Year Two progress Remote Patron Authentication
OCLC as library of last resort
On-line registration form
Maintenance Costs
Year 3 grant plans

Alleycat Decision Makers Meeting Minutes

Present:

The meeting began at 9:45 am.

Master copies of the Cat & Mouse brochure were distributed. Libraries can use these to make additional copies of the brochure and to add library-specific information to the blank rear panel. Printed copies of the brochure, both flat and folded are available from TBLC. The folded brochures are ready-to-go to the public. The flat ones can be re-run through a copier to add library-specific information.

The State Library honored the Anywhere-Anytime Library project by selecting it as one of six Exemplary Projects submitted under the 2000 Library and Technology Act grant program.

The Southwest Florida Library Information Network (SWFLN) is writing an LSTA grant proposal for FY 2001 to have TBLC host some of their member libraries on the Alleycat server. SWFLN will pay server and management fees to TBLC.

The Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN) may contract with TBLC this year to add two of their member libraries to the Alleycat project. The two libraries are starting a joint-use facility in Broward County.

Lauren and Karen are presenting a program at the Computer in Libraries Conference on the Anywhere-Anytime Library and publishing an article about the project in the April issue of Computers in Libraries.

TBLC is applying for a 2001 SOLINET Outstanding Library Programs Award for Alleycat. Participating libraries are asked to send letters of endorsement to TBLC to be submitted with our application. Deadline for letters is February 13.

Year 1 implementation did not get as far as originally planned due to delays in getting the DRA utility that enables DRA libraries to use Alleycat's extended circulation functions. St. Petersburg has recently received the utility. Training for St. Petersburg and the other SPIN libraries will be done on February 6th. We anticipate SPIN being operational on Alleycat on Febraury 12th.

Lauren has created a CBT module for Alleycat training. This enables us to do training without an Internet connection. The module runs on a PC using an Access database.

Status of next round of libraries

Pasco County: DRA system, utility has been ordered, when installed Alleycat setup will begin

Hernando County: DRA system, will be done after Pasco

Citrus County: DRA system, will be done with Hernando

Clearwater: Z39.50 capability has been implemented, ready to go

Palm Harbor: will upgrade to Horizon 6 shortly and will go unmediated on Alleycat

Heartland and/or Polk: will depend on each systems readiness

Brief synopsis of features to be added this year

OCLC as library of last resort for SUNLINE, Tampa-Hillsborough and Sarasota.

Extended catalogs to allow searching of catalogs at FCLA, CCLA, and State Library

Remote patron authentication for libraries if they choose to pay for it. RPA was not included in this year's grant.

TBLC Union List of Serials will be mounted as another database. The database must be a part of a participant's library automation system. We will need one library to volunteer to host it on their system. We will be testing this functionality with the TBLC ULS this year and could expand to the FLIN ULS next year.

epixtech software developments

Diane attended an URSA user's group meeting at ALA midwinter and learned some exciting things about epixtech's development of the URSA software.

The functionality of the URSA and RSS software will be married to create a new product. Features include use of epixtech's iPac as the search engine, implementation of the NCIP protocol to enable reciprocal borrowing checkout, reserves and improvements for serials requesting and better statistical reporting.

If any Alleycat library has recommendations for software enhancements or improvements please send them to Lauren. She will participate in a national users group that will work with epixtech on development of the new product, tentatively called iSelect.

Remote Patron Authentication (RPA)

The patron authentication feature currently available in Alleycat only verifies a patron for expiration. If the patron's library card is expired he is prevented from proceeding, if the card is not expired he continues. The software does not verify for fines, fees, or other issues.

Remote Patron Authentication (RPA) is an enhanced form of authentication that allows libraries to verify a patron's status with regard to fines, fees, expiration date, etc. The authenticated patron is presented with a menu of choices for databases. The choices will include Alleycat and any electronic resources a library wants to make available to remote users.

RPA resides on a separate NT server. Tampa-Hillsborough is using RPA and will let us test some other libraries on their server. Another alternative is to put RPA on the SUNLINE webpac server and test libraries there. The SUNLINE library directors have approved purchase of RPA for all SUNLINE libraries.

RPA will not currently work with DRA systems due to the lack of the SIP protocol in those systems. A workaround is for DRA libraries to download their patron database to the RPA server for authentication.

Any Alleycat library can purchase RPA. Pricing was distributed. Lauren will survey the libraries to assess interest in purchasing RPA.

