John Miedema

I have been distracted from OpenBook by my work on FuzzyCat, but I am shifting gears now. It has always been the plan to have OpenBook host FuzzyCat so it makes sense to get OpenBook into its final shape.
New features:

WordPress administrative panels for setting all options
Styling moved to a separate stylesheet so people with CSS skills can modify the look
Select and order the display elements
Use in widgets
An indicator if the book is available to read on-line at Open Library
Additional COinS data
Configure proxy settings for users behind firewalls

Technical enhancements:

More efficient display …

A whirlwind of changes have already been completed on OpenBook. The real world is getting busy again so progress will slow down, but here is a sneak peak at the new OpenBook Options panel.
Display Mode. Sets a default display mode, either small, medium, or large. You can override this for a particular instance with an inline argument.
Embed COinS. You can choose whether or not to embed them. Handy when you have other COinS plugins.
Display Mode Templates. This is a big deal. These template editors allow you to choose the content, …

When you spot a book on the web, and want to know more, what links are most valuable to you?
OpenBook currently provides a link to Open Library, to a publisher’s website, and to WorldCat. OpenBook 2.0 will have the ability to automatically generate links to virtually any book record that can be found through an ISBN or other standard bibliographic data. I can’t display them all by default, so I need to identify the essential links.
I’m thinking of adding a link to Amazon for book purchases, and a link …

Last night I finished coding the enhanced ‘Find in a Library’ feature for OpenBook version 2.0. The current version of OpenBook provides a ‘Find in a Library’ link to the WorldCat record for a valid ISBN. The new version of OpenBook will do much more:
Link to books in your particular library using OpenURL. Librarians are interested in using OpenBook on their library websites but want to point patrons to their particular library. With OpenBook version 2, you can specify an OpenURL resolver in the Options panel, and the ‘Find in …

An OpenURL resolver is a handy way of linking bibliographic information on the web to library records. It is how OpenBook 2.0 will let libraries link from instances of OpenBook to their own library records. I notice that many academic libraries have published their OpenURL Resolver in the WorldCat Registry. But I am having difficulty finding public libraries that have one. Do you know of any?
Update: Found one at Boston Public Library. Still interested in hearing of others.

For anyone who anticipated a release of OpenBook version 2 in April — likely because of claims I made to that effect — my apologies. But my day job and book release have been priorities. The good news is that I’m getting a handle on the travel required for my day job, and OpenBook 2 is now part of an independent research study for my MLIS. I have just completed setting up a new WordPress development environment, and coding is about to resume. Stay tuned!
(Ever read my post on Slow …

Librarians have been interested in OpenBook for their library website, except for one problem — OpenBook currently links to Open Library and WorldCat, but not directly to their library records.
A flagship feature of OpenBook 2 will be the ability to configure an OpenURL resolver on an Options panel. Specify the resolver URL in the panel, and OpenBook’s ‘Find in a Library’ link will connect to the resolver, passing the bibliographic for a particular book so that patrons can view the catalogue record. I have set up a tester for people …

Here is the final list of links that will appear with the release of OpenBook 2, very likely in this order:

Source
Target
Note

Cover image
Open Library book record
 

Title
Open Library book record
 

Author
Open Library author record
 

Publisher
Publisher’s website
If the URL is provided as an OpenBook parameter

Read Online
Internet Archive scan
If a scan is available

Find in a Library
A particular library or WorldCat
If an OpenURL resolver is configured then that library, else WorldCat

LibraryThing
LibraryThing record
Valid ISBN or title/author search

Google Books
Google Books search
Valid ISBN or title/author search

BookFinder
Book Finder search
Valid ISBN or title/author search

In an earlier discussion I said I would add …

OpenBook 2 is now live on my website. It’s a bit of a tease since some of the best features can only be seen once you’ve installed it, but you can still see some of the changes. Here is an instance of OpenBook using the “medium” size template defined in the Options panel.
This version comes with additional links to LibraryThing, Google Books, and BookFinder. Don’t like the links? Get rid of ‘em. Want an Amazon link? Add one. Prefer fancier styling? No problem. You can change everything in the Options …

Many people are interested in using book covers images on their website, but are unsure about the legal aspect. One of the most popular posts on this blog is Book Cover Images and Copyright: What’s the Law? I am not a lawyer, but in that post, I make the case that using a thumbnail sidesteps all of the legal issues. Using a thumbnail is like using a quote for research purposes. For more on that subject, read that post, along with its link to the excellent article at the LibraryLaw …

When I started OpenBook 1, I blogged the stages of development. Same for FuzzyCat, and now for OpenBook 2. Is this an original approach?
OpenBook 1 and FuzzyCat were developed cowboy style. Blogging the process helped me think more clearly about what I was doing, and garner feedback from readers. One need not wait till the software is developed to utilize the “many eyes” effect of open source development. By blogging the development process, one can prevent design flaws before the software is released.
OpenBook 2 is proceeding much more methodically …

I am pleased to announce the publication of my article, Linking to Library Records with OpenURL using the OpenBook WordPress Plugin, in Information Standards Quarterly, the print magazine of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO). The article describes how OpenBook uses OpenURL to let libraries connect webpages to their bibliographic records. NISO is a non-profit association accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The association identifies, develops, maintains, and publishes technical information standards. The full magazine is available from the NISO website. NISO has generously provided an excerpt version …

Web 2.0 was all about making the web easier to use for people. Web 3.0 is about making the web easier to use for machines, which in turn will make it more convenient for people. When I re-wrote OpenBook (to be released), I thought hard about whether or not to use JavaScript and the implications for Web 3.0. In the end, I did not include any JavaScript in OpenBook for three reasons:
1. Web 3.0 Standards Compliance. The existing version of OpenBook hard codes styling, including a little padding around the …

OpenBook 2 is running on my website, and will be available for general release in August. Before I release it, I would like to beta test it. How about it? You can try OpenBook’s new administrative panel with templates that let you style every element of the display. If you are a librarian, you can point OpenBook to your library’s records by configuring an OpenURL resolver. If you have a WordPress installation and are interested, please email me or comment here with your email address. If you have already expressed …

Many thanks to the 15 beta-testers who put OpenBook through its paces. Particular thanks to Anand, Christian, Dave, Elizabeth, Jay, Mattijs, Milo, Tom, and Victoria. Corrections were made for activation problems and XHTML compliance. Enhancements include increased control over template elements, and a new image option for the OpenURL link. The plugin has been tested up WordPress 2.9 (!) and has future compatibility with upcoming PHP changes. Other suggestions have been earmarked for future releases.
OpenBook 2.1 is nearly ready for general release. Here is a post-build feature list, evaluating the …