Library distributors have a catalog of content (books, music, movies), that can be offered not only in physical format, but in digital format. Many library patrons are interested in borrowing digital books, digital music, and in the future, digital movies. However, there are many difficulties when adding digital distribution to a physical distribution model.

The current business models are centered around a physical world. Inventory, checkout periods, inter-library lending and replacement copies, are all based on the concept of individual, physical books. However, with digital distribution, the content exists in a file and can be reproduced at will and does not deteriorate with time.

In order to maintain the current business relationships, many of these physical business models must be reproduced in the digital world. Any solution must incorporate digital inventory, check out periods (and therefore content expiration), and personal bookshelves.

Goals

• Create an online library system that hosts multiple libraries (channels), a central catalog of content, and models current physical library models.
• Honor the current business relationships for libraries and library distributors.
• Allow online and offline checkout of books.
• Create new libraries administratively, without additional development, and with custom branding and custom business rules.
• Add access restrictions to each library to ensure only the library's patrons can access library content.
• Allow libraries to purchase a specified number of copies of any piece of content in the central catalog.
• Provide each library with a virtual catalog that consists of the content in their inventory. Allow attribute searching (title, author, publisher) and full-text searching of the virtual catalog.

Solution

The online library system will be a custom implementation of matterCast Channel Server. Out of the box, Channel Server will provide support for a central catalog with custom metadata, custom branded channels (libraries) with custom business rules, virtual catalogs, separate patron management, and administrative interfaces for the distributor and the library administrators.

The customized portions of this solution will be centered around the library lending model. The concepts of patrons, books and the check out models available for different combinations of these entities must be incorporated. For example, an adult patron may be able to check out books that children cannot check out, or a reference book may only be available for checkout for 1 day. The solution will need to incorporate the expiration of content to coincide with check-out periods, and the reporting and accounting of check outs. In addition, we'll need to keep track for patrons which books they have currently checked out.

In order to allow secure, high quality access for online documents, the solution will use Scalable Vectors Graphics (SVG) format. SVG provides high-quality presentation that rivals PDF, and it has the standardization and ease of manipulation of HTML. Channel Server comes with SVG Imprint - PDF to SVG conversion engine, SVG server and SVG viewer. For secure offline access, the solution will be integrated with a Digital Rights Management (DRM) product such as Adobe Content Server or Microsoft Reader. This will give quality offline access for patrons and provide the necessary security to prevent piracy.

Benefits

Given Channel Server, the solution has a quick and stable base framework for the online library system. The main pieces of custom development are necessary merely to apply Channel Server to the library domain. The base framework components in Channel Server allow easy creation of additional domain entities, relationships, and administrative portions. Additionally, the solution saves greatly in function testing and system testing since the majority of the solution is a pre-tested, packaged product.

What's Next?

In addition to publications, libraries have other types of content that they make available to their patrons. The above solution allows for access to digital books and reference materials. Additional types of content that may be made available are audio books, music, and movies. These formats can be integrated into the system and made available through similar check out models.

To learn more, contact sales@mattercast.com