Exposing Library Content with the NISO Metasearch XML Gateway ProtocolElizabeth German, Josh Bishoff, William MischoGrainger Engineering LibraryUniversity of Illinois
Electronic Resources & LibrariesFebruary 2, 2010Austin, Texas
Introduction
• Beth, [email protected] , @eligerman• Josh, [email protected], @josh4lib
• #nisomxg
• Project is funded by:– Institute for Museum and Library Services;– National Science Foundation National Science
Digital Library (NSDL)
Summary
• Problems and solutions• Easy Search• NISO MXG Overview• Examples of our implementation• The future and beyond
Metasearch
• As a solution• Problems still• Easy Search at Illinois
DLF 2008 Fall Forum
Need for malleability• Libraries need to be able integrate their content
into the workflow of their users. • Must promote content to a diverse set of
environments/platforms.– Incorporation into…
• Digital collections• Courseware• OPAC• Class/Research websites• Subject guides• Personal portals
NISO Metasearch XML Gateway
• “low-barrier-to-entry method to expose content to metasearch services and more effectively interoperate with metasearching applications.”
• Based on well-understood and widely adopted information standards: XML, SRU
From NISO Metasearch Initiative, Metasearch XML Gateway Implementers Guide, Version 1.0
The Importance of Middleware
• The Easy Search Web Service:– Parses queries to optimize for each resource– Serves as a knowledge base of disparate vendor IR
functionality– Represents disparate responses coherently– Offers links to the user to the resource at the point
of completed search
Easy Search XML Gateway
• http://search.grainger.uiuc.edu/searchaid3/saresultsug.asp?version=1.1&db=scopus&query=gaas
• Parameter “version” denotes the SRU version• “db” is our in-house database codes• “query” is the string to be searched
XML Response
What you can do with this• Embed custom search interfaces into – Departmental Web Pages– Courseware– “widget” providers• iGoogle, Windows web Gadgets• Google & Windows Sidebar
• Meet library users where they work• Provide real functionality, not just links
Examples
• American History Online (DLF Aquifer)• IMLS Digital Content Creation project– Connecting secondary resources with primary
• NSDL• The Widget Package– Embedding Library resources with courseware,
Google gadgets, university portals, etc.
Website IntegrationNSDLhttp://search.grainger.illinois.edu/searchaid3/proxythruJB.asp?url=http://nsdl.org/search/?
q=clock&verb=Search&s=0&n=10&audience=3
American History Onlinehttp://www.dlfaquifer.org/IMLS DCC
http://imlsdcc.grainger.uiuc.edu/history/
From http://www.dlfaquifer.org
iGoogle, CMS examples
iGooglehttp://www.google.com/ig/directory?url=hades.grainger.uiuc.edu%2Fjosh%2F2010projects%2Fgadgets%2Fhealthsci.x
openCMShttp://cms.library.illinois.edu/cms/liblabs/easy.html
Problems and the Future• NISO MXG– Some vendors releasing APIs– Little standard adoption among vendors
• Easy Search XML– Further integration in services– Promoting to other libraries, departments
Selected source code,Implementation Documents,
Contact Information
• …Forthcoming at presentation.• Josh Bishoff– [email protected]
• Beth German– [email protected]
Additional Reading
• NISO Metasearch Initiative Metasearch XML Gateway Implementers Guide, Version 1.0, http://www.niso.org/publications/rp/RP-2006-02.pdf
• SRU: Search/Retrieval via URL: http://www.loc.gov/standards/sru/
11/18/2009 NSDL Annual Meeting