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Meet RACER

Meet RACER . An OCUL VDX Project Overview and Update. Amy Greenberg Sue McGillivray. OLA January 2004. Scholars Portal & VDX Project Overview Historical Background Timelines RACER What is it? What does it do? Hardware Features Functionality. RACER Statistics

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Meet RACER

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  1. Meet RACER An OCUL VDX Project Overview and Update Amy Greenberg Sue McGillivray OLA January 2004

  2. Scholars Portal & VDX Project Overview Historical Background Timelines RACER What is it? What does it do? Hardware Features Functionality RACER Statistics Challenges & Benefits What's Next Questions Today's Presentation at a Glance

  3. Ontario Scholars PortalAccess to Scholarly Information Resources • OII Strategic Programmes • Ontario Council of University Libraries • 20 Institutions • Scholars Portal Website • Content Coordination via CNSLP • Scholarly Information Resources (SIRS) • Implementation of “link resolution” and O-Space

  4. Ontario Scholars PortalObjectives & Goals • Offer access to a unique set of shared information resources and services • Ensure rapid and reliable response time for access to information services & resources • Provide long-term & secure archiving of information resources • Create a network of intellectual resources by linking ideas, materials, documents & resources • Provide an environment that fosters innovation in response to the needs of Ontario’s researchers

  5. Why VDX and Why Now? • Arose from OCUL members’ wish to replace AVISO interlibrary loans management software • October 1999 • Tri-University Group reviewing available ILL management software • University of Toronto reviewing ILL software • March 2000: OCUL ILL staff put forth a recommendation to Directors unanimously recommending Fretwell-Downing's VDX software

  6. Benefits Web Accessible ISO ILL Management Systems • Comprehensive • Cost-effective • Single way of dealing with ILL requests • User-centric, online anytime of day or night • Automates many routine tasks and decisions • Unifies statistics • Interacts with new ISO ILL systems that come along • Eliminates paper files & forms • Facilitates international ILL • NCIP

  7. VDX Project Timelines Summer 2002 ◊ System Configuration ◊ OCUL Single Search Catalogue Access Fall 2002 ◊ Group 1 Setup, Training & Testing Winter 2002/03 ◊ Group 2 Setup, Training & Testing Spring 2003 ◊ Group 4 Setup, Training & Testing Summer 2003 ◊ Group 1 & 2 Production ◊ Group 3 Setup, Training & Testing Fall 2003 ◊ 5 Additional Sites Go Production ◊ System Upgrade to 2.4 Spring 2004 ◊ Bilingual RACER Interface ◊ Group 3 Production

  8. Project Milestones April 2000: OCUL established the OCUL ILL Task Group 2000-2002: FD contracts, equipment purchases, TIG staff hired June 2003: First 8 libraries go Production • Brock, Guelph, Ryerson, Trent, Waterloo, Western, Wilfrid Laurier, Windsor September 2003: 2 more libraries go Production • Carleton, Lakehead Fall 2003: More sites go Production • York Law, Windsor Law, Nipissing, Queens, Toronto

  9. Project Team Tactical Implementation Team (TIG) • Shane Chan (System Administrator) • Amy Greenberg (User Support) • Sue McGillivray (User Support) • Vidhya Parthasarathy (Programmer) • Carol Stephenson (Project Manager) OCUL ILL Sub-Groups • End User Instruction Working Group • French Language Sub-Group • …and many more!

  10. Brock Guelph Ryerson Trent Waterloo Western Wilfrid Laurier Windsor Carleton Lakehead York – Law library Nipissing Queen’s Toronto RACERWho’s Online?

  11. Ottawa Laurentian York McMaster UOIT Ontario College of Art and Design Royal Military College RACERImplementation Schedule for 2004 Spring 2004

  12. http://www.library.utoronto.ca/scholarsportal/vdx/support/index.htmlhttp://www.library.utoronto.ca/scholarsportal/vdx/support/index.html

  13. What is RACER? • Rapid Access to Collections by Electronic Requesting • ZPortal & VDX • ZPortal: Search the library catalogues of 20 Ontario universities and place or view requests online • VDX: ILL management system • Bureau Model • Web and Windows

