LTS Newsletter: March 2024

Library Technology Services, Harvard Library

Welcome to Library Technology Service’s occasional newsletter for anyone interested in Harvard Library IT.

DRS Futures Update

We continue to make progress on the DRS Futures project. While we continue to work on the vendor selection process, our team has begun development work on the Harvard Library infrastructure and processes to support the transition to the new solution. In addition, we have launched the DRS Users Community of Practice. This group is intended to provide a forum for current DRS users to share knowledge with each other, as well as receive updates on both DRS Legacy and DRS Futures. The next meeting will be April 9, at 2pm. For more information and details about the project, please visit the DRS Futures website. If you have any additional questions, including about the Community of Practice, please email us at drs-futures-feedback@HU.onmicrosoft.com.

What Happened to Image Delivery?

Recap of Recent Incident

Image delivery recently experienced performance issues causing slow image loading and thumbnail freezes in Library Viewer and HOLLIS Images. The issues were caused by two underlying problems: older image formats previously submitted by repositories resulted in inefficient delivery, and invalid images were causing frequent server crashes due to validation errors. To quickly resolve the immediate performance problems, LTS prioritized an “all hands on deck” effort while working to analyze and address the underlying issues.

Resolution and Prevention Moving Forward

To prevent further issues, LTS has kicked off a validation and conversion process for over 42 million delivery images to the new high throughput HTJ2K format, which should significantly improve speeds. Most images were successfully remediated and converted, with a small number failing to convert. LTS will collaborate with owning repositories to address problems with these images.

Additionally, Library Technology Services, Digital Preservation Services, and Imaging Services are collaborating to develop standardized image format policies and profiles to improve quality of images submitted for delivery. Once finalized, these new policies will be communicated to stakeholders.

Talk with HOLLIS Update

In October of 2023, a collaborative team from Library Technology Services, the Harvard Library User Research Center, and Services for Academic Programs applied for and was awarded a small grant from HUIT Emerging Technology and Innovation Program. The ETIP program is intended to create space and provide seed funding to stimulate innovation and experimentation in technologies and services at Harvard.

The proposal, which was named "Talk with HOLLIS," represents a three-month experimental foray into harnessing generative AI for enhancing Harvard Library's discovery systems. Emphasizing a learning-first approach, this project served as a rich ground for building internal expertise, exploring innovative AI applications in library search functionalities, and laying foundational knowledge for future advancements. Although not destined for production, the insights and experiences gained are poised to significantly influence and improve future library discovery enhancements, marking a pivotal step towards integrating cutting-edge technologies in library services.

The team successfully completed the pilot in January of 2024. More information about the project, including a demo video, can be found on the Talk with HOLLIS Wiki page.

LTS Staff

Retirement

Maureen Driscoll retired after 25 years in LTS. Starting as a mainframe programmer (!) and most recently as a Production Systems Librarian on the LTS Support Team. She is known in the LTS, HL, and HUIT communities for her patience, good cheer, and desire to resolve issues and support the Harvard Library mission. Leave a message on Maureen’s kudo board. Maureen will be missed!

Job Listings

A Bit of History: VIA

Last week marked the 25th anniversary of the release of Visual Information Access, the first public discovery system for images at Harvard and predecessor of HOLLIS Images.

Screenshot of early version of VIA: Visual Information Access