LIS 901B: Summer 2005 Lecture 1

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LIS 901B Summer 2005Lecture 1

• Technical Services and Automation

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Why Automate Technical Services Functions

• Computer-based systems handle a larger workload
  efficiently with the same number or fewer staff
• System furnishes more and better services to
  library patrons
• Costs of computing declining
• More opportunities to access a much larger pool
  of bibliographic information through networking
  and thus greater potential for service

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Why Automate Technical Services Functions (cont.)

• Greater variety in alternatives for storing,
  organizing, retrieving, and displaying
  bibliographic data
• Better methods of controlling workloads and
  balancing the larger workloads of the information
  explosion
• Tremendous vitality created by growth of a
  national database made up of the many local,
  regional, national and international systems

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Pitfalls of Library Automation

• It is time-consuming to select, implement, and
  maintain an automated system
• It is costly
• It creates new tasks (e.g., problem-shooting of
  software hardware training)
• It hampers access to a collection when the system
  is down
• It creates new tasks for keeping up with
  cataloged Web resources, unless other
  arrangements are made with vendors.

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Technology Frees Us

• From routine tasks that add no value
• Cutting and pasting
• Preorder searching as a rote activity
• Typing order records, printing slips, mailing
  slips, filing slips, unfiling slips
• From the many things we simply no longer do
• OP advertising
• Filing in the Card Catalog
• Using the typing machine

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Technology Frightens Us

• New ideas and concepts are hard for some to
  accept
• Can feel a lack of control
• Automation is.well..automatic
• Can lead to a certain lethargy
• Automation is precise (and dumb)
• As a manager fear of being slave to the
  technology
• Technology must remain the servant

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Technology can cause us toneglect important
things

• Personal contact
• Details
• Can emphasize process over outcome
• Letting the technology drive the program
• .or, maybe they werent so important after all.
• Confirming current price and status before
  placing every order
• Extensive vendor studies that wind up finding a
  two day difference in turnaround time.

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Technology can drive us

• I pushed the button because the manual told me
  to.
• I only use 5 vendors because its too hard to
  establish new vendor records.
• Oh, I couldnt possibly change serial vendors
  Id have to close all those old orders.

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Technology enables us

• Routine tasks performed at the push of a button
• File to file transfer makes ordering/claiming/rece
  iving/paying almost instantaneous
• Staff time spent on the important things that add
  value
• Readily available reports
• Allows us to cope with staffing realities

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Technology enhances us

• Real-time status information allows us to work
  more intelligently
• Readily available statistics allows us to track
  trends and to adjust accordingly
• Creative use of technology allows us to be a true
  partner with our stakeholders

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Technology forces us to change

• Introduction of new technology
• Creates opening for new ideas
• Requires examination of long-standing practices
• Stimulates discussion

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Technology integrates us

• Internal connections
• Copy finalized in acquisitions
• Seamless process from selection to availability
• Files are open
• External connections
• Order transfer
• Payment file transfer to accounts payable

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Issues in Library Automation

• What type of system to choose
• Quality of user interfaces
• Degree of comprehensiveness of the system
• Organizational responses to changes in workflow
  and internal connections among departments
  resulting from automation
• Conversion of existing data
• Realizing system potential

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Options for Automating Technical Services

• Enhance or replace an existing system
• Library systems age
• Acquire software to run on a computer network
  already in place
• DIAKON designed for small library
• Bailey Solutions designed for corporate and
  special libraries
• Follett Software Company used by school
  libraries

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Options for Automating Technical Services (cont.)

• Write software for a system developed in-house
• NOTIS (1967)
• BALLOTS (Stanford 1967)
• VTLS (1971 Virginia Tech)
• University of Wisconsin (mid 1970s)

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Options for Automating Technical Services (cont.)

• Purchase a turnkey system
• Commercially available, off-the-shelf system
• Purchase parts
• Integrated Library System (ILS)
• III, DRA, Ex Libris, Endeavor,
• Join an existing automated system or network of
  libraries
• Minuteman Library Network

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Modules

• OPAC
• Information access of local collection
• Information access of external collections
• Known as the online public access catalog
• Circulation
• Check-in
• Check-out
• Item hold
• Item reserve
• Item recall
• Fines

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Modules (cont.)

• Circulation (cont)
• Overdues
• Statistics about collection use
• Other management reports
• Cataloging
• Input new items (original cataloging)
• Revise the cataloging of existing items
• MARC interface
• Import/export of MARC records

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Modules (cont.)

• Acquisitions
• Item orders
• Item receipt
• Item claims
• Item cancellation
• Item verification
• Vendor tracking
• Accounting

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Modules (cont.)

