Web Services for your library

Library Web Chic blogs on a CIL2005 session on Web Services

I attended a really good session on Web Services today in the Web Design and Development Track. The only problem with the session was that it was two presenters (Frank Cervone and Larry Mzarek) and not enough time. Frank provided an overview of Web Services while Larry talked more about the possible practical applications including how library’s could use Amazon’s Web Services.

also blogged by Christina's LIS Rant

Here's more info from the conference website

Web Services: Enabling a New Generation of Library Technology

Frank Cervone, Assistant University Librarian for Information Technology, Northwestern University
Larry Mrazek, President, LCM Research, Inc.

“Web services” are services and components that can be used on the Internet to provide extended functionality. Web services provide a standard of providing information using XML-related technologies such as SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI. Cervone explains how Web services extend the functionality of library services into new areas. Mzarek outlines methods of using Amazon’s Web services to display additional information about books, CDs, and other media types on a Web-based library catalog.

I think this is awesome.  As I have said before, I think this is part of the future of library interfaces.

Do keep in mind though that all currently offered Web Services have limitations in the number of calls allowed per day.  Sometimes these may be quite low.  If I'm reading the licensing agreement correctly, Amazon is quite generous:

2) You may make calls by ASIN, browse ID, Listmania(r) ID or keyword (or by any other method Amazon may permit in the future) to Amazon Web Services 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, provided you: (i) do not exceed 1 call per second or send files greater than 40K, and (ii) in regards to obtaining the Alexa Data, do not exceed a maximum of 10,000 requests per 24 hour period. If you build and release an Application, the 1 call per second limitation applies to each installed copy of the Application.