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Creating a New Faceted Browsing Function for Millennium WebPAC Pro

Creating a New Faceted Browsing Function for Millennium WebPAC Pro. Li, Yiu On, Senior Assistant Librarian Leung, Roger, Information Technology Officer Hong Kong Baptist University Library. 9th HKIUG Meeting University of Hong Kong Library 8th Dec., 2009. Outline.

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Creating a New Faceted Browsing Function for Millennium WebPAC Pro

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  1. Creating a New Faceted Browsing Function for Millennium WebPAC Pro Li, Yiu On, Senior Assistant Librarian Leung, Roger, Information Technology Officer Hong Kong Baptist University Library 9th HKIUG Meeting University of Hong Kong Library 8th Dec., 2009

  2. Outline • What is Faceted Browsing? • Implementations of Faceted Browsing in Traditional WebPAC: Two Approaches • Architecture of the New Faceted Browsing Function in WebPAC Pro • BU Faceted Browsing Function and Encore: A Comparison • Conclusion

  3. 1. What is Faceted Browsing?

  4. 1.1 Definition of Faceted Browsing Faceted Browsing • also known as faceted searching, or faceted navigation • is a special navigation interface designed for record searching and browsing • to display aspects of result sets in multiple classification and categorization schemes, (e.g. related authors, titles, subject headings, material types, locations, languages, publication years, etc.)

  5. 1.2 Advantages of Faceted Browsing Unlike a single, pre-determined, hierarchical scheme, faceted browsing gives users the abilities: • To find items from multiple dimensions and attributes • To explore new directions in dynamic taxonomies (i.e. divisions into ordered groups or categories) • To refine/narrow down the searches

  6. 1.2 Advantages of Faceted Browsing (Con’t) • To easily switch between searching and browsing, users can use their own terminology for searching, while browsing the organizations and categories suggested by faceted classifications • To display the number & contents of each suggested category

  7. 1.2 Advantages of Faceted Browsing (Con’t) • “For experienced Web users, faceted navigation isn’t something that needs to be explained” -- Marshall Breeding. "Next-Generation Library Catalogs". Library Technology Reports, vol. 43, no. 4, July-August 2007, p.12.

  8. 1.3 Use of Faceted Browsing in Commercial Sites • Indeed, faceted browsing has become part of a well-established user interface convention • A 2003 survey reported that: 69% of 75 leading commercial sites made use of faceted browsing. In fact, all sites of computers, gifts, kitchen ware, music/video categories used faceted browsing -- Use of Faceted Classification, http://www.webdesignpractices.com/navigation/facets.html • e.g. Amazon, the largest online book stores

  9. In Amazon, faceted browsing includes: • New Releases • Department • Formats • Binding • Shipping Options • Award Winners • Promotion • Avg. Customer Review • Condition

  10. 1.4 Implementation of Faceted Browsing in WebPAC • If librarians can implement this common faceted browsing function in WebPAC environment, then • we can change WebPAC from a traditional searching tool to a powerful information discovery tool

  11. 2. Implementations of Faceted Browsing in Traditional WebPAC:Two Approaches

  12. 2.1 Need for Adding New Web 2.0 Functions to WebPAC • More and more librarians are discontent with the insufficient functionalities of the traditional WebPAC interfaces • To win the support from the new generation of web users, we need to add new Web 2.0 technologies such as faceted browsing, interactive cloud tags, federated search, and social networking tools, etc.

  13. 2.2 Next Generation WebPAC • Different names of WebPAC equipped with new Web 2.0 functions include: • Next Generation Library Catalog, • SmartCat, • Library Catalog 2.0….

