SSP Annual Conference June 2013

Jay Henry

IntroductionWeb Scale Discovery in brief & why it mattersMetadata – new ruler of the realmLife Cycle of Metadata – Publisher as ParentEvangelic Appeal for StandardsStrategies, Tactics & Pitfalls to Avoid

Many terms tossed around…Federated search, Metasearch, NextGen catalogs, discovery

layers --- and now “Web Scale Discovery Service”

An improved search experience has always been the motivation behind innovation…

The latest generation of tools are something different.

A DefinitionA pre-harvested central index coupled with a richly featured

discovery layer providing a single search across a library’s local, open access, and subscription collections.

…but it’s more than that

Not Just Another SearchPDA/DDA are purchasing models that were ahead of

technologies ability to properly accommodate. The acquisition systems developed in conjunction with WSD represent a logical progression of capabilities

Patron-driven acquisition, or PDA, is not new, but it is on the rise. Approximately 400 to 600 libraries worldwide have switched to a patron-driven system for purchasing new works, and that number is likely to double over the next year and a half (2012)

Simple Logical Progression

The Players

Content is King?Metadata is the real ruler of the realmUsing descriptions of content to generate purchase and use

is more important now than ever

So, if we know what the target is, how do we create the best possible metadata?

The Black Box

The people who know how these systems work aren’t telling

Lifecycle of Metadata

The Basics (More Is Better)TitleAuthorFormatISBNSubject categoriesImprintLink to publisher’s dedicated pagePublication DatePrice

Data = SalesTitles that meet the BIC Basic standard see average sales 98%

higher than those that don’t meet the standardRecords with complete BIC Basic data but no image have

average sales…of 473% [higher] in comparison to those records which have neither the complete BIC Basic data elements or an image.

The difference in average sales between records which…don’t have enhanced metadata, and records which do…have enhanced metadata elements is on average over2,600 units, which represents an increase of almost 700%

Standard Identifiers… please.

How identifiers helpProper understanding of the customer, whether author,

reader or institutionProvides a simple basis for wider data governance:

Data governance, as defined at Ringgold, is the processes, policies, standards, organization, and technologies required to manage and ensure the availability, accessibility, quality,

consistency, auditability, and security of data.

The supply chain

Consortium

AuthorSubmission

and Peer Review System

Publisher

Technology Partner

Subscription Agent or

Sales Agent

Fulfilment House or System

Library

Discovery ServiceWSDs

End User

Data Syndication

Targets

Consortium

Societies

FundersCitation

The supply chain

Consortium

Submission and Peer Review System

Technology Partner

Subscription Agent or

Sales Agent

Fulfilment House or System

End User

Consortium

Societies

FundersCitation

The supply chain using identifiers

Consortium

The supply chain using identifiers

Consortium

The supply chain using identifiers

Consortium

Strategy SuggestionsCreate the most complete metadata possibleDistribute widely and efficientlyAdhere to standardsUniquely describe each manifestation of a workDevelop an internal policy to create uniform data across all

published works

Practical TacticsRequire Authors to establish an ORCID profileCreate links into content, the more specific the betterDevelop concise descriptions of content (not jacket copy)Include as much as practical – e.g. abstracts of chapters are

often written by the authors themselvesApply unique identifiers to establish longevity of the

metadata (e.g. ORCID, ISBN, ISSN, DOIs Ringgold ID, ISNI)Evaluate the benefits of working with outside partners to

assist in metadata development, application and syndication

Pitfalls to AvoidNon-Standardised Naming Conventions

Result: Poorly associated data in the supply chain. Example 1: Inconsistent author listings, e.g. John Smith, J Smith,

Smith J etc. Solution: use ORCID numbers

Example 2: Lack of affiliations between authors and institutional customers. Solution: use the Ringgold or ISNI number

Example 3: Inability to link author and customer data together.Solution: use the Ringgold or ISNI number

Pitfalls to Avoid (continued)Lack of or Inadequate Subject Classifications and Keywords:

Result: Dramatic negative effect the positioning of content in relevancy rankings in discovery or search services

Example 1: Applying non-standard subject classifications causes a mismatch against what is expected by libraries or end-users Solution: Understand the standards and best practices being applied by current

systems and similar publishers; provide information in a form that will most easily utilized by the systems presenting your data

Example 2: DDA sales are lost because subjects were applied without using an international standard resulting in poor search results among international users; cross-discipline keywords lacking entirely e.g. Football in the US does not mean the same as Football in Europe. Solution: Adopt an internal policy to adhere to an accepted standard at the core of

subject description, and then expand the description using keywords in the abstract/summary copy.

Pitfalls to Avoid (continued)

Format and versions:Result: Confusion within sales and distribution channels Example 1: Users fail to find a compatible format for the title they

want Solution: Apply ISBNs correctly – unique identifier for each e-edition

Example 2: Citations are incorrect or inconsistentSolution: Apply version-specific pagination if appropriate

Example 3: Links to content fail over timeSolution: Apply DOIs to establish a persistent and reliable link

Example 4: Data is not fully utilized/indexed by discovery systemsSolution: Output information in industry standard formats (ONIX)

Pitfalls

Lack of high quality information reduces the likelihood of content to be discovered.

References The Ins and Outs of Evaluating Web-Scale Discovery Services by Athena Hoeppner

http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/apr12/Hoeppner-Web-Scale-Discovery-Services.shtml Stakeholders Strive to Define Standards for Web-Scale Discovery Systems By Michael Kelley on October 11, 2012

http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/10/discovery/coming-into-focus-web-scale-discovery-services-face-growing-need-for-best-practices/

White Paper: The Link Between Metadata and Sales By Andre Breedt, Head of Publisher Account Management; David Walter, Research and Development Analyst, 2012 http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk/uploads/3971_Nielsen_Metadata_white_paper_A4(3).pdf

The BIC Basic standards for bibliographic data provisionhttp://www.bic.org.uk/17/BIC-Basic/

Web-Scale Discovery in an Academic Health Sciences Library: Development and Implementation of the EBSCO Discovery Service DOI:10.1080/02763869.2013.749111JoLinda L. Thompsona*, Kathe S. Obriga & Laura E. Abatea

Medical Reference Services Quarterly Volume 32, Issue 1, 2013http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02763869.2013.749111

Discoverability Challenges and Collaboration Opportunities within the Scholarly Communications Ecosystem: A SAGE White Paper Update by Mary M. Somerville, University of Colorado Denver;Lettie Y. Conrad, SAGE Collaborative Librarianship Vol 5, No 1 (2013)

Affection for PDA By Steve Kolowich 2012 Inside Higher Edhttp://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/20/research-foresees-demand-driven-book-acquisition-replacing-librarians-

discretion#ixzz2VWOAqWoU

Jay HenryVice PresidentRinggold Inc.Jay.henry@ringgold.com