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Q: What is its current status?
A: Development of the pilot The initial beta development phase came to an end in November, 2014. It is a robust, functioning engine with working APIs, but as a pilot is not being developed further at this time. The code is available at GitHub for anyone who would like to use it. The development team is hopeful that additional funding will let us take it to the next levelWork continues to automate data updates and complete some API development, and LibraryCloud will be reviewed for next steps and further work in March. LibraryCloud currently supports access to over 12 million Harvard bibliographic records from Aleph, plus 4 million visual information records from Harvard's VIA, and 2 million Harvard archival finding aid components.
Q: What is the relationship of the two LibraryClouds?
A: Ah, so you have heard of the prior version. Excellent! The An earlier, first version was created by the Harvard Library Innovation Lab. The new version, by Harvard Library Technology Services, builds current version builds on that work, and adds a workflow engine to automate its processes. The new version , and is designed to be more scalable and maintainable. The original first version, now renamed lilCloud, serves as a prototyping engine for the new current version.
Q: What is the connection of LibraryCloud and the Digital Public Library of America?
A: None, except that both are platforms that provide access to library metadata. LibraryCloud could eventually become a way Harvard shares data metadata with the DPLA. And we are fans of the DPLA. There are some informal connections, however. The project lead for LibraryCloud (Jeffrey Licht of Pod Consulting) was also the leader of the DPLA's platform development team. Further, †the group that created the first version of LibraryCloud lilCloud also created the first version of the DPLA’s platform.
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A: LD4L is a Mellon-funded project initiated driven by Harvard Library, Cornell University Library, and Stanford University Library. The Harvard Library Innovation Lab and Stanford Library are both partners is also a partner in that project. LD4L is a Linked Open Data project. LibraryCloud is not. We hope and expect that eventually there will be some level of integration between the two projects.
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A: StackLife is a visual library browser developed by the Harvard Library Innovation Lab. It currently uses the original LibraryCloud API. At lilCloud API, but at some point , we might switch it to the new current LibraryCloud API. LibraryCloud incorporates a bibliographic item usage metric, Stackscore, that is computed by lilCloud.
Q: Can I use LibraryCloud for my institution's library?
A: Yes, please! The code is available on GitHub. Of course you’ll likely have to write your own connectors so that you can ingest your data, but please do and share them!
Q: Can I get the bibliographic data as a download or only through the API?
A: The Aleph bib data is already available for for bulk download, thanks to Harvard’s Open Metadata policy that put all but a tiny percentage of those records into the public domain. VIA and finding aid data is not currently available for bulk download.
Q: How do you manage the privacy of the users whose the usage data you’re making available through the API?
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A: We use MODS because it’s a well-developed standard that captures a vast amount of detailed data relevant to library items. Our API returns JSON or XML modeled on MODS or in the Dublin Core format. Dublin Core is simpler, and is used more widely across the Web, but MODS preserves more of the library-based information.
Q: What is the status and future of LibraryCloud?
A: LibraryCloud is a pilot projectcurrently in beta release. We hope that it will be implemented and further developed by Harvard Library. In any case, lilCloud will remain operational for the foreseeable future, and the Harvard LibraryCloud code will remain available at GitHub.