第三代图书馆服务平台:新需求与新突破

The Third Generation Library Services Platform: New Requirements and New Breakthroughs

图书馆发展正在进入以智慧图书馆为主要特征的第三代图书馆时期,原有的图书馆集成管理系统早已无法涵盖图书馆的全部业务,出现近十年的“下一代图书馆服务平台”也不能满足图书馆的所有新需求,而以FOLIO为代表的“第三代图书馆服务平台”是一种全新的模块化应用环境,开放的微服务架构,支持各类基于应用程序接口(API)的应用接入,遵循社区驱动的敏捷开发模式。FOLIO由多家平台提供商、系统开发商、软件服务商、技术服务公司和图书馆等共同组成,不仅能支撑当前复合型图书馆在全媒体管理、全流程管理和全网域发现的基本需求,而且能灵活地支持未来图书馆的各种已知和未知的业务,代表了未来的发展方向。

Today's libraries are entering the third generation, featured by smart libraries mainly. The traditional Integrated Library System(ILS) is no longer able to cover all the services of a library. The Next Generation Library Service Platform (LSP), which appeared almost a decade ago, is also unable to meet all the new needs of a library. This paper reviews the R&D history of the library system, integrates the evolution of the library's needs as well as the progress of technology application, and summarizes relevant research findings both at home and abroad. In this paper, the concept of “The Third Generation Library Service Platform(LSP)” is proposed for the first time. And an in depth analysis of its content, features and adaptability is conducted. It analyzes the needs, functions, characteristics and possible forms of the “Third Generation Library”. From three aspects of function evolution, problems of the next generation platform, and the significance of transition to the Third generation Platform, this paper points out the possible direction of the development of the Third generation Platform, and the strategies helping achieve the vision of a Third generation Library. The Third Generation Library Service Platform (LSP) is a brand new modular application system. Its basic features include an open micro service architecture, API based data exchange support, and community driven agile development model. It is not a product of any company, but an industrial ecology composed of multiple platform providers, system developers, software service providers, technology service companies and libraries. It not only supports the basic needs of the current hybrid library in terms of all media management, life cycle management and web scale discovery. It can also flexibly support various services, both known and unknown ones, of current and future libraries. It can help libraries to achieve diversified and differentiated development, support various cooperation between libraries, such as the development of branch library systems or library consortium, promote the formation of innovative ecological environment with relevant industries, and finally achieve the prosperity and revival of the library in the digital age via the construction of smart libraries. The FOLIO platform as a “Third Generation LSP” contains an explicit structure of four layers. Lying on the bottom is the underlying system layer responsible for the storage, index, and log of data. On top of it is a message layer. The third layer is the application layer. The last one is the UI toolkit layer. The “Third Generation LSP” represented by FOLIO has advantages over the “Next Generation LSP”:1)It has changed their relationship among service providers, libraries and users, truly fulfilling the library driven model. 2)It is designed for the future, with the capacity to support unknown type of collections or metadata formats, and easy access to new knowledge bases. 3)It supports smart library expansions. Any third party application can interoperate by developing a microservices app that interacts with OKAPI. 4) It entails more reliable security and privacy management. However, FOLIO is still an unfinished project with potential risks. It is important to maintain its simplicity to achieve practical goals as soon as possible and to establish adequate standards so as to promote the formation of the whole application ecology in a near future. This requires combined efforts of all stakeholders within the community. For the domestic library industry, it would mean close cooperation between relevant libraries and organizations. The uprising of FOLIO has shown us the possibility of the cooperation between library industry and its various stakeholders including developers, service providers and content providers, nurturing an open community and healthy industrial ecosystem that benefits users with more smart services.