wms benefits and risks, june 2013

Benefits and Risks of OCLC WMS library SystemJune 2013Jeff Siemon, Digital Resources LibrarianFuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena CA

Outline(Tech Services was my target audience)

• What is WMS?• “Cataloging” monographs• Fuller’s cataloging workflow using Connexion• Glimpse of Circulation• Serials Check-in• Costs• Glimpse of the Knowledge Base• Data Migration• Concluding remarks• More Questions and Answers

Not covering, but we can discuss during the Q &A

• WorldCat Local configuration• Circulation in detail• WMS administration or configuration• WMS ILL• License Manager

What is WMS?• Circulation• Course Reserves• ILL (Fuller uses Illiad, likely will migrate to WMS ILL)• Acquisitions• Vendors, Budgets, Order, Receive (Fuller doesn’t use) Serials

check-in

• No local bibliographic database, WorldCat is the database

• Reports• Administration (Authentication / Configuration)• Knowledge Base (URL resolver + eBooks)• License Manager • Analytics (compare your library with other libraries)• Metadata manager in beta

What is WorldCat Local and WMS?

Circ data

View now

Holdings

WorldCat bks

Articles

Proquest ATLA RDB

Output Record 1WorldCat Master Record

Bibliographic Data

www.my-url-here.eduMy call number

My local subject

• Bib. Data from the WorldCat master record

• Local Holdings Records with bar codes, local call numbers, local item notes, etc. matched to bib.

• Library-specific URLs from the WorldCat knowledge base

• Local subjects, Bib. Level notes, etc. from local bibliographic data (mid-2013) (local data was migrated, but not yet edit-able)

Building display records from many sources

Bib data from WorldCat

Collection and Call number from Local Holdings RecordsCirculation info from WMS

Local Bib data was imported during migration

Full-text links fromKnowledge Base

Copy Cataloging minimal workflow

Benefits from Cloud architecture• When other libraries improve a Master Bib record,

the improvements are immediately available to your patrons.

• No local server; No client/PC software upgrades. So less computer admin; also very portable, work from home with any computer with Internet and Java.

• One instance of the software at OCLC is used by all libraries, so OCLC staff also spend less time upgrading; faster innovation cycle.

Copy Cataloging minimal workflow

eCollection “Cataloging”

Fuller Cataloging workflow• Connexion Client to find/create and edit bib records• WMS and Connexion Browser don’t have Non-

Roman scripts• Cannot create new records in WMS, yet.

“Metadata” is coming Summer 2013• Connexion Browser to create Local Holdings Records = Items• OCLC Label Program or Connexion Client to create labels• WMS exports labels to Excel, then must reformat.

Better label functionality is a request.

Fuller Cataloging workflow

Launch Local Holdings Maintenance


Connexion Browser Opens Create Local Holdings

Fuller Cataloging workflowApply Constant Datafor location and shelving location


Paste in the call number and barcode, then save the Local Holdings Record

Fuller Cataloging workflowHere’s the WorldCat Local public catalog view


Here’s the view from Circulation Staff

Circulation Check-out

Circulation views

Here’s a checked-out book, Circulation Staff view

Smith, Joseph

Comments and questions?

Serials workflow - search

Serials workflow - summary holdings

Serials workflow

Establish a pattern for issuesand the pattern will be shared Globally

Serials workflow

Based on the latest issue received WMS guesses a basic pattern, and you can edit

Serials workflowWhen you receive an issue, WMS creates the next issue

Serials workflow

When you receive an issue, WMS creates the next issueSo what, ho hum…

Serials workflow

If another WMS library receives an issue before you, you can see that!Screen shot from 2013-06-12

You just click on“Receive”

Serials workflow - Risks

• Patterns are shared globally• Issues are shared globally, so you can see if

another library has received an issue, or created a special issue, etc.

Serials workflow - Benefits

• If another library makes a mistake in an issue, it can look like a missing issue to your library.

Comments and questions?

Cost savings one price includes:• “Discovery Layer” OPAC (WorldCat Local)• Circulation• Cataloging (Connexion, Acq/Cir quick add,

WMS MetaData coming)• Acquisitions• Serials• ILL - Fuller will eliminate Illiad• Eventually WMS will replace our A-Z list and Open

URL resolver; the Knowledge Base is a work in progress.

Cost is more than OCLC Cataloging/ILL fees; Less than Cataloging/ILL + Horizon ILS.

