This document discusses a proposed project to investigate the benefits of a shared library management system across institutions in Scotland. The project aims to develop a new vision for library systems by exploring opportunities around shared content, systems, and services. It would involve gathering practitioner input, investigating current systems, analyzing shared content potential, and getting user feedback to understand benefits. The results would be disseminated within the library community to inform future system sharing opportunities.

2. JISC Grant Funding 01/12
“The aim of this work is to contribute to a new
vision for library systems and provide concrete,
practical examples of work that might help
contribute to the creation and implementation
of that vision.”
Appendix D2: Library Systems (Information and Library Infrastructure) – Pathfinder projects

3. JISC Grant Funding 01/12
“JISC invites projects to undertake work under
one of the following broad themes:
Shared library systems
Emerging tools and technologies
Emerging library systems opportunities”
Appendix D2: Library Systems (Information and Library Infrastructure) – Pathfinder projects

4. JISC Grant Funding 01/12
“Projects should see themselves as a stepping
stone toward a different future for library
systems.
While the project may be time limited and
contained, the opportunities and potential
vision for a future library system should not.”
Appendix D2: Library Systems (Information and Library Infrastructure) – Pathfinder projects

6. The Benefits of Sharing
This proposed project seeks to contribute towards a
new vision for library systems by investigating the
following question:
“How would a shared library management system
improve services in Scotland?”
This will be achieved by a project team backed by
the Scottish Confederation of University and
Research Libraries (SCURL), and led by the
University of Edinburgh Library.

7. The Benefits of Sharing
There are several aspects to this question that will be investigated:
Services – how do different groups of users benefit from shared content and
systems, and are there any complications introduced from such sharing?
Systems – how far can a shared system sensibly reach, do suitable solutions
exist that can be shared and that scale appropriately, and to what extent is a
local view of a shared system required or possible?
Content – how common are the current content holdings, licences and
cataloguing practises across the libraries in Scotland that would help or
hinder deeper sharing?

8. Project timeline

10. WP1: Looking ahead
• Perform a brief review of recently published analysis in this area,
both in the UK and internationally.
• Gather together practitioners from across SCURL members and
experts nominated by the JISC Programme Manager to take part in
a facilitated session to start thinking about the potentials of a
shared LMS for Scotland. The facilitator will ensure that the
participants think across a broad spectrum of timescales, from
practical steps that can be taken now, to forward thinking
envisioning of possible systems in the future.
• Invite library systems vendors (including open source) to present
their ideas for the future of shared systems. It may be possible to
co-ordinate this event with some other vendor presentation events
that are being organised in Edinburgh by other organisations.

11. WP2: Services for users
Based on the future visions developed in work package
one, this work package will present those visions to a
variety of users across SCURL institutions.
The visions and perceived benefits will be explored with
users through a variety of methods, including the use of
facilitated focus groups and surveys, giving participants
the opportunity to provide feedback and to contribute
their own vision of an ideal LMS system.
The output of this work package will allow us to compare
the users' perceived benefits of a shared LMS with those
benefits gained at an institutional and systems
management level.

12. WP3: The systems
An overview of LMS products will be compiled with
a focus on the offering on consortial services.
This will be coupled with an investigation into the
possibilities and issues related to the sharing and
privacy of user information, local versus cloud
hosting, general local content and data, and locally
customised presentation.
The final strand will look at possibilities beyond the
basic LMS for including other related systems such
as OpenURL resolvers and e-resource managements
systems.

13. WP4: The content
A shared LMS will need to be based on access to
accurate descriptions of library content, in print and
electronic forms. This work package will seek to
build on work being done for SHEDL and the JISC
KB+ project on common e-holdings of Scottish HEIs.
An analysis, by survey, will be carried out to
quantify the number of electronic records available
for local, print, holdings and their format.
A shared LMS need not necessarily mean a shared
or union catalogue; attitudes to this will also be
surveyed.

14. WP5: Evaluation and dissemination
Evaluation and dissemination activities will take
place in two areas.
Firstly activities will take place within and across all
SCURL members, to ensure that thorough
evaluation and dissemination of the findings are
discussed at the regional level.
Secondly further activities will be planned in liaison
with the pathfinder synthesis project, to ensure
that the reports are widely available and
complimentary to the other projects’ outputs.

15. WP6: Project management
Ensure that the project is managed suitably to ensure
that the project is completed on time, on budget, and
in accordance with relevant requirements.
The Project Manager will be the main point of liaison
with the JISC Programme team and the synthesis
project.

16. Project staff
Each work package will be led by a different member of
the project team. The core team will be made up of staff
from the University of Edinburgh, and the University of
Stirling, both of whom are members of SCURL.
A project board will oversee the project. The project
board will be made up of members of SCURL,
representatives nominated by the JISC, project staff, and
other relevant staff. It will be chaired by a SCURL officer.
The project board will meet bi-monthly with additional
written reports made to the SCURL business committee.

17. Photo credits
• “Tape drive”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pyntofmyld/44
88018774
• “Sharing”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/micahtaylor/60
36026737
• “Sorry”:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justanotherhu
man/6370336331
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 UK: Scotland License.