As John explains in this Talking with Talis podcast, SOPAC 2.0 has been produced so that he can release it’s component parts under an Open Source license so that others can take advantage of it.   The components, as he describes in his blog ‘SOPAC 2.0: What to Expect’ post on the subject, includes a separate social repository layer (Insurge) which not only could be used in most any OPAC, but also enables the sharing of social data between libraries.

This conversation was recorded a few days before the launch.

Share This

In the first part of this Talking with Talis conversation, they discuss the ramifications of the recent change of ownership when Francisco Partners sold their investment in Ex Libris to Leeds Equity Partners.   This sets the background for he rest of the podcast in which they go on to discus the motivation behind, and the details of the Open Platform Strategy.

In this revealing interview Oren describes how the strategy will influence the way Ex Libris develops and delivers its products in the future.

To accompany this podcast, we have made available a transcript of the interview.

Share This

Martin Malmsten is from the LIBRIS department of the Royal Library of Sweden – LIBRIS being the discovery interface for the library.

Since joining as a software developer has been absorbed in to the world of library search and discovery.  He played a major part in the build and launch of the latest LIBRIS search interface which has introduced under the surface some Semantic Web and Linked Data features.

We discuss his career, the use of User Centered Design & Iterative Development methodologies, the Semantic Web techniques and technologies he used, and their future applicability to the library domain.

Items discussed in our conversation:

•  LIBRIS
• User-centered design and the next generation OPAC – a perfect match?
• RDF / Linked Data representations of cataloged data via LIBRIS:
  • URI for the Royal Library - http://libris.kb.se/resource/library/S
  • URI for the subject heading "Mödrar" (Mothers in English) - http://libris.kb.se/resource/auth/154863
  • URI for August Strindberg - http://libris.kb.se/resource/auth/94541
  • URI for the book "The difference Engine" - http://libris.kb.se/resource/bib/5060570
  • The book "The difference Engine" in OpenLink RDF browser - http://demo.openlinksw.com/DAV/JS/rdfbrowser/index.html?uri=http%3A%2F%2Flibris.kb.se%2Fresource%2Fbib%2F5060570
• Cool URIs for the Semantic Web

Share This

Jon can often be found on the code4lib IRC channel discussing many aspects of innovation with the community of library software developers and enthusiasts.

In our conversation we discuss his career and some of the tasks and projects he is involved with. Mentioned in our discussion is Jon’s article for Code4lib Journal about using Authority data in VuFind.

Share This

The next UK general election is probably only a couple of years away and there is a serious possibility that we could see a change of governing party. Against this background Ed Vaizey, Conservative MP for Wantage & Didcot and Shadow Minister for Culture is beginning to shape his thoughts and future policy with respect to libraries.

This podcast conversation, recorded in Ed Vaizey’s office in the Houses of Parliament, explores Ed’s thinking as to the way Government should influence library services provided by local authorities; is the MLA as an organisation the appropriate way to promote libraries at a national level; and even is the Department of Culture the right place for libraries to be represented.

With a guest appearance of Big Ben, chiming the hour, this is an interesting insight into the thoughts of a senior opposition politician on the future of libraries.

This conversation was recorded on Wednesday 10th July and edited on a Mac with Garageband.

Share This

In this conversation we find out how Ed’s career, not always on a traditional library path, has led him to his work in the Library of Congress, his pragmatic interest in things Semantic Web, and why he has needed to experiment outside of the LoC.

In this conversation we reference:

• code4lib 
• Library of Congress
• National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP)
• National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP)
• Chronicling America
• The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
• The BagIt File Package Format
• Simple Web-service Offering Repository Deposit (SWORD)
• Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS)
• LCSH, SKOS and Linked Data
• lcsh.info
• Cool URIs for the Semantic Web
• How to Publish Linked Data on the Web
• Ed Summers’ web site: Inkdroid

This conversation was conducted as a Skype call on Thurday 26th June 2008, recorded with Ecamm Network’s Call Recorder for Skype, and edited on a Mac with Garageband.

Share This

Karen recently announced another career move to become Community Librarian, for Open Source library software support company, Equinox.

We discuss her career and her view of libraries that have lead to her move to an open source organisation, and what Open Source has to offer.

This conversation was conducted as a SkypeOut call on Tuesday 27th May 2008, recorded with Ecamm Network’s Call Recorder for Skype, and edited on a Mac with Garageband.

Share This

In this Talking with Talis conversation we discuss the newly created role of Program Services Librarian, Allan’s thoughts on the Semantic Web and what it means for libraries and librarians.

During the conversation we reference the following:

• The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
• Knitting the Semantic Web - Jane Greenberg
• Yahoo Search Monkey
• Twine
• Haystack
• Free! - Chris Anderson

This conversation was conducted as a SkypeOut call on Thursday 22nd May 2008, recorded with Ecamm Network’s Call Recorder for Skype, and edited on a Mac with Garageband.

Share This

We discuss the report, the reasons for commissioning it, how it will inform the on going debate about the future of academic libraries, and how libraries could use it.

During the conversation we reference the following resources:

• JISC
• SCONUL
• JISC & SCONUL Library Management Systems Study [pdf]
• JISC Information Environment
• Libraries of the Future

This conversation was recorded on Friday 9th May  and edited on a Mac with Garageband.

Share This

From library assistant in East Kilbride to Director of SLIC, Elaine has had a long career in and around Public Libraries in Scotland. For a significant amount of that time she was associated with library systems, which has been a great help in her current position.

We discuss her career; the role of SLIC/CILIP in Scotland; the differences and advantages of working through the Scottish Government; and past and current SLIC projects.

This conversation was conducted as a SkypeOut call on Wednesday 5th March 2008, recorded with Ecamm Network’s Call Recorder for Skype, and edited on a Mac with Garageband.

Technorati Tags: Elaine Fulton, Libraries, Scotland, SLIC, CILIP, Talis, Podcast

Share This