[Web4lib] Web services for LII content?

[K.G. Schneider]

(Originally posted to code4lib.)

Wearing my LII hat (http://lii.org ) I have been approached by a
library--and had suggestions on our user survey--for something I've wanted
to offer from LII as an added value service (possibly through a Flickr
model, where little tastes are free but if you want a cone you pay for it)
but wasn't able to articulate very well either in  execution or in
technology. One survey response that I just read said:
 
"Develop web services (accessible by subscription) to allow a developer to
include some of the LII in an application."
 
The library I've been talking to has said they are interested in an easy way
to show LII content on their site. [Since this post I've heard from several
more.] I have spoken briefly with their developers and indicated an interest
in doing this, and even sent PDFs displaying our table structure internally.
In turn, I've asked them what they would expect to see on their site. URLs?
Links to LII content? Parsing-in of categories? Mini-descriptions, like
titles plus the first ten, sort of like pulling in an RSS feed?
 
If this helps, we generate XML very nicely in LII, through our new CMS
(Community Servers, a front end for MySQL), and we have authentication
options as well, and our developers have ecommerce experience.

I keep wondering if this would be selling a service, an application, or
both. 
 
I can see this being hugely useful for libraries--instead of maintaining
lists of local links, display LII links, optionally with or without content.
Our users tell us our content is useful and this is one more way we can be a
good "business to business" service to libraries. I have informally heard
from library reference managers who don't want to use so much staff time
"recreating LII," as several have put it to me; that has a real dollar and
cents component to it. It just needs some technical guidance and
thinking-through. I really think we could get grant money to do this, too.

I've had one librarian say, oh, well, if we had to pay we won't pay for it,
we'll just write an application and do it ourselves, and my thoughts there
are well if you can do it yourselves be my guest, but convenience,
particularly translated to personnel hours, is often worth what you pay for
it. 
 
So, thoughts?
 
Karen G. Schneider
kgs at lii.org http://lii.org
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