The document outlines the collaborative technology procurement initiative in Wales led by the Wales Higher Education Libraries Forum (WHELF), highlighting the development and implementation of a shared library management system. Key outcomes include significant cost savings, improved access across libraries, and recognition for successful delivery. The report emphasizes the importance of collaboration, soft skills, and ongoing development in the procurement process.

1. Buying Bigger, Buying Better…Together
Experience of collaborative technology procurement in
Wales
Mark Hughes
Head of Libraries, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Vice-Chair – WHELF

2. Join Together
• Wales Higher
Education
Libraries Forum
• https://whelf.ac.uk/
• Mission:
• promote library and
information services
co-operation
• to encourage the
exchange of ideas
• to provide a forum for
mutual support
• help facilitate new
initiatives in library
and information
service provision
..or ‘What’s a WHELF anyway?’

3. High Hopes
The WHELF Shared Library Management System
• 2011 - Initial idea
• 2012 - JISC funded feasibility study
• 2013 – Project group formed, CyMAL (Welsh Govn’t)
financial contribution
• 2014 – Procurement & contract award
• 2015 – Implementation rollout, 2016 – All partners live on
system
• 2021/22 – Contract review & renewal
Scale:
• 6 different legacy LMS’
• 11 partner institutions inc. Higher Education, National
Library, NHS Libraries
• 88 library sites
• 600 library staff
• 170,000 customers
• 10,000,000 bibliographic records
..or ‘Let’s try something BIG’

4. Dream On
Identified goals & benefits:
• Financial
• Cost saving through shared procurement process
• Cost saving on system price
• Long term potential to share collection development &
services
• Strategic / Developmental
• Single search access across all collections
• Improved workflows
• Opening up opportunities for future sharing &
collaboration
• Technical / Digital
• Cloud based infrastructure
• Digital content tools e.g. Electronic Resource
Management (ERM)
• Standards based integrations
..or ‘What we wanted from it’
Photograph by Steve Greer:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/steviegreer/3412149821/

5. Finest Work(song)
Structure:
• Library driven
• Partnerships & support – IT, Procurement, Legal, others…
• Robust Governance structure
Specification:
• Collaborative – ALL partners involved
• ITT inc 61 page Requirements spec
• PROCESS, DATA and TECHNOLOGY
Sense Checking:
• Supplier events & demos
• Reference site visits
• Wider community engagement
Success:
• Contract award Dec 2014
• Ex Libris Alma and Primo
..or ‘How we did it’

6. Build
• 2015:
• Successful rollout
• 3 Tranches implementation
• Delivered to timescale
• 2016 to today:
• Continued enhancement
• Shared data & reporting
• Resource Sharing across partners
• …and much more
• Reading List system purchasing framework added
• Digital Collaborative tools
• Teams, Yammer, Trello
• MarcEdit, Open Refine, PowerBI
• Contract renewal for Alma & Primo to 2026
• What next?:
• More collaborative development & enhancement
• Constant horizon scanning
• Prep for next procurement starts in 2023
..or ‘Success & what we did next’

7. • Transformative digital approach
• First project of its kind in UK (cross sector)
• Largest scale of its kind in UK
• Successful delivery – on time, on budget, on spec
• National recognition – 2015 THELMA winners for
‘Outstanding Library Team’
• International profile – interest & discussions with consortia
in Scotland, Germany, Canada, Switzerland and more..
• Strong platform to build on and forwards with
..or ‘What do Librarians bring to a
successful tech procurement?’
Reflections

8. Knowing Me, Knowing You
3 key areas to digital development success:
• Approach & Mindset
• Soft Skills
• Knowledge
..or ‘Reflecting on our skills’

9. No Line on the Horizon
Approach & mindset – what should we have?
• Be ‘curious’ about technology
• What are the trends?
• What’s out there?
• Who’s doing what?
• Not ONLY Libraries?
• What’s driving the change?
• Open, Collaborative mindset
• Who has an interest?
• Who might be your partners?
• How can we work together?
..or ‘Approach & mindset’

10. Building Bridges
Soft Skills that we bring:
• Relationship building
• Understanding individual agendas
• Building trust
• Articulating benefits
• Communication
• ..making the complex accessible &
understandable
• Structure and organisation
• Governance & process
• ‘the machinery of decision making’
..or ‘Soft Skills’
360’ camera view – WHELF Board meeting 2019
Steve Williams: https://www.flickr.com/photos/issodd/40907795113/

11. Know Your Enemy ..or ‘Knowledge we have’
Knowledge that we bring:
• Market knowledge
• What re the products out there?
• What are the people developing / talking about?
• Information Environment
• National & International Standards
• User behaviours & preferences
• Trends..
• Understanding data
• Structure
• Flow
• Interactions
• Recognising opportunity … and risk
UnStacked – Library Data Visualisation Project https://unstacked.com.au/

12. Call Me
Mark Hughes
Head of Library Services
Cardiff Metropolitan University,
mjhughes@cardiffmet.ac.uk
Mark_H_Cymru
..or ‘Contact Details’

13. Raise Your Hand
..Any Questions?’
..or ‘Thanks for listening’
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Icon-round-Question_mark.jpg