IS 585 Information Technologies Assignment Final Individual Project Susan Macrellis (smacrell) December 2, 2010

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1 1 IS 585 Information Technologies Assignment Final Individual Project Susan Macrellis (smacrell) December 2, 2010 ABSTRACT This IT proposal has been created to request funding in the East Ridge City Budget for software and corresponding hardware upgrades for East Ridge City Library (ERCL). In order to have relevancy and viability in today s information environment, libraries must meet the information and recreational needs of a variety of patrons in an engaging and useful manner. An informative and lively Web presence is key to this goal. In addition to a useful catalog interface, the software must also support access to online MARC cataloging records, and maintain circulation and patron records and configure statistical reports. The software currently in use by ERCL does not support an online catalog or other Web applications. In order to receive serious consideration by the City Council and maximize the likelihood of approval, a $5000-$5500 limit was set for all expenses related to these needed upgrades. The library management software currently in use by ERCL, Follett Software Company s Athena, has been a useful tool since 2004, but it can no longer keep pace with current library and patron needs. A selection committee consisting of two senior library staff members and one City IT professional was formed to analyze options for upgrading to a new software program. Through researching software websites, reading user reviews, and visiting libraries using software under consideration, the selection committee was able to make an informed decision for recommendation. After careful consideration, the selection committee recommends the purchase of Follett Software Company s Destiny Library Management Software. Destiny meets or exceeds all the desired goals of this upgrade project. By utilizing City IT staff and Follett webbased staff training and reusing several peripheral pieces of hardware, the software and other needed hardware can be acquired at a cost of $5137. An implementation timeline of nine months was established. In conclusion, the following proposal will be presented to the ERCL library board for approval, upon which the request will then be submitted to the Director of City Services and the East Ridge City Council for funding in the fiscal year budget.

2 2 SETTING The setting this proposal is created for is the East Ridge City Library (ERCL), a small, independent public library with a service area population of 20,000. The library houses a collection of approximately 30,000 catalogued items and has a patron base of 11,500 registered borrowers ( As an independent Tennessee public library, all funding is received from the City of East Ridge and a small amount of funding through the Friends of the Library organization. As an independent library, ERCL is not affiliated with any regional or metropolitan system and operates autonomously. A five member library board sets policy and together with the library staff composes proposals for new expenditures. These budget requests are submitted to the municipality s City Services Director, under whose supervision the library falls. The City Services Director then presents these requests to the four member City Council and the Mayor for consideration and hopefully approval. OBJECTIVE This proposal is a request for funding to upgrade ERCL s current integrated circulation, cataloging and OPAC system, Athena, developed by Follett Software Company. Athena has been in use at ERCL since 2004; previously Follett s text based software Winnebago was in use. While Athena functions well and has caused no problems, ERCL has outgrown its capabilities. In order to remain relevant and viable, the library needs to establish and maintain a Web presence: an interactive website is needed that patrons can access from anywhere in order to search the ERCL catalog, review their accounts, renew or reserve items, and access other library services and information. Athena software does not support this application, and furthermore, Follett Software Company is in the process of phasing out Athena. Users prefer a more graphic, lively and interactive OPAC than the text only format of Athena, as well. Destiny Quest which is the name for Destiny s OPAC meets and exceeds today s user s expectations. (See Appendix A and B.) PROCESS A selection committee consisting of two senior library staff members and one City IT professional was formed to propose a product recommendation. Several considerations must be taken into account when choosing a new software product for ERCL. Total initial cost outlay and annual support and licensing fees are of paramount importance. Suitability of the software for performing the desired new tasks is equally important. Other important considerations are ease of installation; a quick downtime before the new system is up and running; ease of data

3 3 migration from old system; the company s reputation and technical support, and user satisfaction. Since the library has used Follett products for over twenty years successfully, we prefer to remain with the company if they can provide a product that meets our requirements. We did, however, research other products. Research consisted of studying company websites, user reviews, and visits to libraries using software under consideration for demonstrations and feedback. RECOMMENDATION After careful consideration, our recommendation is the Follett Software Company s Destiny Library Manager, which combines library circulation, cataloging, searching, reporting and management into one centrally installed library software system. The following link is to the Destiny website: Our final recommendation is primarily influenced by the following: ERCL has successfully used Follett products for over twenty years Normal price is reduced by 50% for current Follett customers Ease and speed of installation and data migration Although Destiny is marketed to K-12 school media centers (as was Athena), it easily adapts to public library setting Gives patrons anywhere, anytime access to library resources through web-based functionality and 24/7 access to the multi-language OPAC Online access to over 9 million MARC records SOFTWARE COSTS The costs associated with this upgrade are two-fold: first, there is the initial financial outlay. Second, there are annual technical support and licensing fees. Initial outlay consists of the following: Software license for one location and unlimited workstations at that one location Destiny Quest OPAC Online access to over 9 million MARC records Online Web-based training for staff No additional licensing cost for first year Current Follett customers can upgrade to Destiny for $2000. (Regular price $4300) Annual licensing and maintenance costs after the first year and following are:

