Linking Library resources into Sakai

From the start the Sakai community is working close together with the different library communities in the institutions. Several small scale tools and integration solutions were developed over the past two years.

Indiana & Michigan University decided it was time for a more structual approach on providing a mature solution for the integration of library systems and the Sakai platform. In this session the projectleaders provided a large audience (> 100) with the first results of the Sakaibrary project. The project started last January and will run for the next two years.

The main project goals are:
- to provide seamless integration between Sakai & Library ecosystems, based on newly developed tools by the project
- testing the newtools and scenario's by the usercommunity
- a prototype for discovering licensed content in library systems

The new tools will available the Sakai suite around the summer of 2007. The next year the projectteam will develop and test the tools in small scale pilots at Indiana & Michigan University.

Most of the present work went into the requirements & usage scenario's

The usage scenario's cover quite a lot of areas of interest, e.g.
- integration of Sakai resources tool and reference software
- integrated metasearch in Sakai on library databases & resources
- subject research guide in a relevant Sakai course
- different library tools available for the instructor in Sakai
- federated search tool with different options depending on role (instructor, student, librarian)
- storage of a discoverd article for later use in a course
- in-Line citation Management Tools to coordinate readings (e.g. in science courses)

Conclusion:
It's a fairly new project and workable tools will be available in 12 months.
I think that if the project will meet its goals in 2007 it will change the way elearning & library ecosystems will work together.


Addtional information
Slides from the presentation

project space on the Sakai wiki