• Serials
• Serials check-in
• Serials routing
• Serials claim
• Serials cancellation
• Serials renewal
• Vendor tracking
• Accounting
• Other
• Booking
• Reserves

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Preparing for Automation What You Need to Know

• How to evaluate, select, and implement an
  automated system
• Software and hardware terminology
• Modules and their functions
• Functional specifications of various modules
• Library users
• Information needs
• Information-seeking behavior
• Goals and objectives of the library
• How does automation relate to these goals and
  objectives

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What You Need to Know

• The benefits automation will bring to your
  library and its users
• The pitfalls you will need to deal with
• The impact automation will have on staff and
  their responsibilities
• Issues in using OPACs
• Sources for finding software companies
• General background about selected software
  companies, the services they offer, the modules
  available in their software, their present and
  future plans in using cutting edge technologies

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Knowledge Acquisition

• Learn from colleagues
• Listservs
• On-site visits
• Visit conference exhibits
• Check Web sites of potential software vendors
• Request product catalogs from potential vendors
• Obtain information about potential companies
  financial stability, reliability, and experience
  in automation
• Invite potential vendors for on-site demos
• Use software at neighborhood libraries

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The Selection Process

• Review the literature
• Read the Automated System Marketplace survey for
  the last two years. This survey is published
  Library Journal, on April 1st each year.
• Select 6 packages suitable for your library
• Find evaluations of these packages in Library
  Technology Reports (latest issues)
• Examine each package thoroughly
• Check whether a neighborhood library has a
  particular package so that you can use it when it
  is in full operation
• Acquire the latest demo diskette of the software
  package for the software vendor to preview.
• Write down questions to ask of a sales
  representative about the software

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The Selection Process

• Invite a sales representative from each of the
  six software companies for a demo of their
  software packages
• Write down strengths and weaknesses of each
  module in a package as you view/examine it.
• Read the literature provided by each software
  company and identify the features supported,
  hardware requirements, cost, other services
  provided, etc.
• Send messages over listservs evaluate the
  responses gathered
• Narrow your choices to 2 or 3 software packages
  that best meet the needs and requirements of your
  library.
• Consider the following in narrowing your choices
• The features that match your present needs and
  the needs in the near future
• The capability to integrate multiple modules and
  add modules in the future
• The presence of all modules needed

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The Selection Process

• The strengths of each module provided
• Overall software capabilities (Web access,
  expandability, networking, etc.)
• Compliance with latest standards
• Architecture supported (client/server, file
  server, etc.)
• Software vendors plans for future developments
• Frequency of software update
• Quality of service provided
• Software documentation
• Type and cost of training provided
• Maintenance and technical support

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The RFP/RFQ

• Develop one RFP with specifications for the
  overall system function, as well as for each
  module you want to have.
• The RFP allows you to articulate your needs and
  priorities
• The RFP responses allow you to compare and
  evaluate each software package and make a wise
  selection decision

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Organizing the RFP/RFQ

• Instructions to Vendor
• Introduction to the library
• Software specifications
• Hardware specifications
• Request for price quotation
• Notice of intent to respond
• Review the RFP before sending it
• Evaluate responses to the RFP from each of the
  three vendors
• Decide on one software package
• Negotiate and issue a contract to purchase the
  software package

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Contract Should Include

• Schedule for software delivery, installation,
  testing, and implementation
• Schedule for training personnel to use the
  software
• Vendors promise to deliver the package that
  meets the specifications stipulated in the RFP
• Vendors comments or explanations about certain
  specifications, rating of features, etc.
• Payment plan
• Consider paying in three installations 1/3 upon
  signing contract, 1/3 upon successful
  installation and performance testing, and the
  rest upon successful performance over time

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System Migration

• System migration is the change from one automated
  system to another. This change concerns mainly
  the software. New software have to work with
  compatible hardware.
• Upgrading from a DOS-based automation software
  package to its Windows interface is also regarded
  as a system migration.
• Some reasons are
• An interface is being phased out by the software
  vendor (e.g., DOS interface)
• Existing system does not support recent
  communications protocols, such as TCP/IP to allow
  for Internet presence.
• Existing system performance is unsatisfactory.

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Process of Migration

• Needs assessment
• Goals of organization
• Assessment of weaknesses and strengths of
  existing system and unresolved problems
• Selection process RFP
• Assess problems with current circulation module
  and data
• Assess problems with current bibliographic data
• Ask vendors how specific data elements will be
  handled
• Provide vendor with sample circulation data
• Provide vendor with sample bibliographic data
• Ask vendor how certain problems with some data
  will be handled in the system under
  consideration.

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Database Clean-up

• Clean up circulation records
• Clean up bibliographic records (I.e., MARC)
• Clean up other existing records (e.g.,
  acquisitions, serials)
• Inventory the collection
• Weed the collection
• Delete records for which you have no holdings
• Delete records for which items are lost or
  missing and they will not be replaced.
• Instead of doing a shelflist analysis, here you
  need to evaluate existing databases.

