives of 11 existing subject gateways lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

5. Principle aim To build the “Renardus Broker Service” to support European academic and research communities … an academic subject gateway in Europe lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

6. Principle concepts • Collaboration (not limited to national organisations) • Integrated views of metadata for heterogeneous Internet-accessible resources • Cross-search and cross-browse functionality • A single interface but no central data repository • Interaction with existingdistributed subject gateways and other Internet-accessible collections across Europe lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

7. Rationale • There are already many useful quality-controlled gateways across Europe BUT … • Sustainability of projects (now services) is an issue • No one country or service can identify, describe and organise all available Internet resources to support the academic and research communities ofEurope • Collaboration is needed to maintain quality, improve users’ access and develop sustainable services lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

8. Benefits for users/intermediaries • One interface to use/learn • Access to broader collections covering more subjects, countries, languages • Discover resources not necessarily available through local services • European perspective on global resources lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

9. Benefits for participating gateways • Shared costs of development and best practice could potentially accelerate development of new services and avoids duplication of effort • Easier to achieve ‘critical mass’ in gateways’ size and number / range of users • Collaboration demands consistent application of agreed technical standards, in turn leading to improved interoperability for gateways lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

10. Implementation Timescales, participants, coverage

11. Implementation timescales • January-May 2001: Alpha and beta systems developed • June-November 2001:Pilot service released for evaluation • March 2002: Showcase preview of operational service • June 2002:Move from project status to service lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

12. Netherlands: Koninklijke Bibliotheek National Library (KB) Denmark: Technical Knowledge Center and Library of Denmark (DTV) Finland: Center for Scientific Computing (CSC); Jyväskylä University Library, Finland (JyU): Viiki Science Library (ALUH) France: Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) Germany: Die Deutsche Bibliothek (DDB) Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, Göttingen (SUB) Zentralstelle für Agrardokumentation Und -information (ZADI); Sweden: NetLab(University of Lund) United Kingdom: Institute for Learning & Research Technology (ILRT); UK Office for Library and Information Networking (UKOLN) Partners from 7 EU countries lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

13. Renardus gateways (pilot) • DutchESS - Dutch Electronic Subject Service (KB-NL) • SSG-FI - Special Subject Guides (Geoguide, Mathguide, History Guide, Anglistik Guide (SUB, Göttingen) • DAInet - Deutsches Agrarinformationsnetz (ZADI) • DEPOSIT.DDB.DE Document server (DDB) • Resource Discovery Network (UKOLN) • Finnish Virtual Library (Jyväskylä University Library, Finland) • EELS - Engineering Electronic Library, Sweden • NOVAgate - Nordic Gateway to information in Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences (Viikki Science Library, Finland) lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

14. Coverage (pilot) • 11 subject-specific services covering engineering, maths, social sciences, literature, life sciences, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, geography, history • 2 services covering all subjects, 1 electronic theses • All gateways provide English-language metadata • Some gateways focus on native resources but the majority have worldwide coverage lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

15. Language coverage • Limited scope in project timescales/resources • Pilot interface and help texts all translated into Dutch, Finnish, French and German • Translation toolkit developed based on ‘tagged’ templates • Each tagged element of English content replaced with translated words and phrases • Easily updated across all languages lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

16. Renardus pilot service home page

17. Metadata modelling, mapping and sharing Issues and collaborative systems and tools

18. A common metadata model • To support consistent retrieval and presentation of integrated data from heterogeneous services • Eight elements derived from gateways’ existing data models (survey) • All but one are Dublin Core elements • No Renardus-specific refinements lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

19. Mandatory elements: DC.Title DC.Description DC.Identifier DC.Subject Recommended or optional elements: DC.Creator DC.Language DC.Type DC.Country Renardus data model (pilot) Two administrative elements: SBIG ID, Full Record URL lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

20. Classification cross-mapping • Cross-browsing: pinpointed as key functionality • Achieved by mapping local classification systems to common universal classification scheme: Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) • OCLC research license allows mapping of top levels of DDC • License also obtained for other language versions of DDC top levels to support multilinguality lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

21. Classification cross-mapping • Five levels of relevance mapped: • fully equivalent • narrower equivalent • broader equivalent • major overlap • minor overlap • Mapping tool (CarmenX) adapted from CARMEN project to assist mapping lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

22. CarmenX mapping tool

23. Experiments in metadata sharing • Not intended to support planned functionality for pilot BUT ... • Explore potential for future exploitation of collaborative framework • Using geographical subject headings as testbed lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

24. Renardus Metadata Sharing Tool • Developed from work in the SSG-FI project • Comprises database, import/export routines, replication module for exchanging data between partners • Still determining type/extent of collaboration • Enriching existing metadata • Developing workflow routines • Implementing tailored search profiles for partners lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

25. System architecture and technical infrastructure Issues and collaborative systems and tools

26. A distributed broker system • Renardus is based on a distributed, decentralised architectural model • Requires participating gateways to implement a local Renardus server using Z39.50 (server kit available) • Interoperability achieved through normalization to a common metadata model lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

27. Renardus architectural model

28. Normalization Toolkit • Imports metadata from originating gateways • including cross-mapping relationships • Adds acronym and logo (and full record URL) • based on administrative data • Exports records in format compliant with Renardus application profile • including DDC subject entries added automatically on basis of CarmenX cross-mapping tables lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

29. Example of cross-browsing functionality

30. Example of graphical navigation overview

31. Example of integrated browse results

32. Monitoring and maintenance • Gateways required to monitor quality of records and performance of servers • Z-server status tool forwards standard simple/advanced queries daily to participants’ Z-servers and presents response time and number of records retrieved for each query • Spong tool is a simple systems monitoring package presenting basic server status information lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

33. Organisation and sustainability Issues and outcomes

34. Organisational infrastructure • Shift of focus from coordinating role of national libraries and other national initiatives towards other forms of collaboration • If the service is to survive post-project, need to identify: • Tasks and costs of service provision if fully-funded • Subset of tasks to enable continued service provision on a “lightweight model” lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

35. (Potential) players • Renardus Consortium (existing partner organisations) • National and international funding bodies, advertisers, sponsors • Intermediaries offering Renardus services to their customers and users lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

36. Central organisation • Management group to support Consortium administration, policy making / business strategies, service provision, financial management; legal and rights management • Formed before the end of the project to facilitate transition from project to service, even if under lightweight model • Currently exploring options with various potential partners for pilot service maintenance and/or further development lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

37. Central organisation • Service Provision and Maintenance Group • Maintenance of technical infrastructure; technical support; addition of new gateways, innovation/development; gathering of statistical data; maintenance of datamodel and Mappings • PR Group • Web site, promotion/marketing, user support, support for (potential) service providers; gathering user feedback and statistics; facilitate communication lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

38. Dissemination and Support • User Guidelines for potential participants • Workshop for potential participants(all materials available online) • News Digest email newsletters • Web site project archive • All available from www.renardus.org in the About us … section lesly.huxley@bristol.ac.uk, marianne.peereboom@kb.nl, l.carpenter@ukoln.ac.uk

39. Follow the fox!