GAELIC was formed in 1996 as a consortium of South African universities and technikons to implement a shared library system using funding from the Mellon Foundation. It initially selected Innovative Interfaces' INNOPAC system. Over time, GAELIC helped 16 member institutions merge their systems as the members themselves merged, and navigated changes in the national higher education landscape. The consortium strengthened resource sharing between members and maintained its relationship with Innovative. As it faces another transition period with the closing of its administrative home FOTIM, GAELIC is evaluating its future structure and role in supporting members and continuing cooperation.

1. GAELIC and Innovative –
overview 1996-2010 and
thereafter …
GAELIC Summer Training Camp, National Library of
South Africa, 17 November 2010
Di Man –Univ. of the Witwatersrand
Lettie Erasmus – Unisa Library

2. Outline of presentation
 Di – historical aspect of setting up the
common library system, because
there are important lessons
 Lettie – interaction between
institutions and with Innovative
Interfaces
 Looking ahead to the future

3. Background to GAELIC
• Formed in April 1996 after changeover of
government and end of sanctions
• Offered a common library system by Mellon to
leapfrog technology changes
• 10 universities and 6 technikons
• HAIs and HDIs (Apartheid created)
• Opportunity to smooth out disparities
• Resource sharing and shared cataloguing– ILLs,
buying material collectively
• System architecture was important (number,
autonomy, network stability, high cost of
Internet bandwidth)

4. GAELIC Steering Committee with a few
familiar faces from some years back

5. Proposal writing process
 GAELIC Proposal Writing process facilitated
by Rob McGee
System functionality
System configuration
Connectivity issues
ICT infrastructure

6. Rob McGee with the GAELIC Proposal
Writing Team -1996
Lettie
Erasmus, Noel
Shillinglaw,
Hannie
Sander, Judy
Henning, Rob
McGee,
Heather
Edwards,
Magdaleen
Arlow, Pierre
Malan and Di
Man

7. Model 1: Centralised system

8. Model 2: Distributed system

9. Model 3: Regionally Distributed Clusters

11. Model 2: Distributed system

12. GAELIC’s Needs vs National Needs
 GAELIC’s Vision: a virtual library with local service
interfaces
 Link 16 separate INNOPAC systems to facilitate
resource sharing and shared cataloguing
 Early decision to provide free interlibrary loans to
assist smaller members
 Reverse practice of original cataloguing (approx.
80% among Phases 1 and 2)
 GAELIC’s strength in ILL and shared cataloguing
 GAELIC dropped its regional database option for a
national strategy through SABINET Online (SACat
and OCLC)
17 Oct 2002
Mellon Foundation Conference
on Union Catalogs 12

13. Crossroads in 2004/2005
 Government merged HE institutions
 34 institutions to be reduced to 21
 In GAELIC, 16 insts reduced to 8
 Distributed system model - assisted in
merging library systems
 High initial merging costs, but long term
savings in maintenance costs
 Lots of holdings to be changed (SACat)
17 Oct 2002
Mellon Foundation Conference
on Union Catalogs 13

14. GAELIC
LOCAL SYSTEM
# 1
GAELIC
LOCAL SYSTEM
# 2
GAELIC
LOCAL SYSTEM
# 3
GAELIC
LOCAL SYSTEM
# 4
GAELIC
LOCAL SYSTEM
# 5
GAELIC
LOCAL SYSTEM
# 6
GAELIC
LOCAL SYSTEM
# 7
GAELIC
LOCAL SYSTEM
# 8
SABINET
SA CAT
LIB 1
TENET
LIB 2
LIB 1 LIB 2
LIB 1 LIB 2 LIB 3
LIB 1 LIB 2 LIB 3
LIB 1 LIB 2 LIB 3
GAELIC
Current GAELIC System Model

15. New Crossroad
 There are interesting times and
another new set of challenges ahead
for GAELIC.
 Over to Lettie.
17 Oct 2002
Mellon Foundation Conference
on Union Catalogs 15

16. Library system demonstrations held at
Unisa Library 1996 –
Steve
Silberstein
(Innovative)
with Prof. June
Sinclair, Prof.
Egbert Gerryts,
Noel
Shillinglaw,
Heather
Edwards and
Lettie Erasmus

17. Evaluation of library systems process
 Work Groups for each system module
Request for Information send to potential system
vendors
Short listing of preferred system vendors
Compile checklists of questions
Demonstrations by Innovative Interfaces Inc. and
ExLibris
Assessment of systems and recommendation
Negotiation with Innovative Interfaces Inc.

18. GAELIC System implementation 1997-
2003
 GAELIC Implementation Team and local
library team
 Phase 1, 2, 3 libraries –
Profiling and worksheets
Authority cleanup by LTI
Data conversion SAMARC to MARC21 by Sabinet
Data migration
TestPac
Training for each module

19. Mellon Foundation Conference on Union
Catalogs, Tallinn, Estonia, Oct.2002
 Presentation on GAELIC system implementation
at a conference organized by the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation and the National Library of
Estonia and held in Tallinn, Estonia, 17-19 Oct.
2002. :
Regional vs National Union Database Development:
the GAELIC Experience
 Paper published in Proceedings of the Conference:
Union catalogs at the crossroad / edited by Andrew Lass and
Richard E. Quandt. Hamburg : Hamburg University Press, c2004.

