Tips and Hints on Library Automation
and Automated Library Systems

by Maree Millard, Librarian, TAFE Queensland, Australia

The following is a reprint of the tips and hints Maree maintains at her Library Automation homepage. For additional resources recommended by Maree and updates to the page see her web site at http://www.home.aone.net.au/libauto/Tips.html.

Note : The opinions and views expressed below in no way reflect those of my employers, past or present, nor do they reflect my opinions and views of any particular library system.

Although my background is in special libraries as well as in sales, marketing and support roles,  I hope that these tips will prove useful to all types of libraries. I feel I have only just brushed the surface of the very many issues involved in the very complex exercise of selecting a new integrated library system.    I have attempted to phase my points in practical, non-technical language, but apologize if it is "too non-technical" for some readers.  The purpose of [my web] page is to try to pass on to librarians some of the knowledge I have gained in the hope that it will be of benefit, particularly for those librarians who work within smaller organizations and don't have the advantage of working within larger libraries whose staff may have a wide range of IT skills, resources and knowledge.

I intend to develop this page and would really appreciate comments and contributions from all interested readers.   If you have any contributions or comments to make please email me at mareem@m140.aone.net.au.   Any contributions will be included in my Feedback page and would be included only with permission of the contributor and be duly acknowledged.

Planning in General :

• There is no perfect system -- but there will be one on the market which should satisfy your present and future needs, and hopefully will lie within your budget.
• A new library system is a big investment, so aim to purchase a system which will satisfy your organization's requirements for at least 5-8 years.
• Plan ahead.  Set a realistic date for installation.  This could be at least 12 months down the track.  You should allow some contingency for delays which are outside your control.   I would recommend 3-6 months extra time (possibly more) depending on the size of the project to be undertaken. 
• Unless you have unlimited funds (which is unlikely), gain a good preliminary overview of what you can expect to pay for a suitable, stable system which will meet your needs.  This will help in planning, and also will eliminate wastage of time in looking at and trying systems which may be outside your price range.
• Take your time in planning and selection.  Try not to be pressured by sales personnel or anyone else both inside and outside your organization. 
• Seek out and gain the support of competent IT personnel in your organization on which you can draw advice and assistance.
• Keep abreast of the latest developments in library systems technology.  But be realistic about your expectations of what "the latest technology" can do for your library.   It also takes software developers time to incorporate new technology and functionality into their systems.
• Some library systems developers are still very much in the development stages of new Windows and GUI based systems.  Some are further ahead than others.  You may have to be prepared to wait for certain functionality to be incorporated into your chosen system.   This is not necessarily a bad thing if the desired outcomes are achieved ultimately.
• Document your gathered information carefully.  Some degree of confusion and blurring can set in by the time you have looked at several systems.
• Remember that integrated automated library systems are very complex, and it requires several years of intense development to produce a base working library system.
• Gain a brief overview of systems in the market place in the early stages of planning.
• Talk to colleagues in other libraries about their library systems.  They are a good place to start your information gathering.   Ask to visit their libraries if possible. 
• Conference exhibits are an excellent place to gain a good overview of what's in the market.  The bigger the conference, the more library systems exhibits you can expect to see.  Allow at least one hour per system and try to view them at the least busiest times for the exhibitors.  This will help both you and the exhibitor and ensure good value for your time. Take notes and attach them to the glossy brochures.
• Visit vendors' web sites for a quick overview.
• Have vendors visit your premises for a preliminary or further demonstration.    I would recommend no more than about 2 hours for a preliminary demonstration.   Concentration levels tend to drop after 2 hours.  It is better to ask the vendor to return for another demonstration at a later date than to attempt to absorb too much information.  Check with the vendor for his or her preferences and requirements on time and setup for the demonstration.   Sales people are busy and very often have to race off to another appointment, so try to keep to the appointed time for starting.
• If your library is required to go out to tender, both you (in preparation) and the vendor (in responding) will be expending a great deal of time and resources.   It is in everyone's best interests to prepare the initial document carefully, and not get too "bogged down" in long and heavy documents.  Be clear in your questions in order to elicit the answers you require.   Try not to leave questions open to too much interpretation, as this can produce problems for you later on down the track.

