Generalsekretariat VBS
Kommunikation VBS
Challenges & Opportunities
of Alma for the
Alexandria Library Network
Rachel Birri Blezon
IGeLU, Oxford, 15/09/2014
Overview
1. Library Am Guisanplatz (BiG) and Alexandria Library
Network
2. Project «BiG Portal»
3. 10 months after Go Live…Challenges & Opportunities
4. Questions
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Library Am Guisanplatz (BiG)
 Founded in 1848 as Federal Military Library (FML)
 27.10.2007: new name «Library Am Guisanplatz»
 Since 2009: Leading library of the Alexandria Network
 Collections:
 Centre of excellence for specialised military literature
 Civilian fields : history, politics, environment, law, civil
protection, finances and economics etc.
 573‘000 books, 5‘960 journals, articles, EOD
 Users:
 Federal Administration + Army
 Public library
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Bern:
• Bibliothek am Guisanplatz BiG
• EBG
• BAG
• BAR
• SECO
• Swisstopo
• IGE
• NDB
• SWTR
• FAO
Zurich:
• MILAK
• Pro Senectute
Winterthur:
• Sammlung Oskar Reinhart
Emmen LU:
• RUAG Aerospace
Seewen SO:
• Museum für
Musikautomaten
Grenchen SO:
• BWO
Ligornetto TI:
Neuenburg:
• Museo Vela
• BFS
Pully VD:
• CHPM
Genf:
• ZAS
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Alexandria Library Network
 20 libraries (incl. BiG)
 Internal govermental libraries
 Libraries outside the Swiss Federal Administration
 Some public libraries
 Collections of the Network (incl. BiG)
 833‘000 books, 16‘046 journals, articles
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BiG Portal - Background
 Strategic IT planning (SIP BiG) in 2011
 Review the IT of the BiG
 Many (>20) MS Access databases
 Complex administration of the old software Virtua
 «junior partner» of the Swiss National Library
 20 libraries  different IT services involved
e.g. install new releases
 Little autonomy of action
 Goal-oriented approach, focus on implementation
 Step into the future
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BiG Portal - Goals
 Integral system, 1 database:
 Metadata (catalog etc.)
 Digital objects (e-books, scans etc.)
 E-resources (access, management etc.)
 Central management of user data
 Core process (acquisition, fulfillment etc.)
 No server/client architecture
 Access via browser
 no local installation
 Solution for BiG, Alexandria Network and other interested
administrative units of the government
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BiG Portal – Solution Alma/Primo
 Choice: Alma + Primo
 Unified Resource Management
 Workflow oriented management
 Management of digital objects
 For the future: e-resources
 …and all the possibilities
 Contracts signed end of 2012
 EAP DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
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BiG Portal – Lifecycle of the project
 Initiation, preparation: January – June 2013
 No access to Sandbox
 Little interaction with ExLibris 
 Visit of an Alma Expert in Bern
 Visit of the Library of the Free University of Bolzano
 Data cleaning
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BiG Portal – Lifecycle of the project
 Implementation + migration: June – November 2013
 Kick off  Access to Sandbox
 A lot of interaction with ExLibris 
 Forms, Forms, Forms…
 WebEx, WebEx, WebEx…
 Project calls, Functional Workshop,…
 27.11.2013: Go Live
 Postmigration: Today!
 Some major issues to be solved
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10 months after Go Live - Challenges
Before/during implementation
 Training concept of ExLibris
 Solution for serials routing: BiGSeRo
 Language (English)
 Problems for staff
 Concequences for customers (Primo, Letters…)
 In German since September Release!
Today
 Management of digital objects
 GND (thesaurus) + local authorities
 Browser related problems
 Interoperability Alma <-> Primo
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10 months after Go Live - Challenges
Internal challenges
 Change Management
 Rethink the workflows
 Monthly releases
 Participation of the different services / functional experts
 Some problems are «house made»
 Communication
 Project team, BiG, Alexandria Network
EAP DACH
 Started in October 2013
 Language related problems  BiG is «alone»
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10 months after Go Live - Opportunities
A lot of possibilities!
 Rethink internal workflows, configure existing functionalities
 Fulfillment: personal delivery, email-policy, lending policy
 Work orders
 Automate workflows: acquisition, indexing
 «Start from zero»
 Serials management + routing
 Cataloguing
 E-resources
 Analytics
 Primo: new catalogue / discovery tool, new possibilities
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Lessons learned
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It’s all in the mind!
Include the IT from the beginning
Priorities, keep a cool head
Rethink internal workflows, adapt to Alma
User-adapted, but honest communication
Training concept of ExLibris suboptimal
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Questions?
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Contact
Rachel Birri Blezon, BSc.
Deputy Chief of the Alexandria Library Network Coordination,
Systems Librarian
Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS)
General Secretariat DDPS
Library Am Guisanplatz BiG
Papiermühlestrasse 21A; 3003 Bern, Switzerland
+41 58 463 45 83 (phone)
+41 58 464 50 93 (fax)
Mailto:Rahel.BirriBlezon@gs-vbs.admin.ch
www.guisanplatz.ch (Homepage)
www.alexandria.ch (Library catalog)
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