20. Jodi Williamschen (Innovative
Implementation Consultant), Di and Lettie

21. GAELIC Library System Focus Group
 Focus Group (later called a Team) focused on:
 Training – on-site, workshops, individual members arrange
visits and training
 Special training interventions – UniVen, UNIN and NWU-
Mmabato and others
 Innovative training: Advanced System Acces and Administration
 Sharing of information and expertise: “Show-and-Tell”
Workshops
 Support and advice: List of advisors and experts
 Coordinate communication with Innovative
 Facilitate implementation of Millennium at all sites

22. GAELIC and IUG-SA
 GAELIC provided support to the IUG-SA by:
Sponsoring the first IUG-SA Annual Conference
Sponsoring the visits of 2 overseas experts –
Linda Bills (Tri-College Library Consortium, USA)
And, Carolyn Jones (Queensland Univ., Australia)
Donating a trophy to encourage the libraries to do
presentations at the annual IUG-SA Conferences

23. GAELIC and IUG
 Initially GAELIC sponsored representatives from
most of the GAELIC libraries to attend the Annual
Conference of the IUG in the USA
IUG in
Nashville,
1998 –
Ellen, Lettie,
Pierre and
Elna

24. GAELIC and IUG
IUG 2009,
Anaheim, USA –
Lettie, Hilary
Newman,
Estonian friends
and Graham

25. Relationship with Innovative
 First contact made with Innovative in 1994
 Initial training visits and support during system
implementation and the integration of systems as a
result of the mergers
 Site visits by Innovative representatives
 Innovative supports the annual IUG-SA conferences
 Negotiate discounts on new purchases
 Communication and advice
 GAELIC Millennium (INNOPAC) Focus Group Leader and
GAELIC Libraries’ Site Coordinators are responsible for
relationship with Innovative

26. Relationship with Innovative …
cont.
Pierre and
Lettie in
front of
Innovative's
Offices,
Emeryville,
CA in 1997

27. GAELIC and Innovative
Georgia
Fujikawa
(Innovative
trainer) with
representatives
from GAELIC
Phase 1
libraries

28. GAELIC and Innovative staff in
Madrid
Maryvonne with
Carina and Maria
Maryvonne and Charo
with the GAELIC Team

29. GAELIC and other Innovative sites
 Regular contact with other Southern
African Innovative sites:
SEALS
Free State sites
NLSA
HSRC
Univ. of Namibia (was GAELIC member)
Univ. of Botswana (became GAELIC
member)

30. GAELIC membership survey 2005,
another crossroad
 Survey highlighted considerable differences
in the use of the Millennium system, as well
as:
Age of the servers supporting the Innovative
library systems
Versions of the software, the modules and
functionality being utilised
Campus ICT support
Skills level of library staff

31. GAELIC System Investigation 2006-2008 –
sponsored by the Mellon Foundation
 Problem areas were investigated by:
Conducting a GAELIC System Survey
Conducting a benchmarking exercise by visiting all
GAELIC libraries and SEALS libraries, library
consortia in Spain and Estonia as well as a
discussion with CALICO
Comparison of the shared and decentralised server
models
Recommendations resulted in 2 Frameworks:
Library System Support Structure
Millennium System and Library Processes

32. GAELIC Team in Spain
GAELIC Team with Carmen in
Maria Luisa Gardens, Seville
GAELIC Team at entrance of
Univ. of Seville

33. GAELIC Team in Tallinn, Estonia
GAELIC Team with members
of the ELNET Consortium
GAELIC Team with
Management Team
of National Library of
Estonia

34. GAELIC Team in Tallinn, Estonia …
cont.
GAELIC Team with members
from the Academy of Music and
Theatre
GAELIC Team –
Maria, Soekie,
Carina & Lettie

35. Two GAELIC Frameworks
 GAELIC Millennium System Team developed 2
frameworks based on the recommendations of the
GAELIC System Investigation:
Library System Support Structure
Describe the main elements of a Library System Support
Structure
Define the roles and responsibilities of a Site Coordinator and
a Library System Administrator
Millennium System and Library Processes
Define the roles and responsibilities of a process owner and
library system champion
 Two frameworks were adopted by all GAELIC
members in 2010

36. And now the thereafter, another
crossroad?
 FOTIM closes in 2011
 GAELIC needs to reappraise its future
 Proposal on future to be submitted in Dec. 2010
 Issues and options:
Contract with Innovative Interfaces Inc.
Importance of a legal entity for fundraising, funding from
institutions, etc.
Management support
Need for champions to carry the new structure forward
Ongoing training initiatives
Relationship with Innovative regarding support and new
system developments
Evaluate GAELIC’s vision vs actual achievement
 What has changed since 1998: network infrastructure, III’s
ability to partition a large server, mergers, regional
consortia disbanding, etc.

37. And now the thereafter, another
crossroad … cont.
 GAELIC Group to consider a future
structure
 IUG-SA Group to consider a formal
structure for IUG-SA

38. And now the thereafter, another
crossroad … cont.
 National scene
 Future of regional structures
 FOTIM level will no longer exists, only library level
 IUG-SA to become formal national structure?
 Permanent structure and support
 Include all Innovative sites across regions
 Represents Innovative users on other national committees e.g.
Implementation of RDA
 Coordinate Innovative training and communication
 Benefits of membership
 Benefits of continued co-operation
 Consider new costing models for annual maintenance fees and
new products
 Discounts for joint purchases, co-ordering, etc.
 Networking among peers and learning from each other –
Training and sharing of information is very important
 Inter-institutional support

39. Thank you!
Di Man – Univ. of the Witwatersrand
e-mail address: Dianne.Man@wits.ac.za
Lettie Erasmus – Unisa Library
e-mail address: erasmaj@unisa.ac.za