OCLC as the library of last resort

Currently all unfilled requests in Alleycat must be manually entered into OCLC ILL. The addition of OCLC as the library of last resort will use OCLC's Direct Request to forward all unfilled requests in Alleycat into the patron's home library's OCLC ILL file. Library staff can combine this functionality with OCLC custom holdings to make the whole process work in an unmediated mode.

SUNLINE is in the process of planning implementation of this feature.

Barbe Bonjour and Patty Owen asked if libraries could budget to pay for this feature from their own budgets rather than use grant funds. A meeting will be called of representatives from SUNLINE, Tampa-Hillsborough and Sarasota to assess their willingness to pay for the feature themselves. Approximate cost is $5,000 per system.

The consensus of the group was that this feature should be installed on all systems regardless of the anticipated usage. This is particularly important for Pinellas Park and Palm Harbor to maintain consistency within Pinellas County for all residents. Libraries will be asked to pay for this module to conserve grant funds and implement Alleycat faster in additional systems.

Online Patron Registration

Ben Ostrowsky created an online patron registration wizard that allows SUNLINE library users to request library cards via the Internet. The wizard gathers information about the patron and sends it via email to the library staff. Library staff create a patron record and library card and email the user with information regarding his library barcode. This will allow patrons to be setup as users so they can use Alleycat and electronic resources via RPA. The SUNLINE libraries have just implemented the feature.

It was suggested that this feature can be implemented on Alleycat. A vote will need to be taken. When a person selects a library to register in, they can be transferred either to the SUNLINE form or a form created by the library.

COST INFORMATION/LIBRARY MATCH

In the original plan, earned income generated from brokering purchase of electronic resources was to be used to pay for some Alleycat costs. Our experience has shown that brokering purchase of electronic resources is not going to yield enough income to do so.

Another way to pay for some Alleycat costs is to obtain corporate support. Jim Scilligo, the TBLC Marketing Consultant has been working to find corporate sponsors for the program. The sponsoring company would have its logo/link added to the Alleycat website.

Jim's success has been limited to securing a corporation, Home Shopping Network, to sponsor a marketing program for the program. HSN will donate promotional displays for people to enter to win prizes. Each site will be given a digital camera to raffle off and there may be one grand prize.

Diane Solomon presented a proposal for 2001-2002 that would have each participating library paying for 25% of its maintenance on Alleycat, with grant funds paying the remaining 75%. Separate charges for maintenance on RPA and the OCLC feature would be handled assessed at full cost.

Monica Reed suggested that libraries should plan now to pay 100% of the maintenance and budget for Alleycat in the coming year. It was decided that all Alleycat libraries will budget for the full cost of maintenance for their library on Alleycat. Grant funds will be applied for and will be adjusted based on the success of each library's budget request. A cost sheet detailing costs for each library was distributed.

The LSTA grant for year 3 will include:

• Implementation for Manatee County and either Heartland or Polk (whichever is delayed in the current year).
• OCLC as the library of last resort for all libraries who want to have the feature
• Addition of 1 or 2 private academics, most likely University of Tampa or Stetson Law
• Union List of Serials update or full FLIN list
• A web master position to turn the TBLC website into a web portal with a patron side and a staff side
• E-books device project
• Electronic pathfinders, beginning with consumer health
• Alleycat Goes to School project**

**Alleycat Goes to School was discussed at great length. The group feeling was that the materials circulating via Alleycat are adult materials. This is an indication that our audience right now is adults. The idea was altered to Alleycat Goes to Work. This is a project that would use a portable lab to get out into the local business community and raise awareness of the resources the library makes available to them from their desktop. Local library partnerships will be established so Alleycat Goes to Work will not only bring Alleycat to the business but also the local library's resources.

The group decided that they should meet twice per year. Meeting will be held in January/February and July/August.

OTHER CONCERNS

Joe Stines raised a concern over Florida's strong confidentiality law and Alleycat's compliance. He suggested that we adopt a written policy addressing the issue. Lauren noted that we need to address some database cleanup issues that include purging usage records. epixtech recommends that we clean up the database regularly.

Concern was expressed that we be sure to follow all FLIN ILL protocols when we begin adding libraries outside of the TBLC region. Joe Stines asked if we will be able to specify search tiers when we implement libraries outside the TLBC area. Each library is able to specify what search strategies its patrons see.

Suggestions were made that Alleycat is a good vehicle to use to persuade legislators to increase state aid for libraries and to raise Library Cooperative aid to its full level. The State Library has issued an RFP for a Virtual Library consultant to look into the feasibility of creating a statewide virtual library and to form a budget to fund it. Suggestion was made to create a one-page Alleycat success story sheet to give to groups going to Library Day to use to lobby for funds to support the project.

The meeting adjourned at 12:10.