Primo @ Boston College

21 May 200921 May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, HoustonARL Membership Meeting, Houston 11

Primo @ Boston CollegePrimo @ Boston College

11stst Gen. Next-Gen. Discovery Gen. Next-Gen. Discovery

Bob GerrityAUL for Library Systems & Information Technology


outlineoutline backgroundbackground implementation processimplementation process quick demoquick demo locally developed add-onslocally developed add-ons user feedback/initial reactionsuser feedback/initial reactions lessons learnedlessons learned futurefuture


30,000-foot view (NOT!)30,000-foot view (NOT!)


What is Primo?What is Primo? Ex Libris’ next-gen. discovery and delivery Ex Libris’ next-gen. discovery and delivery

platform platform Decouples discovery layer from the ILSDecouples discovery layer from the ILS Incorporates technologies developed Incorporates technologies developed

outside the library arena outside the library arena Two search components: Two search components:

Local (your catalog, digital collections, IR content)Local (your catalog, digital collections, IR content)• Uses locally indexed data Uses locally indexed data

Remote (subscription databases) Remote (subscription databases) • Uses federated searchUses federated search


about BCabout BC

Private, Jesuit universityPrivate, Jesuit university User Population: 9,000 undergrads, 4,800 User Population: 9,000 undergrads, 4,800

grad students, 850 facultygrad students, 850 faculty Library Metrics: 2.5 million volumes, 200 FTE Library Metrics: 2.5 million volumes, 200 FTE

staff, $8m acquisitions budgetstaff, $8m acquisitions budget ARL library (since 2000)ARL library (since 2000) Carnegie Classification—Doctoral/Research Carnegie Classification—Doctoral/Research

ExtensiveExtensive The place Bill Ayers didn’t speak at…The place Bill Ayers didn’t speak at…


about library technology @ BCabout library technology @ BC

Small staff, so Small staff, so No bleeding edgeNo bleeding edge ““Early followers”Early followers” Willingness to experimentWillingness to experiment Perfection is not the goalPerfection is not the goal ““Just Do It”Just Do It” Comfortable working with [certain] vendors Comfortable working with [certain] vendors


Aha! momentAha! moment


need for next-gen. catalogneed for next-gen. catalog

Traditional OPAC considered deficient/irrelevant Traditional OPAC considered deficient/irrelevant as modern discovery toolas modern discovery tool

Growing number of library discovery systems Growing number of library discovery systems with separate search interfaceswith separate search interfaces

Google and Amazon have redefined search Google and Amazon have redefined search expectations for most of our users: simple expectations for most of our users: simple search, relevant resultssearch, relevant results

Web 2.0 features needed (tagging, Web 2.0 features needed (tagging, recommendations, reviews, support for mobile recommendations, reviews, support for mobile devices, etc.)devices, etc.)


need for next-gen catalogneed for next-gen catalog

user perspective:too many

search choices


Administrative perspective: Administrative perspective: too many discovery systems to maintaintoo many discovery systems to maintain

dlib.bc.edu:8882 library.bc.edu/F escholarship.bc.edu databases.bc.edu metaquest.bc.edu

Digital Collections

DigiTool

MARC, DC, METS

Digital content we create:

image collections, finding aids,

streamed media

~15k records

discovery

category

system

metadata

schema

content

size

OPAC

ALEPH

MARC

What we buy: books, journals, govdocs, media

~2.5m records

Institutional Repository

DigiTool

DC

BC-produced scholarship:

(ETDs, working papers,

postprints, peer-reviewed journals

~10k records

Online Databases

MetaLib

MARC

Subscription databases

(descriptive info. And

configs for federated search)

~500 records

E-journals

SFX

MARC

Subscription e-journals

(holdings and configs for OpenURL linking)

local content remote content

~64k records


Administrative perspective: Administrative perspective: too many discovery systems to maintaintoo many discovery systems to maintain

dlib.bc.edu:8882 library.bc.edu/F escholarship.bc.edu databases.bc.edu metaquest.bc.edu

Digital Collections

DigiTool

MARC, DC, METS

Digital content we create:

image collections, finding aids,

streamed media

~15k records

primo

discovery

category

system

metadata

schema

content

size

OPAC

ALEPH

MARC

What we buy: books, journals, govdocs, media

~2.5m records

Institutional Repository

DigiTool

DC

BC-produced scholarship:

(ETDs, working papers,

postprints, peer-reviewed journals

~10k records

Online Databases

MetaLib

MARC

Subscription databases

(descriptive info. And

configs for federated search)

~500 records

E-journals

SFX

MARC

Subscription e-journals

(holdings and configs for OpenURL linking)

local content remote content

~64k records

bc.edu/holmes


Internal pitch: decoupling Internal pitch: decoupling search from ILSsearch from ILS


Choices (2006)Choices (2006)

EndecaEndeca PrimoPrimo

Charter-member program offered clear benefits Charter-member program offered clear benefits (pricing, input on development)(pricing, input on development)

Prior experience with Ex Libris as early adopters Prior experience with Ex Libris as early adopters (SFX, MetaLib)(SFX, MetaLib)

Opportunity to apply local expertise/resources Opportunity to apply local expertise/resources where they will have biggest impact on our userswhere they will have biggest impact on our users


