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Building on Two Decades of Shared Services. SUNYLA Conference 2012 June 7, 2012 Maureen Zajkowski SUNY Office of Library and Information Services.
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Building on Two Decades of Shared Services SUNYLA Conference 2012 June 7, 2012 Maureen Zajkowski SUNY Office of Library and Information Services
“Systemness is the coordination of multiple components that when working together create a network of activity that is more powerful than any action of individual parts on their own.” Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher 2012 State of the University Address Monday, January 9, 2012
Initial Library Automation Activities 1987: creation of the Library Automation Implementation Program (LAIP) • Joint partnership among SUNY libraries and SUNY System Administration • 40 SUNY libraries using a common software/hardware platform • Financial • Start up - university wide funds • Ongoing – university wide funds and campus contributions
LAIP • Goals • Provide online public access catalogs and integrated library software • Ensure that each SUNY and New York State citizens have access to SUNY’s combined library resources • Foundation for future development
LAIP • Hosting sites – 5 campuses across the state • 8 to 10 libraries per site • “Clusters” • Database structures • Campus specific bib data in a shared database • Application enabled libraries to present their campus catalogs individually • Managing local library policies and workflows required collaboration
LAIP • Technical and Application Support • System Administration coordinated implementation, training, local document development, 1st line support • Peer support provided by “Cluster groups” made up of librarians and technical staff from host campus computing centers
LAIP • Governance structure • Library Automation Steering Group (LASG) – financial and administrative oversight • SUNY Library Support Center Advisory Board operational issues associated with shared server environments
LAIP Highlights • Campuses maintained local identities • Campuses maintained their own policies within the parameters of shared servers • Development of community and sharing • Proven cost efficiencies in shared environment • Concerns about not having full autonomy over local campus data and activities
On Another Front 1990s: Explosion of E-Resources • Full text – books, journals, newspapers, etc. • Benefits • Move from print and desktop only access (CD-ROMS) • Online, real time access on campus and remotely • Power of aggregate purchasing • SUNY-wide E-Resources Teams to evaluate and recommend purchases • Goal to provide core collections of electronic content for all students and faculty anytime and from any place • Funding models – University wide and campus contributions
Introducing SUNYConnect 1998: SUNY Council of Library Directors April 28, 1998 unanimous resolution • Endorse goal of one common library management system • Integrate the system migration with creation of a virtual library Goals • Union catalog • Universal borrowing capabilities • Shared operations and funding • Local autonomy of library data within a shared server environment
SUNYConnect • System Selected • Highly customizable • 59 SUNY campuses • University Centers – maintain local hardware and application • Information Technology Exchange Center (ITEC) – host 55 SUNY campuses • Database structure • Each campus has completely separate databases • No longer concerns, as in LAIP, about restrictions on local practices • Financial • Continued model of combination of University wide funding and campus contributions
SUNYConnect Technical and Application Support • Coordinated by System Administration Office of Library and Information Services with ITEC • Provided ability for campuses to manage their own configuration files and data • OLIS and ITEC worked to streamline processes to better handle maintenance and updates • Managed Services
SUNYConnect • Governance structure • SUNYConnect Coordinating Committee (SCCC) – policy and organizational considerations • Ad-hoc SUNY-wide task forces created as needed as part of review with SCCC
Benefits of collaboration • Development of expertise – ability to work on common problems and share solutions • Camaraderie and friendship across SUNY • Sense of being part of a larger (SUNY) community • Professional development opportunities • Cost-effective way to bring new services and improve services
Importance of • Governance structure to provide review and recommendations for policies and activities that impact multiple campuses • Avenues for feedback from community • Building infrastructures that are scalable and sustainable
Challenges • Focus on services to students and faculty • Focus on common goals • Distinguish between desires and needs • Explore balance between what needs to be done locally and what is more efficiently done centrally • Develop strategic partnerships both within and across campuses
Changing Environments • Staff retirements • Budget reductions • Impact on purchasing resources • Impact on developing new initiatives • On going expectation for access to increasingly diverse online, full text resources
Next Phase SUNYConnect 2012: SUNY Council of Library Directors April Meeting • Endorsed goal of creating a shared catalog for libraries on the shared servers Value – Support initiatives • Facilitate the use of a SUNY-wide discovery layer • Minimize number of data sources • Better management and access to e-resource content • Incorporate access to digital repositories • Provide unified portal to traditional and electronic collections across libraries • Provide greater opportunities to enhance shared operations • Facilitate cooperative purchasing and sharing of resources • Position libraries for future developments
Collaboration • SUNY Librarians Home Page @ ITEC • Confluence space “SUNY Libraries” • Confluence group name “sunylib” • Shared Collections Taskforce - recent SCLD endorsements • SUNYOne Program • Last Copy Policy • Shared Technical Services & IMS • Presentation to SCLD on benefits of shared catalog and discovery tools • Digital Preservation • Binghamton take the lead on investigating a u-wide solution • Innovative Library Services through Technology Certificate
Closing Thoughts • Collaboration is rewarding • Ongoing interactions/communication with the community is critical • New developments facilitate collaboration • No pre-conceived ideas • New technologies are opportunities for collaboration • While planning is critical - You will never have all the information or answers that you want or think you will need • Progress – one step at a time • Is doing nothing an option? • Will current services maintain relevancy? • Your community will find improved services if you don’t provide them
Questions? Maureen Zajkowski SUNYConnect Program Manager maureen.zajkowski@suny.edu