When Does Twenty-Three Equal One? The Quest for a Truly Unified Library Management System in the California State University System

In 2013 the Council of Library Deans (COLD) at the California State University (the largest comprehensive university system in the United States) voted to migrate to a unified library management system (ULMS). Previously each of the twenty- three campus libraries had operated a completely independent integrated library system (ILS), so the move to a ULMS was a radical change for the system. This session will discuss this decision, the strategies behind it, and subsequent issues that have arisen during the implementation phase from both a dean's perspective as well as a systems librarian's point of view. The presenters have a unique outlook on this initiative. One was the chair of COLD when the decision was made to migrate to the ULMS model, and also served on the COLD Procurement Negotiation Committee after the successful bidder, Ex Libris, had been chosen. The other presenter was a member of the Evaluation Committee during the request for proposals process, and is currently serving on two different working groups as well as filling the role of the Project Manager at one of only three Vanguard Campuses. The ULMS model holds the promise of aiding discovery, uniting resources, empowering analytics, and simplifying workflow. Many believe that it will soon become the future technology platform for most academic library management systems. This project briefing will discuss the crucial strategic and tactical issues that every large system will face in attempting a migration from a standalone, campus-based ILS model to a radically different systemwide ULMS paradigm.