NISO’s Open Discovery 
Initiative 
Improving 
transparency 
surrounding 
Indexed 
discovery 
services 
Todd Carpenter 
Executive Director, NISO 
November 18, 2014
About 
➢ Non-­‐profit 
industry 
trade 
associa7on 
accredited 
by 
ANSI 
➢ Mission 
of 
developing 
and 
maintaining 
technical 
standards 
related 
to 
informa7on, 
documenta7on, 
discovery 
and 
distribu7on 
of 
published 
materials 
and 
media 
➢ Volunteer 
driven 
organiza7on: 
400+ 
contributors 
spread 
out 
across 
the 
world 
➢ Responsible 
(directly 
and 
indirectly) 
for 
standards 
like 
ISSN, 
DOI, 
Dublin 
Core 
metadata, 
DAISY 
digital 
talking 
books, 
OpenURL, 
MARC 
records, 
and 
ISBN 
2
3 
Standards 
are 
familiar, 
even 
if 
you 
don’t 
no6ce 
Image: DanTaylor Image: Joel Washing
4 
Short 
History 
of 
Library 
Discovery
Photo: Minneapolis College 
of Art and Design Library 
5
Photo: OSU Thompson Library Stacks” by Kristin Six 
6
7 
Short 
History 
of 
Library 
Discovery
8 
Short 
History 
of 
Library 
Discovery
9 
Short 
History 
of 
Library 
Discovery
10 
Short 
History 
of 
Library 
Discovery
11 
Short 
History 
of 
Library 
Discovery
The 
Context 
for 
Open 
Discovery 
• Emergence 
of 
Library 
Discovery 
Services 
solu7ons 
– Based 
on 
index 
of 
a 
wide 
range 
of 
content 
– Commercial 
and 
open 
access 
content 
– Primary 
journal 
literature, 
ebooks, 
as 
well 
as 
more 
general 
web 
content 
• Adopted 
by 
thousands 
of 
libraries 
around 
the 
world, 
and 
impact 
millions 
of 
users 
• Research 
poin7ng 
to 
increased 
library 
usage 
when 
discovery 
systems 
are 
implemented 
12
The 
Context 
for 
Open 
Discovery 
It’s 
all 
great 
except 
for 
…. 
lack 
of 
clarity 
about 
how 
index 
discovery 
providers 
and 
content 
providers 
should 
interact 
data 
exchange 
and 
copyright 
concerns 
concerns 
about 
ranking 
algorithms 
concerns 
about 
bias 
of 
various 
sources 
in 
results 
13
TRUST 
Any 
good 
business 
rela7onship 
is 
based 
upon 
trust 
14
TRUST… 
But 
Verify 
hUp://xkcd.com/285/ 
15
Standards 
for 
Community 
Prac6ce 
• Standards 
can 
be 
used 
to: 
– Make 
sure 
things 
work 
together 
– Ensure 
things 
are 
done 
the 
same 
way 
– Help 
people 
understand 
what/how 
to 
do 
something 
– Understand 
what 
consumers 
are 
geng 
– Build 
trust 
among 
suppliers 
and 
consumers 
16
ODI 
-­‐ 
Open 
Disc 
overy 
Ini6a6ve
Balance 
of 
Cons6tuents 
Libraries 
Service 
Providers 
18 
Marshall Breeding, Independent Consultant 
Jamene Brooks-Kieffer, Kansas State University  
Laura Morse, Harvard University 
Ken Varnum, University of Michigan 
 
Sara Brownmiller, University of Oregon 
Lucy Harrison, Florida Virtual Campus (D2D 
liaison/observer) 
Michele Newberry, Independent 
Publishers 
Lettie Conrad, SAGE Publications 
Jeff Lang, Thomson Reuters 
Linda Beebe, American Psychological Assoc 
 
Aaron Wood, Alexander Street Press 
Roger Schonfeld, JSTOR, Ithaka 
Jenny Walker, Independent Consultant 
John Law, Proquest 
Michael Gorrell, EBSCO Information Services 
 
David Lindahl, University of Rochester (XC) 
Jeff Penka, OCLC (D2D liaison/observer)
Subgroups 
• Technical 
recommenda7ons 
for 
data 
format 
and 
data 
transfer 
• Communica7on 
of 
library’s 
rights/descriptors 
regarding 
level 
of 
indexing 
• Defini7on 
of 
fair 
linking 
• Exchange 
of 
usage 
data 
19
Out 
of 
Scope 
• ODI 
does 
not 
address 
issues 
related 
to 
performance 
or 
features 
of 
the 
discovery 
services 
• Inherently 
business 
and 
design 
decisions 
guided 
by 
compe77ve 
market 
forces. 
Including: 
User 
Interface 
Relevancy 
Ranking 
APIs 
exposed 
by 
discovery 
services 
Protocols 
for 
data 
exchange 
20
Deliverables 
• Vocabulary 
• NISO 
Recommended 
Prac7ce 
for 
Content 
Providers: 
– Metadata 
elements 
provide 
to 
Discovery 
Services 
– Metadata 
Elements 
provided 
to 
Libraries 
– Disclosure 
– Technical 
Formats 
• NISO 
Recommended 
Prac7ce 
for 
Discovery 
Service 
Providers: 
– Discovery 
Service 
Content 
Lis7ng 
– Linking 
– File 
Formats 
and 
Methods 
of 
Transfer 
– Usage 
sta7s7cs 
• Educa7on 
 
