Implementation of a library information management system at the University of Malta

Our guest speaker on the implementation of a library information management system, was Ms. Josianne Camilleri Vella, Head of the Acquisitions Department at the University of Malta Library.  Ms. Camilleri Vella presented her personal experience and a very informative explanation of the library’s process of system migration, from selection and data conversion to the actual implementation.

 

In 2008 the University library decided to acquire and implement an integrated Library Management System which would better support the needs of the University. The Management organized consultations with experts in library and information services, while the consultants held various meetings with library staff from different departments and Systems Librarians in order to observe the running of several systems and collect further information from a user perspective. Hence, Exlibris was selected as the preferred supplier for the Library providing the Aleph 500 system.

The new system in October 2010 brought about a number of changes; not just to the configuration and installation of hardware or to the data conversion, but also to the members of staff who were directly affected by this change as even though they were provided with essential training they felt that more hands-on experience was required before the system went Live. In hindsight, staff also felt that more awareness through notices and notifications could have been made.

The professional effort by the UoM Library staff and Exlibris staff has provided the University of Malta Library with an efficient and successful system. Such an experience should certainly help and improve the management’s planning when implementing other modules in the system such as Primo (a pre-harvested search system) in the future.

Access to the University of Malta Library website here http://www.um.edu.mt/library or the facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/uom.libraryservices

The National Library Visit

Today’s visit to the National Library was hosted by Mr. Oliver Mamo, the National Librarian, and Ms. Joanne Sciberras who is the Deputy Librarian. The aim of this visit was to familiarize ourselves with the whole process of tendering-from inception to implementation.

Our hosts provided a detailed and informative explanation of the procedure adopted by the National Library to issue a tender for ‘The Implementation Testing & Training of a Digital Assets Management Software System’ to digitize the precious and historical collections found at the National Library.

Ms. Sciberras described the 3 stages of the process: The Preparation Phase; The Adjudication Phase; The Implementation Phase.

During the Preparation Phase one has to look into a number of issues, such as the budget available, human resources, the type of tender to be issued and also the type of system to be adopted. The tender is issued in line with the Public Procurement Regulation www.justiceservices.gov.mt; and that it follows a standard format provided by the Department of Contracts www.contracts.gov.mt .

Once the tender has been submitted by the bidders, an Adjudication Board sends its report to the authorities with its recommendation for the winning bidder and the tender is awarded to the best bidder. The Implementation Phase deals with the technical aspects of the new software - Digivault, the new database for digitizing the National Library’s collection.

As Mr. Mamo so rightly pointed out, there is a lot of administrative work involved in the tendering process which has to be performed with meticulous attention in every step. Only then can one be sure to yield the best results from such a significant investment.

We look forward to seeing the valuable collection online in the near future! One can access the national library online at www.libraries.gov.mt or follow it on http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Library-of-Malta/109081375784113?fref=ts

Visit to the Archbishop’s Curia in Floriana - Digital Archives of the Archdiocese of Malta

Fr.VicGeorge Vassallo gave an overview and explained how the planning of the digitization project started in September 2010, 15 months before they started digitizing microfilms on 9^th December 2012. The official launch of the website was held on the 7^th November 2012. The aim of this project is to make the manuscripts and records accessible to researchers and the general public.

The digitization process faces challenges such as: 

• the deteriorating state of the microfilms ( due to chemical reaction in fluctuating temperatures and humidity)
• the large amount of microfilms to be digitized  ( approximately  3 yrs to digitize 8000 items )
• the lack of funds to sustain this project ( EU funding unsuccessful/ project already costing 157,000 euros)
• limited human resources
• online security ( 5 to 6 hacking attacks a day)

However, Fr. Vassallo pointed out that the website has proven to be very successful, with around 167,000 hits till the end of January of this year, and visitors spending an average of 12-13 mins on the site, with most users coming from France, UK, Malta, Australia, Bahrain and Spain. The website offers very efficient services for its users including face book, twitter, google share, easy access to digital materials and various links.

We were introduced to the digitization process by Ms. Carmen Galea who explained how the process works. The microfilm reels (original and negative) are placed in the scanning machine, and scanned in real-time. We were able to view the image on the computer which filters and corrects each page to be seen clearly in 600dpi in PDF format and downloaded at a charge of 50c per page.

It was a very interesting and informative visit. The digitization project being carried out is remarkable and a visit to their website is highly recommended. Here is the link http://archives.maltadiocese.org/

Archbishop's Curia Panoramic photo of the courtyard