It has been an amazing year of progress and learning with the implementation of physical resource sharing among colleges using Alma and Primo. At this point, almost all colleges are live and actively fulfilling requests for physical materials.
The project began in the spring of 2024 with research and consultations regarding the best resource sharing model for the colleges. As the first step towards leveraging Alma and Primo for resource sharing among Ontario college libraries, the Resource Sharing Working Group (RSWG) considered a Peer-to-peer (P2P) model and a Fulfillment Network model. After careful consideration, the RSWG put forward a recommendation to the colleges for the P2P model.
The RSWG worked closely with colleges during implementation from May through September. A detailed set of instructions was made available to all colleges as well as demonstration and training opportunities. Sample staff workflows and staff training material was also made available for colleges to adapt to their own local environments prior to go-live. There was a quite launch among a handful of libraries that were ready to use Alma and Primo for resource sharing in July. More colleges implemented in a second launch with more fanfare and promotion later in August.
The next phase of the project will focus on the implementation of digital resource sharing between colleges using Alma and Primo VE. This phase began in the late Fall of 2024 and will continue into mid 2025. A small group of volunteers is currently creating documentation for Digitization, which is the first step towards Electronic Resource Sharing, and meeting with a selection of CLO Copyright Interest Group members to map out best practices for these processes. The rest of the colleges will be engaged in this process again once the group has a clearer picture of the functionality in Alma and Primo. Conversations have also been started with OMNI universities as we get the ball rolling toward a partnership with all academic institutions using Alma and Primo in Ontario. Very exciting!
A project check in is planed with all library administrators, library leadership, and staff for early 2025. The check in will include a discussion of how often libraries are using Alma and Primo for physical resource sharing, how it is going, and identify if more help is needed to support the libraries.
This project realizes the spirit of collaboration that was envisioned by members of College Libraries Ontario and library staff as the groups sought to move forward with a shared library services platform. All participating libraries benefited from the dedication and experience of just a few. Members of the Resource Sharing Working Group investigated the functionality in Alma and Primo, tested in their own environments, created documentation, provided tutorials, one-on-one training, and troubleshooting sessions with individual libraries to onboard all 24 Colleges into a Resource Sharing Agreement.
Through this collaboration, the libraries will be able to extend their resources and services beyond their individual collections, maximizing the value of their holdings while minimizing operational complexities with more efficient and standardized workflows across all institutions.
More details of the project can be found on the Resource Sharing Implementation Project Space in Confluence. https://clo-collaboration-spaces.atlassian.net/wiki/x/54DuU
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