Other cost savings

• No local server • Administration is relatively simple• No client to install on PCs (Web/Java based)• Circ module intuitive for training/turn over at

front desk• All training is free (included in monthly fee)• No fees until “go live” date• Extras are included: i.e. mobile interface,

reports, course reserves, cover art, comparison analytics

Data Migration• Synchronize Bib holdings between Horizon and

OCLC• Migrate Horizon item data and local fields from

Horizon bibs• Details later

• Migrate patron data• Migrate circulation data (patrons and bibs),

including item statistics, item notes• Patron and circulation data was straight forward

• Did not migrate Holds, Reserves, Serial Patterns

Data Migration – System setup• Locations and Shelving Locations (aka collections)

• WMS only has two levels of location, some systems have three levels

• Translation table between Horizon locations and WMS locations• Opportunity to consolidate some collections

• Patron categories and Circulation rules• Opportunity to review Circ. Policies

• Translation table for patrons• Decisions about login/authentication (CAS, LDAP, WMS

internal)• Problems on Fuller’s IT side

• Automatic Patron load scripts from Banner (registration) to WMS

Data Migration – Bib and holdings• OCLC already had all our bibs updated since

we’ve been cataloging exclusively with them for decades• Some matching errors with Korean Romanized titles, and a

few locally created bib records (study room keys, equipment, a few DMin projects)

• Horizon wanted to charge for extracting data, but our Systems librarian could do it herself, at least for monographs, with the Horizon export utility

• For “multivolume monographs” & serials holdings we got a raw copy of our Horizon data, and used a consultant (AlphaG) to extract serials holdings (a few thousand dollars well spent)

Data Migration – Serials Holdings• OCLC uses MARC Format for HoLdings (MFHL)

aka Local Holdings Record (LHR) but not well documented

• Fuller also extracted the serial pattern from Horizon into a note

Data Migration – 866/876 vs. 853/863/876

OCLC Data Staff are used to 866 ; WMS GUI creates 853/863 pairs

Questions or Comments?

WMS Knowledge Base

Knowledge Base workflow

Benefits of New Software

• Missing some functionality of software developed for 20 years, but most of what you need is there.

• Company will abandon the software; but OCLC is big, and seems committed.

Risks of New Software

• Workflows are designed with print books/serials and eBooks/eSerials in mind from the beginning

• Easier training (patron and staff), because interface is similar to new office software and websites

• Beta testers have some input into the development of the software

Some downsides of WMS

• OPAC/Discovery layer is less customizable than some vendors’ OPACs

• No local bib records• Plus, when WorldCat records are improved by others, your patrons get the benefits immediately•Minus, harder to add local book data, such as donor information, or local notes, or local access points

• Your school’s internet needs to be reliable• Still developing features: complex

consortiums, complex serial patterns, custom reports

Dislike• Over all more efficient

than Horizon• No extra system/search

to get to item record• Public catalog easy to

search by OCLC number• Easy to go back a page

if you make a mistake.• Does ask “do you really

want to add, or delete.”• Easy to describe vol.

and parts, up to 5 levels of enumeration and chronology.

• Slow to check in next book• No sounds if you make a

check-in mistake/message• Extra mouse moving• No easy search by call

number• Circulation stats not in

cataloging “module”, must open another “module”

• Does not catch duplicate barcodes

• Slow to get item to come up in circ module.

• No warning in places that your edits are not saved.

• Long multiple sets, must add all items and barcodes before saving.

Catalogers Like

Benefits Cloud Architecture• When other libraries improve a Master Bib record, the

improvements are immediately available to your patrons.

• No local server; No client/PC software upgrades. So less computer admin; also very portable, work from home with any computer with Internet and Java.

• One instance of the software at OCLC is used by all libraries, so OCLC staff also spends less time upgrading; faster innovation cycle.

• Besides Master Bib records, libraries also share Acquisitions vendor data, Serials issue data, Knowledge Base collection data.

• Potential for sharing Apps, as user community grows.

Questions?• Did you evaluate other ILS systems?• How long did the implementation take?• Have you used apps?• Are there response time problems using a

remote/cloud server?• What feedback have you received from library

staff, students?• Did WMS speed up any processes? Cataloging? • How was the OCLC implementation team?• How is training and support?• What kind of reports are available?• Is there anything you would have done

differently?

wms benefits and risks, june 2013

Education