Adop7on 
• Conformance 
Checklists 
21
www.niso.org/workrooms/odi/publica7ons/rp/rp-­‐19-­‐2014 
22
ODI 
Metadata 
from 
content 
providers 
to 
library
ODI 
Metadata 
to 
discovery 
providers
ODI 
Metadata 
from 
DSP 
to 
Library
Recommended 
Metrics 
• Recommended 
Metrics 
Provided 
to 
Content 
Providers 
Total 
number 
of 
searches 
Result 
clicks 
Total 
number 
of 
click-­‐throughs 
• Recommended 
Metrics 
Provided 
to 
Libraries 
Total 
number 
of 
searches 
per 
month 
Total 
number 
of 
unique 
visitors 
per 
month 
Total 
number 
of 
click-­‐throughs 
per 
month 
Top 
500 
search 
queries 
for 
the 
last 
period 
Top 
100 
referring 
URLs 
to 
discovery 
service 
in 
last 
period 
26
Disclosure 
Annual 
repor7ng 
requirements: 
• Discovery 
service 
providers 
should 
offer 
an 
affirma7ve 
statement 
of 
the 
neutrality 
of 
their 
algorithms 
• Discovery 
service 
providers 
should 
explain 
business 
connec7ons 
with 
content 
providers 
Licenses 
or 
contracts 
should 
not 
include 
non-­‐ 
disclosure 
agreements 
and 
similar 
arrangements 
in 
order 
to 
enable 
transparency 
regarding 
any 
possible 
bias 
27
Awareness 
Some 
of 
the 
issues 
with 
indexed 
discovery 
systems 
are 
technical, 
some 
are 
social, 
some 
are 
simply 
setup 
issues. 
But 
not 
every 
problem 
is 
technical. 
28
More 
informa6on 
NISO 
just 
formed 
the 
Open 
Discovery 
Ini7a7ve 
Standing 
CommiUee 
www.niso.org/workrooms/odi/ 
29
Other 
related 
ac6vi6es 
• Success 
Strategies 
for 
Electronic 
Content 
Discovery 
and 
Access 
hUp://www.oclc.org/go/econtent-­‐access.en.html 
• NFAIS 
Recommended 
Prac7ces: 
Discovery 
Services 
info.nfais.org/info/Recommended_Prac7ces_Final_Aug_2013.pdf 
• Digital 
Library 
Federa7on 
ILS 
Discovery 
Interface 
Task 
Group 
(ILS-­‐DI) 
old.diglib.org/architectures/ilsdi/ 
• 
JISC 
Discovery 
Programme 
discovery.ac.uk/ 
• KBART–Knowledge 
Base 
And 
Related 
Tools 
www.niso.org/workrooms/kbart 
• Music 
Discovery 
Requirements 
commiUees.musiclibraryassoc.org/ETSC/MDR 
30
Coming 
this 
Fall! 
The 
Future 
of 
Library 
Discovery 
Systems 
A 
NISO 
White 
Paper 
by 
Marshall 
Breeding
Thank you! 
Todd Carpenter 
Executive Director 
tcarpenter@niso.org 
@TAC_NISO 
National Information Standards Organization (NISO) 
3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 302 
Baltimore, MD 21211 USA 
+1 (301) 654-2512 
www.niso.org 
32

NISO's Open Discovery Initiative: Improving Transparency surrounding indexed discovery services Presentation

