Tipasa Tidbits

March 2024 Update: Tipasa Development Continues

As of March 8, 2024 the integration between Tipasa and Alma does not meet the minimum requirements of the University of California, thus Tipasa cannot be implemented in summer 2024. RS OST will determine a target implementation date after the successful full test of the integration possibly for summer/fall 2025.

Tipasa Testing Phase result:

The culmination of the Tipasa Testing phase ended on October 6, 2023 with several gaps still present. Since the Tipasa Testers group found that Tipasa is not ready for UC to use as a VDX replacement as of Oct 6, 2023, the RS OST approved a set of projects (Tipasa Testers 2023 decision page ) to supersede the Tipasa project plan outline 2023/2024.

Tipasa Developer Review (November 8, 2023 - March 8, 2024)

On November 8, 2023 the RS OST charged a new small group, Tipasa Developer Review, to participate fully in OCLC’s Tipasa/Alma integration work plan to give OCLC and Ex Libris direct and early feedback in solutions being developed for identified gaps. Based on the necessary work to test the full integration, kick off an implementation project, implementation itself, and any pre term training for student staff, March 8, 2024 was the last possible viable date for a full integration delivery that could possibly result in a Summer 2024 implementation of Tipasa.

As of March 8, 2024 the integration between Tipasa and Alma does not meet the minimum requirements (March 8 2024 snapshot Gaps in Alma/Tipasa integration, [UC only, request access if prompted]) of the University of California, and a summer 2024 implementation of Tipasa is impossible. The RS OST considered alternate next steps in lieu of a summer implementation, including continuing partnering with OCLC and Ex Libris on the remaining deliverables.

TDRII (Tipasa Developer Review, II) (March 2024 - August 2024)

Based on the projected delivery times for the last set of showstoppers in Tipasa/Alma integration, on March 13, 2024 the RS OST charged another small group, TDRII (Tipasa Developer Review, II), to continue partnership with OCLC and Ex Libris. The group will report back to RS OST after initial testing of all deliverables or by August 2024, whichever milestone comes first.

August 2023 Update: Tipasa Development & Testing Underway

Recap (December 2022-Feb 2023):

In 2022, the SILS Resource Sharing Operations Subteam (RS OST) engaged in a Tipasa pilot with OCLC. The conclusion was ultimately that Tipasa failed to meet the needs of the UC Libraries as is. The RS OST created a ‘gaps document’ (link is UC only) and proposed a new project plan wherein OCLC and UC would work together to fill the identified gaps by October 2023, aiming to transition from VDX to Tipasa prior to OCLC's currently stated VDX sunset date of summer 2024.

Tipasa Testing phase (March 2023-October 2023):

RS OST charged a small team of Tipasa Testers to test and confirm fixes delivered by OCLC and Ex Libris. In October 2023, the Tipasa Testers will make a recommendation to RS OST based on the state of Tipasa at that time. If the Tipasa Testers determine that Tipasa will now work for the UC Libraries, then the recommendation could be for OCLC/UC project leads to transition to implementation planning, with an intended transition date of summer 2024. If, on the other hand, Tipasa still does not meet UC Libraries’ needs, then the testers may recommend RS OST assess other options, which may include: reworking existing workflows or paradigms, investigating solutions currently in use by peer institutions, using Tipasa as-is, and further pressure on OCLC to extend the life of their known-to-be-functioning VDX product.

As of August 2023, OCLC has delivered the majority of showstopper gaps (link is UC only), and testing is moving forward. The UCs, OCLC, and Ex Libris continue to work together on the remaining gaps in the Alma and Tipasa integration.

The RS OST recognizes that interlibrary loan is a high value need that supports the university's mission of research and education. Although the infrastructure supporting this activity is in a state of flux and uncertainty, our goal to provide high quality service to UC's patrons remains our top priority.

November 2022 Update: Tipasa Pilot Underway

The Resource Sharing Operations SubTeam (RS OST), part of the SILS governance structure, is making headway in our Replace VDX with Tipasa project. As identified during the SILS Project Phase 4, the VDX software currently used for extra-consortial interlibrary loan is no longer actively developed and OCLC has stated a target date to retire VDX in summer 2024. OCLC has had a stated end of life for VDX for the past decade, roughly 18 months out from any given point, so their target date could be considered tentative. The RS OST decided in March 2022 to target summer 2023 to go live with Tipasa, OCLC’s replacement for VDX.

In late September 2022, OCLC and UC Libraries kicked off a Tipasa Pilot with seven campuses: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Barbara. As part of the Tipasa Pilot, RS OST have opened training to UC Libraries ILL staff who will be transitioning to Tipasa from VDX. The Pilot is scheduled to run through the end of January 2023, after which the RS OST and OCLC will work to create an implementation plan to bring all UCs to Tipasa in summer 2023. The goals of the pilot are to identify any unmet requirements of Tipasa, identify potential workflows to rethink, and understand & document the Tipasa and Alma integration points.

The RS OST will utilize the decision making practices as described in the ongoing SILS charge (p. 7), consulting with OT and OSTs as issues arise. For questions, contact your campus RS OST representative, or the RS OST at SILS-RS-L [at] ucop.edu .