Scimitar: a resourcesharing tool for the East Midlands

1
Scimitar a resource-sharing tool for the East
Midlands

• Robert Gent
• Assistant Director, Cultural and Community
  Services, Derbyshire County Council
• Hon Treasurer, LIEM

2
About LIEM

• A membership organisation
• 9 local authorities
• 8 universities
• 20 FE and special libraries
• A strategic voice for the LIS sector in the
  region
• Ambitious work programme

3
Resource sharing in the E Midlands

• LIEM not a traditional regional bureau
• All members sign up to a Partnership Agreement
• Free lending between members
• Variety of library management systems
• No public access to ILL at present
• Sub-regional partnerships in most counties
  varying in effectiveness

4
About Scimitar

• Partnership Agreement a good basis for enhanced
  cooperation
• No formal sharing of catalogue data
• No ability for customers to make a single search
  of all catalogues
• Regions contribution to Inspire and our own
  DiadEM database demonstrated potential
• LIEM well placed to broker an agreement

5
Scimitars objectives

• To provide single-search access to catalogues
• To offer greater choice for library users and
  improve access to resources
• To support lifelong learning
• To improve awareness of and access to material in
  alternative formats
• To make more cost-effective use of stock

6
Funding

• Cost of feasibility study estimated at 20,000
• Implementation c100,000 over two years
• Successful bid to East Midlands Centre of
  Excellence - 40,000
• LIEM to meet set-up costs, subject to successful
  feasibility study
• Tender process Education for Change appointed

7
The feasibility study

• Objectives of feasibility study
• Methodology
• Deliverables
• Timescales

8
Objectives

• Examine strategic, technical, operational and
  economic issues
• Evaluate readiness of partners
• Assess likely buy-in
• Identify costs and benefits
• Draft detailed specification
• Assist in any subsequent tendering process

9
Methodology

• Literature search
• Review current systems and infrastructures
• Summarise options, highlighting
• Impact on customer service
• Resource savings
• Compliance with standards
• Scalability
• Risks
• Resources needed

10
Deliverables

• Completion of feasibility study
• Compilation of detailed specification
• Proof of concept to encourage future
  participation from LIEM members
• Advice and support to Project Board during
  tendering process

11
What the consultants did

• Consultation
• All public and HE libraries
• Some FE and special libraries
• MLA nationally and regionally
• System suppliers
• OCLC-PICA, WILL, WISDOM
• Questionnaire to all LIEM members

12
Interim outcomes of the research

• No uniformity of views across the domain
• Areas of common interest identified
• Access to catalogue data alone unlikely to be
  attractive even with streamlined ILL
• Interest in widening access to resources
• Technical issues are not the key
• User focus needed
• Take account of national initiatives

13
Unity UK key benefits

• Truly national resource but with a regional view
  of data
• ILL functionality not just access to data
• Predictable, low cost
• Public access option
• System-independent
• National branding and promotion
• Continuous product development