challenges & opportunities of alma for the alexandria library network rachel birri blezon

Generalsekretariat VBSKommunikation VBS

Challenges & Opportunities of Alma for the

Alexandria Library NetworkRachel Birri Blezon

IGeLU, Oxford, 15/09/2014

2 Generalsekretariat VBSKommunikation VBS

Overview

1. Library Am Guisanplatz (BiG) and Alexandria Library Network

2. Project «BiG Portal»

3. 10 months after Go Live…Challenges & Opportunities

4. Questions


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


Bern:• Bibliothek am Guisanplatz BiG• EBG• BAG• BAR• SECO• Swisstopo• IGE• NDB• SWTR• FAO

Zurich:• MILAK• Pro Senectute

Neuenburg:• BFS

Seewen SO:• Museum für

Musikautomaten

Grenchen SO:• BWO

Pully VD:• CHPM

Genf:• ZAS

Winterthur:• Sammlung Oskar

Reinhart

Emmen LU:• RUAG

Aerospace

Ligornetto TI:• Museo Vela

http://lapagina.ch/wp-content/uploads/politische_karte_schweiz.gif


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


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


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


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)


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


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


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


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»


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


Lessons learned

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


Questions?


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 DDPSLibrary Am Guisanplatz BiG Papiermühlestrasse 21A; 3003 Bern, Switzerland+41 58 463 45 83 (phone)+41 58 464 50 93 (fax) Mailto:[email protected] www.guisanplatz.ch (Homepage)www.alexandria.ch (Library catalog)

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.guisanplatz.ch/

http://www.alexandria.ch/

challenges & opportunities of alma for the alexandria library network rachel birri blezon

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