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LMS Implementation Team Meeting
October 21, 1999
Olin Room 303
10:30 AM

Attending: Lynn Brown, Karen Calhoun, Susan Currie, Philip Herold, Diane Hillmann, Susan Markowitz, Pat Schafer, John Saylor and Ed Weissman

  1. We dispensed with sub-committee reports and decided to use email and our Web page for communicating status updates.

  2. Karen brought up an issue first raised in the OPAC Customization Committee. In that group concern was expressed about who might attend up-coming training workshops besides the current committee members. For example, the OPAC Customization group discussed whether folks that we bring on board to assist with html work or programming, might benefit for formal participation in functional and modular training efforts, especially in our OPAC customization training.. Karen expressed concern with her ability to "translate" critical information to other staff, after the fact. This same sentiment is shared by others in the group. This issue was not resolved and will require further investigation.

  3. The group then discussed Lynne's Endeavor Implementation Schedule and attempted to assign actual dates to the schedule. During this discussion the following issues arose:

    • It is important not to cut back too much on any test periods. Currently the schedule reflects the number of days only and does not take into consideration "work days" vs weekends/holidays.
    • Currently Day 17 calls for "catalog configuration". This will most likely take more than one day. In addition, Day 16 is set for "accepting the bib file". This too may extend beyond one day to several days. We are not in a position to judge this now. Day 16 will also be the "fiscal year end of NOTIS".
    • We reviewed the academic calendar and determined that the third week in June would be the best time to be down in circulation. We therefore pegged June 22 and 23 as our down time in Circ.
    • Implementation will result in significant periods of down time in acquisitions and cataloging. The Technical Services Committee is looking into workflow issues and deciding upon alternative methods for processing materials.
    • Current schedule calls for testing "open orders" in May. It was felt that this was too late in the process and would need to be moved up. The committee wishes to see a "generic open order load" as part of our first load or soon after our initial bib load. The January/February period was discussed as an optimum time.
    • Susan Currie also noted that the patron extract needs to be reviewed early on (January/Feburary). Issues here deal with how the patron records will look in Voyager and how well they interface with other programs such as PeopleSoft. Patron data is supplied, via PeopleSoft software, by the Registrar's office and Human Resources.
    This discussion enabled us to set 6/26/00 as our target date to go live with Voyager OPAC.

  4. Susan then discussed training issues and referenced Appendix B-3, "Customized Training for Cornell University". We will be expected to identify 12-14 trainers from among our staff. These trainers will go through the same "functional" training the committee will attend in November. Trainers will be trained in February. The Committee needs to define the training modules, not content, and who will do what. A brief discussion about the pluses and minuses of training within one's functional area vs. across functions, was aired. The Committee felt that we will be in a better position to address these issues after our November functional training. We have set December as our time to identify trainers and determine the training mode.

    Susan then discussed the training package that we bought and where we might have some flexibility with respect to total days of training purchased. Some modular training has been deleted. Susan said that Marlene suggested that the following modules be kept in the program: original cataloging; ledger setup; serial patterns; reporting (Calhoun says this needs to be mid to late February); image server and media scheduling.

    Susan also stated that we should consider an "expert group" for each module. These folks will not only be trainers in the short term but also serve as a resource network over time.

  5. The following are critical dates in the implementation process. Lynn Brown has modified Lynne Personius' excel spreadsheet to include critical calendar dates. See that document for greater detail.
    • Day 1: 5/12 or 5/16/00 (issue of extracting file starting on a Friday night (5/12) --currently Day 1 is set to 5/16). Stop cataloging. Extract bib file. Vendor extract. Acquisitions in receipt mode only, no serials check-in. OPAC configuration decisions complete.
    • Day 15: 6/6/00 Stop, at the close of business that day, patron record additions to patron file. Extract patron file.
    • Day 16: 6/7/00 Accept bib file. Fiscal year end for NOTIS. Open order extract. No acquisitions.
    • Day 17: 6/8/00 Catalog configuration, catalog begins. Patron load at Endeavor.
    • Day 18: 6/9/00 Vendor file load. Patron file test.
    • Day 19: 6/12/00 Vendor test. Accept patron file.
    • Day 20: 6/13/00 Accept vendor file.
    • Day 27: 6/22/00 Accept open order. Acquisitions live. Extract trans, fine/fee, holds recalls. No circulation.
    • Day 28: 6/23/00 No circulation.
    • Day 29: 6/26/00 Accept circ data. Circ in Voyager. Voyager OPAC used.

  6. Circulation configuration is scheduled for a seven day period (Day 20-26). Since a maximum of four policy groups can be loaded at one time, we will need to schedule this carefully Loads take approximately 1/2 day ea

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last modified on: Oct.6, 1999