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

2. Today's Presentation at a Glance
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

3. Ontario Scholars Portal Access 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 Portal Objectives & 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 ◊ Group 1 Setup, Training & Testing
Winter 2002/03 ◊ Group 2 Setup, Training & Testing
Spring ◊ Group 4 Setup, Training & Testing
Summer ◊ Group 1 & 2 Production
◊ Group 3 Setup, Training & Testing
Fall ◊ 5 Additional Sites Go Production
◊ System Upgrade to 2.4
Spring ◊ Bilingual RACER Interface
◊ Group 3 Production

8. Project Milestones
April 2000: OCUL established the OCUL ILL Task Group
: 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) OCUL ILL Sub-Groups
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. RACER Who’s Online? Brock Carleton Guelph Lakehead Ryerson
Trent
Waterloo
Western
Wilfrid Laurier
Windsor
Carleton
Lakehead
York – Law library
Nipissing
Queen’s
Toronto

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

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

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 Configuration Wilfrid Laurier

16. All OCUL
Catalogues
Single Access
Interface

19. RACER Features 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

21. RACER New 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

22. Collections
& User Profiles
Old & New

25. Request Form
Old & New

26. RACER Project Statistics Measuring 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

27. Still More Statistics ILL 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

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

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

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

31. RACER Challenges 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

32. RACER More Challenges
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

33. RACER Who Can We Communicate With?
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)

35. RACER End 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
notification for receipt or
cancellation of materials

36. RACER Staff 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 alerting for patrons

37. 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

38. A quote from Trent's student newspaper, the Arthur
RACER Better 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.

39. RACER Faster 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.

40. 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

41. Questions? http://racer.scholarsportal.info/vdx/index.html
Amy Greenberg
Sue McGillivray

42. The Vision Fully Integrated Peer to Peer ILL
Aviso
Relais
Other VDX Sites
OCUL ILL / RACER
CISTI
ILL Manager