Occasional Progress Report #14 –September 4, 2014

Hi everyone:

Here’s what’s been happening with TSI.  This report, along with previous updates, is also available in the Project Reports section of the TSI wiki.

1) 2CUL E-Resources operations reached a significant milestone in late August with the implementation of Serials Solutions 360 Resource Manager (RM) at Cornell.  We are now using the same e-resource management (ERM) system, as well as the same link resolver, at both institutions.  Implementation of this shared system opens the door to the following possibilities:

  • Use of the consortial aspects of 360 RM, including development of joint workflows
  • Joint troubleshooting of e-resource access problems
  • Managing shared data and contacts in a central area
  • Shared workflows for account management, including work on renewals
  • Coordination of renewal cycles to allow more opportunities to eliminate redundant work

All of this will require testing and coordination, of course, but through this effort we will discover just how useful a shared system can be for TSI, especially for processing and managing of virtual library assets.  For more on the recent activities of the TSI E-Resources Working Group, see their meeting notes on the TSI wiki.

2) The progress of the E-Resources Working Group and the promise of the consortial ERM underscore the potential importance of shared systems for the success of TSI.  Nonetheless, the lower impact approach that some of the working groups have adopted, in the absence of shared systems, is reaping benefits as well.  This model is characterized by regular conversations to explore questions and concerns of common interest, solve discrete problems together, and plant seeds for future collaborative possibilities.  In this vein:

  • The Batch Processing Working Group has been investigating ways to diminish IT workloads and share data and expertise – for details regarding ongoing work, keep an eye on their proof registry scorecard.
  • The Cataloging Working Group has also been meeting to share information and expertise and to coordinate collaborative involvement in national initiatives such as BIBFRAME testing and the Contemporary Composers Web Archive – for more, see the notes from their WebEx session back in July.
  • The metadata working groups from both Columbia and Cornell are now coordinating their regular forums and inviting participation via WebEx for those who are not onsite.  The first forum of the 2014/15 year will be hosted by Columbia on September 15th.  This session will feature presentations by Matt Miller (from NYPL Labs) and Columbia’s Alex Gil on metadata visualization.

3) Kate and Jim recently conducted follow-up interviews with Debby Andreadis from Denison University and Charlene Rue from BookOps on the Kenyon/Denison (KenDen) and NYPL/Brooklyn Public Library technical services collaborations.  The KenDen project has evolved in much the same way as TSI is tending: “integration” is out; strategic bilateral initiatives and broader consortial collaboration with the Five Colleges of Ohio are in.  BookOps is still going strong, though it is important to bear in mind that they are an administratively integrated operation that is housed in close proximity to the parent institutions.  They are now in the process auditing their work-to-date to determine the actual savings generated from the merger.  For more on the recent reconceptualization of our own project, see the notes from the July 15th and August 14th meetings of the TSI JSMIN group.

That’s all for this time.  As always, please feel free to direct questions or concerns to your supervisors or any member of the TSI Steering Committee: Adam Chandler, Kate Harcourt, Jim LeBlanc, Colleen Major, Chew Chiat Naun, or Robert Rendall.

 

-          Jim and Kate

 

  • No labels