[Wactclc-primo] Follow-ups to yesterday's regular "informal" call

Fri Jun 5 13:57:50 PDT 2020

Thanks to all who attended the scheduled "informal" call yesterday morning. It was another lively discussion. And I believe we got attendance up about a dozen at one point, maybe more.

I wanted to share a couple of follow-ups based on the high points:

Technical Services Activity Report

We had a discussion about how to report on technical services activity. Picture something like our IPEDS dashboard, but looking at activity in the back-of-the-house, rather than the patron-facing front-of-the-house, which is more what IPEDS focuses on.

I took a quick look through analytics yesterday afternoon, and believe I can construct an IPEDS-dashboard like report that would capture a rough view of what's going on in the back-of-the-house.

So stay tuned.

Making Primo work for librarians

We had a lively discussion about the state of Primo use and attitudes towards it on the part of librarians, especially those not actively participating in its management. In some places, that news isn't good. I'd characterize the conversation we had as anecdotal, so we didn't come up with any definitive takeaways or action items.

The challenge is starting a productive discussion that would lead toward improvements, rather than stopping, where I think it often does when it's just internal conversations, at "Primo didn't work when I tried it so I just don't use it or teach with it".

But it seems like a conversation worth addressing, with the work we've put into Primo, and the store of content value that it represents.

One step might be to bring librarians from different institutions together for a call or three, to have a cross-institutional round-robin discussion and comparing of notes. Included would be librarians frustrated with Primo, and librarians closer to it (and we have lots of those, Amy Herman, Lauren Byrant, Greg Bem, Elena Bianco, and on and on).

I'd like to talk about that idea, and see if we can make something happen.

And while I don't expect we'd get a lot of takers among the crowd that such a conversation would try to address, Ex Libris has a couple of upcoming webinars next week that address this very conversation. (I'm sure they have this same discussion frequently).

These webinars could be useful as a way to learn some new cues for communicating about Primo to the undoctrinated.

(If the links below don't work, just go to the following link to register: https://www.exlibrisgroup.com/webinars/ )

We had a group viewing of this week's CDI webinar that I, at least, found productive. So we can do the same with these webinars, for those that want to participate.

