ILS Task Force Meeting Minutes for July 11, 2012

Date:  July 11, 2012

In attendance: Donna Morris, Anne Fischer, Lloyd Lovely, Kay Bauman, Karen Marriott (left early)

1. Anne shared what she learned while attending the ALA Annual Convention in Anaheim, California last month.
1. She attended the session Selecting the Right Integrated Library System with the following presenters: Andy Peters, Director of Technology, Pioneer Library System, Norman, OK; Desiree Webber, Director, Mustang Public Library, Mustang, OK; Pat Weaver-Meyers, Director, Noble Foundation Library.
2. Anne noted that when we do transition to a different ILS system we will probably need to close the library system for a few days.
3. She visited the exhibits and thought that was very beneficial since she was able to talk with various vendors and spend time with them asking questions, seeing demos and has continued communicating with them since those visits.
1. The initial list of potential vendors included: Polaris, SirsiDynix, Innovative Interface (iii), TLC (The Library Corporation), ExLibris, and OCLC WorldShare.
1. ExLibris, however, is only available for academic libraries.
2. OCLC WorldShare™ offers an ILS that seems a good potential in the future but at this point it is incomplete for our needs.
3. TLC (The Library Corporation) provided an estimate of $250,000-$400,000 to Anne.
2. Terminology used by library vendors are a little different than they’ve been in the past.
1. Most vendors don’t call their systems ILS Systems; they want to call them “next generation” systems.
2. You will hear the terms “federated search” and “discovery” used somewhat interchangeably. They both mean searching multiple sources such as searching your catalog as well as your databases in one search and presenting the results in one list.
3. Most of the catalogs have ways of narrowing down the search after you have searched the terms you want, i.e., by media type, by subject, by availability, etc. These items for limiting your search are called “faceted searching.”
3. None of the vendors offer everything that we need so we will have to look for additional vendors for things like software to interface with our AMH (Automated Materials Handler). We need to ensure the ILS we select works with our current AMH and we know that Polaris and SirsiDynix are compatible with Bibliotheca, which is our vendor for the AMH. Some other ILS vendors may in the future work with Bibliotheca, which we will need to learn more about.
4. Other items Anne mentioned:
1. Evanced Solutions (http://evancedsolutions.com/) “Products include event calendaring and registration, meeting room booking, summer reading management, staff scheduling and materials vending, all of which help elevate your library within your community.”
2. Shoutbomb (http://www.shoutbomb.com/) is a “software service that allows libraries to send SMS messages to all text message enabled phones. Patrons can reply, using pre-selected keywords, to request additional information or carry out tasks such as renewing items. Our software supports multiple languages and can be configured in a variety of ways to suit your needs. “
2. Next Steps:
1. Anne provided us with a listing of library catalogs arranged by vendor. Each of the committee members will visit those sites and note the different facets and what we like or don’t like. It will be important for us to learn about the newest versions available by each of the vendors and some of the links to library catalogs may not be to the vendor’s newest version. Additionally, it is important to note that most of the vendors allow some customization of the interface. Then at our next meeting we will discuss our observations. Some things Anne noted:
1. Discovery – is searching method where users may obtain results of books and database results integrated.
2. With keyword search the user can limit results of materials to a single library’s holdings. This has often been a request mentioned among staff and addressed through the years by Tech Support visit: http://morris/GotInfo/training/suggestions.htm and search the keyword “location” to see various questions and answers over the years. Initially it was not an option for us and by 2001 it began to be a tradeoff of a few options.)
3. Many offer multiple languages for the catalog
2. Anne will make arrangements for 4 vendors to visit and provide us with a demonstration of their respective products sometime during the first few weeks of August. We will allot about half a day for each vendor so that we can really learn what they offer and consider how each would fit with our needs and situation. The following are descriptions listed under the exhibitors guide in the ALA program guide along with some library catalogs currently using those systems.
1. Polaris Library Systems' mission is to help libraries better serve their communities. Through its work with almost 2,000 libraries across the U.S. and Canada, Polaris has come to understand the challenges and opportunities that librarians and their patrons face. The company designs products and services to help public, private and academic libraries surmount these challenges and lead productive, bright futures.
1. http://tour.polarislibrary.com
2. Dallas Public -- http://catalog.dallaslibrary.org/polaris/
3. Baltimore County - http://catalog.bcpl.lib.md.us/polaris/Search/default.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.3
4. Maricopa County, Arizona -- http://www.mcldaz.org/default.aspx
5. Maricopa Children’s PAC -- http://www.mcldaz.org/Children/default.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.6
6. Denver Public -- http://catalog.denverlibrary.org/Search/default.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.6
7. Pierce County, Washington -- http://polariscatalog.piercecountylibrary.org/polaris/default.aspx
2. SirsiDynix connects people with knowledge at more than 20,000 libraries around the world. Through library management technology and search and discovery tools, libraries using SirsiDynix technology bring relevant resources and the power of knowledge to their users and communities. SirsiDynix technology is architected to be open, scalable and robust, offering a complete solution out-of-the-box, and unparalleled flexibility through APIs and web services. Complemented by the most experienced training, consulting and support staff in the industry, SirsiDynix helps libraries create tomorrow's libraries, today.
1. University of Oklahoma -- http://libraries.ou.edu/
2. Pioneer Library System -- http://pion.sdp.sirsi.net/client/test/ (Beta Catalog)
3. Innovative Interfaces (www.iii.com) creates cutting-edge products that allow libraries to succeed in a modern technology environment and the freedom to implement solutions that best meet their specific needs. The company’s versatile and market-leading solutions include: the Sierra Services Platform, the Millennium ILS, the Encore Synergy discovery application, Electronic Resource Management, and INN-Reach resource sharing. An established company with a vision for the future, Innovative connects with thousands of libraries of all types in over 50 countries.
1. From Their Website -- http://www.iii.com/solutions/public.shtml
2. Jefferson County, Colorado -- http://jeffcolibrary.org/catalog.html (search both)
3. Middle Country, Long Island, NY -- http://encore.mcpl.lib.ny.us/iii/encore/home?lang=eng
4. Founded in 1974, The Library Corporation (TLC) is a GSA-certified company that creates and distributes automation and cataloging software to more than 700 public, school, academic, and special library systems worldwide. The company offers three integrated library systems: Library" Solution, Library" Solution for Schools, and CARL" X. TLC adds Web-based, touchscreen-enabled functionality to its ILS products by including LS2 PAC, LS2 Kids, LS2 Circ, and LS2 Mobile with every automation system.
1. From Their Website -- http://www.tlcdelivers.com/tlc/what-we-do/library-automation.asp
2. Monroe County, New York -- http://catalogplus.libraryweb.org/#bookriver (List/Grid)
3. Pasco County, Florida -- http://www.pascolibraries.org/
3. Each of the vendors will send to Anne a sample Request for Proposals and she already has 2 of them. These proposals are very detailed and we need to go through them to determine what we think must be included in the Request for Proposals or Request for Information that we will send. Anne will begin a draft and Donna and Lloyd will assist with the more non-technical aspects.
4. At some point, we believe we will need to visit a few of the libraries to be able to see the staff portion of the vendor products and speak with current users.
5. We scheduled our next meeting for Monday, July 23, 2012 at 1:30.