Charge to the Group

MnObe Exploration of the Next Generation “Tool for Discovery” – Charge

“Tool for Discovery” (aka Catalog, OPAC, ILS)

FUTURES FEATURES LIST

We've heard deep discontent with our current systems.  What features and functionalities do you think are most important to include in a liberal arts college "catalog"?  By "catalog" we mean the configuration of inter-operable software components that will provide faculty and students with access to the fullest possible scope of print and electronic resources available, on and off campus.  The focus should be on features used directly by faculty and students, not on the traditional library management functions such as cataloging, serials, & acquisitions.  The purpose of your investigation is to inform the planning processes of our five schools, both in our individual deliberations and as we consider joint action.   We do not know if we will implement a joint catalog solution among the five libraries, but we are all interested in your findings on what a catalog should be able to do in the next few years, so your findings will be useful in any case.  We are looking for recommendations on what the user should be able to find and do with a contemporary “catalog.”  We would find it helpful if you can map the functionality list to a list of ILS and other software. Iris Jastram compiled a features list from discussions at the April 24 Symposium http://mnobefuturecat.pbwiki.com/Wishlist%20of%20Functions

which you could consult as indicative of the kinds of features and functionalities it might be productive to explore.

Issues for the group to address are:

Methodology for the process

Timeline

Committee composition (for example should we include a person from IT or other campus constituency)

Assessment of what elements to include that have broad appeal and easy adoption

We recommend that there be a  group meeting sometime in the Fall to prepare a draft prior to a meeting with the Directors in late September.  In order to help facilitate this meeting, we are suggesting Jim Parsons as convener for the group.