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Evaluating and Selecting Library Services Platform
Are you ready to shift? Where should you start?Hong Ma
2014 LITA Forum
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Impact of Information Technologies
• Libraries are experiencing a rapid evolution of the ways that patron learn, teach, and perform scholarly research.
• Libraries’ collections are shifting to the integrated collection of resources in all formats such as printed books/journals, ebooks/ejournals, physical archives and special collations, digital archival materials, video and audio collections, web sites etc.
• Libraries users’ expectations and needs require the libraries to provide tools to discover and give access to all collections in a comprehensive, comprehensible, and timely manner.
• Cloud computing and new SaaS service model are transforming library automation to a new phase.
• It is a time to revisit/revise library technology infrastructure.
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Integrated Library System
ILS ERMOpenURLLinkResolv
er
E-resource
KB
Disintegrated Library Systems
Digital Collection Manageme
nt
IR
Library Services Platform
Silos
Legacy ILS
Platform
Discovery LayerDiscovery
Layer(WSD)
Discovery Layer
(WSD)
OPAC
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Figure 1. General schema of the Library Services Platforms (Breeding, 2012)
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LSP: Resource Management
• Unified workflow for managing different formats of library collections – print, electronic resources, and digital collections.
• Seamless integration with resource discovery layers.• Integration and Interoperability with other systems.• Open platform supports APIs that allow the library to
develop extensions to the core software.
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LSP: Resource Discovery
• A single search in one box for all library materials, including print, digital, and electronic resources.
• Support OAI-PMH, the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for metadata harvesting.
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Typical Selection Process
Information Gathering/Resea
rch
Identify Vendors for RFI (not necessary)
Learn more about Each vendor and
product
Identify the finalist of vendors
Develop RFP and send it to the final vendors
Vendor’s demonstrations
Follow-up meetings
&Interviews with other libraries
Evaluate and Make the final
decision
Pre-selection process
Selection process
RFI: Request For Information
RFP: Request For Proposal
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“A principled approach to selecting an automated library system” by Alan manifold, Library Hi Tech, v 18 n2 (2000): 119-130
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Major Components of the Selection Process
• Educating participants on the system market.• Identifying features for a new system.• Getting information about features in various systems.• Evaluating the vendors.• Communicating.
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Important Principles for the Selection Process
• Focus on the institutional context.• Choose long-term over short-term benefits (forward-
looking).• Involve staff and users throughout the process.
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Loyola University Chicago Libraries
• Campus: Lake Shore (LSC), Water Tower (WTC), Health Science, and the John Felice Rome Center in Italy.
• Five libraries, three archives, an information commons, a remote facility, and a digital repository. Additionally Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) contributes records to the catalog.
• 1.74 million+ print volumes, 661,223+ebooks, 63,920 e-journals and 8,534 print journals subscription
• 48 digital collections w/11,167 objects• 37 staff, 34 Librarians, 98 student
workers
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Institutional and Libraries’ Context• The transformation of the institution and libraries.
• Transformation education • Physical collections are complemented by growing hybrid collections in
which a variety of formats and means of access will engage more users and require new collection management considerations.
• Library management team was in the process of developing strategic plan for 2014-2017
• Goal 1: The University Libraries will increase comprehensive and convenient access to local and worldwide scholarly information for Loyola community.
• Strategy: Improve ease of discovery and access to collections in all formats by providing a robust and flexible information infrastructure.
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Next Gen ILS Exploratory Committee Formed
• Committee Goal: Evaluate a new library services platform(LSP) and discovery layer to improve the internal library workflow as well as provide end-users an intuitive an sophisticated tool to discovery and full access to the library collections and other resources.• Main committee• Technical Services Sub Committee• Public Services Sub Committee
• Provide pros and cons for each LSP and help library administration to make the final decision to implement new LSP.
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Typical Selection Process
Information Gathering/Resea
rch
Identify Vendors for RFI (not necessary)
Learn more about Each vendor and
product
Identify the finalist of vendors
Develop RFP and send it to the final vendors
Demonstrations
(with scripts/scenarios)
Follow-up meetings
&Interviews with other libraries
Evaluate and Make the final
decision
Pre-selection process
Selection process
RFI: Request For Information
RFP: Request For Proposal
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What’s available in the market and fit our criteria
• Ex Libris Alma/Primo• OCLC WMS/WorldCat Discovery• ProQuest Intota/Summon• Innovative Interface Inc Sierra• Kuali OLE
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Educate participants on the LSPs information
• General overview for current trends, clarify the terms and concepts• Cloud Computing, • SaaS• Multi-tenant
• Coordinate online webinars from each vendor• Forward articles from third parties. For example, Marsh Breeding’s
article, Carl Grant’s blogs etc.• Share documents, news for each products• Encourage attending sessions in the conferences
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Structure the Selection Process1. Identify the candidates of LSPs based on criteria listed as follows
Proposed systems should be web-based, use cloud-computing (Multi-tenant software) SaaS model, and have a final product to offer by June 2014.
2. Develop RFP and send it to three vendors.3. Review the RFP responses (Proposals) from the vendors.
Develop demo scripts Clarify questions in the vendor’s responses to RFP
4. Invite all three vendors to do on-site demo presentations.5. Follow-up consultation with vendors after on-site demos6. Interview with libraries who implemented these LSPs to get additional information for each LSP and implementation process.7. Committee produce the report with pros and cons for each system.
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Pre-RFP documents
• Need Assessment• Preparations of functions specifications• Technical Services• Public Services
• Checklist
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RFP document
• The RFP is a formal document that seeks information about solving library’s problems or expanding its services
• Balance between specificity and brevity.• It is only one part of dynamic selection process that
include script, scenarios for vendor demo, site visits, meetings/interviews with other libraries.
