Ambitions 1998

Another bit of archaeology. In 1998 — back when we had only five libraries networked and on the library management system and before the reality of The People's Network — I was asked why the library service didn't have an IT strategy so I drafted one. This is some of the working-out.

Rochdale Library Service

Information/Communications Strategy — suggested bullet points

1         Factors informing the strategy

a)       Operational needs

i)        Lending

·         Stock management & control

—  Making stock work harder

—  Audit requirements

·         Borrower management & control

—  Accessibility to library services across the Borough

—  Fines/charges control

—  Market analysis

·         Reservations management & control

—  Reaching performance targets

—  Managing costs of interlibrary loans

ii)      Reference

·         Increasing access to electronic information resources

—  Access to new forms of material

—  Access to wider ranges of material

—  Making existing materials more widely available

—  Increasing the accessibility of Council information

iii)    Access to Library information

·         Access to the Library Catalogue

·         Access to local history materials

—  Digital formats

…  Documents

…  Pictures

—  Indexing

…  Local history collections

…  Local newspapers

·         Accessibility

—  Within libraries

—  Mobile library provision

—  Meeting special needs

—  Telematic access

iv)    Management information

·         Stock management information

—  Stock use analysis

—  Stock age analysis

·         Statutory statistical requirements

—  CIPFA

—  Audit Commission

·         Performance indicator measurement

—  Local

—  National

·         Financial information & control

—  Stock ordering management

—  Book fund analysis

—  Budget monitoring

v)      Administrative requirements

·         Word–processing

·         Contact management — shared resources

—  Council telephone numbers

—  Emergency numbers

—  Professional contacts

—  Suppliers

·         Bibliographical information (all formats)

—  Records for requests

—  Approvals

—  Bibliographical records

b)      Staffing/support issues

i)        Training

·         Designing systems to minimise training needs

·         Commitment to empowering staff — enabling local problem–solving

·         Resources for delivery

—  Staff time

—  Cover for staff being trained

—  Trainers

—  Opportunity and resources for preparation

ii)      Support

·         Ownership issues

—  Enabling local problem–solving

…  Spreading skills widely

…  Agreeing what can be expected of staff locally

—  Support structures within the Library Service

…  Professional Librarians taking responsibility for library systems

…  Other staff

—  Third–party support

…  Within the Council

…  Suppliers

…  Cost implications

·         Providing support at the front line

—  For staff

—  For the public

c)       External pressures

i)        National issues

·         New Library: People’s Network

·         National Grid for Learning

·         Audit Commission: Due for Renewal

·         Information for All

ii)      International perspectives

·         European information issues

—  Information 2000

—  IRISA–LAPSA & successor organisations

·         Internet access

d)      Technological possibilities

i)        Dynix library system

·         OPACs

—  Graphical interfaces

—  Web PACs

—  OPACs for special needs (e.g. Libris Envisage)

—  Off–line PACs (“OffPACs”)

·         Cash management

·         Acquisitions

—  Order management

—  Supplier performance monitoring

·         Community Resources

—  Community organisations

—  Events

—  Newspaper indices

·         Internet publishing

ii)      PC–based systems

·         Word–processing

·         Spreadsheets

·         Custom databases

·         SQL–compliant systems

·         Electronic reference materials

·         Tutorial materials

·         Web browsers

·         Windows NT networks

·         Intranet systems

iii)    Unix–based systems

·         Electoral roll

·         Corporate financial data

iv)    Self–service opportunities

·         Reservations

—  OPACs

—  Web–based telematic systems

·         Circulation

e)       Restraints

i)        Funding for projects

·         Capital funding

·         Revenue funding for maintenance, etc.

·         Staffing costs

ii)      Expertise

·         Within the Library Service

·         Within the Council

—  Knowledge of library systems

—  Networking

iii)    Staff time

iv)    Support issues (see above)

v)      Corporate policies

2         Suggested outcomes

a)       Dynix Library System

i)        Aim to stay with Dynix for the period of this strategy provided the development and support of the system meets the needs of the Library Service.

·         Join forces with other Dynix users to lobby for enhancements to the system to meet outstanding needs

·         Keep a watching brief as to the development of the product as a graphical system based on PCs 

·         Pending proper reassurance on the life expectancy of the Dynix system, add remaining libraries to the system

—  Circulation

—  OPACs

·         Implement procedures to automate parts of the stock editing system

—  Transfers of some fiction collections

—  Flagging up “tired” or “under–used” stock

—  Collection inventory systems

·         Implement the Acquisitions module — automating the order process; book fund monitoring; supplier performance monitoring

·         Developing the use of Community Resources

—  Making the Community Organisations database available

…  On OPAC

…  On Council intranet via WebPAC technology

…  On World–Wide Web via WebPAC technology

—  Making local newspaper indices (currently in card format) available on OPAC

…  Could be made available on the World–Wide Web and Council intranet via WebPAC technology

·         Investigating the effectiveness & viability of the Dynix Cash Management system

·         Develop new OPAC functions

—  Kids’ Catalogue

—  Graphical interfaces

—  Publishing the Library Catalogue on the World Wide Web, including allowing “WebPAC” access to search for particular items