4 4 Destiny license for all work stations at one site Destiny Quest Opac Product updates Online access to over 9 million MARC records Technical support 24/7 Cost $550 per year IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS 1. Installation, Data Migration, and Staff Training Follett offers different options for implementation of Destiny. The company can provide installation, conversion and custom data manipulation if desired, or the library can utilize its own IT staff. Staff training is available on-site or web-based. We are recommending that ERCL utilize the City IT staff for installation and data migration, as there would be no additional fee involved and our IT staff is familiar with our current software. This amounts to a savings of $4000. Due to the similarities between our current software and Destiny we feel the no-cost web-based staff training will be sufficient, for a savings of $1500 per training day for five staff members. 2. Hosting and Necessary Hardware There are two hosting options for Destiny as well: district-hosted, in which ERCL provides the technical staff, maintenance, and hardware/server; or Follett-hosted, in which they provide the technical staff, maintenance, and hardware/server. Onsite hosting is preferred for the cost savings and for the autonomy provided. Any software upgrade will necessitate the acquisition of new hardware. An onsite server is needed to run any software with the desired capabilities. Follett highly recommends that Destiny be installed on a dedicated server with minimum specifications as follows: Dual Core 2.4+ GHz, 4MB cache, 64-bit OS, 2GB RAM, one 146GB RAID-1 or RAID-5 volume with a minimum of 2GB of available disks space on the system drive. Our recommendation is a Dell server with the following specifications:

5 5 PowerEdge T110 Chassis with up to 4 Cabled Hard Drives Processor Intel Xeon X3440, 2.53 GHz, 8M Cache, Turbo, HT Memory 4GB Memory (1x4GB), 1333MHz, Dual Ranked UDIMM Operating System Microsoft Small Business Server 2008SP2, Standard Edition with Media OS Client Access Licenses 5-Pack of Windows Small Business Server 2008 DEVICE CALs (Standard) Hard Drive Configuration RAID 1 - Add-in SAS6iR or H200 (SAS/SATA Controller), 2 Hard Drives Internal Controller PERC H200 Adapter Internal RAID Controller Hard Drives 160GB 7.2k RPM Serial ATA 3Gbps 3.5-in Cabled Hard Drive Power Cords Power Cord, NEMA 5-15P to C13, wall plug, 10 feet We are also recommending a method of storing backed up data offsite in tape format and UPS (uninterruptible power source) as described below: Tape Backup RD1000, Int SATA Drive, SW, CBL Tape Backup Software Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 SBS Edition Tape Media RD1000 Internal Removable Hard Disk for RD1000, 160GB Native/ 320GB Comp Uninterruptible Power Supplies and Accessories Dell UPS, Tower, 500W, 120V, with 5-15P to C13, 3m input cord The server components can be viewed from the following link: Our present monitor, keyboard, mouse and barcode scanner can be utilized with the new server for a savings of $877, bringing the total cost for this hardware configuration to $3137. (See Appendix C, D and E.) CONCLUSION Upon completion of thorough review and careful analysis, the selection committee feels confident in recommending the purchase of Destiny Library Management software and related

6 hardware. This purchase will fall well within our $5000-$5500 budget limit, while providing all the desired applications. The project can be implemented in a nine month time frame. (See Appendix F.) This acquisition will allow the library to serve our patrons in the best and most cost-effective manner. 6

7 7 Appendix A Appendix A Screen shot of Destiny Quest OPAC search interface. Note the book cover graphics.

8 8 Appendix B Appendix B Screen shot of Athena OPAC search interface.

9 9 Appendix C Itemized Budget Initial Cost: Destiny Software--$2000 Dell Server--$3137 Monitor, keyboard, mouse, barcode scanner (utilizing present equipment)--$0 Installation, data migration (utilizing City IT staff)--$0 Staff training (utilizing Follet web based training)--$0 Total Cost--$5137 Annual Licensure Costs After First Year: $419 Tape Backup Software Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 SBS Edition $550 Destiny Licensure and Maintenance Total Annual Cost--$969

10 10 Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, $177, 2% Installation, $4,000, 40% Appendix D Normal Upgrade Costs Barcode Scanner, Server $700, 7% Server, $3,137, 31% Destiny Software, $2,000, 20% Destiny Software Installation Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse Barcode Scanner Total Cost without utilizing currently owned peripherals and City IT staff would be $10,014

11 11 Appendix E By utilizing currently owned hardware peripherals and City IT staff, there is a savings of $4877.

12 12 Appendix F: Project Timeline November 2010 Formulation of Selection Committee and initial product research conducted December 2010-January 2011 Observation visits to other libraries February 2011 Final review of options and proposal composition; presentation to ERCL Library Board for approval March 2011 Submission of proposal to City Services Director to present to City Council during Budget Workshops April 2011-May 2011 Reappraisal and adjustments to proposal budget if necessary June 2011 Fiscal Year Budget Approval Council meetings July Ordering and purchasing of software and hardware. Installation, Data migration, Test runs conducted August 2012 Up and running in time for new school year!

13 13 Bibliography Dell. (accessed November 1, 2010) Follett/Destiny. (accessed November 1, 2010) Tennessee Public Library Statistics (accessed November 1, 2010)