News

What does the Product Manager for the Developer Network Do?

One of the most common questions folks ask me when I tell them I'm the Product Manager for the OCLC Developer Network is "so what do you do?" I can understand this. The Developer Network is a relatively new endeavor for OCLC and it's not a product in the traditional sense. Which makes people wonder why OCLC hired me and what it is that I do. Primarily my job is to help build a community of developers (library and non-library) around OCLC's Web services (present and future). So my title might be just as fitting as the "OCLC Developer Network Community Advocate," but since that wasn't available as a job title, "Product Manager" was the closest fit. So as the person within OCLC who is looking out for your needs as a developer, there are a variety of broad activities that I am tasked with:

I do outreach to developers to teach them about the Web services, to get their comments and to try to make things better. Sometimes this means teaching actual workshops or putting together Web tutorials. Sometimes it's just one-on-one work, answering questions on the DevNet list [WC-DEVNET-L], Twitter, blogs, etc.
Dispelling misinformation and misconceptions about OCLC's Web services is another big part of job. I try to help folks get access and take feedback about when there are problems. There are two big things I'm learning that people don't know:
1. First, nearly all the OCLC web services are in some fashion completely free to anyone for noncommercial use. Some have daily usage limits for anyone (like xISBN, xISSN), but others like the WorldCat Registry and WorldCat Identities have no usage limits whatsoever. Oh sure, the WorldCat Search API requires some qualification...but if you don't qualify for whatever reason, use the WorldCat Basic API. Or let us know what you're working on and make the case for why your app deserves access. (Never hurts to ask!)
2. Second, OCLC Web services operate in a very beta mindset. There are advantages to this, like the ability to be responsive to requests for changes in a relatively speedy fashion. However, it also means that the Web services can occasionally be rough around the edges. This is especially true for the Experimental Services like Terminologies, Metadata Crosswalk, Dewey.info.
I write lots and lots of documentation. It's pretty much impossible to have developers use your Web services without effectively documenting it. So one of my big tasks is to make the DevNet Web site better by adding more thorough documentation. Right now I'm working on documentation for the WorldCat Identities Web service.
Writing documentation also means engaging and interacting with the staff at OCLC who are more directly responsible for the Web services. I get to learn from the people who know them best, which is pretty darn cool. Right now I'm also learning about Linked Data from some folks in OCLC Research and a few external colleagues. It's interesting and challenging--I haven't figured out exactly what to do with it yet. What are you doing with Linked Data that the Developer Network can help support you on?
I write demo code. There are lots of reasons for this. One is so I can answer questions and make suggestions to you, when you're using the Web services. Keeping my coder skills in shape is essential to serving you effectively. I also write demo code so that I have something to teach and present from.
Seeing real world examples makes a huge difference when presenting to others. I try to create demonstrations that show of the power of OCLC Web services and how they can be combined with data from other Web services. If you want to see the best of my demos in action, look for my presentation at code4lib 2010.

I test web services (both OCLC and others) and provide feedback to develop new services from OCLC. Testing the Web services also puts me in the unique position of being able to evaluate the services before they are deployed--which means I get to critique and take a critical look and what works and doesn't work.
Case in point, the last two weeks I've been playing with the soon-to-come JSON output for the WorldCat Search API. I want to make sure it works for as many use cases I can think of, and that the structure is as simple as it can be while providing the most robust information. While some of my feedback is my own, based on my own experience working with the service and my knowledge of development and other web services, the most important feedback that I can pass along is that which comes from you, the members of the OCLC Developer Network. I need your input to help guide what comes next. Which is why getting feedback about service performance, methods of access, formats, data provided and its structure is important to my serving you and doing my job well....

All and all I have my hands full, but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Submitted by librarywebchic on Fri, 02/12/2010 - 2:49pm

Announcements

Finding the original edition using xISBN services

Another question that was asked at the OCLC Web Services Bootcamp at VALA was "Can I find the earliest edition with xID?" The answer is Yes The getEditions response from xISBN has fields for both edition and year published information. Edition information is sometimes missing so the best way to handle finding the earliest edition is to use the year field. There are a couple different ways one might do this. One could use an XSL to sort the nodes ascending by year and then pull out the ISBN or OCLC Number of the first one.

Submitted by librarywebchic on Fri, 02/12/2010 - 11:02am

Services

xISBN Tips and Tricks

One question that was asked at the OCLC Web Services Bootcamp at VALA was if the xISBN service handled both 10 and 13 digit ISBNs. The answer is yes. You can send either a 10 or 13 digit ISBN for the same book to the service and you will get back the same response. Case in point Learning Python has both a 10 and 13 digit ISBN.

