LIS Notes: Mock Request for Proposal (RFP)

Nanabush Public Libraries and Acme University Libraries
Request for Proposal for an Integrated Library Automation System 

[Notes: This is a library school class exercise. DO NOT use this as the basis for real contract negotiations. As well, this was written in 1999. A lot has changed. For instance, today, you might ask about Radio Frequency ID tags, wireless Internet, use of robotic sorters and patron self-checkout terminals, downloads to palmtops, and more. The basic purpose of the exercise is to get you thinking of the consequences of major purchase decisions, and to get you thinking about a system's functional richness, some possible on the job contingencies, user interfaces, and the vendor's overall corporate suitability for your library or archives.]

Nanabush is a town of about 12 thousand inhabitants, situated on the shores of lovely Lake Squiggly, which straddles the New York and Ontario borders. About 512 Native inhabitants occupy the nearby Nanabush Island Reservation, and their library needs are served by a fleet of Boatmobiles. Our summer population swells to about 20,000 with the influx of cottage owners.

The town's principal industry is the Squiggly Campus of Acme University, a comprehensive tertiary education institution which grants Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the arts, sciences, and humanities. With 2048 staff, and up to 32768 resident and distance students, Acme is the largest institution of its kind in the region. Our combined collections total 4 million volumes, and 1024 journal subscriptions. The collection grows at the rate of 14400 volumes a year. Some are in Ojibwa, Latin, and Greek, with some Slavic materials, reflecting the makeup of our community and the curriculum and research interests of Acme U. Because of our distance education services, we are especially interested in systems which support Cree syllabics, as well as Hebrew, Arabic, Cyrilic, and Anglo-Saxon (Old English) character sets.

Nanabush Public has one main branch. Acme University maintains separate Humanities and Science libraries, which keep different hours. The Humanities library contains a rare books and special collections room, as well as a major Archives, with a focus on local materials and with a special focus on the naval battles of the War of 1812 between the US and Canada. There is a satellite campus at Fort Squiggly, 40 miles (60 kilometers) away.

The Nanabush library currently runs a Supertech integrated system, with 4 public catalogue terminals, and six staff workstations. Acme runs a MightyMax system, with 64 public workstations, and 32 staff workstations. Our peak transaction rates reach 3600 items per day, with between 1024 and 2048 transactions occurring during the noon hour. Our patron records are downloaded from the campus registration system. We catalogue our materials using OCLC. Our OPAC is available over the Internet using a telnet interface. Any proposed system must be Web ready.

At this time, Nanabush Public and Acme University are seeking proposals for an automated integrated library system to serve their combined user populations. We invite your sealed confidential bid, to be delivered in triplicate, no later than 16 December 1999, to Automation Task Force, Office of the Dean, Acme University Libraries, Nanabush, New York. Please include ten (10) copies of all pieces of documentation, user manuals, demo disks, and sample hardware and software maintenance agreements with your bid. Materials submitted for consideration will not be returned to the vendor. Materials submitted in response to this RFP will be considered part of any contract subsequently entered into by the Library and the Vendor.
 

 Acquisitions and Cataloguing Systems
 

Yes	Planned	N/A	No
				cataloguers can input & manipulate full MARC records
				catalogue includes online links to bibliographic vendors (e.g. OCLC)
				catalogue includes online links to book jobbers (e.g. Yankee Book Trader)?
				catalogue allows download from multiple sources, e.g. Bibliofile CD, OCLC, etc.?
				can material rental/approval plans be accomodated in acquisitions system?
				all US MARC formats,  indicators, tags, and subfields are supported
				allows true fixed field information (e.g. tags 007-008)
				allows true variable field information (tags 010-999)
				supports US MARC holdings format
				prompts differently for monograph, serials, music, sound, video, etc. formats
				library can specify which tags/groups of tags will be indexed for the OPAC (e.g. 100+700=author)
				are any special vendor-specific fields used with this system? (describe below)
				does vendor perform conversion of existing records?
				if so, is cost included in this bid? (please describe below)
				is there a maximum number copies per title?
				does serials system produce binding alert notice?
				does acquisitions system allow automatic foreign currency conversions?
				does acquisitions system allow material-specific vendor addresses?
				does serials system include vendor performance / reliability codes for "claims" notice generation?
				system allows items to be "bound with" one another (and so indicates to user)
				is there a maximum length for a MARC record?
				user defined
				user defined
				user defined
				user defined

