Building On Builder

Ian Upton     ian.upton@bham.ac.uk

Ariadne 2001
(ReLIS:doi:doiari:y:2001:i:26:p:3)

Abstract:

The project plan detailed a number of different products, or technology demonstrators, that BUILDER would develop as part of its researches into an 'institutional hybrid library'. Initially each of these products was seen as a separate development having a unique set of needs and technological problems to solve. This view soon changed! As we started to look at implementation common strands started to appear. These strands included: authentication, profiled interfaces, secure delivery of files (Adobe Acrobat documents for example) and communication with databases. With hindsight BUILDER has not so much produced a number of separate 'products' but rather developed a rich environment in which 'web applications' can be created. This environment contains many of the common elements required to host web based hybrid library services with facilities such as 'authentication' being simply 'available for use'.

Note: Ian Upton on the products created by BUILDER and about the lessons learned in creating them. As well as describing the infrastructure and methodologies used by BUILDER, this paper highlights issues raised both in developing product 'as a project' and scaling these products 'for full scale use' within an institutional context.
Month: 12-January-2001
Year: 2001

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