Next generation systems workshop


Next generation systems workshop

Liber Helsinki 2016

Liber 2016

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 ABES co-leads a national study for the 
implementation of a Mutualized IT system for 
libraries

 A tender based on Public order grouping :
– 46 institutions (universities, research organizations)
– 60% of French Higher education libraries
– Competitive dialog
– Multi awarded
– Sustained competition between suppliers for nearly 20 months

Liber 2016

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A win-win dialog

 sustained competition between suppliers for nearly 
20 months

 Very precise specifications 
– 250 features
– 70 practical cases
– 30 experts 

 The  task force :
– Abes : 1 project director 2 project leaders (1 librarian, 1 IT)
– 9 project leaders 1 for each Pilot site library

 Nearly 145 people involved in a higly structured 
organization, 30 expert regularly requested

 1250 man/days and probably 250 man days for each 
provider

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Multi awarded tender process

 The scope at French level : do not depend on just 
one supplier which would create a monopoly.

 Minimum 3 potential providers : 
– Chosen by a group or a single library by a subsequent award that 

constitute ‘waves’ 

 Opening of the bids : end of june (today!)
 The tender commission will select only part of the 5 

candidates  
 Only the approved systems can take part to a 

subsequent tender 

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Next steps 

 Summer : analysis
 September 2016 : Commission decision 
 Autumn 2016 : first subsequent tender
 January 2017 : first wave implementation
 Autumn 2017 : system running 

Liber 2016

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Economic issues

 The weight of the French institutions going together 
(60%) help shake up pricing system towards greater 
transparency and lower prices

 A study commissioned by ADBU (Libraries Directors 
association) focused to identify total cost of 
ownership conclude that :
– The adoption of a cloud library management system is translated into 

gains only if the institution reorganize its workflows

 Why not launch reorganization without a new system 
?
– If your system is no more state of the art you have to change it, but if 

not ?

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University landscape context

 Universities are merging to constitute big structures 
at cities or regional level

 Amalgamation is an opportunity to choose a 
common system

Liber 2016

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Rethink the complexity

 The SGBm project enabled both
– to rethink the complexity of the relationships between local, regional 

and national levels and 
– reinvent close cooperation between these levels.

 Force the suppliers to structure better their offer in 3 
levels:
– international level : global data and services to all libraries sharing 

system,
– syndicated level : data and services specific to a group of libraries,
– local level : own data and services for a particular library,

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An evolution of services offered by ABES

 According to the project phases :
– During competitive dialogue :

• ownership assistance 
• assisting with project management experimental sites

– Other pooling axes will emerge : 
• IT co-development; 
• training and media with sharing platforms (presentation, scripts , ...); 
• coordinate data collection needs; 
• production, enrichment and correction data; 
• Strategic organization of local initiatives ...

Liber 2016

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Monopoly risk 
Mapping actors internationally 

 Remain master of our cataloging standards, 
 Move towards a shared repository authorities that 

transcends boundaries, including our Francophony
(idref, Rameau, future national authorities file ABES / 
BNF). 

 The issue of the architecture of such systems 
becomes crucial. 
– How to work / lean on / multiple authority files (physical persons, legal 

persons, materials, works , etc.) 
– and have as much as possible formats allowing multilingual search ? .

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Shared open source solution ?

 Recent major solutions acquisitions are not 
reassuring regarding sustainable competition 
conditions
– Open source solutions?
– Open data solutions ?

JABES 10 - 11  mai 2016

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Questions

 Are theses new category of library software really a 
new generation systems ?

 Are we able, at European level, to build a metadata 
platform
– Open
– Federative
– Real time
– Complete 

 What is the role of national union catalogues 

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Questions 

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