The Library System under review:

• How long has the system been on the market?
• Is it a newly developed system, or is it a graphical interface upgrade to an existing system?
• Is it a full Windows system?
• What size and type of hardware will be require to run the system?  Remember that your existing hardware may not be appropriate for the system.   Involve your IT support with this one.
• Under what operating systems will it run?
• Is it a 16 bit or 32 bit application?  If 16 bit, plans for upgrading to 32 bit?
• Confirm that you will have no difficulties running other applications side by side with the new library system on the same workstations.
• Is the library system an integrated one, or does it consist of a number of databases running independently of one another.  
• Check with your IT department what the technology policy, plans and requirements of your organization are for the next few years.
• What is the database engine underlying the system.  Find out everything you can about it.   Visit the web site. Find out if and which other library systems use the same database engine.   Confer with your IT technical support on matters you don't understand about this very important issue.
• How many third party products (e.g. report writers, web opac software,  Z39.50 search engines) are attached to the system.   Find out all you can.   Bear in mind that bugs in third party products may impact on the performance of your library system.  Visit the web sites of these third party vendors.
• Does the system have transaction processing?  Your IT support will help you with this one.
• Ask about recommended backup procedures. Discuss these with your IT support.
• Ask for detailed installation procedures for the new system.  What is involved and how long is it expected to take? 
• Is a demo version available for you to install on one of your workstations for a trial period?
• Involve your IT people as much as possible in your assessments.   Try to have them there during demonstrations or alternatively it may be useful to arrange a separate meeting with the vendor and your IT people in order to allow technical questions to be answered.   Your vendor contact may not have all the answers on tap, so be prepared to wait a while.   But be sure to follow up on all unanswered questions.
• Statistical reports  --  an important requirement for most libraries.   Does the system come with all the reports you require?   If not, how easy is it to write your own?  Is it possible to edit the standard reports in the system?  What sort of training will be be required before being able to write your own reports?  Who will provide this training?  Is it part of the overall training program, or will additional training be required in order for you to be able to fulfil your needs for reports?  Ask to see a run of all the standards reports in the system (including if possible a print copy).
• Quotes should be as detailed as possible.  It is ok to ask for a ball-park figure early in your assessment, but once you become a little more interested in a particular system, ask for a more detailed breakdown.
• Will your existing barcode reader be compatible with the new system? 
• A new and exciting feature coming onto the market and which should eventually find its way into library systems is the ability to allow users to link directly from the library's catalogue to a Web search engine.   Terms used to search the library catalogue will then be carried over to search the WWW.  All the more reason why librarians should take responsibility for training their clientele how to search the Web effectively!!! 

The Vendor :

• Is the vendor also the software developer, or is the vendor a distributor or agent for the software developer  If a distributor, try to determine what the relationship is?   And what will be your relationships with the software developer and the distributors should you purchase the product?  Determine the role of the distributor.   Sales, support and training, or just sales?
• Where are the head office and other offices of the developer and/or distributor?   Is there an international presence or is the company localized?  
• How long has the software developer been in the library systems industry?  It is comforting to know that a vendor has a stable history, but this should not discourage you from looking at new arrivals in the industry.  All systems had a beginning somewhere.
• How long has the library system you are interested in been on the market?
• Does the vendor have other products, e.g. other library systems, records management?  Some degree of diversification is not necessarily a negative.
• Visit the developer's and/or agent's web site.  But don't expect too much in-depth information, as a vendor will be reluctant to disclose too much about their products publicly.
• Does the vendor produce a regular newsletter?   Ask for some recent and back copies and read them carefully.  You can tell a lot about vendors and relationships with clients from their newsletters.   Brochures are a less reliable information source as they are essentially a marketing tool.  Be aware that vendors will sometimes include in their brochures functionality which is still in the planning or development stage and therefore not available at this point in time.   Check this out.
• Year 2000 compliance?  A big one!!   Consult your IT contacts as they should be "on the ball" regarding this issue.
• Ask what the developer's plans for the system are for the next couple of years.  Bear in mind however, that software developers are often compelled to reassess their plans in the light of technological and market trends, economic issues,   and also as a result of pressure from clients for specific functionality.
• How many staff does the developer and/or distributor have.   How many librarians and what specific tasks do they carry out?  How much input into the development of the product do librarians or others with strong library skills have?

