Intercampus Services Task Force: Meeting Report

June 4, 1999 ICS Task Force Meeting
Chancellor's Office Long Beach

Present: Marvin Pollard, Harold Schliefer, Gordon Smith, Kathleen Messer, Elizabeth Housewright (reporting), Kelley Martin, Joanne Bradley, Rhonda Rios-Kravitz, Deborah Schaeffer, Lore Gravino, Pat Lavigna, Gail Cosmo

**Action items marked with **

1. Short and long term plans for the subcommittees and the task force as a whole

• 3.1, due at/after ALA, will still be beta version until??? (KM estimates Spring ’00)
• Most of 3.0 implementation has been verified, but still need to check that communication with OCLC is operational (other sites using the product say it is) and that the interface with 3M is operational as well as the other 4 enhancements scheduled for 3.0 but not yet tested.

• Marvin reminded the group that the major changes from 2.0 to 3.0 may not be highly visible, at least in the client view which is what the enhancements subcommittee is largely focused on, since there were some major infrastructure changes made that will make later enhancements more possible. The web server is totally new and SQL has been substituted for Access. 3.0 also has significant (>300 p.!) documentation.

• Partial implementation is as yet undefined and is complex. In fact, traditional divisions within ILL/DDS may no longer be as useful in defining operations. Lending and borrowing seem to be more useful as divisions, rather than mediated vs. unmediated or books (returnables) vs. photocopies (non-returnables). Also some campuses may find some features in 3.1 a step up from what they have available right now: non-CSULink libraries and those without an ILL form on the web for example. Marvin reminds us that although the eventual goal is one stop shopping, the process can be segmented and turned on in increments.

• For now it was decided that **Marvin will invite Ameritech–John Bodfish and, if possible, Randy Menakes–to provide a hands-on training session on RSS 3.1 for the task force on July 19, 20 or 21 at CSU Fullerton. ** Others that may be invited to the training include one representative from those campuses where the task force member is not directly involved in day-to-day ILL operations AND where a commitment is made to begin testing and using RSS in the Fall. Additional personnel could be added at campus expense. This will provide 5 to 9 sites that are committed to testing the product and working with Ameritech and the Task Force so that we are in a better position to recommend implementation to all campuses. This will also have the advantage that we can help campuses better predict and estimate staffing and budget impacts.

1. Pharos Web Interface Report

• An older version of the ILL page mockup with sample forms is now available on the web (linked from the User Services Task Force page) and was demonstrated by Marvin. Subcommittee has made some changes at the request of the User Services group, but changes haven’t yet been made on the web pages.

• Marvin confirmed that once these forms are fully active (and once the patron authentication and the #limit function have been implemented) they can be substituted for campus specific ILL web forms by linking to them from the ILL page. This would push requests into RSS where they could be acted on or dumped into the OCLC review file and processed through traditional methods.
• Filled-in form will link to confirmation page so that data entry can be checked, patron will be given option to return to form for corrections.
• Need to link directly from "Patron accepts responsibility for…" caution at the bottom of the form to the policies/regulations statement.
• Should link to local ILL office page too for campus specific information.
• Could also link from here to user survey, which could be customizable by campus and activated intermittently as the need for feedback changes.
• Need to be sure that data fields we are asking for are on list of fields available on the database (Marvin passed around relevant section of documentation.)
• Need to have sample records for different material types linked so that patrons can see examples (Rhonda passed out sample records that the User Services Task Force will use)

1. Enhancement Subcommittee Report

The group will continue to work with Ameritech on the necessary enhancements, will look again at other enhancements previously identified but given a lower priority, and may eventually begin another list of 4.0 enhancement recommendations.

• Most of our "necessary for implementation" enhancements (priorities 1 and 2) are now on the workplan for 3.1. Some may be more easily achieved after other products are more fully developed or improved (e.g., will OCLC have non-protocol information or will they comply with the protocol as it stands?, would newer versions of SQL server or 3-M protocol may make some improvements easier?) Some have relatively easy work-arounds that make it less important to spend time on them right now.
• The subcommittee does recommend (endorsed by the Task Force) at this time that there are still some significant unscheduled enhancements that must be implemented before the Task Force can support all-CSU use of RSS. These "showstoppers" are
• E-11 (either need to be able to communicate directly and meaningfully with OCLC during all steps of the process or need to be able to batch update RSS and OCLC from RSS)
• E-20b (need to age and forward requests automatically to next supplier)
• E-82 (Need to create virtual borrowing item records for returnable items in local OPAC so that books can be checked out to patron on local system, enabling automatic overdues, etc.)

• ** Fall 99 pilot sites will use the product and we will continue to hold Ameritech to schedule and continue to push for the best product possible. This will ultimately benefit the CSU and Ameritech. The Task Force will meet in the Fall (September?) to look at status at that time. We can then make recommendations about possible spring implementations to the Management Group by October. **

1. ILL Unit Head Subcommittee Report

• Flyers have been sent out to ILL Unit Heads and the Management Team hosted by the ICS Task Force and there is a copy on the web. Deborah has had 5 or 6 RSVP. We estimate a group of about 40 for the August 9 and 10 meeting.
• Deborah and the subcommittee will work with Jennifer (?) from the Chancellor’s office to arrange accommodations, meals, rooms for the event.
• Task Force will meet (hotel?, chancellor’s office?) on the afternoon of August 9 to do last minute preparations.
• Doug Davis (UL of CSULA and called "father of Pharos/UIAS" at the Fullerton meeting I attended) has accepted our invitation to speak to the group. We will ask him to speak at the hotel during the dessert reception the evening of August 9.
• We plan to meet at the Chancellor’s office at 8:30 AM on August 10 for a continental breakfast. Gordon Smith of the Management Team will welcome the group on behalf of the Chancellor’s office. Morning sessions will include (more details forthcoming as subcommittee plans):
• Marvin: overview and demo of Pharos/patron interface to ILL/RSS. Suggested focuses include:
• complex system that utilizes data interchange protocols that put us in advance of other systems operational today.
• the CSU picture: how this will bring every campus up to state-of-the-art level.
• Kathleen: overview of Task Force work to date and how it will continue into the future. Stress the close working relationship we have with Ameritech, the committee policy recommendations to COLD and how we arrived at them, the hopes for the product as we move towards 4.0.
• Subcommittee reports:
• Enhancements subcommittee: how the process is working; accentuate the positive!
• Web interface subcommittee: may show some elements of user interface?
• After lunch we hope to gather in 4 or 5 groups (possibly identified ahead of time and to continue as "buddy groups" to be trained and practice with RSS) that will each include 1 or 2 members of the Task Force. We will have been trained by that time and should be able to answer some questions. We will try to identify some discussion questions for the groups, for example:
• Now ILL/DDS is the acronym on Pharos. Other suggestions or comments?
• Possible brainstorming or data collection about policy recommendations for non-returnables to inform committee as we begin this process in the fall
• Possible brainstorming about questions you would like statistical reports to be able to answer so that we can pass along any suggestions to Ameritech and/or reassure unit heads that these reports are already planned
• Other questions as suggested by morning session?
• The small group sessions will be followed by reports from each group. We will collect suggestions, questions etc. for follow-up.
• Session will end by 3 to allow people to get back. There could also be a no-host dinner for those who wish to visit a bit longer.

1. Statistics Subcommittee Report