(R)evolutionary changes at
University of the Arts London.
Ray Delahunty
Systems 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 colleges
1 university
The triggers- 2011
Funding cuts- the biggie!
New home for CSM
Old Servers?
Server MoveEaster 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 Summon
Go 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 changes
January - August
Centralised bibliographic
service
RFID
The CSM move.
During the summer closed period.
• Two libraries (40K and 50K bibs) closed and reopened 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 Systems
August - 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!!)
RFID
project timetable
Procurement Start
Project Start
Procurement ends
Tagging starts
Tagging ends
Project 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.