Circulation and OPAC Systems - Parameters for Checkout and Return
 

Yes	Planned	N/A	No
				circulation parameters can be both system wide and agency-specific for different service points
				Library can establish password groups, levels, & specify which functions which will be protected
				password protection can vary with sensitivity of functions
				charge out: both wands and laser scanners are supported
				patron self-checkout stations are supported
				system warns if item on hold (reserve) at chargeout
				system warns patron if reserved items available during chargeout
				borrower eligibility/status verified at checkout
				system allows multiple patron privilege categories
				system allows multiple material-specific loan periods
				effective due date calculated from patron category and material loan types
				borrowers from another agency are assigned this agency's loan periods
				warn if item already charged out to another borrower (and...)
				automatically transfer previously charged item to current borrower
				count transaction as a renewal if this item already out to current borrower
				system warns if attempt to charge reserved item to wrong patron
				automatically reduce loan period under certain conditions (e.g. many requests)
				system can generate purchase alert if (specified number) of holds reached
				holds can be system wide as well as item-specific
				system maintains separate times-charged-out and times-reshelved counters for each item
				system warns if an item declared lost/missing being charged out
				system warns if item being charged out is from another location
				system re-routes discharged items to their "home" locations
				library can backdate charge or discharge to correct error
				library can backdate discharge to correct error
				system recognizes system wide and agency specific closed days and hours of opening
				library can set optional grace period for return of overdue items
				at discharge, system warns if item on hold for another user
				at discharge, system warns to ship item to another location
				both permanent and temporary locations are allowed for each item (e.g. holiday or display books)
				renewal can be accomplished by phone or net
				system allows optional "bulk" renewal of all items to a patron at once
				system warns user if item cannot be renewed
				chargeout, renewal maximums can be overridden by staff
				system can automatically recall items required for course reserves, etc.
				system supports temporary short/special loan periods (academic reserve room)
				system supports temporary short/special item locatons (academic reserve room)
				system facilitates "block moves" of items to and from temporary locations
				library can set maximum renewal times for different patron and material categories
				library can set maximum items on loan for different patron and material categories
				library can set renewal loan period independently of regular period
				can patrons view their places on hold queue
				"priority" holds are permitted
				patron can change hold pickup location
				patron can change hold activity startup and stop dates (e.g. wait a month if going on holidays)
				patron can cancel own hold if item no longer needed
				patron records contain separate local and home addresses
				system can re-route mail to student home address during summer, etc.
				system interfaces with voice-synthesis software for automatic notice delivery
				system can retain borrowing history for patrons with their consent (e.g. for shut-in patrons)
				system purges transactions from borrowers' records when all action completed
				system incriments and retains activity counters for patrons and items
				library can assign/alter patron notice types, notice frequencies, and wordings
				staff can forgive fines part or all of patron's fines
				patron can make a fine partial payment
				system assigns and stores replacement cost, service charges, separately from daily fines
				patron sanctions are triggered automatically when fines thresholds are reached
				"need new patron address" condition can be overriden easily by staff
				user defined
				user defined
				user defined
				user defined

Circulation and OPAC Systems: Miscellaneous
 

Yes	Planned	N/A	No
				Web and in-house interfaces appear functionally identical to the user (with certain restrictions)
				patron can view own current borrowing, holds, fines information in OPAC
				items returned today say enroute or show time returned  in OPAC, not "on shelf"
				library can specify "not on shelf" "missing" "at bindery" etc. wordings for OPAC
				date due visible in OPAC
				item's temporary location (e.g. reserve room) is displayed in OPAC
				system uses separate "fee" or "rental" fields (no sanctions) and "fines" fields (causing sanctions)
				system has separate patron sanction (fines etc.) codes and "lost/stolen" card status codes
				user defined
				user defined
				user defined
				user defined

Please describe briefly the platforms (both servers and user workstations) required for this system:
 

If hardware must be purchsed separately, please outline the minimum and optimum capacities for servers and workstations.
 

Please describe the customer training provided by the vendor.
 

Please describe the system's capabilities for providing management information, e.g. for collections development, and provide sample reports.. Can the library develop additional reports?
 
 

Please describe any inventory capabilities of the system, outlining optional or standard requirements (e.g. for hand-held inventory devices).
 

Does the system use Codabar labels, OCR, magnetic, or "smart card" technologies? Please describe the options.
 

Can patron records be batch loaded from other databases?
 

Please describe the system's connectivity capabilities, e.g. Z39.50, interlending, etc.
 

Please describe or provide samples of the public catalogue interface, outlining clearly which features the library can alter.
 

Can console operators maintain the system from remote locations, e.g. via telnet from home?
 
 

Can library have source code or arrange for it to be held in escrow?
 

Please describe the system's online, context-sensitive help, or online manuals.
 

Please describe the system's backup and security provisions and emergency restore processes.
 

How many customers with sites similar to ours are currently running the version of the system described in this Proposal?
 

Please attach a list of current customers with whom the Library might discuss this system.
 

Please attach a copy of a standard or representative software (and hardware if vendor-supplied) maintenance agreement.
 

Please attach a sample implementation schedule.
 

Please provide any additional information you believe might be relevant.
 
 

Note to students: If you have trouble understanding terms used in this document, you may find these works helpful:  Beaumont, Jane, 1945-. Make mine MARC : a manual of MARC practice for libraries / compiled by Jane Beaumont. Westport, CT : Meckler, c1992.  Downing, et al. Barron's Dictionary of Computing and Internet Terms.  United States. Library of Congress. MARC Bibliographic.  RMG Consultants Inc Request for proposal for automated library systems and related services for reference use by library schools. Richmond Victoria, AUS ; Chicago : RMG Consultants, Inc.,c1993.