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This is the author’s version of an article from the following conference:

Jilovsky, Cathie, Pearson, Kathryn and Wilson, Julie CLIC @ CLICK06: a consortial success story CLICK06 Create, Lead, Innovate, Connect, Knowledge Perth, Australia Canberra; Australian Library and Information Association. Access to the published version: http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2006/Papers/Cathie_Jilovsky_Kathry n

ALIA Click06

Australian Library and Information Association

Refereed Paper Cathie Jilovsky CAVAL Collaborative Solutions

Contact details Postal: CAVAL Collaborative Solutions 4 Park Drive Bundoora VIC 3083 Email: [email protected]

Biography Cathie Jilovsky’s career has focused on the development and support of library and information systems. At CAVAL she has undertaken various technical and managerial roles, including the management of several resource-sharing services, the implementation and management of a variety of library systems and the collection and publication of library statistics.

Kathryn Pearson Macquarie University Library

Contact details Postal: Macquarie University Library North Ryde NSW 2109 Email: [email protected]

Biography Kathryn Pearson is Manager, Resource Access at Macquarie University Library. She has held a variety of positions there, including Collections Development Manager, Serials and Document Supply Manager and Document Supply Manager. Her previous experience includes 9 years at the University of Sydney Library and several years at the University of Newcastle.

Julie Wilson RMIT University Library

Contact details Postal: RMIT University Library GPO Box 2476V Melbourne VIC 3001 Email: [email protected]

Biography Julie Wilson has had wide experience in the academic and public library sectors managing customer service units. She chaired the Victorian Libraries Australia Committee Interlending and Document Delivery Subgroup and was a member of the National Libraries of Australia Expert Advisory Group on Document Delivery.

CLIC @ CLICK06: A consortial success story

Abstract ‘CLIC go the rotas, CLIC, CLIC, CLIC, Wide is our scope and requests move quick, The users look around for docs to help them know, And thank the consortium for making a service grow’.

This paper celebrates 5 years of successful collaboration by members of the CAVAL VDX Consortium (CLIC). CLIC comprises a group of 6 academic libraries using VDX software to manage busy interlibrary loan and document delivery operations that now also include cross campus services and services to external, remote and offshore students. Library consortia provide many benefits for participants and users. A consortium offers the opportunity to provide innovative user services and for libraries to share costs, knowledge and expertise, resources and experiences. Yet a consortium may also potentially limit independence, enforce unhelpful bureaucratic processes and procedures and steer participants into unintended territory. This paper discusses the value the CLIC consortium has offered participants and what compromises have been necessary to achieve success. These include formal processes such as configuration, training and helpdesk support, meetings, teleconferences and workshops; as well as range of informal factors including a combined commitment to share, the maintenance of good communication channels, effective problem solving and minimal bureaucratic barriers. The complex relationships between the consortium and institutions, and the impact of those relationships upon service provision and development within the institution are also explored. CLIC members continue to work together to improve software implementation and therefore excellent service delivery to clients.

Introduction order to reduce costs and provide better This paper celebrates five years of service and the development of successful collaboration by members of consortia, both formal and informal, can the CAVAL VDX Consortium (CLIC). be viewed as a natural progression. In CLIC comprises a group of six the United States the Library Journal academic libraries using VDX (Virtual first published articles in the 1880s Document eXchange) software to about libraries working together to share manage busy interlibrary loan and collections. One of the first recognised document delivery operations that now consortia was the Triangle Research also include cross campus services and Libraries Network which was formed in services to external, remote and 1933 (Bostick, 2001). Ann Okerson from offshore students. CLIC was established Yale University Library observes that ‘a in 2001 to provide configuration and condition for success is that a support to member libraries, to share consortium must comprise members expertise and to assist libraries in who trust each other and know each managing a complex automation other well enough to take advantage of product. The CLIC VDX system is cooperation’. She further suggests that delivered via a shared hosted system economic advantage (i.e. price) and managed and maintained by OCLC- intellectual advantage (i.e. improved Pica (formerly Fretwell-Downing service and access for users) are the Informatics). The system consists of a two key measures of success (Okerson, single database with individual 2000). institutional views and a separate, institutionally branded web interface for In Australia, Consortia are an each institution. established part of the library environment, and there are many