ImplementationImplementationSept.-Dec. 2006Sept.-Dec. 2006 Proposal developed and approved internally; Proposal developed and approved internally;

contract negotiated with Ex Libriscontract negotiated with Ex Libris

April-May 2007April-May 2007 Hardware installed (Production=1 IBM 3850, 3 IBM Hardware installed (Production=1 IBM 3850, 3 IBM 3550 Linux servers , Test = 1 IBM 3550)3550 Linux servers , Test = 1 IBM 3550)

June 2007June 2007 Prerequisite software upgrades completed for Prerequisite software upgrades completed for ALEPH (to v18) and MetaLib (to v4)ALEPH (to v18) and MetaLib (to v4)

July 2007July 2007 Primo installed on test server, staff trainingPrimo installed on test server, staff training

August 2007August 2007 Primo installed on production serverPrimo installed on production server

Sept.-Oct. 2007Sept.-Oct. 2007 Pipes for data sources configured. Primo search Pipes for data sources configured. Primo search scopes created; normalization rules customized scopes created; normalization rules customized and tested, Web interface localizedand tested, Web interface localized

November 2007November 2007 Primo released to users as SuperSleuth *beta*Primo released to users as SuperSleuth *beta*

5 months

April 21, 2023April 21, 2023 ARL Membership Meeting, HoustonARL Membership Meeting, Houston 1515

ImplementationImplementation

Small technical implementation teamSmall technical implementation team included staff from Systems, Reference & Instructional included staff from Systems, Reference & Instructional

Services, and Cataloging.Services, and Cataloging.

Larger Public services groupLarger Public services group established to coordinate ongoing assessment, established to coordinate ongoing assessment,

recommend enhancements.recommend enhancements. Intent was to solicit and incorporate feedback from end Intent was to solicit and incorporate feedback from end

users, not just library staffusers, not just library staff


Scope of BC’s PrimoScope of BC’s Primo

Local index (“BC Collections”)Local index (“BC Collections”) Local catalog (ALEPH)Local catalog (ALEPH) faculty publications (ALEPH-separate db)faculty publications (ALEPH-separate db) statistical data (ALEPH-separate db)statistical data (ALEPH-separate db) ETDs (Digital Commons/DigiTool)ETDs (Digital Commons/DigiTool) digital collections (DigiTool)digital collections (DigiTool) course reserves (ALEPH-separate db)course reserves (ALEPH-separate db) research guides (LibGuides)research guides (LibGuides)


Scope of BC’s PrimoScope of BC’s Primo Remote: Articles/DatabasesRemote: Articles/Databases Federated search via MetaLibFederated search via MetaLib


Expanding “local” content

April 21, 2023April 21, 2023 ALA 2008 Midwinter Meeting, PhiladelphiaALA 2008 Midwinter Meeting, Philadelphia 2020

Primo past (Nov. ‘07): SuperSleuth *beta*

Feedback loop


Primo present: Holmes OneSearch


Quick look at Primo in action


Results de-duped and FRBRized


E-shelf with push to Web 2.0 services


Push to mobile device


Support for tagging


Local development: stack mapping


Local development: recommender


usage stats: trendsusage stats: trends

93%

Jan 1 2009 – May 10 2998


usage statsusage stats


User feedbackUser feedback

A sampling (grad student):


A sampling (grad student):



A sampling (staff):



big issues so farbig issues so far

separate search tabs for local and remote separate search tabs for local and remote searchessearches understandable from technical standpointunderstandable from technical standpoint ……but users don’t know or care why but users don’t know or care why

remote search not fast, unpredictableremote search not fast, unpredictable understandable from technical standpointunderstandable from technical standpoint ……but users don’t know or care whybut users don’t know or care why


Lessons learnedLessons learned Focus on user needs, not librarians’Focus on user needs, not librarians’ Redefining library search is easier for Redefining library search is easier for

users than for librarians users than for librarians We need more Java expertiseWe need more Java expertise Targeted locally developed add-ons Targeted locally developed add-ons

appear to be worth the investmentappear to be worth the investment Library technology landscape is changing Library technology landscape is changing

faster than we expectedfaster than we expected

Staff effort

Qualit

y

Good

Good enough

Lessons learnedLessons learnedAgree on the goal

Perfect


Future?Future?

We’re comfortable with Primo for near We’re comfortable with Primo for near term (2-4 years)term (2-4 years)

Good alternatives available that we would Good alternatives available that we would be looking at if we were looking nowbe looking at if we were looking now VuFind (open source), AcquaBrowser VuFind (open source), AcquaBrowser

(commercial)(commercial)

Elephant in room (or at least on horizon) Elephant in room (or at least on horizon) is WCL—may be a game-changeris WCL—may be a game-changer

Whither (wither?) competition?Whither (wither?) competition?


“This first step toward Web-scale, cooperative library management services connects your users’ search experience with library systems—today, that means WorldCat, your catalog, local availability and resource sharing. Soon, OCLC will take the next steps and pilot Web-scale delivery and circulation, license management, print and electronic acquisitions, and more.” [what else is there?]

Back to the future!Back to the future!



Thank youThank you

Questions?Questions?

url: http://bc.edu/holmesurl: http://bc.edu/holmes

contact: [email protected]: [email protected]

Primo @ Boston College

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