Outcomes from our US trip

As I wrote on 3 December, Jo Freeman & I spent 2 weeks in the US meeting with staff at the Los Angeles County public library head office, Stanford University and SirsiDynix and Baker & Taylor.  This was as part of our P2 replacement project.

We're keen to preserve as much of P2 as is valuable, while also driving further reforms in the e-procurement area of ours and libraries' practises. We have been clear that we cannot take a step back from the efficiencies that we already have in our system. To this end we want to preserve the fundamental 5 step process we currently undertake, with libraries maintaining local selection and PLS managing ordering and payment on behalf of the libraries. i.e.

We are also keen to provide libraries with new approaches which will improve options for selection, increase efficiency and improve collection managment outcomes.  These options include providing a "standing orders" function, and access to "back catalogues" from suppliers.  The back catalogues option would allow libraries to see what is currently in print in particular areas and place firm orders when they want to refresh certain parts of their collections.

Following our conversations with SirsiDynix and Baker & Taylor we are quite confident that we have a way forward which will preserve and further streamline existing selection workflows while maintaining libraries' ability to seamlessly select from a variety of suppliers.

Jo Freeman and Tricia Knightly of PLS will be the key PLS staff working on this project. They will be working with SirsiDynix to document what we want to keep from P2, while also scoping the new selection mechanisms that we want to develop.  And of course we will involve library staff in further consultation as we progress.

While it is too early to go into specifics at this stage I will provide more detail as & when we can.

It is likely that it will take several years to work with SirsiDynix to develop, test and deploy this solution.  As soon as we have more definitive information that we can share publicly I will provide another update.

We have already begun talking to our suppliers to ensure that they are aware of our plans & will keep them informed as things develop. It is our intention that any solution will continue to provide libraries with access to multiple suppliers of materials in a supplier neutral environment.