1992 FCLA Workplan

Since we have not been allowed to meet this year and FCLA has a considerable volume of development work on its plate from last year, we are asking that the ballot process be forgone this year. The process has always been accompanied by the caveat that progress on enhancement priorities was dependent upon availability of resources at FCLA. Basically, those resources are not available for new development beyond that which is already committed:

Project Programming FTE
Management and Z39.50 Grant 1
Production 1
KW/B 1
NOTIS 5.0 2
Batch to online conversion 1
Total FTE 6

I. Production

Production tasks are listed on the accompanying document FCLA Task List.

II. Z39.50 Project

This is the project to develop a link between LUIS and the community college DRA system. It is an HEA IID funded project that has broader utility when other systems adopt the Z39.50 protocol. The granting agency requires matching commitment in costs and personnel which is why FCLA staff are working on it.

III. Keyword/Boolean

IV. NOTIS 5.0

This project has two components: LUIS and Tech Mode. The current objective is to have the LUIS component in production by the beginning of Summer A term (May 1992). No specific deadline for Tech Mode has been determined yet, but it will be later than summer 1992.

5.0 LUIS is an entirely new code base that uses a new programming standard developed by IBM. This new method is called "CICS command level" and the old is called "CICS macro level". Command level allows programs to use much larger amounts of main memory (RAM). The available memory difference is 2 gigabytes versus 16 megabytes. During peak periods, our NOTIS is receiving so many transactions that the 16 megabytes is no longer enough memory space for all the programs that need to be active at one. Thus we need the new LUIS for performance reasons as well as for new function. The ramification of this change to a command level LUIS is that all FCLA LUIS enhancements (which were also written at macro level) have to be rewritten to be compatible with this new LUIS. In previous releases the FCLA code could be merged without a rewrite.

A. LUIS tasks (Goal: in test by April 1)

Goal for May 1992 but could come latter:

Goal for later but need specifications:

*Problem with this code is it is written in CICS macro level while 5.0 is CICS command; code would have to re-written.

B. Tech Mode Tasks (no specific deadline)

V. Batch to online conversion (ongoing)

This is an ongoing project to convert as many batch processes to online in order to decrease the batch costs.

1990/1991 Enhancement Ballot Status Review

The following items received significant DOTS and SUPERDOTS or will be addressed in 5.0 LUIS. Progress on these items was limited due to the resources expended on Keyword Boolean and ERIC.

ACQ/Serials
  • Location/call# on order records
  • Indexes to order, fund, invoices records (candidate for batch to online conversion)
  • Vendor index (candidate for batch to online conversion) I
  • SBN, etc.., suppression on P.O.
  • Online fund record totals (candidate for batch to online conversion)
  • CAT/AUTH
  • Retro NAF (not likely due to budget cuts)
  • Upload to OCLC for setholds (UF just completed a test for record transfer which proved to unsatisfactory;
  • FCLA is amenable to electronic record transfer but not tapes).
  • ONI realtime (in progress - see above)
  • DERIVE/OVERLAY of bib and auth records
  • CIRC
  • Call # statistics (need specs and batch resources)
  • Barcode on item screens
  • Index instructor and number in LUIS (candidate for batch to online conversion)
  • Dynamic indexing of course reserve indexes
  • SSN printed on notices
  • LUIS
  • Search also's problem resolved
  • Backward browse in index (coming in 5.0)
  • Backward browse in multi-screen record (coming in 5.0)
  • Brief bib display (coming in 5.0)
  • SUMM order of items in LUIS
  • Location based catalogs (coming in 5.1)
  • MHI Phase II; e.g., search qualification (requires a re-write of the Northwestern code)
  • Call number search as intro screen option (coming in 5.0)
  • System-wide
  • ALA character set (there is a technical solution, but it requires controller features and special terminals; budgetary constraints)
  • SUMM made more efficient
  • Subfield security
  • Patron record purge (coming in 5.0)
  • 1991 NOTIS LMS ENHANCEMENT SURVEY RESULTS

