(R)evolutionary changes at University of the Arts London.

Ray DelahuntySystems Support Librarian, UAL

Coordinator, VPWG

Overview

• Introduction to UAL• The triggers and (some of ) the changes

• centralizing bibliographic services, requiring the restructuring Voyager acquisitions

• selection & implementation of a new discovery product• migration to IT-hosted linux from our own Sun servers• opening a new college library• selection and implementation of RFID solution, and

new “service model”

• The benefits• The (painful) lessons learned

6 colleges1 university

The triggers- 2011Funding cuts- the biggie!

Old Servers?

New home for CSM

Server Move-Easter 2011

• Solaris versus Red Hat Linux. They are NOT the same!

• The more customized your solution is the more chances there are for things to go wrong- mail vs mailx etc. etc.

• UAL IT policies often appeared to be at conflict with the needs of a public-facing, high profile library service.

• UAL architecture. Firewalls. Z39.50

• What we should have done- handed the system to Ex Libris

Selection of SummonGo Live August 2011.

• MetaLib interface unpopular

• March saw a full tender process with “playoff” between Primo and Summon later

• Coverage of arts materials very similar across vendor products

• Decision based particularly on price. Summon is without federated search.

• Voyager data is fed nightly to Summon by cron. Implementation was not difficult but...

Staff changesJanuary - August

Centralised bibliographic service

RFID

The CSM move.During the summer closed period.

• Two libraries (40K and 50K bibs) closed and re-opened 3 months later at new site.

• Ex Libris Data Services schedule not suitable- data work needs to be booked far ahead.

• Work was done by a combination of Access reports and Gary Strawn’s LocationChanger, and zealous chasing to ensure manual cleanup work was done.

• Locking down access to obsolete locations came back to bite us at FPC 2012.

Centralising Resources and SystemsAugust - December.

• The library systems manager role was removed.

• Acquisitions work previously devolved to colleges was brought into the new central bibliographic services team that was created- 4 library assistants, 2 assistant librarians and a team leader librarian.

• New workflows were developed to make use of EOD and bulk imports to create POs and line items. Manual order entry changed to automatic in 2/2012.

• Other manual workflows were automated including using Webadmin, and MarcEdit, much to the delight of one vendor (and our staff).

The RFID Project.

• A very rapid project was undertaken to establish a “new service model”. After a tender and selection process 3M provided UAL with an RFID solution.

• Voyager self service functionality was found to be seriously flawed, threatening the effective implementation of the new “service model”

• Script-driven repair of the Voyager functionality bugs.

• Digital library assistants (very un-PC!!)

RFIDproject timetable

Project Start

Procurement Start

Tagging starts

Tagging ends Project ends

Procurement ends

Sorter

Extending RFID and the “new Service model”.

• Command Center

• Clarion Web for the new 9100 RF security gates.

• Roaming / roving library staff rather than “library desks”.

• Problems remain- we have new kit.

Benefits

Benefits

What next?

• Better and more staff training• Modify reports (eg fund snapshot) for local

needs.• EDI invoicing• Move to Voyager 8, and unpick Dawsons

coding- maybe item creation- shelf ready books• Full stocktake using lessons learned in trial• Deal with data problems- the stocktake revealed

lots of issues.

Lessons learned

• Develop better relationship with IT• Don’t underestimate the complexity of the

move to linux• The more localised your system is the

bigger the challenges in changing it• Localisations may be broken in upgrades• (And you would think this one is obvious...)

Learn about and use the system functionality.