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Decided

Recommendation

The FG recommends that all UC institutions integrate VDX with Alma using the NCIP 2 Accept Item and Check In Item messages. (Pre-SILS Alma institutions have already implemented these messagesat least the Accept Item message.)

We recommend that a single set of instructions be developed and published by the FG to eliminate redundant work.

We recommend that a representative of the SILS cohort negotiate with OCLC on behalf of the institutions to potentially reduce the upfront cost and yearly maintenance fee for the integrationavoid duplication of effort and possibly negotiate reduced cost.

Because of testing limitations that require transactions with production WSILL, we recommend that NCIP integration be completed immediately begun during the test phase, but targeted for completion post go-live. If possible all integrations should be completed before go-live, but institutions who will benefit most from the integration based on ILL volume should be prioritized. Based on ILL volume, the

Institutions that currently have NCIP integration (UCD, UCSC, UCSB, UCI, UCR) can retain their current NCIP configurations, but may wish to harmonize their implementations post go-live, as they are not uniform.

Background

NCIP 2 is a standard protocol that enables integration between external systems, including interlibrary loan systems brokers, and ILS circulation systems. VDX (via the OCLC NCIP gateway) and Alma both support this protocol, and integrations have already been implemented at the UC institutions that installed Alma prior to the SILS.

NCIP integration streamlines integration between the ILL broker and the ILS by automating certain steps in the workflow, increasing both the speed and the accuracy of the workflow and reducing burdens on library staff.

The two NCIP messages that have been used in the integration are:

• Accept Item, which automatically creates an on-the-fly record in Alma when the borrower receives the item in VDX.

• Check In Item, which automatically removes the on-the-fly record from Alma when the item is returned in the VDX).

These integrations have been used in UC for several years, and the FG members agree that the time they save more than justifies the cost of installation and maintenance.

Before the SILS, each Alma institution worked independently with OCLC and Ex Libris to achieve the integration. In the SILS environment, this integration can be solved once, and standard instructions can be made available for configuring NCIP on all remaining IZs.

OCLC charges historically has charged a one-time installation cost ($2000 at UCD?), as well as a yearly maintenance fee ($400 at UCD?), for each NCIP message.

Unanimity among institutions and ROI

Although return on investment for NCIP integration varies across institutions (see attached document), UC institutions have unanimously expressed, through the WG and the SILS local implementation, a desire to implement NCIP integration in their ILL workflows.

In addition to costs that can be estimated based on the time to complete manual workflow steps, the following costs of manual workflow steps have been considered:

• The cost of delays in delivering items to hold shelves (as workers will need to create brief bibs for all items in a batch before shipping their items to their destinations).

• The cost of correcting errors in data entry.

• The cost of more highly paid staff having to perform the data entry when student workers are not available.

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