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Database Clean-up

• You need to familiarize yourself with current
  practices, including
• MARC tags and fields, location codes, copy
  information, call number, holding codes,
  circulation periods, barcode symbology, etc.
• You need to know about the nature of each data
  record and the database structure of the entire
  system.
• What is the relationship between a bibliographic
  record and an item record, for example?
• If you do not know the database structure, data
  relationships, and current practices, you will
  not be able to communicate to the software vendor
  how certain data should be handled in the system
  under consideration.

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Data Completion

• You need to make decisions about items that are
  not cataloged in the existing system or files
  that are not established for some items, such as
  authority files.
• Decision Will you wait until the new system is
  in place to complete these activities, or will
  you perform these activities in the current
  system?
• If the vendor decides to take care of the odds
  and ends you have in the current system, make
  sure you stipulate vendor promises in the
  contract.
• Remember that you do not need to do Recon this
  time around, unless you have new items that need
  to be cataloged.

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Data Migration

• Extract data from different modules and send to
  vendors under consideration to test in their
  system at their sites.
• Vendors should identify records that do not load
  and determine the reason for failure to load.
• Once you decide on a vendor and your library is
  ready to implement the new system, you need to
  test data loads to determine how accurately they
  map in the new system. Data from each module
  should be tested.
• Develop a checklist of potential problem items to
  look at during implementation.
• Once the sample data load has been implemented
  successfully (mapped correctly into the new
  system), you can load the entire database
• patron records in the circulation database, MARC
  records in the cataloging database, etc.

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Data Migration

• Try to run the old and the new system in tandem
  for a while until everything goes to your
  satisfaction.
• Do not discontinue the support for the old system
  too soon and especially before completing the
  migration of all data from the old into the new
  system.
• Back up the old system prior to switching to the
  new system.
• Remember that data testing should include all
  types of records
• Bibliographic, authority, patron, circulation,
  etc.
• When testing data, look for
• Long MARC records with 520 and 505 field tags
• Bibliographic records for multi-volume items
• Bibliographic records for multiple copy items

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Data Migration

• When testing, look for
• Patron records (fines, overdues, etc.)
• Short MARC records, long and/or complex call
  numbers
• MARC records with attached item records
• The accuracy of data migration depends on your
  adequate preparation, data extraction for
  testing, testing data, and developing a plan to
  map records from the old system to the new one,
  and testing the accuracy of data after migration.

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Selecting and Implementing Systems

• Automation options/alternatives
• Shelflist analysis
• Retrospective conversion
• System specifications/components
• Analyze proposals/select vendor
• Contract negotiations
• System implementation

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Impact of Automation on TS

• Sharp lines between departments blur
• Work becomes interrelated
• Streamlining of function
• Cost-effectiveness
• Immediate access to all of what we do
• Binds all functions together
• Single record for order, receipt, check-in,
  cataloging, circulation

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Impact of Automation on TS (cont.)

• Much greater profile for TS
• TS functions scattered throughout public service
  areas
• Blurring of lines between technical service and
  public services

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Technical Services and the Internet

• Access to information resources
• New methods of knowledge management
• Preservation
• Acquisitions
• Ordering
• Paying
• Processing

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Technical Services and the Internet (cont.)

• Cataloging
• OCLC/RLIN access
• Electronic resources
• Updates
• New MARC fields
• New access methods to catalogs
• Breakdown of distinctions between access and
  ownership

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Technical Services and the Internet (cont.)

• Serials
• Web issues
• Archiving

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TS Using the Internet

• Knowledge access management and metadata
• Communication
• Discussion lists
• Vendor automation systems
• Intranets scheduling, policies, procedures
• Electronic conferences
• Electronic serials
• Catalog use forum

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TS Using the Internet (cont.)

• Quick reference
• Easier access to tools
• ACQWeb
• Guides
• Tools for Serials Catalogers
• LC Web
• MARC 21
• OCLC
• RLIN
• Mining other catalogs

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TS Using the Internet (cont.)

• Research tool
• Benchmarking practice guides see what others
  are doing
• Technical Services on the Web
• Intranet internal
• Policies and procedures
• Staff directories
• Scheduling info, staff phone lists
• Links to often used resources

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TS Using the Internet (cont.)

• Other libraries external
• Policies and procedures
• Vendors external
• Posting of RFPs, results
• Patrons external
• In-process requests and other patron services
• Error report forms
• New materials received

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TS Using the Internet (cont.)

• Advantages and disadvantages
• Increased knowledge of Internet resources as
  staff development
• May or may not be most appropriate means to share
  information
• As material is made available online, must be
  kept up-to-date
• Internal information should be evaluated for
  security purposes

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Future Automation Potential

• Efficiency through macros
• Artificial intelligence applications to
  cataloging
• New and better interfaces
• Keyword searching on spoken words
• Collection management via Bots
• Software sent out on a mission