Submitted by librarywebchic on Thu, 02/11/2010 - 4:20pm

Services

Tweetstream from OCLC API Mashathon at VALA 2010

Roy, Bruce and Don have promised to blog their thoughts and post photos from the OCLC API Mashathon that happened today at VALA 2010, but the jet lag was likely catching up with them after a full day of mashing.

Submitted by alicesneary on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 11:14am

Conferences

xISSN Video Tutorial

In conjunction with the OCLC API Mashathon at VALA next week, I'm posting a tutorial on how to use the xISSN service to enhance local information about serials. This tutorial discusses how to use the xISSN services to enhance an existing library user interface--such as a catalog--by adding information from the xISSN service. It demonstrates how to add two things on the fly to a library catalog full record display screen:

Submitted by librarywebchic on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 11:02am

Services

WorldCat Mashup profiled on New York Times blog

Here at the Developer Network, we were excited to learn yesterday about a mashup which features WorldCat and the New York Times APIs was highlighted on the First Look New York Times blog. The mashup--created Wade Guidry, the Library Technology Coordinator at the Collins Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound, and a WorldCat Mashathon Seattle attendee --is done using Yahoo Pipes and draws data (ISBN) from the NYT best seller API to create links to each of the best-selling books in Worldcat.org. Because the New York Times has several Best Seller lists, Mr. Guidry has created several Pipes.

The library at University of Puget Sound is also incorporating the links to the best sellers lists into their library catalog. The project just goes to show what a little coding know-how can do to improve experiences for library users. One things I'd like to be able to do is to build on this idea and write a script that uses the WorldCat Search API to check and see if a library has holdings for a particular item. If so, then create a link to that library's particular catalog. If not, then create a link to WorldCat.org. Also covers would be a great addition and could be pulled from Open Library or the LibraryThing API. I've got the basic framework sketched out but we're still getting ready for the VALAtech Boot Camp OCLC API Mashathon next Monday. Keep checking back--I should a working version posted in the next couple of weeks.

Submitted by librarywebchic on Wed, 02/03/2010 - 1:07am

Applications

Going to VALA? Join us at the OCLC API Mashathon

VALA That's right. If you're heading to VALA in Melbourne, Australia and haven't signed up for the VALAtech Boot Camp Sessions, there's still 2 weeks left to submit your application.

Submitted by alicesneary on Fri, 01/22/2010 - 4:01pm

Conferences

Developer Network luncheon

Packed room for Developer Network luncheon. Great to see the male/female ratios are normalizing, too, for developer events. Looks like turkey sandwiches were more popular than chicken, and chicken was more popular than veggie, and veggie more popular than ham. Who knew? Don is walking everyone through the available Web Services, and giving a few examples of how people are using them. Also very fun to see a few Mashathon/Hackathon alumni--yeah! Almost all hands went up when Don asked about WorldCat.org usage, too. It's easier to wrap your head around what the WorldCat Search API can do when you're familiar with WorldCat.org. Cyril Oberlander from SUNY Genesco showing off the IDS Search Project, which uses the WorldCat Search API. Catalog is going to be beta-tested with 6 libraries starting on Monday. Cyril notes it will be out in the open for everyone to play with. Written in PHP--shows off the visual aspect with the Yahoo Spellcheker, GoogleBooks API, WorldCat Search API. Once you go into a detailed record, it can give you availability (through screen-scraping AND Z39.50). It also gives an estimated delivery date, depending on where the item is located (immediately, 3 days for consortia members, 7 days for worldwide). The consortial catalog benefits us as a group. Mike Curtis gets kudos. Other uses of WorldCat Search API: The Getting It Search (GIST) and a Gift/Weeding app. (I started taking video at that point). Michael Panzer from OCLC Dewey shows off the Dewey Linked Data set (Dewey.info). Lots of cool apps, and oohs and aaahs from a new Shelf Label API he's working on. (More coming about that, soon.) WorldCat Registry APIs and exposure through end-user interfaces...take home is: Check your Registry profile and make sur eit's up-to-date and correct, so end-users and other libraries find you correctly. Mashathons: if anyone wants to host the Autumn 2010 Mashathon, please let us know! Don introduces Karen Coombs as the Developer Network product manager. Hooray! Karen jumped up to show off some of the work from her ALA MW 2010 LITA preconference. Also, here are all the workshops slides, demo code, documentation and more from Karen. I'll post the videos soon and if you have questions, please comment here or let us know. Presentations are now available on the Developer Network wiki.

Submitted by alicesneary on Sun, 01/17/2010 - 1:34pm

Conferences

Welcome Karen!

That's right. Your favorite Developer Network just got a major OS upgrade: Karen Coombs has agreed to join our small but merry band of Webfolk as the product manager for the OCLC Developer Network.