Product Backlog
The following buckets of work were identified by the product development team as foundational work to advance features that were desired by different library stakeholders. This features requested evolved from the past two years of work on the original Library Simplified project as well as conversations with various library eBook working groups, foundations, and LEAP partners and larger digital publishing community.
Partner Libraries
Work with Partner Libraries to implement ILS connector solutions.
Key ILS systems- Tripple I
- SirsiDynix
- Koha
- Evergreen
- Other
Library Services
Features and interfaces to help libraries better manage eBook circulation with SimplyE.
Key Functions- Metadata Remediation
- Content List Creation
- Recommendation
- Circulation Vizualizations
- Admin Interfaces
User Experience
Features to simplify interacting with digital content from the library.
Key Features & Functions- Bookmarks, Highlights
- Annotations
- Wish Lists
- Export-share
- Reviews
Client Solutions
This is the development of a SimplyE clients for more mobile devices (Kindle, Chromebook), desktop/browser based devices.
Key Functions- Web OPDS Catalog viewer
- Client DRM connector
- Readium Web Browser Reader
- User Bookshelf
Content Providers
This work consists of expanding SimplyE's capacity to support a wider variety of digital content.
Key Functions- DRM: URMS and LCP support
- Open Acces Server
- Aggregator integrations
Content Formats
This work consists of expanding SimplyE's capacity to support a wider variety of content formats.
Key Functions- AudioBook - MP3
- Portable Document Format - PDF
- Comic Book Archive - CBA, CBZ, etc..
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3 Year Plan
The following three year plan is a high level outline of how the cor product team will iteratively develop and refine features, functionality and enhancements. This schedule reflects how the backlog roadmap will be followed and achieved over time.
CY2017
Calendar year 2017 will mostly consist of advancing the usability and deployability of the app by new library systems. As libraries begin to adopt the app and the app begins to support more content types and sources, client development will focus on features while backend enhancements will support sustainability, deployability and ease of management.
Q1-Q2 Focus: App Feature and Multi Library support
Develop new mobile client features (accessibility and audiobook.) Develop and refine server side integrations and partner integrations to include basic multi-library support.
Q3-Q4 Focus: Feature and integration stability
Refine mobile client features, audiobook support. Continue to add and refine new ILS and partner integrations and content source integrations. Refine implementation pipeline and maintenance tools and support.
CY2018
Over 2018 the application will be due for a UI/UX “refresh” especially as mobile platforms evolve, more feedback is received from and a broader mix of audience not typically served by library reading apps are served. Additionally, we expect technology advancement and refinement of publishing standards to begin to enter the marketplace requiring client side and server side enhancements on top of basic feature and functionality advancement.
Q1-Q2 Focus: Client interactions and UX for new media types, Web reader
Develop new mobile client features (app and content interactions, navigation and UX refinements for discovery.) Develop new server side integrations and optimizations for consortia and multi-library. Develop web reader options for DRM content. Refine implementation pipeline and maintenance tools and support.
Q2-Q3 Focus: Refine mobile and pilot web reader, optimize services
Refine mobile Q1 and Q2 features add new content type support for PDF. Pilot web reader. Add new ILS and partner integrations and content source integrations. Refine implementation pipeline and maintenance tools and support.
CY2019>
With out a crystall ball 2019 should be focussed on refining enahncements over the previous year and refinement of the client and server software.
Q1-Q2 Focus: Refine mobile and web, expand server side features
Refine mobile and web client features, content type support and interactions. Develop new server side integrations and optimizations for consortia and multi-library for new sources and media. Refine implementation pipeline and maintenance tools and support.
Q2-Q3 Focus: Refine mobile and web, expand server side features
Refine mobile and web client features, content type support and interactions. Add new ILS and partner integrations and content source integrations. Refine implementation pipeline and maintenance tools and support.
CY2016 Quarterly Timeline
The following quarterly work breakdowns are not "written in stone." They merely provide a sense of the product team's prioritization of work given existing features requests and operational demands on the product team with its current funding and project sponsorship for specific work.
Q1 CY2016
1 Jan 2016 to 31 Mar 2016This quarter will mostly consist of finishing the work to make the repositories open to the general public as an open source project, support the launches of Open eBooks and NYPL's SimplyE version and begin version 2.0 feature foundation work.
Product R&D
- OPDS Browser - This is development of a web interface for browsing the SimplyE collection as displayed in the application. It is the basis for certain types of catalog integrations, a desktop reader and various admin interfaces for managing an eBook collection.
