1. Orbis Cascade Alliance
Alma Migration at the
Orbis Cascade Alliance
Joseph Kiegel

2. A Few Words About the Orbis Cascade Alliance
37 academic institutions in Oregon, Washington and Idaho
Public and private institutions of a variety of sizes
Community colleges
Four year colleges
Regional universities
ARL universities
Governed by a Council of 37 library deans and directors

3. Deciding to Migrate to a Shared ILS

4. Alliance Goals for a Shared ILS
Continue the core mission of managing, building and sharing a combined collection and offering first-rate service
Advance future collaborative work
Collaborative technical systems initiative
“A new kind of system and a new way of operating”
To create new services, integrate with other systems, create new workflows and extract data

5. First Step: RFI
To aid in planning, the Alliance sought information from organizations on their ability to provide library management services in a consortial environment
RFI Timeline
Released: February 2011
Responses due: March 2011
Alliance determines next steps: May

6. Results of the RFI A study team analyzed and summarized RFI responses
It concluded:
Market is mature enough, although products are new
Several vendors have a vision that is consistent with the Alliance’s
Vendors are mature and experienced
Core functionality is present, but familiar features of the old system may be lacking
Alliance will need to commit to a high degree of collaboration with a vendor to get the best results

7. Next Step: RFP
The RFI study team recommended that the Alliance proceed with an RFP
Council approved it in July 2011
Since the Alliance expected to consider new approaches, the RFP was intentionally broad and focused on outcomes rather than detailed functional requirements

8. RFP Timeline RFP was schedule-driven rather than results-driven
RFP released: January 2012
Proposals due: February 2012
Product demonstrations: April 2012
Negotiation phase: May-June 2012

9. Opportunities for Staff Comments
December 2011 – comments on a draft RFP
February 2012 – draft scripts for product demonstrations
April 2012 – comments on product demonstrations

10. Result of the RFP
April 2012 – Innovative Interfaces and Ex Libris were invited to the negotiation phase
July 2012 – Alliance Council chose Ex Libris
“Ex Libris was a clear standout and judged to be the preferred option”
December 2012 – contract signed with Ex Libris

11. Organizing for Implementation

12. Implementation Timeline
Implementation started in January 2013
Schedule driven rather than results driven
Four cohorts of libraries, with six months each
Cohort 1: six libraries, live in June 2013
Cohort 2: eleven libraries, live in December 2013
Cohort 3: ten libraries, live in June 2014
Cohort 4: ten libraries, live in December 2014
Cohorts were based on institution size and readiness

13. Alliance Staffing for Migration
Shared ILS Program Manager
Hired a temporary manager, and then recruited for a permanent one
Shared ILS Implementation Team
Chaired by the Program Manager
Staffed by chairs of working groups
Working groups were organized on the model of the former ILS: Acquisitions, Cataloging, Serials/ERM, Circulation and Resource Sharing, Discovery, Systems, and Training

14. Functions of the Working Groups
Assisted each cohort with migration
Organized Alliance reporting of problems and enhancements
Provided a means of communication
Peer to peer
From the Implementation Team out to libraries
Developed some Alliance-wide procedures

15. Working Group Methods 6-8 members and 37 institutional representatives
Worked by and regular telephone meetings
In-person meetings were rare
As migration proceeded, institutional representatives were added to the phone calls
20-30 participants on a call was normal

16. Written Communication
Regular updates from the Program Manager
Periodic from the Implementation Team
Alliance Web site for shared documentation
Organized by working groups
In reality, Google Drive was used most by working groups

17. Training Plan Vendor provided training for Cohort 1
Expectation that Cohort 1 would train Cohort 2 was not met
Vendor provided training for Cohort 2
Alliance provided the greater part of the training for Cohorts 3 and 4
Cohort 1 trained 3, and Cohort 2 trained 4

18. Training Methods Training model was train-the-trainer
Those trained were expected to repeat this training in their libraries
Most training was online via webinars
Webinars were recorded and available later
“Functional Workshop” was used for each cohort
2-3 days of in-person training
Workflow specific training

19. Additional Teams and Programs
Collaborative Technical Services Team
Center of Excellence

20. Collaborative Technical Services Team
Charged with exploring and implementing shared practices in technical services
In fact, it spent most of its time on ILS migration
Focused on policy rather than ILS implementation
Also organized by working groups: Acquisitions, Cataloging, Serials/ERM, and Training

21. Center of Excellence
Meant as a development partnership with the vendor
Focused on the development and enhancement of Alma and Primo and best practices for consortia
Relatively slow to get off the ground and did not have a significant impact on the migration itself

22. Challenges: Organizational and Technical

23. Training Did Not Meet Expectations
Often demonstration rather than instruction
Done in sandboxes that were not fully configured or functional
Manuals showed how to push buttons, not how to accomplish tasks
Little explanation was given on how Alma really works

24. Documentation Was Hard to Manage
Alliance established a passworded Web site for migration documentation, organized by working group
But the goal of broad access and semi-decentralized control was never met
Working groups used more convenient alternatives, such as Google Drive

25. Details of the Migration Process Changed
Migration procedures and data forms changed from cohort to cohort
Each cohort was advised by the one before it
Earlier cohorts were no longer up to date

26. Production Systems Not Ready at Go-Live
Libraries were not given full access to configuration menus until after go-live
As a result, some functions did not work immediately, e.g. EDI

27. Some Functions Were Not Fully Working
Import profiles (loaders) did not work reliably
Shared database (Network Zone) was new and not fully functional
Local bib fields were not available for Cohort 1
Bound-withs were unreliable
OCLC loading was not working well
Some import profiles did not work with the Network Zone

28. Organizing for the
Post-Migration Period

29. Organization Structure
Alliance is now organized by programs
Collaborative Workforce
Content Creation & Dissemination
Resource Sharing
Shared Content
Discovery & Delivery
Systems

30. Responsibility for Alma and Primo is divided among teams
Acquisitions and Resource Management: Collaborative Workforce
Primo and Alma Fulfillment: Discovery & Delivery
Management of vendor relations: Systems

31. Lessons To Be Learned

32. Communication is King
Provide some detail in your vision
If there is system functionality you want, include it in the RFP
Give yourself a realistic amount of time for implementation

33. Organize committees on the model of the new system rather than the old one
Provide a document management system that is flexible and easy to use
Provide backup for staff working intensively at the consortial level

34. More Information Available