IMLS Sponsored Projects
Library Simplified
October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2015
Administration - This initiative was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In addition to grant program administration, NYPL will provide matching dollars, product and project management, and software engineering / product development.
Project Design - A full-time position "Product Owner (PO) for the Library Reading Experience,” will serve as the Grant Project Manager and Product Manager. The PO is charged with proposing ways in which to employ technology to ensure innovation in library policies and the full range of library offerings to deliver a better experience to more patrons. The PO will lead a small technical team and works in concert with partner libraries to analyze the assessment findings and move the design process forward. Library Simplified will include four phases of work with major milestones and deliverables at the end of each. Learn more.. Library Simplified Partner Libraries
Library E-Content Access Project (LEAP)
October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2018
Summary IMLS funding will support the expansion of NYPL’s team of e-book developers to accelerate the development of additional features, migrate the app to additional platforms, create a public domain library with remediated meta-data and cover art, and complete the initial planning, scoping, and scaffolding of a proposed nonprofit content exchange. Funding will also support convening and community-building activities led by project partner DPLA in collaboration with NYPL staff for the duration of the project period, especially NYPL’s grant-funded Open Source Community Organizer in Year 2.
- a fully developed, functional Library Simplified e-content reader application, available on several platforms;
- a remediated public domain library of ebooks that can be served through Library Simplified or other existing interfaces;
- the critical technology components needed to support the first year of Open eBooks including customization of the Library Simplified application so that it can be configured to support users of the Open eBooks collection.
- technical plans and sustainability suggestions for a Library Content Exchange or similar, and much of the infrastructure in support of a future pilot implementation.
Administration - This initiative was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In addition to Cooperative Agreement program administration, NYPL will provide matching dollars, product and project management, and software engineering / product development.
IMLS Cooperative Agreement - In support of this project, IMLS staff will work to coordinate activity between this project and the Open eBooks project. Specifically, IMLS staff will provide input on the various decision points and priorities in iterative development cycles described in the Statement of Work. IMLS staff will assist with Project outreach, including the use of the IMLS website and social media, as appropriate. To ensure close coordination, IMLS will be in communication on the status of the Project through conference calls and email.
Convening and community-building activities - Equally important, the Cooperative Agreement will support the convening and community-building activities that are essential to understanding and establishing broad consensus around LEAP-built solutions.
Library Simplified Continued - LEAP is currently funding the continued improvement and enhancement of the Lirbary Simplified (SimplyE) application that will be launched under the Library Simplified initiative, incorporating new features to improve accessibility and interactivity, and supporting new content types, sources and platforms. It is also bringing together libraries, consortia, and publishers to focus on field-wide issues in a way that produces consensus, builds for the present, and creates a model of sustainability for the future.
SimplyE for Consortia: Three Clicks for All Your Ebooks
July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018
Summary - SimplyE for Consortia (a.k.a. Library Simplified for Consortia) will develop and pilot the features and functionality required for consortial use. Specifically, this project will create the infrastructure needed to federate and combine ebooks from public library collections with statewide, consortial, and/or national ebook collections, and deploy consortial versions of SimplyE in Minnesota, Illinois, and Massachusetts by 2018. The project will also develop specifications for enhancing SimplyE to better support academic and school library users by adding features such as enabling citations, group annotations, and embedded assessments.
- Design and build specifications for SimplyE for Consortia;
- Build Collections Merge and prototype enhancements for K12 and higher education;
- Deploy SimplyE for Consortia and seek additional partners.
Administration - This initiative was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In addition to Grant program, Minitex will provide matching dollars, product and project management, and software engineering / product development.