Librarian-developed/enhanced resources

Okay, I've hinted at this in my last post... in this category would be anything that (any group)/Library/Librarian develops for/with it's clients/users - some examples:

• OpenURL resolver logged data (and no, I'm not meaning like Ex Libris bX). This is meshed-up data from a variety of web-services which your OpenURL resolver consumes to deliver the data and services which are displayed to Library clients/users as a result of their request.

• Librarian-developed interfaces - an example being something like a Z39.50 interface to an existing catalogue/dataset which presents the data in a different way... like a more user-friendly interface which shows individual results in more detail, with an OpenURL link to request them (as I demo'd at work to Ann Barrie from NLNZ - I'll post a screenshot if I get time).

• LinkedData - there's plenty of this stuff being done including on the dataincubator site (no, I'm not employed by Talis, and I'm not sure how many of the people in this group are actually "Librarians")
  

So, as you can see, it's not just formal/normal "vendors" who provide "information resources". Why does Ex Libris seem to miss this point?

Picking fights with giants...

A while ago I picked a fight with Ex Libris, mainly about their EL Commons, mainly on two points (although I'd hoped they'd be moot points now):

1) "I don't think it's appropriate for Ex Libris to promote "El Commons" as part of an "Open-Platform Strategy" though - I think you should promote it as a service to the "Ex Libris community". There's a big difference between the two, and I believe Ex Libris are mis-using the word "open" in this context."

2) I'd "expect that there would be a system where developers, would be able to at least view other developer contributions and either:
- submit details about resources for which they would like Ex Libris to provide adaptors
- provide plugin documentation to create suitable adaptors themselves (if they have "Documentation Center log in details")"

This was following on from an October 2008 post on a Talis blog [ http://blogs.talis.com/panlibus/archives/2008/10/come-on-in-its-open-with-your-ex-libris-key.php ], which ended on the note that:

Well El Commons is up running and accessible at http://www.exlibrisgroup.org. Unfortunately as Oren hinted, you can only enter the commons with your Ex Libris Documentation Center or SupportWeb user name and password – a bit of a misuse of the generally understood idea behind a commons methinks.

What I didn't manage to convey in the last email I sent, (partly because I got bored with them not biting back, and never finished my very last email), was the fact that I thought Ex Libris was overlooking another important information resource - Librarian-developed/enhanced resources.

[more about this later...]