Charge

This task force will survey the marketplace for products that may replace or complement the current software, Dynix's URSA, used by the Consortium.

The task force will recommend to the BLC a product or products that allow patrons to submit request across the disparate Consortium catalogs for returnables and non-returnables. The task force may recommend that the BLC continue with the current vendor, continue with the current vendor for non-returnables and recommend another vendor for non-returnables, or suggest a different model. Rapid and Fretwell Downing's VDX are two products that should be considered in this review. One member of the task force will be a member of the Virtual Catalog Team and will serve as liaison to that group.

• The Task force will ask for comments from appropriate Communities of Interest, such as (but not limited to) Resource Sharing, Serials, Reference, and Circulation; it will also invite members of such COIs and of the Board of Directors to product demonstrations.
  
  
• The Task Force will report on the pros and cons of products examined.
  
  
• The Task Force will define appropriate search results and request options as a basis for product evaluation.
  
  
• The Task force will submit a report, including recommendations, to the Management Council by April 28, 2005. The Board will review the report at the June 2005 business meeting.
  
  

Communication:
The Task Force will communicate with the BLC community through news items on the BLC's web page, BLC-L, and any COI that may have interest in the project. The Task Force will work closely through the BLC Office and the Director Liaison to make sure information about the project is distributed.

Staff Development:
The Task Force, in coordination with the BLC office, will invite vendors to display products to the BLC community.

Goal:
This task force is aligned with the BLC Goal: Resource Sharing, "To offer resource sharing opportunities and expeditious delivery of materials (electronic and print) to support the research and teaching of the BLC's constituency." And specifically, "To create a patron-initiated ILL system through virtual catalog software that works for all members at a reasonable cost."