Frequently Asked Questions - Prospective Participants

What is Minerva?
What features and costs will Minerva have for my library?
What should I include in my budget planning for Minerva?
Under what conditions can a school district be considered a single Minerva participant?
What are the pros and cons of sharing a large online system like Minerva?
What are the hardware and network requirements for Minerva?
Did Maine look into a group purchase of micro-based circulation and public access catalog software?

1. What is Minerva?

Initially, "Minerva" stood for Maine InfoNet Electronic Resources Via Automation. However, as a result of a strategic planning process as well as discussions with Minerva participants, the system is now recognized as a service of the Maine State Library and no longer a part of the "Maine InfoNet Project". "Minerva" can also be written as "Minerva". It is a statewide, shared integrated library system open to any Maine library willing to abide by the Agreement to Participate and related obligations of participation. The system allows and requires participation in online requesting and lending of library materials, locally within Minerva and statewide through the MaineCat - Statewide Catalog. In older literature about the project, Minerva was called the "Full Management System" and the "InfoNet Library Management System".

2. What features and costs does Minerva offer Maine Libraries?

Any Maine library seeking a sophisticated integrated library system may become a part of Minerva 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
web-based public access catalog
patron-initiated requesting capability
acquisitions module
serials control module
Z39.50 client/server capability
authority control
OCLC online 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 are released over the next several years.
Substantial assistance in processing and loading 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 are provided.

Minimizing Ongoing Costs

Ongoing costs of Minerva are shared by participating libraries. These costs are at a level far below that typical for a stand-alone Innovative Interfaces system. Ongoing annual costs have been $3,000/library since July 1, 2002. Check with an MSL staff member to confirm that this is still the current rate. New libraries beginning use of the system during the year are charged a pro-rated share of the annual fee.

The components of annual, ongoing cost are:

Innovative Software Support and Server Hardware Support
Central Site Hosting Costs
System Management Costs and Contingency Fund

3. What should I include in my budget planning for Minerva?

Libraries joining Minerva will be responsible for their own local computer hardware. Virtually any modern personal computer will due.

Libraries must either employ a 14-digit codabar (MOD 10 check digit) item barcode format, or agree to purchase new dumb barcodes and begin using this format on new items and any items that are requested through online means. Some libraries may require new programmable barcode readers if multiple barcode formats must be supported or old hardware cannot read codabar.

Libraries with inadequate current bandwidth qualify for a free MSLN bandwidth upgrade. However, a router or other end point hardware needed for the new connection are the responsibility of the library. It should be noted that a non-MSLN network connection via DSL or cable service will also suffice and may be available in some localities. End-point equipment cost is typically $200 or less for such a link.

Ongoing costs for each support year are invoiced in late March for payment by late May. They apply to all libraries that will be using circulation, cataloging and the OPAC as of July. Libraries that start up subsequent to that date will be billed upon start-up for a pro-rated portion of the current support charge.

4. Under what conditions can a school district be considered a single Minerva participant?

School libraries can join the Minerva integrated library system individually under the same conditions as any other Maine library. If a school district wishes to be considered a single participant for the purposes of billing, however, the following conditions must be agreed to:

All libraries within the district that are Minerva sites will lend and borrow through Minerva and MaineCat in accord with the general procedures, policies and conditions observed by other Minerva sites.
One person will serve as the Minerva coordinator and first point of support for staff in multiple libraries within a district. Training and support provided by the Maine State Library to this person will be passed on to individual school district libraries by this contact person.
The libraries within a school district will share the number of scopes and patron types generally provided to an individual Minerva library, i.e. one and two respectively, as of this writing.
The district must receive and pay a single invoice for Minerva service according to the same schedule and conditions as other Minerva participants.
The district will be considered a single entity for the purposes of decision-making. It will have one vote in the Users' Council and in such other contexts as decisions are made on a per site basis.

5. What are the pros and cons of sharing a large online system like Minerva?

The advanages of sharing a system include:

Access to sophisticated software features not found on micro-based systems
Hardware maintenance of the server, as well as dependable data backup, are handled elsewhere
Libraries and library collections look and operate more like a unified whole
Costs are much lower, as compared to buying comparable capabilities for a single library
Internet visibility, and an attractive interface for your users searching from home or work, are a given
School districts, adjacent towns and other organizations can create a linked, real-time system that makes full use of all library resources at all sites
Interlibrary loan transactions can be integrated with circulation, reducing staff time in that area
Cataloging is much easier and faster and one usually can find a good bibliographic record already in Minerva or, failing that, locate one at some other library through Z39.50.

Disadvantages, depending on your circumstances and your philosophical outlook, may include:

Absolute dependence on a wide area network connection, like that provided by MSLN. Even brief circuit outages can disrupt operations.
Ongoing cost is greater than for a micro-based, stand-alone system.
Time must be allocated to communicating, electronically and/or in person, with staff of other libraries in matters of common interest.
As is the case in any cooperative system, a few compromises based on system design and the best interests of the system as a whole may be required.

6. Did Maine look into a group purchase of micro-based circulation and public access catalog software?

No. From the very beginning, the Maine InfoNet Project has focused on networked and shared systems rather than stand-alone systems. While the latter may well provide the best solution for a variety of purely local needs, they do not assist in making fuller use of statewide library resources, nor in making library holdings statewide visible to all Maine library users.

7. What are the hardware and network requirements for Minerva?

Network Requirements:

56 Kbps of bandwidth always available for exclusive use by Minerva is the bare minimum. Performance and stability are much improved on connections with substantially greater available bandwidth.

Functioning TCP/IP connections from each client computer to the wide area network (MSLN in most cases), capable of supporting HTTP and Telnet protocols.

This will generally involve ethernet network interface cards, category 5 unshielded twisted pair wiring, one or more ethernet hubs, and a link from the hub to the router, FRAD or other wide area network termination equipment in the building.

Notes: While a network fileserver has a myriad of applications in conjunction with office automation functions, it plays no role in utilizing Minerva. This means that FMS also does not require installation of Novell Netware, Windows NT Server or other network operating system software.

Minimum Hardware Recommendations:

Public Workstations accessing the OPAC:

PC with Java-enabled browser

Staff Workstations:

300MHz Pentium (1 GHz or faster recommended)
128MB memory (256 MB or more recommended)
800 x 600 or greater display resolution (1024x768 on a 17" or larger monitor recommended)
50MB of free hard disk space
CD Drive (optional but convenient for software installation)
Browser: current version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Opera that supports Java-enabled pages.

For the Public

For Librarians