Members of the Working Groups develop the policies, procedures, and workflows related to administering and managing the SLSP. The documentation they create is communicated to the Library Representatives for feedback and local decisions. Each of the six Working Groups have different functions, responsibilities, and expectations. However, the structure and roles are the same across all 6 Groups.
- Each Working Group will be comprised of 7 to 9 individuals representing the diversity of the PASCAL member institutions. This number may be modified depending on the phase of implementation and activity required. The number may also vary between Working Groups based on need.
- A PASCAL staff member will serve ex officio on each Working Group.
- The chair of each Working Group will serve on the SLSP Implementation and Management Team.
- Working Group members use their background and experience to inform the group’s recommendations about the shared library services platform for the benefit of all PASCAL members.
- The work of Group members should be adjusted by their institutions so that consortial work is not seen as “extra,” volunteer,” or “as time allows.” The work should, instead, be considered an important formal assignment.
- Discretion can be exercised as appropriate; however, each Working Group should meet at least once per month.
Participation
- PASCAL member library employees can nominate themselves or a colleague for Working Group membership.
- Member library employees considering serving on a Working Group are expected to consult with their supervisors and seek prior approval before volunteering.
- Each member should be currently involved in work that falls within the Working Group’s area of expertise; however, library deans/directors may serve on a Working Group, as appropriate.
- Each volunteer invited to serve on a Working Group will be asked to review the responsibilities and expectations for the Working Group outlined in this document and confirm their commitment to serve via email.
- Members will serve a rolling two years and are limited to two consecutive terms.
Expectations and Responsibilities
Members of each Working Group are expected to collaboratively contribute to do the following for their area(s) of expertise:
- Collaborate with relevant Working Groups to develop and document specifications, policies, procedures, workflows, and other relevant information.
- Document the Working Group’s recommendations, all communications with Library Representatives and other stakeholders, and final decisions.
- Communicate final decisions to the SLSP Implementation & Management Team.
- Contribute to and maintain online procedures and training manuals.
- Identify and develop necessary SLSP system reports. Reports include those that affect daily operations, as well as library fiscal reporting obligations.
- Identify current best practices and conduct ongoing research of pending changes affecting their area.
- Collaborate with relevant Working Groups to conduct assessments and tests of functionality in new and upcoming system releases by monitoring the monthly release notes and utilizing the sandboxes for advanced availability.
- Participate in applicable SLSP communication tools.
Chairs of each Working Group are expected to do the following for their area(s) of expertise:
- Serve as a member of the SLSP Implementation & Management Team. (See document for the Implementation & Management Team for specific expectations and responsibilities).
- Coordinate with their PASCAL Liaison to create and disseminate a regular meeting schedule (meet at least monthly, either virtually or face-to-face).
- Set and distribute meeting agendas prior to each scheduled meeting. It is recommended that the Chair consult with their PASCAL Liaison and Chair-Elect on agenda items prior to distributing the agenda.
- Ensure that meeting minutes are taken and shared following each meeting. A note-taker for meetings should be designated at the beginning of the year. The Chair-Elect is normally responsible for taking minutes but another member may be designated as note-taker. If the Chair-Elect (or other designated note-taker) are absent, another member should be assigned to take notes in their absence.
- Ensure that team activities, projects, and reports are communicated appropriately via established communication channels.
- At the first meeting of the year, the Chair should ensure that a Chair-Elect is nominated and elected. (See responsibilities of the Chair-Elect)
- Ensure that a Training Representative for their Working Group is designated. (See Responsibilities of Training Representative)
- Ensure that their Working Group monitors monthly Alma and Primo VE releases and communicates changes that may impact PASCAL members appropriately.
Chair-elects of each Working Group are expected to:
- Conduct the meeting if the Chair is absent.
- Be responsible for taking minutes and ensure that minutes are posted to the Team’s Google Drive and shared via Basecamp. If the Chair-Elect is not able to take minutes, they or the Chair, in their absence, should designate another note-taker.
- The Chair-Elect will assume the role of Chair in the next fiscal year.
Training Representative of each Working Group are expected to:
- Attend Training Working Group meetings regularly.
- Collaborate with Training Working Group members and PASCAL staff in the development and delivery of training related to their Team’s functional areas.
If a member of a Working Group is also a Library Representative, they will need to understand that as a Working Group member, they will be representing the SLSP first and their institution second. However, when they are doing the work of the Representative, they are doing so with their institution’s best interests in mind.
Communication Methods
Communication is vital to the success of the Working Groups, and the expectations for communication are outlined below:
- Participate in relevant communication activities such as email, Basecamp, listservs, webinars, file sharing, surveys, and workshops related to the SLSP.
- Provide updates as appropriate at PASCAL meetings.
- Post meeting minutes and final versions of documentation (e.g. policies, workflows, manuals) to the established communications channels to all stakeholders.
Decision Making
The Working Groups are responsible for developing and documenting specifications, policies, procedures, workflows, and other documentation. However, the decision-making related to this documentation falls to the Library Representatives who will coordinate with local area experts and stakeholders to understand the impacts and implications for matters requiring local decisions.
To facilitate the decision-making process at the local level, the Chair and PASCAL liaison of the Working Group will coordinate communication between the Library Representatives and the Working Group itself using established communication methods. Based on this feedback, the Working Group may choose to revise the documentation and send out a new draft for additional feedback/decision-making.