     RANK ENHANCEMENT NUMBER AND TITLE POINT TOTAL PERCENTAGE FCLA
     1 11-Enhanced editing capability for bib record 351 6.41% 3
     2  1-Allow relinking of order records  339  6.19%  5
     3 31-Punctuation sensitive searching  337  6.16%  1
     4 29-Course reserves  274  5.01%  8
     5 25-Patron HAS Command (Patron Charge Index display)  264  4.82%  0
     6 27-Bill/fine   243  4.44%  1
     7 28-Billing for unreturned items (LOST)  218  3.98%  0
     8 33-Download and print search results  218  3.98%  4
     9 Shelf list call number index  188  3.44%  3
    10 12-Ability to delete or resequence copy statements  186  3.40%  3
     11 52-Report generator capability  172  3.14%  4
     12 34-Serial title search  154  2.81%  0
     13 36-Optional display of call number in subject index  150  2.74%  3
     14 16-Develop a good way to handle analytics, esp. 'bound withs' and serials  146  2.67%  3
     ...        
     18 32-Limit all searches by date, language, etc.  115  2.10%  6
     ...        
     21 30-Recall/hold  105  1.92%  1
     22 47-Full functionality for paired 85X/86X sets in the MHLD record  90   1.64%  4
     ...      
     52 40-Full index display and indexing for call numbers   8  0.15%  1

  • 151 LMS Surveys Distributed
  • 110 Responses Received
  • Response Rate: 73%
  •  

    NUGM Report

    Purchase by Ameritech Jane Burke announced that NOTIS Systems Inc. (NSI) is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ameritech Information Systems (AIS). AIS is also the owner of LS/2000, SC350 and ACQ350 all of which were purchased from OCLC. There was no information given as to what, if any, relationship would exist between these systems. Jane Burke will remain as president of NOTIS and the contract included retention of all of NSI's upper management. NSI will not move from Evanston in the foreseeable future and, since Chicago is home to Ameritech, it is not likely that NSI would leave the Chicago area.

    Positive aspects of the purchase mentioned by Jane: shared vision of the academic information system; access to development capital and resources; and consistent financial goals.

    NOTIS' Target Market

    Large and medium-large academic libraries (13% of all North America academic libraries but they control majority of budgets).

     Category  Percentage   Number  Volumes
      Large   3%  180  775,000
     Medium-Large  10%   520  200,000 - 750,000
     Medium-Small  11%  570  100,000 - 200,000
     Small  76%  4050  all other

    NOTIS Sites

    New customers: 15/year

    Current:
     Large 60
     Medium-Large 50
     Medium-Small 30
     Total 140

    60 KeyNOTIS:

    5 installed
    1 in negotiation
    2 possibles

    NOTIS Mission Statement

    Earning the right to serve the information needs of knowledge seekers.

    STRATEGY
    Financial Picture

      1990 Actual  1991 Projection
    Revenue  $7,214,000  10,152,000
    Capitalized Product -Development -0- 450,000
    Operating Expenses    
    - Salaries & Personnel (3,606,000) (5,552,000)
    - other (3,244,000) (3,405,000)
    Income from Operations  364,000  1,645,000 
    Other Expenses (51,000) (153,000) 
    Net Income  $313,000 (4%)  $1,501,000 (15%)

     Expenses by Division  Full Time Employees
     Customer services
    $2.72 million
     43
     Systems Development
    $1.64 million
     24
     Sales & Marketing
    $1.86 million
     16
     Administration
    $2.12 million
     13


     Use of Maintenance Dollars ($4,082,000 in 1991)
     Phone support 24%
     Enhancements  21%
     Training  14%
     Administration  13%
     Documentation  10%
     Testing/Packaging  10%
     Bug fixes  3%
     Generic conversion  3%
     NUGM/SIGs  3%

    Projects in Development (as of Fall 1991)
    Later