Global Library Discovery and Access
PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
Discovery and access
Interim Report
Release: Final version 1.0
Date: 13 September 2018
Author: Margaret Williams
Owner: Julie Rae
Revision History
This document was revised on these dates:
Revision Date / Version / NotesMarch 8, 2009 / Draft 1.0 / Original first draft
March 15, 2009 / Draft 1.1 / Revised based on feedback
March 17, 2009 / Draft 1.2 / Revised based on feedback
March 20, 2009 / Final 1.0 / Revised based on feedback
Distribution
This document has been distributed to:
Name / TitleJulie Rae / Global Library Project Lead
Deborah Mould / Project Team Chair, Collection and Sharing
Margaret Williams / Project Team Chair, Discovery and Access
Hye Ju Kim / Project Team Member, Discovery and Access
Jon Hardisty / Project Team Member, Discovery and Access
Marcus Westlind / Project Team Member, Discovery and Access
Minna von Zansen / Project Team Member, Discovery and Access
Tony Iezzi / Project Team Member, Discovery and Access
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Purpose of Document
Background
Current Situation
Vision Statement
Options
Recommended Approach
Work Plan
Estimated Costs
Appendix A
Selected Bibliography
Executive Summary
Thisinterim report proposes a vision statement, phase 1 work plan,and estimated costs for the Global Library Discovery and Access project team.
In the report the project team attempts to illustrate the many layers of challenge and choice that people with print disabilities face when trying to find and access library material in alternative formats. Three major challenges are discussed: the lack of an integrated source of information, legal restrictions, and the “digital divide”.
The vision statement reflects what the project team considers necessary to overcome these challenges:
The Global Library will be an integrated source of information that makes it possible for people with print disabilities around the world to find and access the full range of library material in alternative formats available to them.
The project team considered four options that might lead to achieving this vision:
- Develop a virtual integrated digital library system
- Develop a stand-alone search and discovery tool
- Develop a guide to libraries serving people with print disabilities
- Contribute content to an existing public domain repository
Option 1 is preferred, but options 2 and 3 are also recommended given the time it will take to implement option 1 fully. Option 3, however, should not detract from work on the first two options.Option 4 has been rejected by the project team.
The work plan proposed for phase 1 involves developing draft business requirements and confirming those requirements with potential member libraries. Libraries will be surveyed for technical readiness and level of interest in participating in the first iteration of the Global Library. Potential partners in technology and standards will be consulted on basic feasibility and cost ranges.
Purpose of Document
The purpose of this document is to proposea vision statement,phase 1 work plan and estimated costsfor the Discovery and Access project team, for consideration by the Global Library (GL) project steering committee.
Background
Discovery and Access is one of four key project teams identified in the GL Project Plan. The purpose of the project team is to explore and recommend preferred approaches to current end-user discovery and access challenges; desired capabilities; options to get from where we are to where we want to be; and recommendations including costs. The work of the project team will have the following outcomes:
- Define and identify options for global discovery and access of resources for clients.
- Review user interface models used currently and in the next 5 years.
- Develop and recommend models for access to the global library collection(s) and recommended the option(s) and the associated costs.
- Determine appropriate catalogue and cataloguing standards
- Identify copyright and rights management in a global network of (possibly) “trusted intermediaries”
- Identify the type of support required for member libraries and end-users (e.g., online help documentation)
At its first meeting in Amsterdam on November 4-5, 2008, the project team was assigned the task of establishing a vision statement and work plan. Since November the project team has met by teleconference five times and communicated via the Global Library project wiki. Members have identified and reviewed key documents and consulted with colleagues on several broad work areas:
- Access to technology
- Authentication and access protocols
- Copyright and digital rights management
- Cataloguing and metadata
- End-user expectations
- Search and discovery tools
This document is based on this preliminary research.
Current Situation
In the analog world the primary way for a person with a print disability to access library material in alternative formats was to register with a specialized library service in their country that would select items of interest and deliver them to the person’s home. Access to material held in other libraries in other countries was by interlibrary loan, a process that could take months.
This service model is still in place in the digital world, but there are new possibilities too. Many libraries serving people with print disabilities (in the developing world at least) have invested in digitizing their collections and building systems that allow patrons to select their own reading material and access it instantly online.
Despite this great leap forward, the range of library material in alternative formats that is available to people with print disabilities is still limited for the most part to the holdings of the specialized library service in their country.The need to overcome this limitation, however, is growing.
For example, in multicultural regions, libraries are under pressure to respond to the increasing demand for material in many languages. One cost-effective solution would be to provide access to the collections of libraries in countries where those languages are prevalent. Opening up access to other collections would also help to reduce the duplication of effort that takes place when libraries around the world produce the same work. For people with print disabilities, less duplication will lead to a greater range of material being available.