  *   Primo for Patron-Facing Librarians
     *   EMEA/APAC: June 11 at 8:00 am (Helsinki); 1:00 pm (Beijing); 2:00 pm (Tokyo); 3:00 pm (Sydney) register here<https://email.exlibrisgroup.com/e2t/tc/VWK8Gw5qhc_PW9jxRQj145JkrW1sXT7r49-1kXN6rgBp35nxG7V3Zsc37CgYXjMvZfgbFDZ3FW2HSDB91-k_WcW84pVjr6dcBndW69RLkB86wMQwW3jYdqL8G1hGsW58vF_W8nLY9_N73HxZYkty3vW3q3lwt1RNDCPW4rndtS4LvsY8W1VQF6475JcQDN7TmFdg1cvwkW928N5X6dBF6rW7x4tCZ2CnhqSVz_B6J8kH4x9W29W3ZV6rXXD7W7KZnWK6RwqT6W8Y785X6HW0WpW5c0g3d2q8_zdW4PRM5c4Lk9lqW8PlV6k7yg3YcN2wYwlXsm8wgW7BtbCV44dHNQW7HPhkT4X4Ny7VRvpFM8_KH68W7Dky9Q2S5MPhN2Xpxn7G20R_W4mnp2480tz-CW2vxNb22VmWCYW8MkCxQ34RKYnW1gD-F31z0DSqW4pp-sN7vXmpTVspVmk27hW9L3n7Q1>
     *   NA/EMEA: June 11 at 9:00 am (New York); 2:00 pm (London); 3:00 pm (Berlin); 4:00 pm (Helsinki) - register here<https://email.exlibrisgroup.com/e2t/tc/VWK8Gw5qhc_PW9jxRQj145JkrW1sXT7r49-1kXN6rgBp35nxG7V3Zsc37CgZqvW7lwjVm249N6sW1K9gFn83X3fDW5z4xWg8bHXmqN4WfdLlmMnpHW1qCYVh4ZYrtgMKs9Fh7jgj6W1wNq116fQ4M9W75pNph6xXGDMW1YhfPc6k_bgRW8V0z6T6FYWcYW45pBXl30N67VW5WfZn-65kcW7W94pRg025f-3vW7KkZJQ7zkWsmN5dj52vmJdGrW4qSFq_2GwvWDW4z3ltB8t4rJnW28pjNx1HHyHxN8btdcxT97CHW8pJ1Rk8swts7W8XqjWS1CctM9W29zf8M7q9vkkW4M1gwD8PTbXJW257P8D6mVSxLW40By4n7j-X1LW4kchRp6Lwvp-W13xXn13v-KjpV1v18X2V6bYZW6CFvvb8HVTNWN23D5g0j35tRW32mNMw31M7t6W4F3GqH6TFdwl3nFH1>
     *   NA: June 11 at 10:00 am (San Francisco); 12:00 pm (Chicago); 1:00 pm (New York) - register here<https://email.exlibrisgroup.com/e2t/tc/VWK8Gw5qhc_PW9jxRQj145JkrW1sXT7r49-1kXN6rgBp35nxG7V3Zsc37CgFqHVcLMQx81LQ1sW66_1V_32HMSlW3Hhqwr1YWwL_W2wBLpJ78FnCVW6FCWGB1Kc65VW6fTjKJ5-zZsNW6w-m1P3zyxBfW5mT9mW5Pszj5Vsb0Dt7LBWP6W4Jt8TZ20KWQWW3TqFRK93jz_yW4DBszH4Mp54LW6GQ_yz1zjqw4W7vgN1S27V8kLVcShFn74J6tpW67dGv_71DxnbV9189W1trTKtW5x68qH3BCJRqVycQpj49VwVnW3mrRw65SXNDYW25KhKr1Fpm8MW7j86r43VmJq2N3R8tJqRkb8zN6JYN5-Jfl3XN8WXW1BRvPRsW1lwqnP9jFwJYW7GYdSJ648S7VW6hnBfn5cNrn8W4CHWBk24dTwQW3Wkflr3GJnN5W8vNp3q2DTjslW4xnjSb83mzmv3prj1>
  *   Undergraduates and Discovery
     *   EMEA/APAC: June 15 at 8:00 am (Berlin); 2:00 pm (Beijing); 3:00 pm (Tokyo); 4:00 pm (Sydney) - register here<https://email.exlibrisgroup.com/e2t/tc/VWK8Gw5qhc_PW9jxRQj145JkrW1sXT7r49-1kXN6rgBp35nxG7V3Zsc37CgWN8W123_vq5c4vcnW5s_B9d2ZtVQtN8yR8hXfPc_XW4yv9hT67QSq1W7NbnYc2w0JtRVqxndJ7hgkV3W5N2LkH7ZxKw3W6TgcDR4dbMBBW3vMrMm1Gdc4sW4QPvMq8xYNg4W8j2l5Z7tFtYTW3xZ5lc4wxG5MW3tMLBC7J9MbsW7wXhLG6mjvtHN3H9QtCRnYdmW14R2rd8N4ppJW2p1h2G5j-fHrW19sVHc9j0V0DV3Pdf48Qqs3xW35Z45G1tHh2bW7zQlrh8QJJn7W6VPfhC3MK18pW2YJ0FG6rGWS0W6Zq_tj6p2B4cN4P5WkbYhK1pN2SpH2xMJlDNW4wMpmd1mNTj9VL2SVs8_bhbDW8nlCQx5YMjVgW8dTmpq6G8MqXVdxWVj3KYkx_W2JkkhP89ddnZ35K71>
     *   NA/EMEA: June 16 at 9:00 am (New York); 2:00 pm (London); 3:00 pm (Berlin); 4:00 pm (Helsinki) - register here<https://email.exlibrisgroup.com/e2t/tc/VWK8Gw5qhc_PW9jxRQj145JkrW1sXT7r49-1kXN6rgBp35nxG7V3Zsc37CgQN0W1qYD_D8mRb6mN7tMm1C_50CvVfX1k990nJ-kW6kht2x4XR6TJW4wxZF93L89h6VHPBY71x3pC7W7qVRk57mvfprW1S6t7T6RhW5lW8pjSZd5kW29CW1y4Q8L5jP9j0W46917M84GP-MW6tFhwd7t_4vRN8wqPJrBwt4RN1jlmtgTyhRQW401Jc_5QTK0DW2PScxb3jFWrLVCT5D07zjrjNW10nzsQ8phVl5W7XRxtP42scgJW64FMfj3SHdlfW1q5d4B8Dpt8tW5BnJ5T7ygZp7W7nmwFV6XBQ1pW8XgJ3z7gFV1CW4YTYMb2t-msTW5H6jss7SjYs9W36_6RY29kd5VW6tDVzH2Wl3ShW3hfTF73VRD8dW2sxQFj5LqdLhW42J7Pr2nWpRHW7S4N495pyCwH39pm1>
     *   NA: June 16 at 10:00 am (San Francisco); 12:00 pm (Chicago); 1:00 pm (New York) - register here<https://email.exlibrisgroup.com/e2t/tc/VWK8Gw5qhc_PW9jxRQj145JkrW1sXT7r49-1kXN6rgBp35nxG7V3Zsc37CgRMYW3TSLYD2kKkQ6W38Y6zj2nCQ6dW6-fR1_7nbm31W3_Vcs66-Y7k6W9gcTPD4-4kRrW3pdxkM17MZJDVfZ_vr3dCXBbW38T_dG1RjmGFW8cKr9q7x8N-YW1M9Vnw91KLBfVM7WMs1txRDTW1NnWBV8rkhBlW6p4_5J4-s6sdW7LMhHp6cNTnWN5gZK0hkW054W2QV3mQ5W516nW2z82cf1fv6KmW9by14H4xf2d5W2ZmPSm5VSMQYN8jxwRm9HG3tW3L70kL6xrJn0W885RPz78XDDvW2sLMS12Y5WvXN1LTyPc3MgLHW4Qh--w7RdCsrW37nDtl40TzXqVf1Ldq1S1nS0W4QMfbx6Nn_6rW7zMSJR8v_zBDW1xGTLv3wDbXXW4CHK3D35yH4_W5qJjq85dPrjF38Jy1>
Communicating broader library value