  • 1.
    NISO’s Open Discovery Initiative Improving transparency surrounding Indexed discovery services Todd Carpenter Executive Director, NISO November 18, 2014
  • 2.
    About ➢ Non-­‐profit industry trade associa7on accredited by ANSI ➢ Mission of developing and maintaining technical standards related to informa7on, documenta7on, discovery and distribu7on of published materials and media ➢ Volunteer driven organiza7on: 400+ contributors spread out across the world ➢ Responsible (directly and indirectly) for standards like ISSN, DOI, Dublin Core metadata, DAISY digital talking books, OpenURL, MARC records, and ISBN 2
  • 3.
    3 Standards are familiar, even if you don’t no6ce Image: DanTaylor Image: Joel Washing
  • 4.
    4 Short History of Library Discovery
  • 5.
    Photo: Minneapolis College of Art and Design Library 5
  • 6.
    Photo: OSU ThompsonLibrary Stacks” by Kristin Six 6
  • 7.
    7 Short History of Library Discovery
  • 8.
    8 Short History of Library Discovery
  • 9.
    9 Short History of Library Discovery
  • 10.
    10 Short History of Library Discovery
  • 11.
    11 Short History of Library Discovery
  • 12.
    The Context for Open Discovery • Emergence of Library Discovery Services solu7ons – Based on index of a wide range of content – Commercial and open access content – Primary journal literature, ebooks, as well as more general web content • Adopted by thousands of libraries around the world, and impact millions of users • Research poin7ng to increased library usage when discovery systems are implemented 12
  • 13.
    The Context for Open Discovery It’s all great except for …. lack of clarity about how index discovery providers and content providers should interact data exchange and copyright concerns concerns about ranking algorithms concerns about bias of various sources in results 13
  • 14.
    TRUST Any good business rela7onship is based upon trust 14
  • 15.
    TRUST… But Verify hUp://xkcd.com/285/ 15
  • 16.
    Standards for Community Prac6ce • Standards can be used to: – Make sure things work together – Ensure things are done the same way – Help people understand what/how to do something – Understand what consumers are geng – Build trust among suppliers and consumers 16
  • 17.
    ODI -­‐ Open Disc overy Ini6a6ve
  • 18.
    Balance of Cons6tuents Libraries Service Providers 18 Marshall Breeding, Independent Consultant Jamene Brooks-Kieffer, Kansas State University Laura Morse, Harvard University Ken Varnum, University of Michigan Sara Brownmiller, University of Oregon Lucy Harrison, Florida Virtual Campus (D2D liaison/observer) Michele Newberry, Independent Publishers Lettie Conrad, SAGE Publications Jeff Lang, Thomson Reuters Linda Beebe, American Psychological Assoc Aaron Wood, Alexander Street Press Roger Schonfeld, JSTOR, Ithaka Jenny Walker, Independent Consultant John Law, Proquest Michael Gorrell, EBSCO Information Services David Lindahl, University of Rochester (XC) Jeff Penka, OCLC (D2D liaison/observer)
  • 19.
    Subgroups • Technical recommenda7ons for data format and data transfer • Communica7on of library’s rights/descriptors regarding level of indexing • Defini7on of fair linking • Exchange of usage data 19
  • 20.
    Out of Scope • ODI does not address issues related to performance or features of the discovery services • Inherently business and design decisions guided by compe77ve market forces. Including: User Interface Relevancy Ranking APIs exposed by discovery services Protocols for data exchange 20
  • 21.
    Deliverables • Vocabulary • NISO Recommended Prac7ce for Content Providers: – Metadata elements provide to Discovery Services – Metadata Elements provided to Libraries – Disclosure – Technical Formats • NISO Recommended Prac7ce for Discovery Service Providers: – Discovery Service Content Lis7ng – Linking – File Formats and Methods of Transfer – Usage sta7s7cs • Educa7on Adop7on • Conformance Checklists 21
  • 22.
  • 23.
    ODI Metadata from content providers to library
  • 24.
    ODI Metadata to discovery providers
  • 25.
    ODI Metadata from DSP to Library
  • 26.
    Recommended Metrics •Recommended Metrics Provided to Content Providers Total number of searches Result clicks Total number of click-­‐throughs • Recommended Metrics Provided to Libraries Total number of searches per month Total number of unique visitors per month Total number of click-­‐throughs per month Top 500 search queries for the last period Top 100 referring URLs to discovery service in last period 26
  • 27.
    Disclosure Annual repor7ng requirements: • Discovery service providers should offer an affirma7ve statement of the neutrality of their algorithms • Discovery service providers should explain business connec7ons with content providers Licenses or contracts should not include non-­‐ disclosure agreements and similar arrangements in order to enable transparency regarding any possible bias 27
  • 28.
    Awareness Some of the issues with indexed discovery systems are technical, some are social, some are simply setup issues. But not every problem is technical. 28
  • 29.
    More informa6on NISO just formed the Open Discovery Ini7a7ve Standing CommiUee www.niso.org/workrooms/odi/ 29
  • 30.
    Other related ac6vi6es • Success Strategies for Electronic Content Discovery and Access hUp://www.oclc.org/go/econtent-­‐access.en.html • NFAIS Recommended Prac7ces: Discovery Services info.nfais.org/info/Recommended_Prac7ces_Final_Aug_2013.pdf • Digital Library Federa7on ILS Discovery Interface Task Group (ILS-­‐DI) old.diglib.org/architectures/ilsdi/ • JISC Discovery Programme discovery.ac.uk/ • KBART–Knowledge Base And Related Tools www.niso.org/workrooms/kbart • Music Discovery Requirements commiUees.musiclibraryassoc.org/ETSC/MDR 30
  • 31.
    Coming this Fall! The Future of Library Discovery Systems A NISO White Paper by Marshall Breeding
  • 32.
    Thank you! ToddCarpenter Executive Director [email protected] @TAC_NISO National Information Standards Organization (NISO) 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 302 Baltimore, MD 21211 USA +1 (301) 654-2512 www.niso.org 32