CLIC @ CLICK06: a
consortial success story
Cathie Jilovsky
Kathryn Pearson
Julie Wilson
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Performed by Jason McNear
(La Trobe University)
CLIC go the rotas, CLIC, CLIC, CLIC,
Wide is our scope and requests move quick,
The users look around for docs to help them know,
And thank the consortium for making a service grow’
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
The beginning
• CLIC established 2001
• Purposes
¾manage library ILL/Document Delivery
operations
¾share expertise
¾share risk
¾achieve economies of scale
• Part of LIDDAS project
• CAVAL as consortium manager
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CLIC Members
6 academic libraries in NSW and Victoria
¾ CARM Centre (CAVAL)
¾ La Trobe University
¾ Macquarie University
¾ RMIT University
¾ University of Newcastle
¾ Victoria University
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CARM & CAVAL
CARM: CAVAL Archival &
Research materials Centre
• high density specialist
storage facility
• lower-use research
materials
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CAVAL: Consortium Manager
• help desk
• configuration
• project management
• training
Indicators of success ..
• common needs and goals
• economic benefits through sharing
costs
• improved service provision to
customers
• effective communication
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CLIC Development
• Landmarks
¾Pilot operations 2001-2003
¾Libraries Australia DD Interoperability 2003
• Towards the future
¾new service models
¾cooperative arrangements
¾quality issues
¾workflow and turnaround time improvements
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CLIC Management
• Formal contract with CAVAL covers
¾configuration
¾operational support
¾specialised reports
¾documentation
¾training
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Increasing usage
CLIC Requests
Number
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
2003
2004
Year
Outgoing
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Incoming
2005
Consortium Administration
• Decision making mechanisms
¾regular teleconferences covering
operational issues
¾formal business meetings
• Culture of sharing and learning
¾Group training
¾Practitioners workshops
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Consortia advantages
‘Collaboration can reduce costs, leverage
expertise, and provide a broader
perspective’
(Hawkins and Oblinger 2005)
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Consortia disadvantages
• Negotiations and compromises required
on a number of issues with varying
¾configuration requirements
¾configuration priorities
¾financial flexibility
• Financial risks
• Knowledge base held centrally
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CLIC Success Factors (1)
• Application Hosted Service and Technical
Support
• Size and composition
• Consortium management
• Decision making
• Communication – formal and informal
• In-kind support
• Practitioner staff involvement
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CLIC success factors (2)
• Implementation of a complex
system, VDX, indicates
success
¾unexpected outcomes in
expertise developed and
shared
¾relationships fostered between
libraries at all levels
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Service Improvements
• Reduction in turnaround times
• Dramatic reduction in rush & express
requests
• Integration of cross campus & intercampus services
• Extension of services to remote,
external & offshore students
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
More Service Improvements
• Future developments
¾ LDAP and single log in
¾ Automediation
¾ Reduce staff processing times and improve
service for customers
• Practitioners workshops- collegiality
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CLIC Workshop
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Help Desk
• Seamless service
• CAVAL Team of experienced
support staff provide an
efficient helpdesk
• Sharing of expertise amongst
technical staff & libraries
• Vendor (OCLC-Pica)
provides Hosted system &
technical support
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Size and Composition
• Relatively small size an advantage
• Members all university libraries with
common purpose & understanding of
the business involved
• Practitioners involved at policy level
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Management
•
•
•
•
Administrative expertise provided by
CAVAL has minimised bureaucratic
processes
Meetings, minutes & teleconferences
scheduled well in advance
Regular reports on outstanding
configuration & help desk calls
Upgrades planned well in advance
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Decision Making
• Shared decision making
• Expertise established
• Access to body of shared knowledge
built over time meant decisions can be
made more easily
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Communication
• Excellent communication a major factor
in success
• Mix of formal & informal
• Regular teleconferences
• Face to face meetings
• Email discussion lists
• Informal contacts telephone & email
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
In-Kind Support
• A combined commitment to share
• Development of user guides and
documented procedures
• Examples
¾La Trobe’s on line user guides
¾Newcastle’s web help text
¾Macquarie’s saved searches
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
DD & ILL Staff
• Involvement by staff using the system
daily contributed to the successful
implementations & collaboration
• Staff view operations with confidence &
demonstrate this in daily dealings with
customers
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
Conclusion
• Advantages of the consortium approach
outweighed the risks of going it alone
• Success attributed to a range of factors
• Complex relationships = positive results
• The right mix – formal & informal processes
• Continuous improvement in service
provision
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CONTACTS
CAVAL Collaborative Solutions
http://www.caval.edu.au
Macquarie VDX
https://fdihs.vrn.edu.au/portal/macquarie
RMIT VDX
https://fdihs.vrn.edu.au/portal/rmit
Cathie Jilovsky – cathiej@caval.edu.au
Kathryn Pearson – kathryn.pearson@mq.edu.au
Julie Wilson – julie.wilson@rmit.edu.au
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium
CLIC – CAVAL VDX Consortium