[Koha-devel] MyLibrary features (fwd)

[Pat Eyler]

I know that some of the folks on this list are also interested in
using MyLibrary along with Koha.  One of the bits below is LDAP
authentication, a feature that has come up on our lists before.  It might
be a great opportunity to open up a dialog with the MyLibrary folks and
hash out an LDAP schema that will work for both projects.

-pate

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 08:45:48 -0500
From: Eric Lease Morgan <emorgan at ND.EDU>
Reply-To: MyLibrary portal development <MYLIB-DEV at listserv.nd.edu>
To: MYLIB-DEV at listserv.nd.edu
Subject: MyLibrary features

This message is a belated announcement, and it outlines a few things we will
be working on in terms of MyLibrary features.

After bunches o' discussions with bunches o' folks, we have decided to spend
time and energy on three things: add to MyLibrary, LDAP authentication, more
flexible classification.


Add to MyLibrary

The "add to MyLibrary" is a function implemented either as a browser
bookmarklette or an embedded link. Its purpose will be to allow uses to view
Internet resources in their browser and add the link their MyLibrary. The
bookmarklette will first read the viewed page's title and URL. It will then
display a dialog box allowing the user to edit these items. Finally, it will
add the link to their personal links. The embedded link will work the same
way except the title and URL of the resource will be embedded in the URL. It
will look something like this:

  http://mylibrary.edu/add2mylibrary.cgi?t=foo&u=http://bar.org/

The addition of add to MyLibrary will reduce the need to catalog the entire
Internet and the underlying MyLibrary database to include only a subset of a
library's entire collection of Internet resources.

Last, but not least, this functionality will be based on work previously
done by the folks at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. "Thanks guys!"


LDAP authentication

Based on work by Gultekin Gurdal we will be integrating an optional LDAP
authentication functionality into MyLibrary. By installing a number of Perl
modules and securely pointing them to your institution's LDAP directory
libraries may very well be able to allow patrons to create MyLibrary
accounts based on their institution's canonical username/password
combination. Consequently, people will not have to remember yet another
password. Whew!


More flexible classification

Last, we will be working on removing some of the classification limitations.
As the system stands now libraries can create a simple classification scheme
intended to be subjects. Fine. When adding resources to MyLibrary, the
system forces you to put these resources into one of five piles, usually
named library, community, reference, databases, or ejournals. Many people
found this too limiting.

To remove this problem, we plan to allow libraries to first create any
number of classification schemes (subjects, formats, audiences, education
levels, ease-of-use, authority, timeliness, etc.), and then fill each one of
these scheme up with terms (astronomy, philosophy, forestry; student,
faculty, staff; dictionary, encyclopedia, index, catalog; easy, not so easy,
difficult, impossible; very authoritative, authoritative, not authoritative;
updated constantly, updated monthly, updated annually; etc.) When new
resources are then added to the system they will be classified with one or
more of the terms from the classification schemes.

This solution will remove what we call the "Pile A, Pile B, and Pile C
Problem". This solution will not be easy. It will require a lot of work in
the underlying database. We're a bit scared.


Timeline

We are hoping to finish these features by July 4.


--
Eric "Famous Last Words" Morgan

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