  14. Bureau ConfigurationWilfrid Laurier

  15. All OCUL Catalogues Single Access Interface

  16. RACERFeatures • ISO ILL Protocol-compliant product • Auto alerts • DocFind (but requests are still staff mediated) • Patron initiated requesting • Automated; Good-bye paper forms • Local catalogue blocking • Customized reports • Vendor co-operation for development of an Aviso Generic Script translator • Allows for batch uploading of patron records or patron self registration

  17. RACERNew Features in 2.4 • Bilingual French-English interface • DocFind Responder • Rota based on availability and serial holdings information down to volume/issue level • Customized mandatory fields on request forms • Ariel integration • 2 separate Web sites for VDX (Staff) & ZPortal (Users) • Revised system architecture allows for greater customization

  18. Collections & User Profiles Old & New

  19. Request Form Old & New

  20. RACER Project StatisticsMeasuring Success • 125,000 requests requested in the first 6 months • 1 M projected requests annually once all 20 institutions are onboard • Each student and researcher in Ontario has access to a combined collection of over 20 million library items

  21. Still More StatisticsILL Staff Support Numbers • 1554 User support questions answered • 166 OCUL staff at 17 institutions with thirteen 2-day classroom and hands-on training sessions • Ten 1-day hands-on specialized training programs

  22. OCUL VDX Usage in 2003Number of Borrowing and Lending Requests Generated

  23. OCUL VDX Usage in 2003Borrowing and Lending Requests by Institution

  24. OCUL VDX Usage in 2003Borrowing and Lending Requests by Institution

  25. RACERChallenges • OCUL on the cutting edge of the new technology • Steep curve for Staff and User education • Transition • Workflow changes • Issues associated with using the system to support both Document Delivery and ILL processes • Different functionality • DocFind effectiveness / reliability

  26. RACERMore Challenges • Email reader for multiple external forms from individual catalogues • Generic Script (GS) messaging with legacy non-ISO GS (Aviso +) systems • External messaging with sites without ILL Systems • External messaging testing with Docline and other ISO systems • Location record maintenance and ISO on the fly • Multiple vendor systems • Z39.50 pitfalls

  27. CISTI (ISO) BLDSC (ISO) National Library of Canada (ISO) Ontario public libraries (INFO) CREPUQ (Soon!) Canadian libraries using Aviso Canadian and international libraries without an ILL management system (Web form) RACERWho Can We Communicate With?

  28. RACEREnd User Benefits • “One stop shopping” to Ontario university collections via a common search interface • Patron initiated online requesting • An easy to complete electronic request form with pickup location options • Ability to track their requests is a new feature for users of interlibrary loan services • Email notification for receipt or cancellation of materials

  29. RACERStaff Benefits • Quicker turnaround time • Real time vs batched • Auto-populated forms, labels and daily workflow reports • Potential lending locations identified and listed (rota) automatically • Automatic email alerting for patrons

  30. Benefits of an OCUL Wide Initiative "RACER has in effect produced a “more level playing field” for all OCUL institutions. By providing centralized server support and maintenance, it has alleviated much of the local institution system support for interlibrary loan processes. For both end users and staff, RACER provides many features that many of the smaller institutions would not have been able to develop locally." • Dialogue regarding policies and guidelines • Co-operation across Universities • Networking and workshops to share experiences • Development of best practices

  31. RACERBetter Access A quote from Trent's student newspaper, the Arthur For all the other books you need that weren't found on Topcat, you can use the Inter-Library Loan program, RACER, to get practically any book you want (I am still in awe of this program -- you should definitely check it out). One might say that, with the high-speed internet and programs like RACER, the world is at our fingertips.

  32. RACERFaster Delivery From an ILL staff member at Lakehead One of the aspects of RACER that has exceeded my expectations is the speed with which our materials are getting to us. I have overheard patrons coming into the ILL office marvelling at the "lightning speed" of the service.

  33. What's Next? • New hardware • Staff VDX upgrade 2.4 • Enhanced End user interface Zportal (2.4) • Ariel • French interface • Additional reports • Messaging Testing, Testing, Testing • More location records • Upgrade to 2.7 or 3 • NCIP

  34. Questions? http://racer.scholarsportal.info/vdx/index.html Amy Greenberg 416-946-8616 amy.greenberg@utoronto.ca Sue McGillivray 416-946-8618 sue.mcgillivray@utoronto.ca racer.support@utoronto.ca

  35. The VisionFully Integrated Peer to Peer ILL Aviso Relais Other VDX Sites CISTI OCUL ILL / RACER ILL Manager

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