To overcome this limitation we need to understand the reasons behind it. There are three major reasons: there is no easy way for people to find out what library material is available in alternative formats in other countries; there are legal restrictions related to copyright; and there is the digital divide that separates the “haves” from the “have not’s” in terms of social and technological infrastructure and skills development.
Diagram: Current situation for end-users trying toaccess library material in alternative formats
Description:The end-user is depicted at the centre of several circles. Each circle represents a series of challenges or choices that the end-user must take into account before he or she can access library material in alternative formats. The layers include:
- end-user context (e.g., reading purpose, technical skills, language, country, affordability);
- legal restrictions (e.g., copyright, licences, and DRM);
- connectivity (e.g., no, low or high bandwith);
- delivery channel (e.g., laptop or desktop, PDA or media player, cell phone, braille display, physical media via an intermediary);
- mainstream and community information sources (e.g., public services such as schools and libraries, social media such as facebook and other community forums, Google, WorldCat and Open Library)
- access points via individual trusted Global Library members; and, finally,
- choice of alternative format types (e.g., DAISY, text, audio, braille).
The diagram may appear to be overwhelming;for the end-user in this situation, it is!
Challenges
- No easy way to find library materialin alternative formats
Currently, people with print disabilities are largely unaware of the range of library material that is available in alternative formats around the world. If the specialized library service in their country does not have the work and cannot arrange for interlibrary loan, most people look no further.
People with access to technology and skills who choose to explore other options mustidentify and search multiple library catalogues, peer-to-peer sharing sites such as Bookshare, repositories of public domain material such as Gutenberg, and retail sites such as Audible or Amazon. It is a daunting task for any individual; if you rely on a screen reader and can’t skim a site quickly for content of interest, it is nearly impossible.
- Legal restrictions related to copyright
Being able to find a work in alternative format does not necessarily lead to access. People with print disabilities – and the libraries serving them – must understand and apply a complex set of legal terms and conditions before access can happen.
2.1.Copyright exceptions and import/export of works in alternative formats
Over 50 countries have an exception in their copyright legislation that permits the production of alternative formats.[1] It is not clear that the alternative format of a work produced under a legislative exception in one country may be used in another without applying for permission to the rights holder(s). In addition, the language of exceptions varies from country to country regarding which formats can be produced and who is eligible to use the material (e.g., people with vision loss only; people with vision loss or physical disabilities; people with all types of print disabilities).
Some libraries in countries with similar exceptions have decided to assume the risk of exchanging material and place the onus on the importing library to ensure thatit is used in accordance with the laws of its country. A few libraries offer direct service to patrons internationally, but only for physical items.
2.2.Licensing agreements
Library material in alternative formats can also be subject to licensing agreements between the library and the rights holder. In some countries, libraries must apply to publishers for licences on a title by title basis. In countries with exceptions, libraries might also have agreements with copyright licensing agencies and individual publishers. These agreements can restrict eligible use, formats allowed, number of copies and further distribution. The library may also need to implement technical protection measures, report back to the rights holder on usage, and pay compensation.
Bookshare in the United States has been particularly successful in securing licences from publishers that allow global online access to copyrighted material in alternative formats.
2.3.Digital Rights Management
Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers broadly to any strategy or tool that is used to control who can access digital content and how they can use it. DRM might be as simple as putting a copyright notice on a document, or it might go much farther and encrypt a document so that you must input a special code (or key) to read it, andonly on a designated machine. Encryption is an example of a Technological Protection Measure (TPM), which is a kind of DRM, but the terms are often used interchangeably.
The level of DRM applied depends on many factors, including copyright, distribution rights, business models and the inherent value or sensitivity of the information.
Two DRM models are probably most relevant to the Global Library project: the “DRM Pyramid” of the American Association of Publishers and Bookshare’s “Seven Point Digital Rights Management Plan”. See Appendix A for a summary of these models.
According to a recent DAISY Consortium Board survey, memberlibraries offering online services apply three or four levels of protection:[2]
- Qualification of users, which requires proof of disability
- Contractual agreement with the end-user
- Notice of copyright on the material
- Secure access by user name and password.
Some libraries have implemented or are considering implementing watermarks. Bookshare has implemented encryption, fingerprinting, and account monitoring. At the far end of the scale, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in the United States and the LG DTB Library in Korea have tied usage to dedicated devices.
- The digital divide
Legal entitlement to use a work in alternative format is also not enough to guarantee access. Technological barriers can pose a further challenge.
