ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL: PLANNING FOR A CONSORTIAL NEXT GENERATION ILS

Ann E. MillerHead, Collection ServicesUniversity of OregonChair, Collaborative Technical Services TeamOrbis Cascade Alliance

Central Oregon Comm. CollegeCentral Washington UniversityChemeketa Community CollegeClark CollegeConcordia UniversityEastern Oregon UniversityEastern Washington UniversityGeorge Fox UniversityLane Community CollegeLewis & Clark CollegeLinfield CollegeMt. Hood Community CollegeOregon State UniversityOregon Health & Science Univ.Oregon Institute of TechnologyOregon State UniversityPacific UniversityPortland Community College

Portland State UniversityReed CollegeSaint Martin’s UniversitySeattle Pacific UniversitySeattle UniversitySouthern Oregon UniversityThe Evergreen State CollegeUniversity of IdahoUniversity of OregonUniversity of PortlandUniversity of Puget SoundUniversity of WashingtonWalla Walla CollegeWarner Pacific CollegeWashington State UniversityWestern Oregon UniversityWestern Washington UniversityWhitman CollegeWillamette University

• 37 universities, colleges, and community colleges in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho

• 258,000 students• 9.2 million titles representing

28.7 million items• Group purchases of

electronic resources at a value of $8 million annually.

• seeks to develop the combined collections of member institutions as one collection

OBLIGATORY STATISTICS

• Creation of the Orbis Cascade Alliance Strategic Agenda 2008-2009– Identification of shared technical

services as a strategic agenda item• R2 Report “The Extended Library

Enterprise: Collaborative Technical Services and Shared Staffing”– A starting point for collaborative

technical services discussions– Could see possibilities, but also

problematic areas• Initial collaborative projects suggest a

need for a shared ILS

“THE STORY SO FAR…”

• Shared ILS Groups formed to review the possibility each year from 2009-2011

• Shared ILS RFP in 2011-2012• Chose Ex Libris Alma/Primo in Spring

2012• 4 Cohorts between Jan. 2013-Dec. 2014

– First going live in June– Six months each

• Shared ILS Implementation Team & Collaborative Technical Services Team working together on planning and training

“THE STORY SO FAR… THE CONTINUING SAGA”

• Collection Development and Management Committee

• Shared ILS Committee(s)• Collaborative Technical

Services Team• Each working towards same

goals from different perspectives– EBL/DDA project– Collaborative collecting– Streamlining and facilitating

efficiencies

BUILDING SYNCHRONICITY

• Start with strong existing collaborative ties– Summit borrowing– E-resource purchasing

• Strong relationships foster trust and mutual goals

• Projects some of which succeed and some fail

BOARDING THE COLLABORATION TRAIN

• Patrons– Reorienting vision of library

from ownership to access– Provide for exceptions when

necessary• Staff

– Stress value of individual contributions not at question

– Ensure that communication of the vision is consistent

• Administrators– Ensure that realistic

outcomes conveyed– Don’t sell as a single solution

to challenges

COMMUNICATING THE VISION

• Local needs/Consortial needs• Local or Consortial level work• Thinking outside the box, but

practically so• Decisions for the consortial long

term or local short term

BALANCING ACT

• Expand the resources and services available to Alliance users

• Do “things” once for the benefit of all– E-resource management– MARCIVE– YBP Approval plans

• Consortial collection analysis– Collection development– Retention decisions

• Solidify trusting relationships

VISION FOR THE FUTURE

• Some initial resistance and concern

• Time to build relationships • Projects always take a bit longer

than anticipated• To serve on lots of committees• To support staff in involvement• Learn to know new people and

learn from them

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING (TO COLLABORATE)

THANK-YOU!

Collaboration is a beautiful thing.