Support, Maintenance, Data Conversion & Training :

• Examine very carefully the support and maintenance arrangements being offered by the vendor.  Are there a number of options available, e.g. pay for what you get, included in an annual support fee, any hidden costs?  
• What methods of communication are used between the client and support desk (e.g. fax, email, phone)?  A toll free number may be an attractive feature depending on distance between you and the support desk.
• What are the support hours?  Is there out-of-hours support?  If so, how does it work? .  If there are no out-of-hours support, but your library is open outside normal working hours, then you need to consider carefully the impact on your service if the system is non-operational.
• Consider time zone differences in the support hours.   This can make a significant difference in the available hours for support.
• Does the vendor charge for upgrades or new versions or are they included in the annual support and maintenance?
• How often are upgrades or new versions released currently and how often will they be in the future? In what format are they released (e.g. CD, FTP).   Ask to see the release notes for the most recent software release if possible.
• What is the vendor's procedures for bug fixes and how are they released (e.g. CD, FTP)
• Ask for copies of the licensing agreement and support agreement and read these carefully.  Ask for explanations of anything you don't understand.
• Can you expect onsite visits from technical representatives (other than when it becomes a technical necessity), and how often?  This is a great thing if you can get it, but it may possibly be reflected in the costs of support.
• Training is very important.   Ask for full details of the vendor's standard training program. Who, what, and where?  If you have special requirements, or wish to deviate from the standard, can other arrangements be made.   What is the cost?  Find out exactly what you will be charged for. 
• Data conversion from your old system to a new one can be relatively easy or it can be a nightmare.  Getting it correct can be responsible for dragging out the project longer than you hoped for.  Who will do the data conversion?  The software developer or a data conversion specialist? Ask how many trial runs are done before the final conversion.  If similar conversions for other clients have been done previously, which libraries were they, and were problems encountered.  Some systems are not easily converted and require considerable effort and expertise.   Is the developer of your old system still available for contact if necessary?
• Consider the state of and integrity of your current data.   It may be wise to do some cleaning up in the very early planning stages.    Often a bit of tidying up can be of enormous benefit when you reach the data conversion time.
• Ask to see the user documentation.   Who in the organization is responsible for creating and updating the guides?.  How often are new releases of the documentation made and in what formats (print, CD).  What will extra copies of the user guides cost?

Reference sites :

• Ask vendors for names of existing clients and contact persons for all their library systems not just the system you are most interested in.   Bear in mind that vendors who have been in the library systems industry for a number of years may have more than one library system.  
• Ask the vendor to advise their clients that you, a prospective customer, will be contacting them in due course.  Clients who are satisfied with their system will be more than happy to act as a reference site.
• Contact those reference sites ;if possible, visit as many times as you require to satisfy yourself of the suitability of the system.   Don't forget to discuss support, training and data conversion.
• Determine ahead of time what is important to you in a library system and concentrate most of your efforts on examining that functionality.
• Try to determine the stability of the live systems. 
• User Groups and Internet Discussion Groups.   Find out as much as possible about the activity levels of these very important support mechanisms. A "busy" user group is a good sign.  Existing clients will be able to help you. How much involvement in the groups does the vendor or software developer have?

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September 1999

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Maree Millard's Tips and Hints on Library Automation and Automated Library Systems

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