  14. 2.3 Two Different Approaches In Hong Kong, two different approaches are adopted to build the Next Generation Library Catalog. They are: • New Functions in New WebPAC (NFNW) • New Functions in Current WebPAC (NFCW) (Note: in this presentation, we use faceted browsing function as an representative example of the Web 2.0 functions)

  15. 2.4 NFNW Development Logic The development logic of the New Function New WebPAC approach may be summarized as : • We MUST add faceted browsing function to WebPAC • Existing Millennium WebPAC Pro environment is too old and CANNOTaccommodate this transformation • Thus, we need to develop a new WebPAC to implement new Web 2.0 technology (NOTE: this argument is invalid, we will talk more in NFCW later)

  16. 2.5 Two Models of NFNW Two different development models of New Function in New WebPAC : • Encore • III product • Relatively high annual subscription fee • CUHK, HKU, PolyU have purchased • Scriblio • an open-source software • enhanced & used at HKUST

  17. 2.6 Disadvantages of NFNW • Many existing powerful functions of WebPAC Pro are missing in Encore • Exact Author, Title, Subject Searching • Scope searching • Limit results to items with "Available" status • Search History • Author/title/subject authority list (e.g. Author search = Strauss, Johann, 1825-1899) • Modify/Limit this Search command • Advanced Keyword Search Form

  18. Existing WebPAC Pro powerful functions are missing in Encore

  19. 2.7 NFNW = Dual WebPAC System • As a result, Encore cannot replace “traditional” WebPAC Pro • If patrons want to use those “old” advanced search functions, they have to use the “Traditional” WebPAC Pro • Thus, Encore (New Function New WebPAC) approach, in reality, is a dual WebPAC system Encore (New WebPAC) + WebPAC Pro (Traditional WebPAC)

  20. click on to access WebPAC Pro for more “old/classic” advance searching capabilities Encore in University of Queensland Library http://encore.library.uq.edu.au/iii/encore/search/C%7CSStrauss%7COrightresult%7CU1?lang=eng&suite=def

  21. 2.8 Disadvantages of a Dual WebPAC System • Patrons have to learn how to use two different WebPAC systems. This may cause inconvenience and confusions • Library staff spend more time and effort to maintain two searching interfaces, therefore, maintenance cost is high • Systems people waste time to re-invent a “new” interface rather than concentrate on the design work of faceted browsing function

  22. 2.9 Building Next Generation Library Catalog – the Second Approach • The development logic of New Functions New WebPAC approach is based on an invalid argument: “the existing Millennium WebPAC Pro environment is too old and CANNOTaccommodate any Web 2.0 functions” • But, our study shows that WebPAC Pro is a comparatively open and flexible environment, and we can add in-house developed scripts to the interface

  23. 2.9 Building Next Generation Library Catalog – the Second Approach (Con’t) • Thus, we decided to add faceted browsing function to the existing WebPAC Pro interface • This is a more logical, simple and direct approach, and I call it: New Functions in Current WebPAC (NFCW)

  24. 2.10 Merits of the NFCW Approach • Faceted browsing is inserted to WebPAC Pro and becomes an integral part of it • All the existing WebPAC Pro powerful functions are kept • The new add-on faceted browsing functions are fully compatible with the existing WebPAC Pro functions • The new add-on faceted browsing functions strengthen the existing WebPAC Pro searching capabilities

  25. 2.10 Merits of the NFCW Approach (Con’t) • Single interface avoids unnecessary inconvenience, inconsistency and confusion caused by a dual WebPAC systems • Save library staff’s time and efforts in maintaining two different WebPAC systems • No need to re-invent a new WebPAC interface, therefore, software development cost and cycle is largely reduced

  26. 2.11 New Faceted Browsing in HKBU WebPAC Pro • Based on the NFCW development logic, HKBU has recently installed a new faceted browsing function on the staging port of WebPAC Pro • Currently, only some 222,000 records are uploaded to this database for testing

  27. 2.11 New Faceted Browsing in HKBU WebPAC Pro (Con’t) • HKBU WebPAC Pro staging port: http://hkbulib.hkbu.edu.hk:2082/search~S11/?searchtype=a&searcharg=plato&searchscope=11&SORT=D&extended=0&searchlimits=&searchorigarg=asmith+adam

