INTRODUCTION

This is the third of thirty monthly reports on the status of the Yale University Library's migration to a new Library Management System (LMS). These reports are intended to provide a convenient summary account of LMS migration activities and the thinking that informs them. The reports and the numerous documents that will be available at the Web site are meant to help support the library-wide learning that is essential to a successful migration effort.

Comments about this material and the library's migration activities are most welcome. Such comments can be made publicly on the YULIB listserv or addressed individually to Audrey Novak, the LMS Migration Project Manager, by sending a message to Audrey at audrey.novak@yale.edu

ORBIS2 PROJECT WEBSITE: http://www.library.yale.edu/orbis2/public/orbis2.htm

SUMMARY OF OBRIS2 ACTIVITIES DURING JUNE 2000

Thanks particularly to the effort of the many library staff serving on work groups, June was a remarkably productive month for the Orbis2 migration effort.

• The five selection criteria Work Groups worked with remarkable focus and effectiveness to produce first drafts of the criteria that will guide the library in choosing Orbis2 software. Our goal was to have these drafts ready for staff investigating LMS matters at the ALA meetings. The drafts may be consulted at the migration project's Web site under the heading "System Requirements" at: http://www.library.yale.edu/orbis2/public/wkgroup/criteria.html

• The Orbis2 Migration Management Team approved the charges for a second set of Work Groups that are being asked to describe the particular operational situations we want to see vendors address when they return in the fall for in-depth demonstrations of their systems. There will be nine demo situation Work Groups, as follows: Acquisitions (Edita Baradi), Binding (Pat Simon), Cataloging (Manon Theroux), Circulation (Denise Hersey), Document Delivery (Sue Lorimer), Non-Roman Scripts (Rich Richie), Online Public Catalog (Nicole Bouche), Reports (Will Wheeler), and Serials (Steven Arakawa).

• Audrey Novak prepared a document describing the "life cycle" for the work of each Work Group. Her goal was to make clear to everyone engaged in the groups in what ways and at what points in the migration process their work will be invoked. This "life cycle" document is available at the project's Web site.
• Staff attending ALA were invited to visit vendor displays and to consult with colleagues at other libraries using new generation systems. Audrey provided a password-protected form that Yale librarians may use to report what they learn at the ALA meetings. The Conference Report From is available at the project's Web site. Contact Audrey for the password.
• Finally, and certainly not least important, four LMS vendors gave us highly instructive one-day demos of their systems in June. The vendors were Innovative Interfaces, Sirsi, Endeavor, and Ex Libris. Fred Martz's detailed notes on these demos are available at the project's Web site.

• The evaluation criteria Work Groups will continue their work in July, and the demonstration situation Work Groups will begin their work.
• Audrey Novak will synthesize the reports she receives from those attending ALA and post the results to the project's Web site.
• The Orbis2 Migration Management Team decided it would be useful to ask the four vendors that where here in June to return in July and August for sessions focused exclusively on the technical architecture of their systems. Our wish is to identify any technical issues that might be particularly salient to our decisions about which vendors to ask to return in the fall. The fall demos will be exceptionally time intensive for both library and vendor staff. The Migration Management Group does not want to devote such time to systems (if there are any) we are unlikely to choose for strictly technical reasons.
• Finally, based on database size and usage statistics forwarded by Audrey, the four vendors we are considering will provide preliminary price quotes and hardware configuration recommendations.