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)

Archaeology

I'm at the tidying the folders stage of my current job, which is actually the tidying the folders stage of three successive jobs. And being the hoarder that I am I'm bumping into quite a few old memories.

Like the correspondence between myself and other library systems managers as we tried to manage the ambitious project of rolling out a lot of internet-ready public PCs to libraries that weren't networked and weren't laid out for this sort of provision whilst managing inconsistent mixes of conservatism and high (sometimes entirely unrealisable) expectation amongst our management teams. The implementation of the People's Network was easily the single biggest gear shift in English public libraries in the period between the 1964 Act and the current dissolution of the public library service so it was never going to be an easy thing to be able to manage at a local level. And it wasn't. By this stage of the game we had access to email (I know, but it's a long time ago) so we'd share the highs and lows, reassuring each other that we weren't alone in having problems and often coming up with solutions and/or ways of managing stakeholders' perceptions of how things were going and which were the priorities to be really worrying about (something I was ever so grateful for after a meeting that was planned to be about building the business case for the council's investment in the project became a three-hour discussion on the best placement of one desk at a particular library!)

Jocular mentions of the popular board game People's Network-o! became so frequent that in the end we had to have a go at mocking it up. My stab at it is typically over-complicated. A colleague from Yorkshire came up with the most elegant version: a grid of 50 squares, all of which said: "Go back to Start."

That implementation was bloody hard work but ultimately it was worth it. In many ways, even after so long, I think libraries are still only nibbling at the potential they have with the network. Personally, I was slow to realise how important having all libraries as UKOnline centres was going to become; a lot of brilliant and too-often very low-key work has been done on the ground to tackle the digital divide and go a long way towards making digital inclusion more than just a phrase to be included in bid documents. More disappointing has been the general realignment of the traditional reference and information services (though as always there's good work around if you look for it). This is starting to be addressed in some of the SCL's national offers. If the public library service survives the ravages of Austerity we may yet see the full fruition of the network's potential.

Taking a breather

I've had it officially from Rochdale Council that I've had it, officially, from Rochdale Council. This is all my own doing and if it all goes pear-shaped I'll have nobody to blame but myself. The opportunity came along to call it a day with honours equal on both sides so I took it. Spending three or four hours a day commuting has been wearing me down, no matter how much I try to turn the unreliabilities of the services involved into pantomime demons to be dismissed with scorn. The workplace, while visually-stunning (and award–winning), is difficult to work in. Most of all, though, the problem is the work: you can only keep so many plates spinning before dropping something and it's a rare day when I feel like I'd actually done a good enough job of a piece of work. So I decided that it was time to stop, get off, get a fresh perspective and make a fresh start. Technically I'll be taking early retirement but in truth I can't really see this as retirement. I intend doing something else once I've had a few weeks' break but at the moment I know not what. I was never any good at that "What do you want to be when you grow up?" question.

The shame of it is that I'm in a really good team of people, we've learned to work effectively and collaboratively and there's some really interesting developments we're involved in that I think will improve both the way that we could work and the service we deliver to our customers. For instance, we've implemented Release Management, which means that if there's a standard way of packaging and rolling out a new piece of software or upgrading a system then we'll have created a set of instructions leading somebody by the nose to follow that standard procedure, with minimal risk of forgetting any step along the way. Which makes the process easier and more reliable to deliver, even if it's hard work to set up. Mapping out the essential steps involved in packaging and rolling out an upgrade to new client software for a library management system, for instance, was a bit of a revelation: I hadn't realised we did so much work in the process and it gave me fresh respect for my colleagues who roll out a constant stream of updates to the revenues & benefits system required by the almost-monthly moving of goalposts by the Department of Work & Pensions. There's also a shedload of new developments both technological (for instance, working with our LMS supplier on automating the loading of e-book MARC records or building bespoke reporting and dashboard tools for the Library Service based on skills picked up while doing a schedule of work for a transport management depot) and operational (such as supporting the development of a library lending consortium or re-engineering the business processes of a stores depot). Which really are all very exciting and interesting. But there's also all the work that there has been all along that was keeping us quite busy enough thank you before the new stuff came trotting along. One day last November when I was feeling tired and, frankly, a bit low I realised that four years previously there would have been six people doing the work that was sitting in my tray. And they hadn't been sitting on their hands daydreaming. My case is by no means unique: you see it all over the shop and in all walks of life but it still came as a jolt. So I decided to do something about it, which I have. I'll admit to feeling guilty about scuttling off and leaving the rest of the team to pick up the pieces but they've been very nice about it (they promise me that it isn't a collective sigh of relief) and my going helps to free up some resource for addressing some more technical skills gaps we've been trying to cover for a while.

It's a strange and scary time. I'd forgotten that peculiar feeling coming towards the end of a contract where even though you're taking the money and doing the job there's a point beyond which you can't commit time and resources and where plans become manuals for instruction rather than calendars of activity. Although I already had scores of files of notes documenting processes and the key bits of operational knowledge necessary to respond to service requests and incidents I'd massively underestimated how much documentation's required for someone to pick up the work after me if they don't already have a library background (I was all too aware of the steep learning curves with the other lines of business I support). Since Christmas I've been testing the documentation by following my own instructions, refining as I go along, and adding new material as and when I find myself doing undocumented work. Where possible, I've tested important set pieces with people who've no idea what I'm doing or how it's done, which is why I did two dummy runs for the last financial year end and had an audience for the real thing. Which of course has added to the work load but I'm hoping it's worth it in the end. I want to be able to not leave some poor devil all at sea with the systems I leave behind the way that I have in the past. I'll be told if I have!

I'll still be interested in libraries and the way that they work. I may even end up doing some work for libraries, who knows. When a colleague from elsewhere heard I was jumping ship he exclaimed: "Oh God! Now you'll have time to come and have a look round our libraries and complain about the stuff we're not doing!" I truly hope I don't do that! I want to have the space and time and energy to be able to see the positives that people manage to deliver.