  28. New In-house Developed Faceted Browsing Function in HKBU WebPAC Pro

  29. 3. Architecture of the New Faceted Browsing Function in WebPAC Pro

  30. 3.1 Systems Requirements • Hardware • X86 based PC/Server • Our Server configuration: • Dual Xeon Q-Core CPU • 32GB Memory • 1 TB HDD space NOTE: 220,000 bib records are uploaded for testing, and use 7.8 GB for MySQL and Sphinx

  31. 3.1 Systems Requirements (Con’t) • Software • Perl 5 with marc2xml and marc-charset (for MARC to XML conversion) • MySQL 5 (for data storage) • Sphinx (for building index and searching data) • IIS with ASP 3.0 (for user interface & data conversion)

  32. 3.1 Systems Requirements (Con’t) • Systems requirement is minimal • Don’t need a dedicated server • Don’t require special high end programming language (Perl, MYSQL, and Sphinx are freeware)

  33. 3.2 Program Workflow • Two major parts: • Construct a bibliographic record database for facets analysis • Create a special iFrame in WebPAC Pro for displaying facets

  34. 3.3 Construction of a New Bibliographic Database • Metadata are required to calculate facets • Thus, we build a separate database to store the raw data for creating facets instead of using the records in Innopac system • All MARC records are exported from Innopac system, and uploaded to our in-house developed bibliographic database

  35. 3.3 Construction of a New Bibliographic Database (Con’t) • An indexing program is designed to extract facets according to 11 categories below:

  36. 3.4 Facets Variable Fields • Below is the facet variable fields for Author Search = Smith, Adam

  37. 3.5 Facets Fixed Fields • Below is the facet fixed fields for Author Search = Smith, Adam

  38. 3.6 Insert Facets on WebPAC Pro • WebPAC Pro is an open environment, we can insert scripts and create an iFrame to display facets on brief citation browse page and bib record page

  39. 3.7 iFrame Tag on Briefcit.html • An example of iFrame tag: <iFrame src="http://lib.hkbu.edu.hk/facet/browse/index.asp?searchterm " width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"> </iFrame>

  40. 3.8 Facet Display Program • Input search variable by extracting the search term in the WebPAC search URL, http://hkbulib.hkbu.edu.hk:2082/search~S11/?searchtype=X&searcharg=china&searchscope=11&SORT=DZ&extended=0&SUBMIT=Search&searchlimits=&searchorigarg=Xchina • Pass the search term to bibliographic database and made a SQL search query • Extract search results from the in-house bibliographic database, and then, calculate and group the facet values • Display faceted categories and values on iFrame

  41. 2. Extract search term and pass to iFrame 1. Create facet iFrame in briefcit.html 3. SQL to bibliographic db 4. Return facets values

  42. BU Faceted Browsing Function and Encore: A Comparison

  43. 4.1 Facets Variable Fields • Encore cannot provide facets values for variable fields like Author, Title, and Subject • Thus, Encore cannot provide a meaningful refinement alternative for variable field categories • An example: Author search = Smith, Adam

  44. Encore Variable Field Facets • No facet values • Indeed, only keyword search links are provided • Keyword-Author • Keyword-Title • Keyword-Subject • Fail to provide meaningful alternatives for users to refine/limit their search

  45. Author Facets in HKBU • Names of Chinese translators are provided • Ebook collections

  46. Title Facets in HKBU • List of Adam Smith’s most important work: • Wealth of Nations • Theory of Moral Sentiments • Chinese translation titles for Wealth of Nation 原富, 國富論 are provided

  47. Subject Facets in HKBU • Contributions of Adam Smith in subject areas: • Economics • Ethics

  48. 4.2 New Facets Variable Field -- Publisher • BU provides “Publisher” as a new facet variable field • Users may choose to refine the search by publisher like Oxford University Press

  49. 4.3 Publication Year Facets • In BU, the publication year is sorted in a 10-year range instead of a long list of single year as in Encore • A 10-year list is easier for browsing, searching, and collection analysis

  50. 4.4 Encore Only Provides Keyword Searching • In Encore, keyword searching is the only searching capability • Without exact Author, Title, Subject search, it will make the searching process more complex, and difficult • In BU, users can still use exact Author, Title, and Subject search, and refine the search by facets

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