Finally, if you're still reading, another conversation Tuesday centered around the "give us 50 ways to cut your budget by 15%" (apologies to Paul Simon) request going around the state, and so within CTCs, and ultimately the libraries.

One thing that conversation brought to mind for me was the importance of communicating (and documenting) the broad array of services libraries support. I know you all do that in a lot of different ways.

I'm not directly involved in that activity in my current role, except indirectly, by supporting you all in things like analytics, IPEDS dashboard, helping get SUSHI / COUNTER going, etc.

But the conversation we had jogged my memory of being it that position at a previous job.

When I was at University of Puget Sound, we were bringing a lot of new platforms online within the library, and were competing (as you are now) with a large campus PeopleSoft implementation for time and attention. We were also being challenged with budget constraints resulting from the financial crisis and its hit on the university endowment. So, we got pretty focused on communicating the library story.

For my part, as a systems person, I put together a kind of white paper that laid out what the library was doing from a systems perspective. Almost like an annual report, in a way. While I doubt many people ever read it in detail, it was helpful to illustrate to IT, deans, etc, that a lot was actually going on at the library, and that we were bringing new value and services to campus, not just checking out a few books, collecting fines, and managing a study space.

I still have a copy of that white paper<https://wadepguidry.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/collins-library-technology-brief-2013.pdf>, which was fun for me to look back on (in some ways I like it, and in some ways it makes me cringe, because I'd do it differently / better now).  I could imagine libraries having something similar, but less systems-focused. And maybe that's kind of what the library component of an accreditation report looks like.

I might need to do something similar for the Alma / Primo project, if/when the 15% conversation reaches me :) Or just to have for you guys, when someone at your institution inevitably asks you about the consortium budget line.

Wade Guidry
Library Consortium Services Manager, WACTCLC
wadeg at bigbend.edu<mailto:wadeg at bigbend.edu>
(509) 760-4474
http://www.wactclc.org

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