In the cases where a decision is required by the member libraries, the Chair and PASCAL liaison will consolidate feedback and decisions from all the responding Library Representatives and communicate them to the Working Group.
If there is no feedback indicating the documentation would be a “deal-breaker” for one or more institutions, the Working Group will finalize the documentation and post it to the PASCAL website and distribute it via established communication channels to all stakeholders.
If the documentation would be a “deal-breaker” for one or more institutions, the Working Group will revise the documentation based on member feedback and share the new draft with Library Representatives for additional feedback.
If the PASCAL member libraries cannot agree on whether to support the documentation, and subsequent revisions do not adequately address the concerns voiced by PASCAL member libraries, the Working Group may work with the Implementation & Management Team and/or the Steering Committee to resolve the conflict.
Training
Working Group members will be required to attend the following training, as appropriate:
- SLSP system training as scheduled.
- During the first meeting of the year, the Chair will convey responsibilities, expectations, workflows, and decision-making parameters. The Working Group members will also be set up on relevant communication methods such as Basecamp and Google Drive.
- In-person and/or online training and support to existing Working Group members as required.
Working Group Descriptions
The specific working groups needed to manage a shared LSP may vary depending on the specific system in use by PASCAL. It is the responsibility of the Steering Committee to adjust the nature of these Working Groups as necessary. The current Working Groups are:
1. Access Services & Resource Sharing
Function
Ensures that fulfillment processing is streamlined and stable for the good of user and staff experiences.
Expectations and Responsibilities
This Working Group is responsible for the development of all circulation and resource sharing functionality (e.g. interlibrary loan and document delivery) including: patron data, check out procedures, shipping and receiving, fines and notices, and data conversion, with particular emphasis to policies that promote cross-institutional availability.
2. Cataloging & Metadata
Function
Explores, maximizes the use of, and advocates for improvements of the SLSP to develop efficiencies in shared cataloging and metadata activities.
Expectations and Responsibilities
This Working Group is responsible for the development of guidelines and workflows regarding standard cataloging and metadata activities, as well as facilitating discussions regarding local customization needs. Specific topics include, but are not limited to, guidelines for item and bibliographic description, holdings data, data conversion, authority control, and data clean-up.
3. Discovery, Reference, and User Experience
Function
Ensures that all patrons are able to efficiently and reliably discover library resources both locally and across the consortium.
Expectations and Responsibilities
This Working Group is responsible for:
- Usability and accessibility testing of the discovery tool's public interface, including the look and feel of the PASCAL Delivers interface.
- Make basic recommendations on how each institution configures its local interface.
- Contribute and participate in consortial Primo training and promote implementation of results from user experience feedback.
4. Electronic Resources & Acquisitions
Function
Provides guidance and support for acquisitions operations ensuring that print and electronic collection management and acquisitions processes are streamlined and optimized for the consortia and individual libraries.
Expectations and Responsibilities:
This Working Group is responsible for:
- Proposing and implementing consortial acquisitions policies and procedures.
- Facilitating acquisitions best practices for PASCAL and its member libraries to assist with efficient management and evaluation of resources for the consortia and individual libraries.
- Researching acquisitions management best practices and policies for print and electronic resources in a consortial environment, and recommend policies related to storing, sharing, and managing all related information.
- Staying abreast of current trends and recommended configurations for individual and consortial functionality.
- Proposing optimal system settings and recommending best practices for data management to produce reliable data for consortia-wide decision making.
- Evaluate the need for documentation and training for collections management and acquisitions within the SLSP and work through the Training Working Group representative to offer and receive suggestions for documentation and training.
- Maintaining ongoing documentation.
5. Systems
Function
Investigates new solutions and continually assesses existing systems against emerging needs and technological changes to ensure agility and achieve improved functionality, efficiency, and interoperability.
Expectations and Responsibilities
This working Group is responsible for:
- Monitoring vendor compliance with Service Level Agreements and general performance of customer support.
- Defining and implementing system access and permissions, printing requirements, batch loading rules/schedules, and data conversion requirements.
- Facilitating interoperability with third-party systems, such as Banner, PeopleSoft, EZProxy, OpenAthens, etc.
- Providing recommendations to the SLSP Coordinator regarding the ongoing maintenance of the SLSP Help Desk.
- Coordinating release testing and training with all other Working Groups.
- Advising on the configuration and documentation of the Primo Discovery interface.
- Advising in the development of requisite reports for workflow and reporting needs.
- Identifying system-level enhancements, customizations, and/or problems and communicating them to the SLSP Help Desk and/or vendor as appropriate.
6. Training
Function
In coordination with the other working groups and committees: identifies training needs; develops an overall training strategy to ensure that staff are prepared to work within the Alma/Primo VE environment; and develops training materials, events, and programs related to implementation and continued use of shared systems and resources.
Expectations and Responsibilities
This Working Group is responsible for:
- Coordinating development of training materials that reflect consortial policies, documentation, workflows, and trends revealed by support requests.
- Planning and facilitating consortia-wide training events and programs.
- Identifying and coordinating with staff at member institutions who will provide hands-on training.
- Supporting staff who are providing training by developing training sessions, learning objects, and training materials.
- Providing guidance on measuring effectiveness of instruction and assisting with continued development and improvement of training programs.
Disclaimer
This document is subject to review and change. Revisions of the document will be distributed to PASCAL member libraries through established communication channels.
Last updated May 3, 2024.