The members are: examples of successful sharing of costs and workloads. The three universities in • • CARM Centre (CAVAL) South Australia have a long history of • • La Trobe University co-operation. In 2002 they each • • Macquarie University launched the same new library system having collaborated on its selection and • • RMIT University implementation, but having chosen to • • University of Newcastle install and administer each system • • Victoria University. separately. Parnell lists a number of factors that contributed to the success A review of the literature identified a of this informal approach, including a range of papers about successful willingness by all members to make consortia, indicating that success is only realistic ‘trade-offs’ in terms of sharing achieved following the identification of a costs, labour, expertise and time; and common need, planning to meet that an openness in sharing of information need and then co-operation and that reflected through regular effective ongoing communication between communication (Parnell, 2003). members. It would seem that Librarians have always worked cooperatively in

The Queensland Government Libraries Administration System) interlibrary loans Consortium (QGLC) identified some management system project (Tucker, critical success factors, including: Beaumont & Hicks, 1998). The fledgling • a business-like approach with a consortium called itself the CAVAL simple functioning structure; LIDDAS Consortium, which was soon abbreviated to CLIC. Following the • demonstrated progress through successful completion of the LIDDAS actions; project in 2003, and the implementation • time to implement the strategies and of VDX in the operational environment, actions; the consortium re-named itself the • universal contribution – commitment CAVAL VDX Consortium but kept the and support by all those abbreviation CLIC. participating; The development of costing and • marketing of the strategy and quick business models showed that a wins; consortium model would be • communication – simple and regular considerably cheaper to implement including effective relationships; and compared to each individual institution • resourcing – people, time and dollars installing, configuring and managing its (Drummond & Campbell, 2003). own system. The sharing of essential expert technical support and Another Australian Consortium, AGLIN administration of the Oracle database, (Australian Government Libraries the UNIX operating system and the VDX Information Network, formerly FLIN, software facilitated not only sharing the Federal Libraries Information Network), risk, but also sharing the learning identifies the definition of clear goals, a experience and the collective gaining of coherent membership and a structure expertise in the operation of the system. which matches its goals and CAVAL, as the consortium manager, membership as being success factors took on the role of system manager, (Vitullo, 2003). encompassing the administration and configuration of the system, the The beginning coordination of licensing requirements Following the successful completion of and the provision of training to staff of the CIDER (CAVAL Interlending and member libraries. Document Delivery Electronic Requesting) Project in 2000 a number Initial configuration and training began of the participating libraries actively in 2001, followed by pilot operations in explored a consortia approach to 2002 and 2003. In June 2003 CLIC implement an unmediated requesting libraries began interoperating with the system and saw this as an opportunity National Library of Australia’s KDD to re-engineer their interlibrary loans (Kinetica Document Delivery, now processes (CIDER, 2000). CIDER was LADD, Libraries Australia Document implemented through participation in, Delivery) system, a ‘landmark in service and contribution to, the development of delivery’ (Missingham, 2006). By 2004 the AVCC funded LIDDAS (Local the consortium had begun to explore the Interlending and Document Delivery development of new service models for

