Notes - conference call - 5/22/09:
Vendor subgroup minutes
David Kennedy (Duke) -- Chair
Kent Percival (U of Guelph)
Andy Ingham (U of North Carolina)
Fred Zhang (Michigan State)
(sorry if I missed some attendees)
Notes by Ingham
Kennedy reported on conf call with the full group last week
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Agenda
1 - List of targeted resources
Do we need further prioritization?
Complete this goal.
2 - Review draft vendor recommendations/criteria
3 - Review Registry
4 - Discuss plan for contacting and testing implementations
Need test plan
Need contact information
Need contact plan (should we draft an email on the wiki?)
Should we have a wiki page to collect issues we encounter?
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Agenda item #1:
Finalize Targeted Resources https://spaces.at.internet2.edu/display/inclibrary/TargetResources
It was agreed that we want to keep the "priority?" column (but change to "contact order")
Ingham indicated that he had audited the resources available from EBSCO at UNC-CH and reported that there are about 50 such "database" level resources available (and over 28,000 individual records, if one counts all e-journals also).
Some discussion on how many different "platforms" at Ebsco that these could be distilled down to -- the hope was no more than a handful.
Percival indicated that Ebsco has far fewer distinct interfaces than proquest, elsevier, thomson
There was no dissent for calling the current state of the list of targetted resources "final". For order of contact, see end of these notes...
Agenda item #2:
Reviewed the compliance criteria
https://spaces.at.internet2.edu/display/inclibrary/ResourceComplianceCriteria
Kennedy based some of these upon other organizations that have been down this path already
on 2nd point in that list -- every vendor is different, not sure if possible to be more specific
on 3rd point -- wonder if this needs more specificity
Percival -- some vendors are further along with session Initiators than others (for whom just getting the base shib setup implemented is a big hurdle)
Having session initiators active is a pre-requisite for SEAMLESS WAYF-FREE ACCESS to that remote resource via a shib-enabled EZproxy
Percival indicated that Elsevier's Scopus doesn't use a WAYF nor do they use session initiators
Kennedy will document the following vis a vis session initiators:
- that it is included out of the box for Shibboleth 1.3 and 2.0
- that it is part of SP configuration, such that as long as a target URL and Identity Provider are stipulated, the WAYF can be avoided.
that is, he will document
what SI is
where there is documentation
why it's important
This documentation is separate from the technical documentation provided with Shibboleth itself and is meant for a different audience (namely, for vendor staff to encourage their implementation)
We should also encourage use of shib 2.x
Agenda item #3:
https://spaces.at.internet2.edu/display/inclibrary/RegistryOfResources
no comments on that wiki page
Agenda item #4:
Kennedy indicates that Carmody offered to send us contact information for some vendors
should we, as a group, draft up a contact letter, which can then be distributed via email to vendor contacts?
part of test plan
what to set up in EZproxy?
how to test to show that it's working?
Ingham raised the issue of the complexity of who on staff is involved on any given campus with vendor contact
Also, what about the fact that with Shib enabled e-resources, folks won't need to be coming through the library at all:
this lessens the library's ability to highlight / prioritize resources
also jeopordizes the ability to publicize library FUNDING for access
Kennedy will start a wiki page for documentation about staff issues at local institutions
For email to send to vendors:
who are we?
include names and institutions that are willing to test Shib
start with vendors who are members of incommon
Kennedy to draft this prior to the next call on 5/29/09
Percival has been working with 3 vendors as part of his work with the Canadian Access Federation, and so offered to help with the contact email text
proquest
elsevier
thomson web of knowledge
all three support shib and are members ofincommon
Ebsco - Kennedy indicated work with them as part of phase I, including successful implementation of session initiators.
Therefore, the four initial vendors (Agenda item #1) will be:
Ebsco
proquest
elsevier
thomson web of knowledge