…  Requires web access to the processor housing the library system

 Allows the possibility of allowing self–service reservation via the WWW

·         Telephone access

—  Investigate the effectiveness and viability of potential options

…  Automated telephone renewals

…  Automated telephoned messages — overdues/charges/reservations notices

ii)      Where possible, create interfaces between the Dynix Library System and PC–based software

·         Management information

—  Collating data between Dynix and proprietary software (e.g. for spreadsheet analysis)

…  This would require a third piece of software to act as an interface between the two

—  Investigating the effectiveness & viability of the Dynix “Executive Information System” — data warehousing/reporting system

·         Catalogue information

—  Envisage — OPACs for visually–impaired

—  Off–line copies of the Catalogue on CD–ROM (using the data conversions already taking place for Envisage)

…  Replacing microfiche at off–line libraries

…  Replacing microfiches as “back up” at on–line libraries

…  Could be available on laptop on Mobile Library

…  Could be available on laptop on Housebound Service

·         Using WWW technology (especially Java) to enable telematic delivery of library services (available from Dynix release 162E)

—  Access to the Library Catalogue

…  Potentially including placing reservations

—  Access to library information

…  Community Organisations

…  Events

…  Newspaper indices

—  Constraints

…  Requires a change in Council policy on web access to networked data

…  Requires web access to the processor housing the library system

b)      Workstation access to other information systems

i)        PC–based information

·         Access to PC–based electronic references

—  Networked electronic references based on a Windows NT server

…  Allows resources to be shared between libraries

…  Expensive references kept secure centrally

…  CD–ROMs cached to hard disk to improve speed of access

…  Using existing networks where feasible

…  Networking dependent on licensing regimes — some material may not be networked; some networked licences may be prohibitively expensive

…  May be able to derive use statistics for individual references

…  Potential for differential access — different reference materials for different client groups

—  Intranet connection with the rest of the Council

…  Council information

…  Statutory papers/minutes

…  email

·         Library intranet

—  Staff manuals in hypertext format

—  Staff notices

—  Staff training materials

—  Contact information

—  Shared bookmarks for WWW

ii)      The Internet (more probably, just the WWW)

·         Staff workstations

—  Including email

—  Access to appropriate lists

·         Public workstations

—  See below

iii)    Other systems

·         Reference Enquiry Desk workstations access to Electoral Roll

·         Administrative/management systems

Financial systems

 Suppliers database

c)       PC–based services to the public

i)        Extension of Open for Learning facilities

ii)      Maintenance of text–reading and Brailling facilities

iii)    Word–processing facilities

·         Support?

·         Cost of consumables?

iv)    Computers Don’t Bite and successors

d)      Public Internet access

i)        Controlled access

·         ?Timed out by software on PC

·         ?Time booked and issued to “borrower”

·         Use of Net Nanny et al. To prevent inappropriate access

·         ?Users registered, including disclaimers

—  Promise not to look for illegal/immoral materials (how defined?)

—  Promise not to hack machines

—  Accept responsibility for own actions

—  Agree that Library Service not responsible for anything the customer does during their time on the Internet

—  Accept that service may be withdrawn from the customer if they break the rules

·         Costs

—  To Library Service

…  Service provider subscriptions

…  Line costs

—  To the customer

…  ?How to be as inclusive as possible

…  ?How nominal is a nominal charge

…  ?Charge period — session or season

e)       Local history collections

i)        Access to the Local History Catalogue

·         Staff at Heywood and Middleton need access to the Catalogue at Rochdale

…  Cost

…  Training load

…  Is there OPAC access?

—  Why not Dynix at Local Studies?

…  Cost

…  Training load

—  Why not both in both places?

…  Compatibility?

…  The Library Catalogue on Dynix will be searchable from a Web browser with 162E. If both catalogues Z39.50 compliant, both could be searched from a Web browser (as per draft Telematics strategy)

·         Practical issues

—  Large cataloguing task

—  May require some modification of the Dynix Catalogue record to include additional MARC fields (e.g. additional media fields; URL tags; image data)

—  Would need to look at how other libraries/museums approach the job

ii)      Digitising local history materials

·         Security of primary materials

·         Making materials more widely accessible

—  PAC–style picture catalogues

—  Intranet/WWW access

·         Pictures

—  Scanned into JPEG format

—  Catalogued

…  ?Dynix (how catalogued?)

…  ?Proprietary database system

—  PAC access

…  ?Dynix

…  ?Proprietary system

—  Electronic watermarking for copyright purposes

·         Documents

—  Copyright issues

—  Imaging

…  Investigate routes taken corporately through Document Imaging Working Group

—  Transcription

…  Investigate effectiveness/viability of scanning and OCR (optical character recognition) systems

f)        Office applications at main libraries

i)        Word–processing facilities — MS Word

ii)      Use of MS Word and MS PowerPoint for DTP/notices

iii)    MS Excel for spreadsheet analyses

iv)    MS Access for local databases (created by Systems Manager for local use — e.g. for enquiry desk statistics)