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Archive: Snapshot from 1999

Maine InfoNet Is Here... 1999 - Services for Maine Libraries

After years of work by the Maine library community, Maine InfoNet is now becoming a reality. Long discussions with Innovative Interfaces Inc., supplier of software to URSUS libraries and 8 other major libraries in Maine, have resulted in a contract that addresses three of the major objectives of the project:

Additional InfoNet services not based on Innovative products include:  the Gateway and Digital Publishing Platform, Retrospective Conversion work, local Grants, and Ancillary Services.  This document outlines the project for Maine library decision-makers considering how and when to take advantage of the new systems that InfoNet is about to create.

I.  Low-Cost, High Performance Integrated Library System

Any Maine library seeking a sophisticated integrated library system may become a part of the  new Full Management System (FMS) at a cost far below that of the same system purchased on a stand-alone basis.

Software

The project will pay the entire license cost for software providing the following capabilities:

  • cataloging
  • circulation
  • public access catalog
  • web access to catalog
  • patron-initiated ILL capability
  • acquisitions serials control
  • Z39.50 client/server capability
  • authority control
  • OCLC record interface
  • scoping for solo display of local library holdings

Additional Benefits

Other benefits include:
  • Upgrade at no cost to Innovative Interface's new Millennium system as components of that system are released of the next several years.
  • Substantial assistance in processing of existing bibliographic records.
  • All hardware maintenance, backup and general operational activities are handled at the central site rather than in your library.
  • Initial and ongoing training and phone support will be provided.

Minimizing Ongoing Costs

Ongoing costs of the FMS are to be shared by libraries participating in the FMS.  These costs will be at a level far below that typical for a stand-alone Innovative system.  Ongoing costs do not come due until the project enters its second year -- at earliest July, 2001.  This provides a window during which libraries may review the FMS opportunity, commit to participation, begin data conversion and loading, and adjust their budgets  to take account of ongoing costs.

It is anticipated that a Users Council or some similar body with representation from libraries participating in FMS will refine the approach to costs outlined below.

The components of annual, ongoing cost are:

  • Innovative Software Support and Server Hardware Support
  • Central Site Hosting Costs
  • Telecommunications connectivity (Only if a new circuit is required)
  • System Management Costs and Contingency Fund

The first two items decrease with the number of participants sharing the system, while the last two are fixed on a per library basis.  Note that libraries with sufficient existing bandwidth to dependably allow 56 Kbps for InfoNet traffic will not need to make additional out-of-pocket expenditures.  Most sites will qualify for the expanded MSLN connectivity option at no cost thru May, 2001.  It is expected that the Maine Telecommunications Education Access Fund (MTEAF) will continue services in place as of July 1, 2001 at negligible cost.

A process of progressively refining the count of libraries interested in FMS participation and the consequent costs of that participation will result in final and reliably fixed costs.  These costs may be further modified by policy decisions made by participants on the matter of whether, and if so how, to apportion costs by size of institution or level of utilization of the system.

A cost model has been developed by the Maine State Library to approximate ongoing costs of Full Management System participation for a library, given various numbers of participants.  With 25 libraries committed as of this date, annual cost is not expected to exceed $3900.  

Cost model of full management system

II.  Holdings Database

The holdings database takes the place of MaineCat in making visible the collections of libraries not utilizing an Innovative integrated library system.  Every one of those libraries is encouraged to provide information on its collections.  There is no cost to local libraries for adding to the database, searching the database or any other activities associated with the database.

Benefits of participation in the Holdings Database include:

  • The local collection becomes searchable on the World Wide Web as part of the Holdings Database and through it is merged into the statewide union catalog
  • Local library staff have access to electronic interlibrary loan requesting
  • Holdings may be updated in batch mode (supplying data records) or interactively online
  • Copies of records bearing a library's symbol may be extracted on request for use in a local system
  • Library holdings can be included in regional and type-of-library scoping levels

III.  Interlibrary Loan and Statewide Union Catalog

Innovative Interfaces' Inn Reach software will be used to create a dynamic statewide union catalog consisting of bibliographic information for collections included in the Full Management System, the Holdings Database, URSUS and all other Innovative Systems in Maine that decide to take part.  Whenever a change is made to any Innovative database, it will be immediately  transmitted to and reflected in the union catalog.  Shelf status will be visible for all systems except the Holdings Database.

The statewide Maine InfoNet database will begin operation in January, 2000, with the holdings of URSUS, Bates, Bowdoin and Colby Colleges.  Additional systems will be linked to the system in subsequent months.

Patron-initiated interlibrary loan requesting, with or without staff review of  outgoing requests, is available within the Full Management System.  Requests from Holdings Database libraries may only be made by a staff member.  Request status may be determined at all points within the transaction.  A variety of statistical reports reflecting lending activity are available.

Requests within a single system (FMS or the Holdings Database) are routed randomly to a holding library within that system in order to distribute the ILL load.  Requests made through the Inn Reach union catalog are parceled out to holding libraries on the basis of  a configurable table of supplier priorities.

Note that the following InfoNet components, while they will be implemented in tandem with and in support of the Innovative Interfaces systems described above, are not based on hardware or software components from that firm.

IV.  Gateway and Digital Publishing Platform

This portion of the project will consist of a variety of capabilities.  Some will be created through products and services acquired under a Request for Proposal. Others will be acquired on the open market.  These capabilities will include:

  • Internet publishing of text, images, databases and other media contributed by Maine libraries and other organizations, with access via both web and Z39.50 client software.
  • Integration of access to a wide variety of information resources, free and fee-based, locally and remotely published, bibliographic and full-text.
  • Web browser to Z39.50 client gateway for use by Maine libraries.
  • A search engine that supports indexing and keyword searching of frequently updated collections of selectively designated web pages, e.g. pages related to Maine, pages created by Maine libraries.

V.  Retrospective Conversion

The Maine InfoNet Project will pay for the following categories of retrospective conversion:
  • Unconverted holdings of the Area Reference and Resource Centers
  • Portions of library collections judged to be of substantial statewide interest and value
A combination of conversion methodologies will be used, appropriate to the collections involved and aimed at making the most efficient use of limited retrospective conversion funds.  Funding of temporary local staff  to match holdings against resource databases will likely be one of the approaches used.

VI.  Ancillary Services

As a result of Maine InfoNet and in support of it, the following services are being developed:

Note: A number of obligations come with various levels of InfoNet involvement: participation in statewide resource sharing, no-fee in-house access, maintenance of effort in local material expenditures, participation in system user groups and advisory councils.  Further details will be forthcoming as Maine Info Net is rolled out.