Status updates

View the latest news and status updates about the implementation process, along with a summary, milestones, and key implementation features. 

 

FALSC and Florida’s public postsecondary libraries are in the process of a transition to a next-generation integrated library system (ILS). This multi-year effort marks the largest transition to an integrated academic library catalog/discovery system in Florida’s history.

Implementation Overview

Organizational Framework for ILS Implementation

 

Implementation Status Update: January 2018

A NOTE ON WIKI ACCESS: Some items below refer readers to wikis for more information. Since there is proprietary information on the wikis, a generic password is required to view content. Access is available to staff at Florida’s public higher-education institutions. Please contact your local ILS Coordinator or the Help Desk, help@flvc.org or (877) 506-2210 (toll free), to request log-in information.

 

Leadership and Collaboration

Decisions on the integrated library system (ILS) project are made in collaboration with the Members Council on Library Services (MCLS) and other high-level boards, such as the FLVC Executive Advisory Council and the project Steering Committee.

All groups created within the project’s organizational framework currently remain in place, including:

• The eight ILS Working Groups, made up of faculty and staff from the universities and colleges and focused on various areas of the new system
• The ILS Implementation Team, which includes the Working Group chairs, multiple liaisons from FALSC, two project leads, and two representatives from the Members Council on Library Services
• The ILS Coordinators representing each of the 40 colleges and universities. 

Visit the Sierra / Encore Duet Implementation Wiki for details on each group’s activities, including meeting agendas, notes, and documentation.

 

Project Status and Next Steps                                                         

As was announced via an email to the MCLS on Jan. 18, there will be no implementation of the Sierra/Encore Duet integrated library system in July 2018 as was previously planned.

This decision was reached following Preproduction Verification testing, which was conducted Oct. 9-Dec. 8. During that comprehensive program of functionality and performance testing, more than 190 verified system issues and 31 major problems were logged by FALSC and FLVC staff, the ILS Working Groups, and other faculty and staff at the colleges and universities. Per our agreement with system vendor Innovative Interfaces Inc., the company had until Dec. 18 to correct the gaps in its system’s functionality. Numerous issues remained unresolved as of Dec. 18, so the ILS failed to achieve system acceptance by the deadline.

Innovative has been notified of the failure, and we have mutually agreed with the company that implementation will not take place as scheduled in July. We are carefully and deliberately working with Innovative to come to a resolution, and will share any outcome as soon as possible.

In light of recent developments:

• The refresher training sessions scheduled for spring have been cancelled.
• Work on the new system by library staff is suspended, although the ILS organizational framework remains in place, including the Working Groups.

Meanwhile, as discussions with Innovative continue and a final decision on the project remains on hold, FALSC and FLVC are evaluating services for the next fiscal year. 

 

Staying Informed

FALSC Executive Director Elijah Scott and FALSC staff will continue to communicate important developments on the ILS project via email to our mailing lists. Other paths for finding more information about the ILS project include: 

• The Sierra / Encore Duet Implementation Wiki
• This website’s ILS Implementation section

 

Prior Implementation Status Updates