Earth

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Earths Largest Library

• Colorado Library Association
• College/University TSAD
• Spring Workshop
• May 25, 2000

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• Presenters

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1) Bibliographic and Catalog Access Issues

• Gail M. Dow
• Director of Technical Access Services
• Denver Public Library

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2) Distribution Issues

• Julie E. Wessling
• Assistant Director for Public Services
• Colorado State University Libraries

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3) Automation Issues

• Veronica F. Smith
• Automation Coordinator
• Westminster Public Library
• and
• Front Range Community College Library

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(No Transcript)
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Amazon.com

• A new model for Libraries
• Pros and Cons for Technical Services
• Gail Dow

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Earths Largest Library Concept

• Proponent Steve Coffman
• Director, FYI
• County of Los Angeles Public Library

Steve Coffman
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Coffmans Library Idea

• Merges what we own with what we can obtain for
  you in a single source database
• Enhances access by including both standard search
  strategies and new approaches
• Promotes new delivery models
• Advocates development of a single integrated
  library system (ILS)
• Stresses convenience for the user

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Bibliographic Issues Pros

• Union catalog concept already a familiar
  library model upon which we can build
• Vastly extends customer access to the totality of
  bibliographic sources
• 24/7/365 -- at users convenience, globally
• Accommodates browsability in a variety of
  standard and new ways
• Potential for readers advisory service
• User-friendly, fault-tolerant

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Browsabilitystandard ways

• author
• title
• keyword
• subject
• series
• call number

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Browsability.enhanced

• cover art/dust jackets
• jacket blurbs/reviews
• customer comments
• awards/best seller lists

• grade levels
• author biographies, interviews, or articles
• value ratings/recommendations
• readers advisory links to similar items, by
  author, subject, genre

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Bibliographic Issues Cons

• Retrievability of bibliographic items
• search strategies
• set size
• unstructured browsing
• Retrievability of physical item
• availability
• timeframes
• location scoping

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Other factors (cons)

• Confidentiality, privacy issues
• Length of enhanced records
• Manageability record ownership and
  maintenance, quality control

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Distribution Issues

• Julie Wessling

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ELL Distribution Issues

• Is ILL well enough?
• ELL and ILL More than one letter apart

L L
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User Convenience - Selection

• Availability

• Purchase option

5 ILL clicks 1 well purchased book
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User Convenience - Ordering

• 24/7 online ordering
• Automatic transfer
• move automatically between systems
• ISO compliant
• leap tall buildings in a single bound

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User Convenience - Delivery

• Send direct to user
• E-books, not P-books
• Railroad car model

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- Costs

• Amazon
• What are the real costs?
• Profitable?
• Libraries
• Real costs
• Watering down the costs

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- Cost of ILL

• ARL Cost Study
• CSU FastFlood Model

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- Cost of ILL
27.83
9.48
14.71
5.66
18.35
4.75
9.05
3.32
1.43
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Cost of ILL

• User
• fees

Score card
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How big is too big?

• Library mission

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How big is too big?

• Optimal cooperation

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Automation Issues

• Veronica Smith

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Current systems and ELL

• PAC and circulation only from ELL
• What about specialized modules?
• Serials, Reserve Book Room, etc
• Acquisitions
• Collection Agencies

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Database size

• Are we asking for trouble?
• Creating the database (Migrating library records)
• Searching capabilities

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Accessibility

• How much can you expect from a server?
• Setup
• Availability
• Redundancy
• Maintenance and Support

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Local LANs in Libraries

• Services other than the catalog
• File and print
• Email
• Hardware and Software upgrades
• Products other than the catalog
• CD-Rom databases
• Internet databases
• Support staff

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Issues for small and rural libraries

• Cost -- Can they afford ELL?
• Internet connectivity (equipment and charges)
• Computer hardware and software
• Speed or Bandwidth
• Is access really a possibility?

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Patron Identification

• Registering patrons
• Identifying patrons
• Checking out materials

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Patron Privacy

• Privacy of checkout information
• PIN numbers
• Data encryption
• For circulation transactions
• For patrons personal information

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Item Identification and Security

• Barcodes, barcodes, barcodes
• Duplication
• Types
• Keeping items secure
• Security tags
• Security systems

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Statistics and Reports

• Creating anew from ELL
• Will you get the same reports you get now?
• Keeping what you already have
• Will you lose the data that is in your current
  system?
• Inventory
• Procedures specialized hardware/software
• Sorting your items out (RR car theory)

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Other related issues

• Abandoning your current system
• Weeding your collection
• Training for staff and patrons
• Marketing your new product to staff and patrons
  alike
• Web accessible databases...are we slowly getting
  there?

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What can we do now?

• Make it easier to request material
• Support multiple delivery options
• Delivery directly to the user
• Simplify processing routines
• Nurture partnerships/consortia -- heroic policies

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More that we can do

• Train all staff about ILL resources
• Communicate with others share information
• Enhance current records
• Pay attention to new/upcoming technologies
• Move to web versions of catalogs and/or web front
  ends

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Even more

• Standardize inter-operability of records/data for
  maximum compatibility
• Support and contribute to local and regional
  union catalog efforts (Prospector, ACLIN)
• Think expansively, and flexibly -- and for the
  greater good, not the perpetuation of the way we
  do it or have always done it

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What do you think?
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Bibliography/Resources

• Virtual ACLIN (http//www.aclin.org)
• Prospector (http//prospector.coalliance.org)
• Building Earths Largest Library
  (http//www.incolsa.net/HTML/teleconf/coff.htm

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Other resources

• This presentation available on the web at
• (http//gromit.westminster.lib.co.us/automation)
• Gail Dow (gdow_at_denver.lib.co.us)
• Julie Wessling (jwessling_at_manta.library.colostate.
  edu)
• Veronica Smith (vsmith_at_westminster.lib.co.us)