ISBN 0 86804 564 0 © 2006 Australian Library and Information Association ALIA Click06 document delivery in order to achieve reports each month showing interlibrary the best utilisation of both extensive loan and document delivery activity. print legacy collections as well as growing digital resources held in The VDX software uses the ISO ILL member libraries. With the protocol, which is important because it implementation and ‘bedding down’ of enables interoperability with a range of the CLIC system, members have begun internal and external systems (Moreno to consider broader issues such as & Walls, 2002). cooperative arrangements between members, quality issues relating to web Regular consortium teleconferences are delivery, workflow and turnaround time held. These generally focus on improvements, service and cost issues, operational issues and are attended by and more equitable sharing of the a range of staff from each member supplier role. library. Formal business meetings which focus on policy issues are also held two Consortium Management to three times a year. These are CAVAL manages the administrative governed by the CLIC Terms of aspects of running the consortium as Reference and chaired by an elected well as management and support of the Chairperson. Both teleconferences and system. Each CLIC member has a formal meetings have proved to be formal contract with CAVAL for the essential components of the provision of VDX Managed services. consortium’s success. These services encompass software configuration, operational support and Whilst CLIC was in the development system management. Other services phase a number of seminars, group such as the development of specialised training sessions and informal reports, documentation, web workshops took place and a culture of customisation and training are provided sharing and learning together evolved. on an ad-hoc basis. In December 2004 a group of operational staff organised the first CLIC CAVAL operates a Helpdesk for CLIC Practitioners Workshop at CAVAL in members that provides practical advice Melbourne which focused on practical and guidance to staff on skills and work issues relating to the use of VDX by practices, assistance with the inter-lending and document delivery troubleshooting and resolution of staff. It was a great success, largely due problems, and liaison with the vendor on to the willingness of all attendees to software problems and bug fixes. Calls share their VDX work practices and range from operational issues to other information. A second workshop requests for additional or expanded was held at Macquarie University in configuration. Regular reports are sent Sydney a year later and built on the to members showing the status, priority undoubted success of the first and progress of their calls. Sites are workshop. It is expected that these also supplied with a set of statistical workshops will now become an annual event.

CLIC Outgoing Outgoing Incoming Incoming requests Requests Requests Requests supplied supplied electronically 2003 27,622 23,210 18,745 8,838 2004 58,482 50,003 38,161 19,990 2005 74,320 60,965 45,772 14,790

Table 1: Numbers of incoming and outgoing requests for 2003 - 2005.

Disadvantages of the Consortia affects the system consortia-wide. For approach example, Macquarie University had Any decision has advantages and hoped to grey out the Create Request disadvantages. In making decisions, a Button on ZPortal (the VDX Web user good decision-maker balances the interface) because users were using it advantages against the disadvantages instead of doing a bibliographic search, in order to make an informed choice. but this would have meant that the Hawkins and Oblinger point out that button was greyed out across the ‘collaboration can reduce costs, consortium and this was unacceptable leverage expertise, and provide a to other members. Macquarie was broader perspective’ (Hawkins & therefore unable to implement this Oblinger, 2005). The decision to create change. Secondly, agreements had to the CAVAL LIDDAS Consortium was be reached over priorities. Various made for exactly these reasons. configuration options were important to Member libraries wanted to provide ‘a some sites, but not others. Consortium much better service to their customers’, members have spent quite a bit of time but most found that the appropriate via email and in teleconference expertise did not exist within their meetings negotiating priorities. Thirdly, institution (Pearson, 2000). members have different degrees of Furthermore, developing in-house financial flexibility, which affects their expertise was likely to be expensive, decision-making. For example, system difficult and take time. Now, looking upgrades out-of-hours involve an back, CLIC members know that their additional cost. On a number of VDX implementations would not have occasions not all sites have been able been as successful had each of them to commit additional funds, so the gone it alone. However, it is worth upgrade has had to be done during discussing the disadvantages of the business hours which has affected Consortium, because there have most service availability to all users of the certainly been some. system.

Some decisions inevitably have had to There are also risks involved in involve comprises, for a variety of consortium membership, and it is reasons. Firstly, some decisions needed important to recognise these. For to be agreed upon by all, as a change example, if one member of the