- Deployment Process - This work will consist of cost engineering and refactoring the server applications to be more easily deployed to a new library. This may or may not consist of containerization or virtualization of applications servers.
- Medadata Remediation - This begins the work of creating interfaces for human remediation of collection metadata which is unable to be corrected programmatically via the metadata wrangler services.
Other
- NYPLY SimplyE launch - Application management and support for NYPL
- Open eBooks launch - Application management and support for Open eBooks
- LEAP RFP Vendor tech assessment - This work consists of reviewing each LEAP RFP respondents technology stack and code quality.
- Server Core - This work consists of consolidating functions and code common to all the servers into one code base. This assists in code maintenance and quality management.
Q2 CY2016
1 Apr 2016 to 30 Jun 2016This 2nd quarter will mostly consist of finishing the work from Q2 and begining work to better support adopters and begin to new features.
Product R&D
- OPDS Admin Browser (continued) - This is ongoing development of a web interface for browsing the SimplyE collection as displayed in the application. This activity is focussed on making the web application interactive for certain types of catalog integrations needed for the systems an admin interfaces.
- Object to Object Recommendation - This work enables libraries to advance object to object based reading recommendations based on a particular work in the collection and related works. This can be either human defined or machine driven from available metadata or a combination.
- Content - This consists of bringing online integrations into more 3rd Party content and metadata sources.
Other
- NYPLY SimplyE launch - Application management and support for NYPL
- Open eBooks launch - Application management and support for Open eBooks
- SimplyE Adoption - Community support of SimplyE with partner libraries
- LEAP RFP Vendor integration planning - This work consists working with LEAP awardee and mapping out and integration and implementation plan.
Q3 CY2016
1 Jul 2016 to 30 Sep 2016This quarter will mostly consist of finishing the work from Q2 support the launches of Open eBooks and NYPL's SimplyE version and continue version 2.0 feature foundation work.
Product R&D
- Book Reviews - This is refinement the metadata and addition of metadata sources to support read-alikes and recommended reads.
- Open Access Server - This work is the continued development of the open access content server to support loading of more content types, metadata and updates to the material (covers, metadata, file corrections, etc)
- Admin Interface - This as extension of the web catalog to include features for librarian data remediation and integration of circulation stats.
- Clever Integration - This work integrates the Clever Single-Sign-On service into Open eBooks application.
Other
- NYPLY SimplyE support - Application management and support for NYPL
- Open eBooks support - Application management and support for Open eBooks
- SimplyE Adoption - Community support of SimplyE with partner libraries
- Support Connecticut State Library - Application Development to support the state eGo platform
Q4 CY2016
1 Oct 2016 31 Dec 2016This quarter will focus on the work of advancing the user experience further through feature development and improvements to underlying areas of accessibility and discovery.
Product R&D
- Book Recommendation - This is extension of a client interfaces and functionality to support seeing related and recommended books.
- Audio Books - This work consists of implementing MP3 support in the client and server application as well as integration of audiobook content from Overdrive or One Click Digital (Licensed) and LibreVox (PD.)
- ILS Integrations - This work will extend the Circulation Manager server midleware to support other ILS vednors such Koha, Evergreen, and Sirsidynix using SIP.
- Multi-libary - This work will extend the client and server software to allw multiple library collections to be access via on application instance.
Other
- NYPLY SimplyE support - Application management and support for NYPL
- Open eBooks support - Application management and support for Open eBooks
- SimplyE Adoption - Community support of SimplyE with partner libraries
- Support Connecticut State Library - Application Development to support the state eGo platform
- Support Brooklyn Public Library - Deployment and implementation
CY2017 Quarterly Timeline
The following quarterly work breakdowns are not "written in stone." They merely provide a sense of the product team's prioritization of work given existing features requests and operational demands on the product team with its current funding and project sponsorship for specific work.
Q1 CY2017
1 Jan 2016 31 Mar 2017This quarter will focus on the work of advancing the user experience with new features on new platforms for new content.
Product R&D
- Book Recommendation - This is extension of a client interfaces and functionality to support seeing related and recommended books in mobile.
- Audio Books - This work consists of implementing MP3 support in the client and server application as well as integration of audiobook content from Overdrive or One Click Digital (Licensed) and LibreVox (PD.) in the mobile clients.
- ILS Integrations - This work will extend the Circulation Manager server midleware to support other ILS vednors such Polaris, TLC, and others using SIP.
Other
- SimplyE support - Application management and support for NYPL
- Open eBooks support - Application management and support for Open eBooks
- SimplyE Adoption - Community support of SimplyE with partner libraries
- Support Connecticut State Library - Application Development to support the state eGo platform