• Research on RFP template, RFP writing guideline, RFP examples (Orbis Cascade Alliance RFP for shared Library Management System).
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RFP content• Overview of your institution and libraries• Project Overview (Project scope, Timeline)• Proposal Content Requirements (example)• RFP Terms and Conditions• Functional Requirement Specifications
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Functional Requirement Specification
• (High-level) General systems requirements• Reliability• Architecture• Data Security• Authentication and identity management• Interoperability and Extensibility• Migration• Vendor support
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Technical Services• General Functions• Reports/Statistics and Batch Processing• Acquisitions• Serials Management• Binding Preparation• Cataloging• Holding Management• Authority Control• Electronic Resources Management
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Public Services• General System Functions• Circulation/Inventory Management• Fulfillment Options (Requests)• Reserves• Media Scheduling• OPAC/Discovery
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Demo schedule (Example)9:00 – 10:00 General Session10:15 – 12:15 Technical Services Functionalities
Acquisition (including serials and license management)Cataloging and Metadata ManagementKnowledge Base (including authority control and record enrichment services)Link Resolution (including A – Z lists)
12:30 – 1:15 Lunch1:30 – 2:00 Discovery2:15 – 3:15 Fulfillment (including circulation, resource sharing and reserves)3:30 – 4:30 System Configuration/customization (including how to get different content pre-indexed for discovery, how to map the data/metadata for the discovery facets)
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Develop demo scriptsCirculation Reports Examples• "I need a list of all items in the Popular Reading location that do not
have the status of either Withdrawn or Charged, with a count of how often they have circulated in the past 3 years, and the last charge date, sorted by normalized call number."
• "I need a list of patrons with active records, with books that are more than 30 days overdue, where the books are in these 3 locations but not in these other 2 locations, with the patron email address included, sorted by patron group."
• "I want a report that provides the sum of all fines and fees removed from patron accounts in the last 6 months, filtered by fine type and sorted by payment type, with the title and call number of the associated book."
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Develop demo scriptsTechnical Services Report Scenarios• For databases with an annual cost $5K or higher, what was
the cost per use last year? How did that compare to cost per use the year before that?
• Library Administration wants a list of periodicals – titles, call numbers, and items – for the main library’s periodicals location; the list will be used to evaluate the collection for relocation and/or withdrawal.
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Gather feedback library-wide after each vendor’s demo
• What library department you belong to?• What do you like most about this system?• What do you like least about this system?• Any further questions you would like to follow up with xxx
vendor?• Other comments?
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Each LSP Demo Summary: Strength and Weakness
• The team compile the strength and weakness for each system. Wrote a summary based on feedback gathered.• Summary for OCLC WMS/WorldCat Discovery Demo
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Conduct Interviews with Other Libraries
• To get more sense about how libraries feel about each LSP. We conducted a couple of interviews with WMS libraries and Alma libraries.
• General questions to start• What system did you migrate from?• How long did your migration take?• How the staff been pleased with the new platform? Do you find staff save
time/steps/clicks in your overall workflow?• How your patron been pleased with the new discovery layer?• Specific questions for the concerns we learned and open for other questions.
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Evaluate systems• Focused on two platforms OCLC WMS/WorldCat Discovery and Ex Libris
Alma/Primo• Report structure
• Overview and General difference among these systems• Technical Services• Public Services
• Discovery and User Experience• Access Services Functionalities
• Estimated costs• Implementation Schedule
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Collaborative effort to produce the report
•Overview of LSPs Reviewed• Public Services: Discovery Tools – Pros and Cons• Public Services: Fulfillment– Pros and Cons• Technical Services – Pros and Cons
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Highlights for each system• The WorldCat Discovery public interface includes a number of improvements over WorldCat Local.• WMS offers robust media scheduling system.• WMS architecture, based on universally shared WorldCat master records. • The OCLC Knowledge Base for electronic resources is large but its quality and accuracy are
inadequate• WMS provides basic functionality for access services and technical services although it does not
accommodate efficient processing of print collections, and staff workflows are less streamlined than expected.
• WMS currently provides basic reports. OCLC plans to release a report authoring tool to allow more flexible report functions.
• WMS patron database design, specifically the reliance on barcodes as unique patron identifiers, is in conflict with Loyola’s practice and requirements.
• WMS provides good license management including automatic integration of license terms in ILLiad, allowing easy referral for ejournal requests.
• The WMS user community consists primarily of public and smaller academic libraries.
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Highlights for each system• The Primo public interface provides an excellent user experience • The Alma staff interface allows easy flow within the system• Primo’s capacity to index and deliver material in standard markup language
from any repository will support libraries ability to increase the use of unique local materials such as LibGuides, finding aids, and other digital objects.
• Alma includes a strong analytics and reports package, with good ready-made reports and customization options. The Alma analytics module is robust and allows libraries to create a variety of customized transaction, use, and expense reports, with future development toward reports that generate prediction patterns to inform collection management and budget allocations.
• The turnkey Alma and Primo platform works well. Alma and Primo also allows a high degree of customization throughout.
• The Alma User community consists primarily of academic and research libraries whose agenda for platform development are likely to align with Loyola’s.
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Tips• All library staff’s participation is very helpful to gain all aspects of inputs for evaluating
LSPs.• Collaborative effort turns out effective and efficient.• Sub-committees focus on the functionality comparison• Sub-committee and stakeholders take responsibility for developing scripts,
monitor questions/answers, identifying further questions, writing summary.• Collaborative effort and claiming ownership are useful
• Interview with other similar-size libraries help gain more knowledge about each LSP, clarify concerns, find out pitfalls/lessons learned
• Constant focus on communication among all parties, can help to insure a happy outcome.• Campus IT’s involvement is also helpful.