ISBN 0 86804 564 0 © 2006 Australian Library and Information Association ALIA Click06 consortium were to withdraw, it would Implementation also required have a significant effect on the services considerable shared effort in planning, available to remaining members as less configuration and training. The CLIC shared capital would mean less Consortium was the first ISO ILL system development. There is potentially a to interoperate with the National Library significant disadvantage in having the system, Kinetica Document Delivery configuration knowledge held centrally (now Libraries Australia Document at CAVAL. If a member needed to Delivery), exchanging requests with withdraw, there would be a huge other Australian libraries and utilising learning curve for staff at that site and if the payments gateway. the consortium were to be disbanded for any reason, all members would face The customers of CLIC member significant difficulties. CAVAL libraries have already benefited from recognises this and ensures that VDX service improvements. Turnaround support staff follow good system times have been reduced dramatically. practices, including the creation and RMIT’s results from the 2001 maintenance of appropriate benchmarking study indicate an eight documentation. Flowcharts and day turnaround for copy and loan; while workflows have been developed for post-VDX implementation statistics for each site, and these are shared as 2004 show a 4.5 day turnaround appropriate. In addition there is a (National Resource Sharing Group, considerable store of documentation 2001). Rush and Express requests from available to all members, including customers have virtually disappeared project plans, training workbooks, across the CLIC libraries because of the configuration notes and minutes of speed at which items are being meetings. delivered. CLIC member libraries have also extended services to offshore and Factors Influencing the Success of remote students and there has been the Consortium integration of cross-campus services by The CLIC Consortium has achieved several libraries including service to many successes in its five years of Open Universities Australia students. operation. At the broadest level the These services have been offered successful implementation of the VDX without any extra resourcing software at all member libraries and the commitment by member libraries. achievement of measurable service improvements is proof of the success of The Practitioners Workshops, attended the consortium. However, there have by interlibrary loan staff from member been additional, and perhaps institutions, have fostered a great unexpected, outcomes achieved along sharing of knowledge and procedures at the way. For example, a significant the coal-face level. It has also fostered component of CLIC’s value and benefits collegiality, which has had a flow-on to members has come from the effect of assisting with change expertise developed and shared and the management within member libraries. relationships that have been fostered between libraries at all levels; Future developments such as directory managerial, library and technical staff. based authentication, such as (e.g.

LDAP) and auto-mediation are expected communication required with the to bring further improvements in vendor. services and reduction in staff processing times. LDAP will provide a Size and composition single log-on for all customers to the The CLIC Consortium is relatively small library’s services and resources. Auto- in size, with six institutional members. mediation has already been These university libraries all have a implemented by several CLIC libraries common purpose and understanding of and has improved turnaround times and the interlibrary loan business involved. reduced staff processing times. Decisions have been reached collegially and with relative ease. At the policy Application Hosted Service and level the staff representing each Technical Support member library at CLIC business The CLIC model, with the system being meetings have also been closely located at a central site and managed involved in Document Delivery/ILL work as a Hosted Service with CAVAL at their institutions, thus providing real managing and configuring the software, understanding of the impact decisions provides a seamless service to the will have on institutional work practice. members. The model varies from the WAGUL (Western Australian Group of Consortium Management University Librarians) setup where each The expertise provided by CAVAL in library configures and manages the managing administrative matters of the VDX system to meet the requirements Consortium has ensured that the formal of their specific institution (Burrows, processes of meetings, minutes and McDonald & Archibald, 2004). The CLIC teleconference scheduling has been model has enabled the creation of a well organised. Consortium members team of experienced technical staff at receive regular reports on outstanding CAVAL who provide an efficient help configuration and help-desk calls. desk. The system is complex and the Additional configuration is planned and external management of configuration prioritised well in advance. Upgrades and the facility to draw on expertise and are also discussed and timetabled at advice when required (rather than periods agreed to by all members. developing this capacity in-house at each library), has proved a valuable Decision Making factor in CLIC’s success. The sharing of The CAVAL LIDDAS Consortium has expertise amongst technical staff and shared not only costs, but also decision- libraries has been an effective problem making. Sometimes it has been difficult solver. The CAVAL staff have led the to come to a consensus about how to way in many aspects of VDX proceed, however good will has implementation in Australia. prevailed and there have always been Relationships with the vendor OCLC- opportunities to consider other options. Pica (formerly FDI) have also been Members have access to the large body positive and issues have been resolved of knowledge that is being built up over with a minimum of fuss. Certainly the time. This compares to non-consortia relationship with CAVAL has assisted in libraries, where changes may be the more technical areas of

ISBN 0 86804 564 0 © 2006 Australian Library and Information Association ALIA Click06 frequently delayed due to lack of partner in the process and contributed in expertise. some form or other. For example:

Formal and Informal Communication • La Trobe University created an Methods innovative set of self-directed Communication has been excellent online user guides using the amongst consortium members and this Camtasia Studio software. This has been a major factor in our success. has formed the basis for the The consortium has held regular development of similar guides by teleconferences and these have proved other member institutions invaluable for sharing information and • University of Newcastle created facilitating informed decision-making. the help text for the customer’s Although the original intention was to web interface which has also discontinue these following been adapted by all members implementation, they have continued to • Macquarie University has shared be of value as an avenue for discussion a vast number of saved of work practice and the resolution of searches. common problems. Policy issues are formally dealt with at CLIC face-to-face Document Delivery/ILL staff meetings which are held at least twice a involvement year. There is also an email discussion The success of the Consortium must list, where members post questions and also be attributed to the Document comments, and where CAVAL staff Delivery and ILL staff who use the provide information and request system and who have daily dealings feedback. There are also strong with customers. Although geographical informal contacts between all members location has not allowed all staff to and the maintenance of good attend events such as the Practitioners communication channels has been a Workshops there is an ongoing vital factor in the success of the interchange of ideas about work Consortium. Telephone and email practice and those who have had the contact have been constant between opportunity to meet staff from other members, particularly at upgrade and institutions have found it invaluable. It is other implementation times and all rewarding to hear the enthusiasm with members have learnt the value of their which staff members talk to colleagues ‘shared experience’. from non-VDX institutions about VDX processes. These interchanges are In-Kind Support important indicators of the success of A combined commitment to share has the venture for libraries, customers and benefited all members. Sharing of the consortium. documentation, promotional materials, user guides and documented Conclusion procedures has meant that each There certainly are some disadvantages institution has not had to create and there are also some risks involved individual sets of the same material. in going down the consortium pathway. Each institution has been an equal Nonetheless CLIC members are clear that the benefits have far outweighed

ISBN 0 86804 564 0 © 2006 Australian Library and Information Association ALIA Click06 the risks. At Macquarie University the provision and development within the implementation of VDX for both member institutions. It is apparent that Document Supply and Distance the mix of formal processes such as Education has been highly successful configuration, training and helpdesk and it is unlikely that this could have support, meetings, teleconferences and been achieved without the consortium workshops; as well as informal factors approach. The success of the CLIC such as a combined commitment to consortium can be attributed to a range share, the maintenance of good of factors. These factors are very similar communication channels, effective to those identified by other successful problem solving and minimal consortia as described in the literature bureaucratic barriers, have enabled review. democratic compromises to be achieved. CLIC members continue to This paper has explored the complex work together to improve software relationships between the consortium implementation and therefore excellent and member institutions, and the impact service delivery to clients. of those relationships upon service

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Okerson, A. (2000). Strength in numbers: Library consortia in the electronic age. IDT Conference, Paris 2000. Retrieved May 19, 2006, from http://library.yale.edu/~okerson/strength-numbers.html Parnell, S. (2003) Cooperation not consortia: implementing the Voyager library system in the South Australian universities. Paper presented at the Conference Educause in Australia, Expanding the learning community, meeting the challenges, Adelaide, 6-9 May 2003. Retrieved May 19, 2006 from http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/about/papers/EducauseConsortia.pdf Pearson, K. (2000). Changing the face of interlibrary loans: LIDDAS at Macquarie University Library. Books and bytes: technologies for the hybrid library. Victorian Association for Library Automation. 10th Biennial Conference. Proceedings. Melbourne: 2000, 155-164. Tucker, J., Beaumont, A., & Hicks, C. (1998). CIDER: CAVAL Information Delivery and Electronic Requesting. Robots to Knowbots: the wider automation agenda. Victorian Association for Library Automation. 9th Biennial Conference, Proceedings. Melbourne: 1998, 57-78. Vitullo, K. (2003). Collaboration: It’s a contact sport. Speaker notes for the FLIN Consortia Workshop, 18th August 2003. Retrieved May 19, 2006 from http://www-prod.nla.gov.au/aglin/documents/collaboration.pdf