3.1.Connectivity and bandwidth
Connectivity and bandwidth are the first barriers. The very premise of the Global Library as it is currently scoped is that the end-user resides in a region with some level of connectivity to the Internet, wired or wireless. However, by the end of 2007, according to the International Telecommunications Union, less than one out of five people living in the developing world were online, compared to over 60 percent of people in the developed world.[3]
Fixed broadband is still an issue in the developed world, at 10-15 percent in Europe and the Americas; it is less than half a percent in Africa. The ability of end-users to stream or download files effectively requires broadband.[4]
Over the past ten years, growth in mobile access has outstripped other types of access in both developed and developing countries with the effect that 97 percent of people in the developed world and 45 percent of people in the developing world have a mobile phone. Still, the rollout of mobile broadband is concentrated in the developed world, and about 20 percent of the world’s population is not covered by a mobile cellular network.
Falling prices and the spread of 3G (wide-area high-bandwidth) networks is expected to change this picture over the coming years.
Graph: ICT penetration rates per 100 inhabitants, 2007
Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database
Description:A bar graph represents the penetration of four types of information and communications technologies on different continents and worldwide: fixed telephone lines, mobile subscribers, Internet users, and broadband subscribers. The graph illustrates that mobile subscribers are predominantin all places. By the end of 2007, the world had:
3.3 billion mobile cellular subscribers
1.3 billion fixed telephone lines
1.5 billion Internet users
336 million broadband subscribers.
Data table:
Fixed telephone lines / Mobile subscribers / Internet users / BroadbandAfrica / 3 / 27 / 5 / 0.2
Americas / 33 / 72 / 41 / 10
Asia / 16 / 37 / 17 / 3
Europe / 41 / 110 / 42 / 14
Oceania / 36 / 78 / 45 / 17
World / 19 / 49 / 22 / 5
3.2.Device availability and affordability
Reading devices that can play alternative formats are becoming increasingly available. Text-to-speech, braille translation, and magnification software is now available for mobile phones and PDAs from a range of mainstream manufacturers. Mobile DAISY Player by Code Factory is an example of software available for use on several models of mobile phones. Specialized devices such as braille and speech PDAs and note takers (e.g., BrailleNote PK) and media players (e.g., VictorReader Stream, Plextor PTX)are also becoming increasingly geared to support real-time streaming, downloading and portability of digital content.
The affordability of these devices will be a significant factor for the GL. The cost of the device, adaptive software and a data plan will simply be out of reach for many people with print disabilities in developing countries. The latest specialized media players are starting to come down in price (a VictorReader Stream is currently about $100 more expensive than a higher-end Apple iPod), but people with print disabilities are often on lower incomes and cannot afford them. In some countries, libraries have been able to distribute players freely or for a reasonable service fee, while in others end-users must purchase the players themselves or wait for donations or government subsidies. In a recent study, some younger users expressed that they would prefer to be able to use cheaper (and trendier) mainstream devices.[5]
3.3.Device compatibility and DRM
Some libraries have asked end-users to adopt designated devices in order to facilitate player rollout and support and control access to content. A player that supports digital rights management can, for example,be used to validate that the machine is owned by an authorized user and unlock encrypted files. A device that is set up to play content from one library may not automatically be able to play content from another library.Examples of this service model include the LG DTB Library in Korea and NLS in the United States. A recent example in the mainstream world is Amazon, which has decided to permit rights holders to disable the text-to-speech function of the Kindle2. (The Kindle2 is not accessible for other reasons, but text-to-speech capability was a step in the right direction.)
3.4.Technology skills
While out of scope of the GL project, the ability of people with print disabilities to acquire adequate technology skills also presents a challenge. In particular, many older adults who are new to technology will not be able to benefit from the GL without intensive training or an intermediary.
Vision Statement
The Global Library will be an integrated source of information that makes it possible for people with print disabilities around the world to find and access the full range of library material in alternative formats available to them.
More specifically, the Global Library will:
- Provide anintegrated source of bibliographic data and access pointsforlibrary material in alternative formats around the world.
- Present that source as the obvious choice in places where people with print disabilities are likely to look for information.
- Offer an interface that is accessible, easy and appealing to use because it is similar to mainstream options that end-users are familiar with.
- Adapt to the context of the end-user in terms of country, language, delivery channel, and affordability.
- Validate qualified end-users and connect them as seamlessly as possible to content produced under different copyright and licensing terms and conditions.
- Be compatible with a broad range of reading technologies.
- Leverage international standards and technology platforms already used by people with print disabilities.
Options
The project team considered fourmain options: