The University of Birmingham Alma Migration

1. The University of Birmingham Alma Migration Edward Craft IT Services Frances Machell Library Services EPUG-UKI 15th October 2018

2. Introduction • Went Live start of August 2018. • “Well Done!” – Application Operations Manager. • “Fantastic job!” – Head of Application Services • “An incredible achievement”, “The way that this project has been run and rolled out has been exemplary.” – Director of Library Services • “Great work everyone.” – Academic Registrar • “How did it all go so right?” – Assistant Director LS

3. Background context • ~33,500 students • 7 libraries plus new branch campus in Dubai • Global top 100, research intensive university

4. Library Services perspective

5. Who were the team? • Core project team • Project manager • Two IT Solutions Leads • Business Analyst (for early stage) • Senior user/Library project lead

6. Functional Experts • Key contacts between project team and rest of Library Services • Needed: • Knowledge and expertise: workflows, who knows what within teams • Authority: to make decisions about configuration and workflows • Access to others: for training, testing, writing documentation etc

7. Additional Specialists • Nominated by the functional experts • For the functional experts: support; specific knowledge and experience • For the project team: controlled and manageable group size

8. Image: CC-BY-NC 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/rpeschetz/2570903306

9. Change management workshops • 3 workshops • External consultant • Group of Functional Experts and Heads of Service • Additional 1 day workshop for line managers who were not Functional Experts

10. Transactional Analysis (Parent-Adult-Child communication) Development continuum, change regression Coaching skills Resilience, the Happiness Advantage and mindfulness Problemland vs Solutionland, assumed constraints

11. “I can recognise what’s going wrong even if I don’t manage to stop myself turning into a critical parent or petulant child!” • “I enjoyed the conscious thinking of positive things within your daily life… we would often comment on listening to the birds as we came into work!” • “I’ve tried to use the mindfulness techniques when faced with panic… I started having a panic attack the week before Alma went live and I think saying to myself “What would Jim and Alix to?” helped me to breathe”

12. Challenges “It’s very hard to justify to yourself the time when there’s so much else on your plate” • Time pressure • Not Alma training • Not everyone embraces that style of training “2 days spent with LMS provider may be more useful for us all”

13. Successes “It was an opportunity to get to know people I wouldn’t normally work with” • Emotions • Teamwork • From anxiety to action within minutes “I found the opening session… where we moaned and moaned on about Alma very cathartic!! The following day… I felt brilliant” “Really took us to the next level of thinking”

14. The ‘falafel’ of Alma Image: CC https://pixabay.com/en/time-for-a-change-courage-897441/

15. Not just ‘how to use Alma’ • Teams and workflows connect together • Setting expectations • Acknowledging the emotions • Taking pressure off Image: CC https://pixabay.com/en/beautiful-day-joy-frog-coffee-cup-1374211/

16. IT Services

17. IT: Alma Integrations • ExLibris 3rd Party form – Alma-centric • Users: SIS/Sentry • SIP-2 – conflict between suppliers • OCLC/RLUK/NBK submissions in progress. • EDI was quick to set-up. • OASIS ordering is working well at the moment (we think).

18. IT: Primo Integrations • Primo Customisations (CSS) • Home page and icons • Views and tabs • Primo Menu links • BrowZine • Just Ask • Find Databases

19. IT: Primo Integrations ?

20. IT: Primo Integrations • Alma/Primo Configurations • WagnerGuide • angularJS • ‘Research Reserve’ Request form • Migration safety net • ReadingLists • BrowZine API

21. Lessons learned - Training Image: CC-BY-SA 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/markcph/5636686217/

22. Lessons learned – Comms Image: CC-BY https://www.flickr.com/photos/cgpgrey/4893503088/

23. Lessons learned – Library input Image: CC-BY 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/39908901@N06/7531971652

24. Support Strategy • The drivers • Support spectrum Library IT Configuration Administration Integration • ‘More efficient (and just as effective) to train Library staff in technical aspects than to train mainstream IT staff in fundamentals of Librarianship AND Alma administration.’

25. Support Strategy • The proposal • FEs to act as super users in their area taking on management roles within Alma. • (Certified) Library IT staff to assist FEs and help train 2+ library staff to certification level, then share administration responsibility. • Library and helpdesk to triage incidents/enhancements keeping more work within Library services. • Once workload drops, de-silo Library IT knowledge to other IT staff.

26. Going Forwards • Library – scoping of roles? • ‘Bedding In’ & establishing support strategy • Catching up on other Library/IT projects • ExLibris Identity Management Service • Primo VE?

27. Any Questions? • Edward Craft e.j.craft@bham.ac.uk • Frances Machell f.e.machell@bham.ac.uk