Long Range Plan 2003 - 2007 : Library Technology  

Automated Resource Sharing Networks. Nine library automated resource-sharing networks form the backbone for library resource-sharing in the Commonwealth, providing online public access catalogs with live holdings status, circulation control, and shared bibliographic and patron databases. As of August 2001, network catalogs contained a total of 7.5 million titles representing 29 million items. Public libraries comprise the majority of the membership, with 355 of 370 public libraries represented. Memberships may be available at any of four cost and service levels: full, mini-net (a shared full membership), online affiliate (more limited), and dial-up or online Internet (a minimal level of participation). This represents an increase of 57 public libraries since 1997. During the same period, membership of other types of libraries declined from 66 to 52.

Figure 1.4. Network Map

These networks have agreed with the Board of Library Commissioners to provide certain services and meet certain standards under the Strategic Plan. They are required to offer membership to libraries of different types, adhere to MARC cataloging standards, utilize TCP/IP for Internet access, support ANSI/NISO Z39.50 searching protocols, offer dial-up Internet accounts to members of the regional library systems, offer access to electronic transmission of interlibrary loan requests for member and affiliate libraries, transmit electronic interlibrary loan requests from the regional interlibrary loan center, and offer member and affiliate libraries the ability to contribute bibliographic resources to the shared databases.

The Board uses state funds to help offset telecommunications costs for the networks and to provide annual grants supporting the networks' role in maintaining the statewide virtual catalog. By definition, automated resource sharing networks serve multiple member libraries. Where the members are municipally funded, at least two municipalities must be included.

Small Libraries in Networks. A state grant program for FY02 and FY03 entitled "Small Libraries in Networks" provides a substantial offset to the initial costs of online affiliate or full membership in a network to new public library network members and members wishing to increase their level of participation. Should sufficient state funding become available under the Public Library Initiative, there will be ongoing membership offset for small libraries.

MassCat. Five of the six Massachusetts regional library systems have brought up a union catalog so that small libraries of all types (primarily school libraries and special libraries) will be able to benefit from resource sharing across the state. MassCat services include a web catalog that is accessible to users from home, high quality MARC records for members' local systems, and an interlibrary loan module. MassCat currently has approximately 80 members and is expected to add 75 members per year. MassCat was initially funded with a state grant from the Board of Library Commissioners and regional library system funds. MassCat can be found at http://www.masscat.org/.

MARC Conversion. Under this program, libraries are encouraged to add or create new MARC records, add unique holdings, or batch load holdings from stand-alone systems to network and regional bibliographic databases. The Board offers annual support to assist libraries to convert unique holdings to MARC records for access through library catalogs accessible on the Internet. Funds are offered through the regional library systems for conversion of records into regional bibliographic databases and to automated networks to support the cost of acquiring unique records for new member libraries and for special collections held by existing members.

Telecommunications for Resource Sharing. The Board of Library Commissioners helps offset telecommunications costs for the nine automated resource sharing networks in the Commonwealth. Currently, 355 of 370 public libraries have dedicated, direct connections to these networks. With the additional leverage provided by the federal "E-Rate" program discounts, the Board's total funding of $900,000 offset approximately 67 percent of the high-bandwidth telecommunications and Internet costs of the networks in FY2002.

Network Connections for Libraries. Network Connections for Libraries (formerly called TCP/IP Upgrades for Libraries) is an annual state grant program to offset the cost of telecommunications hardware for libraries joining a network for the first time, upgrading their network membership or upgrading their connectivity bandwidth to provide users graphical access to text and multimedia applications. Up to $100,000 per year are awarded directly to automated resource sharing networks to offset the cost of acquiring telecommunications hardware.

The Virtual Catalog. The statewide virtual catalog project is the culmination of years of work and support for the automated library networks and regional member libraries. The virtual catalog permits users to perform a single author, title or subject search and retrieve results providing locations and availability status for materials held by all participating libraries. Users are able to place electronic reserves using their library card and have material delivered from across the state to their local library. The virtual catalog will make it easier for users to locate material anywhere in Massachusetts, speed up delivery of that material, and through tight integration with local circulation systems, automate the whole interlibrary loan process.

A number of grant programs laid the groundwork for the virtual catalog, including network system upgrades, telecommunications upgrades, and a series of Z39.50 interoperability grants to networks and Boston Library consortium members during the mid 1990's. In May 1999 the Board awarded the first Virtual Catalog/ILL System pilot grant to an alliance of the Boston Library Consortium, the Minuteman Library Network and the Metro Boston Library Network. Since then two more grants have been awarded, so that by November of 2002 all 16 current Boston Library Consortium members and six of the nine automated resource sharing networks will be full participants. The remaining three networks will be searchable, but will not yet have integrated ILL functionality. Massachusetts library patrons will be able to search over 56 million holdings.

The Board intends to support complete integration of the final three networks, additional unaffiliated Massachusetts library catalogs, and the MassCat union catalog in future years.