ILS Task Force Meeting Minutes for June 19, 2012

Initial Members: Donna Morris, Anne Fischer, Karen Marriott, Lloyd Lovely, Kay Bauman

Donna opened the meeting by explaining that we must develop a plan for transitioning to a new ILS system and other related software. In the June Commission packet Donna’s Executive Report explains:

Jim Welch, our long time Deputy Executive Director/Information Technology has announced his retirement effective June 28, 2013. Jim began his career with MLS in October of 1970. Over the years he has had a wide variety of job titles related to information technology; but has always been our “main man” when it comes to automation and information technology. He has been instrumental in the development of our Integrated Library System (ILS) since the early 1970’s. He has written and developed most of the software we currently used for our entire library IT needs, and in tandem with Anne Fischer has managed the hardware and software in an excellent fashion for many years. In addition he has supervised many of the support departments over the years including cataloging, tech processing, maintenance, and the business office. His knowledge and expertise on all matters related to MLS is impressive and colleagues regularly go to him for advice and discussion on a wide variety of topics.

The good news is he has given us a year in which to develop a transition plan and also is willing to contract with us on a part time basis following his retirement from a full time position. That is critical for us as we will need his assistance in moving forward with choosing, implementing and interfacing with vendor software in the future.

A team of senior staff members will begin meeting in June to develop a plan for transitioning to a new ILS system and other related software. First steps will be to research and investigate potential vendors for a new ILS system and developing criteria for what we need and what will be required. We will also be developing a timeline for implementation that will cover several years. This promises to be an eventful time period as we transition to a new era in MLS history.

It goes without saying that Jim Welch has been an integral part of the growth and development of our system and that we would not be where we are today without his keen intelligence, loyalty and desire to make this a great library system. We will miss him very much, but it is somewhat comforting to know that the groundwork he has laid over the past 40+ years will help us as we move forward.

Anne F. will be going to ALA in Anaheim this year as we begin the process of researching potential ILS vendors. Donna asked Anne to let those of us attending ALA know what we could do or what we could attend to help gather information.

We reviewed the draft list that Anne brought to the meeting (included in the minutes) of the various pieces of software and hardware that will need to be considered in our transition. We agreed that the most critical aspects are those that impact customers directly. This transition will impact 100% of the MLS employees and customers.

The beginning timeline we have is to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to gather information to help us in determining what vendors offer and in helping us make decisions on the features we will need to choose. We are aiming to issue an RFQ in about 6 months, which will then provide sufficient time to review those qualifications and various  considerations and develop next steps. We estimate that there are probably fewer than 10 ILS vendors. We also anticipate that there is functionality that we will lose and some we will gain and some of those may impact current policies.

Donna indicated that for future meetings we will be inviting others to our meetings as we discuss different pieces of the transition.

We set our next meeting for Wednesday, July 11, 2012.

Update to Meeting Minutes - June 21, 2012

A 1986 published article written by Jim Welch and former MLS Director of Planning, Paul Little, provides information about our custom-designed ILS system.  For those who were not here at that time, it is useful information to read so that you will understand the process and how we got to where we are today. 

Preliminary 1st draft list

What is the impact of bringing in a new ILS?

Parental preference (in Policy) AL212

R-rated videos (rescind policy?) AL212

Envision that every library app that you launch is now gone; it will take some time to get some of it back but others will be broken for quite a while as you can’t bring it all up at once.

Example: Bring on new ILS, impacts heavily all departments – processing kits, unplugging Big Bin to any automated processes, will we need different SR labels, different printers, how is self-pickup of reserves going to work; will they put a code on a label rather than customer’s name? MSL – How do you implement their ordering? Needs to feed into purchase orders.

What time frame are you expecting this to happen in?

How do you get all of the computers up to date with the right clients?

Critical Files on the NonStop

• Bibliographic file
• Inventory (Items)
• Customer file (separate files for SR & Overdue notifications)
• Transaction file
• Reserves file
• Everything changes for the staff
• Everything changes for the customer too – you have to re-train all your customers on your new catalog, new reserve processes, new Express checkout
• Can’t go down one night and come up the next morning
• AccuZip
• Prepare a mailer on a mailer according to a format and our policies
• E-mail notification of reserves
• Obey files – what do they do
• New ILS – how do we get money into Business Office System
• System Reserves – trying to get things in the best routing
• Have to have export & import time
• Processing kits
• Big bin
• Sorters
• RFID
• All of the stats (archiving and carrying across for comparability)
• What stats do they have? Will they even compare with ours?
• Express checkouts go away
• Computer sign-up system goes away
• Monitoring Internet goes away
• Filtering the way we do it goes away (may have to go to adult/child computers)
• All of your security is gone (access security to software to insure only those who should Access it)
• Collection Management – quality with real time scanning that we now have; most vendors do data capture then go back and compare it to a file
• MSL -- Acquisition module but how does it work compared to what we do now, i.e.,
• TP now sends out Purchase orders and reconciles invoices; will a new module allow for this?
• Catalogs where you can place reserve on “on order” material
• What happens to the suggestions?
• What happens to reserve ratios?
• iPad apps go away
• Features that depend on network go away (choosing knowing what computer this is running Off of; not allowing access to OverDrive on some computers, etc.)
• Credit cards as we know it now will go away
• ILL integration with our ILS
• Teen area computers – how will that work with someone else’s sign-up process
• Receipt printers – will they work
• Codabar & Code 39
• OverDrive/Marc record integration
• Database authentication for remote users
• Wait time stats for computers
• Agency level fund accounting for MSL (no automatic validation of an existing account)
• Custom bindery control system
• Acquisition module integrate with B&T and your catalog
• Map information for number of customers in an area

Questions to ask vendors

• Can you handle our 8 digit customer numbers
• What kind of check digit schemes can you handle (we have three different ones for each critical file)
• What about when a library closes temporarily? Can they take them out of the library supplier on reserves, bypass their customers’ reserves, change due dates for that library when needed?
• Transactions per second
• Robustness of the system; what platform do they run on?

Maintaining until you make the switch

• How to prepare detailed audit info for annual audit
• Depreciation schedule for auditors
• Prepare & reconcile GASB for materials for auditors
• Applying market adjustments and producing individual staff notifications
• Paper W2s
• Electronic W2s
• Balance daily the Consumer & eCommerce merchant bank credit card accounts (add crossfoot flag on total line)
• How to produce monthly credit card collection reporting for business office
• Changing IRS & State withholding data for a new year
• Resolve end-of-month apledger cross foot errors
• Resolve discrepancies between ILS database & merchant bank
• Update software to produce annual individual staff benefits report
• Upload defined contribution withholdings each pay period
• Apply the 25% rule at yearend and test for problems
• Update appraisals when a new supervisor is assigned during evaluation period
• Upload holding info to LTFL for updating the mashups for staff and CyberMARS catalogs
• How to process the daily OverDrive MARC records received in e-mail
• How to renew Apple provisioning profiles
• What is process to update iBrowse with new content
• How to run Obey Sunday when library is closed on a given Sunday
• Jimmy’s replacement (these are things currently done by Jimmy)
• New home for reminder service
• Sync NonStop service
• RSS Feed builder
• Daily credit card balancing to Business Office
• Mass Mutual transfer
• Library Thing for Libraries
• Syndetic Solutions
• Commission reports
• RSS Feeds for materials (automated for new materials)
• mlsHRPay what happens when it goes away
• Leave accounting and codes we now have
• Performance appraisal system online
• Payroll
• Custom letters for FAMLA, etc.
• No leave calendar
• No Who’s Who
• Cafeteria plan