1. Improving the Linking World
By Enhancing
Knowledge Bases
-- A Joint NISO/UKSG Project
Todd Carpenter
Managing Director, NISO

2. Where are we headed this morning?
• What it is a Knowledge Base?
• Some background about the NISO/UKSG
Knowledge Base project
• What role they play in information distribution
• What problems exist in the supply chain
• Some recommendations and next steps
• Questions
Thanks to UKSG and James Culling, SIS Lead
author for much of this content
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

3. What is NISO?
• NISO - National Information Standards Organization
• NISO is the only ANSI-accredited organization tasked
with the development of standards in the field of
Information and Documentation
• Work with publishers, libraries, agents and other
systems vendors to develop community consensus
• Develop wide range of standards
– Paper permanence and steal shelving
– Accessibility issues
– Bibliographic formats and exchange
– OpenURL, Metasearch, SUSHI
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

4. Knowledge Base Background
• OpenURL system developed in 1999
– Developed by Herbert Van de Sompel, Patrick
Hochstenbach, and Oren Beit-Arie
– First Commercialized by ExLibris SFX in 2001
• Standardized by NISO as Z39.88 in 2004
• Providers structure for selecting “appropriate copy” of
among digital content options
• Allows links between resources to be library-defined
• Does not depend solely on the linking services defined
by the information providers or on a specific set of
identifiers and/or communications protocols
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

5. Framework for Knowledge Base
Exchange
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

6. UKSG Survey
United Kingdom Serials Group (UKSG) commissioned report in 2006
• Explore data flow of metadata into knowledge bases that underlie
resolver systems
• Conducted by Scholarly Information Strategies
• Published in May 2007
GOALS
– Understand the supply chain of information in knowledge bases
– Define what is not working well
– Consider methods for alleviating problems identified
– Consider alternative approaches
– Identify areas for further research
Interviewed 30 suppliers, librarians, agents and publishers
Online questionnaire responses from 118 librarians
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

7. Populating the Knowledge
Base
• The exchange of information that serves
as the keystone of the entire linking
process is not well understood
• Certainly not standardized
• How does information get from there to
here?
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

8. Link Resolver Suppliers Gather
Data
•Metadata about titles, content
packages and linking systems
descriptions are made available
to link resolver systems.
•Typically includes titles,
coverage dates, etc, generally in
delimited text format.
•Some data is pushed, some
pulled
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

9. Suppliers Create Knowledge Base
•Link resolver suppliers
normalize data and compile it
in proprietary database.
•Quality assurance layer
•Linking syntax programmed
into software
•Additional value-add
information
added to knowledge base
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

10. Suppliers Create Library Specific
KB
•Link resolver suppliers distribute master knowledge
base to library specific implementations.
•Frequency of updates to implementations vary
•Possible delays in library-hosted resolvers due to
library IT staff
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

11. Subscription Holding Data
Gathered
•Maintaining the resolver, librarians
collect holding data from internal
systems
•(ILS, catalogues, A-Z lists, ERMS)
•Request downloads holding details
from agents and publishers
•Might not be required where
package details are common among
all subscribers
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

12. Library Adds Holdings Data to
KB
•“Standard” packages are
activated based on “trusted
data” from resolver suppliers
•Compiled holdings data
from other packages or
resources is processed and
normalized
•Holdings data is uploaded
into localized knowledge
base to form customized
functioning KB
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

13. Process of Exchanging Link
Data
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

14. Problems in the Process
• …“just because full-text finding tool vendors
update their products regularly does not mean
that the lists are actually up-to-date, because full-
text finding tool vendors get updates from
content providers who have various updating
schedules and practices, and thus are of varying
quality”
Chen, X. “Assessment of Full-Text Sources Used by Serials Management Systems,
OpenURL Link Resolvers, and Imported E-Journal MARC Records.” Online Information
Review 28.6 (2004): 428-434. <http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14684520410570553>
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

15. Issues and Barriers
Lack of awareness Lack of cooperation
Inaccurate & incomplete data Content package issues
Title changes and transfers Responsibility for data quality
Lack of data standards Timing issues
OpenURL issues and compliance Inbound linking problems
Role of subscription agents in the process
Broadening scope of the use of Knowledge Bases
OPENURL COMPLIANCE ISN’T
KNOWLEDGE BASE COMPLIANCE
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

16. Recommendations
Create an organization to foster
development of code of practice definitions
Similar in structure to Project COUNTER
Would manage best practices and issue
compliance measures
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

17. Code of Practice: Compliance
• File format structure
• Mandatory fields and sequencing
• Content formats
• Frequency
• Collections mechanisms
• Package information hierarchy
• Documentation
• Syntax adherence
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

18. Other Potential Solutions
• Web services - similar to ONIX SOH or SUSHI
equivalent
– Exchange is only one problem
• Centralized Model
– Considered as a central repository for release and
availability information
– Knowledge bases
– Suppliers are differentiated by the quality of their KB.
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

19. Where does it stand?
• UKSG accepted the final report at their
May board meeting
• Decided to pursue partnership with NISO
in September
• Discovery to Delivery Topic Committee
reviewing proposal
• Expect to charge Working Group
• Recruiting participants
• 18-24 month development cycle
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

20. Working Group Charge
• Develop and publish guidelines for best practice
to effect smoother interaction between members
of the knowledge base supply chain.
• Provide educational events to address the roles
of each party in the supply chain
• Create a centralized information portal
– Providers and their customers will benefit from higher
quality data
– Publishers will benefit from accurate linking to their
content and subsequently increased usage
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

21. More Information
• UKSG Report
http://www.uksg.org/projects/linkfinal
• Summary of UKSG presentation
http://liveserials.blogspot.com/2007/04/framework-for-improving-link-resolver.html
• NISO - OpenURL
http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/Z39_88_2004.pdf
http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/OpenURL_FAQ.html
OCLC - OpenURL Maintenance Agency
http://alcme.oclc.org/openurl/servlet/OAIHandler?verb=ListSets
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz

22. Thank you!
Todd Carpenter, Managing Director
tcarpenter@niso.org
One North Charles Street
Suite 1905
Baltimore, MD 21201 USA
(301) 654-2512
(410) 685-5278
www.niso.org
November 13, 2007 SSP TechBlitz