Managing Software Selection and Acquisition: From Problem to Solution
- 1. Case Study: Acquiring an Integrated Museum Content Management System Museum Computer Network Pre-Conference Workshop Yu Su November 8, 2006
- 2. The Organization (1975) World-renowned photographic museum and research center by Ansel Adams and the then UA president John P. Schaefer. Life-long work of over 50 photographers: historical materials, a research center, and an exhibit space. 80,000 fine prints, a research library, and an archive of 3.8 million items Opportunity to create interrelated subject matters
- 3. Current Situation Photograph collection index: half a dozen red binders Photograph catalog: InMagic database Acquisition and registration: emails, InMagic records, registrars’ own filing systems. 3.8 million archival items, 200 finding aids, 8 EAD records searchable, boxes and folders. Book collection: completely separate from the photograph and archive collections. Research method: Personal, onsite visit to the Tucson, Arizona, facilities.
- 4. The Need User Experience: "...an international audience experiences the Center, not through these physical spaces, but through publications such as the scholarly journal, catalogs, the newsletter, and through traveling exhibitions originating at the Center.“ Website: "information about current exhibitions and programs, new publications, rights and reproductions, traveling exhibition schedules, and how to make appointments to use the Research Center and PrintViewing facilities“ ( Original Sources, Amy Rule, 2002).
- 5. The Need A solid data foundation is needed for… unified collections fully developed metadata public web presences
- 6. The Vision (2004) A digital initiative and a massive digitization plan of the CCP to make a complete online presentation of its content. Five-year initiative, started in 2004 and led by the fourth director of the CCP, Dr. Douglas R. Nickel. Aims at activating the archive, bringing the lifework of the world's most important photographers to the web and making them accessible to those of all ages and educational background.
- 7. Problem (#1) Over the years different departments of the CCP have developed their own protocols. The need to centralize the data into an institutional-wide system became apparent. Main library system staff members looked into different products, but there was no decision making channel. Vendors have been invited to demo their products, but there was no decision making channel.
- 8. Solution (#1) A formal Request for Proposal (RFP) to… Choose a comprehensive system to solve everybody's problem Document and meet everybody’s requirements
- 9. The Process Form the selection team Museum Director Associate Director Digital-Imaging Lead R&R manager Curator Archivist Archivist Registrar Registrar Registrar Cataloger Education director Administrative assistant Gift store manager (All CCP staff) IT Director Hardware coordinator Systems librarian System librarian Archivist (Library system staff)
- 10. The Process (8/2005) Draft the Request for Proposal Many meetings to reach consensus… Decision Matrix Many meetings to reach consensus…
- 11. Problem (#2) We all liked different products! Matrix is useless
- 12. Sample matrix 0.85 10% 8.5 7 10 Fit 0.85 10% 8.5 7 10 Support 10% Cost 1.575 35% 4.5 7 2 V. Technical Requirements 35% IV.10 Collections Use 35% IV.9 Collections Controll 35% IV.8 Collections Care 35% IV.7 Collection Documentation 35% IV.6 Collection Acquisition and De-accession 2.8 35% 8 8 IV.5 Reports 2.8 35% 8 8 IV.4 Query 0.7 35% 2 2 IV.3 User Interface 0.245 35% 0.7 0.7 IV.2 Data Management 2.1 35% 6 7 5 IV.1 System Characteristics 0.7 35% 2 2 III Final Score Weight % Mean Su Yan Adele Section Product XYZ CCP RFP Evaluation
- 13. Solution #2 Follow-up questions to each vendor Reference check 2 nd round vendor demo
- 14. Some discussion focuses… The product’s ability to handle archives Tickler function Hand-held component Scrolling vs. tabbing screen
- 15. The Reference Check (11/05) MINISIS Public Museum of Grand Rapids Historical New Orleans Collection Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce International Development Research Center State of Alaska MIMSY XG Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth Portland Art Museum Autry National Center Norton Simon Museum Albright-Knox Museum
- 16. The Process (12/2005) More discussion meetings… One more round of vendor demo…
- 17. Finally… (1/2006) A staff member is gone… MINISIS Integrator is chosen…
- 18. Is the world happy yet?
- 19. Problem (#3): The REAL problem We don’t understand our own work …so we couldn’t understand what we need
- 20. Solution (#3): The REAL solution Think about how you work and how you would like to work Technology enables solution, but it is never the solution itself Make up the long overdue homework of understanding your own data and workflow
- 21. Recap (11/2006) This technology project is still going on… Implementation Project Manager hired (3/2006) Joint application development (4/2006) More system analysis (7/2006) System installation and training (11/2006) When I look back… What we did right (and not so right) The view toward standards Don’t blame on personality for conflicts
- 22. Proverbs: Successful and Not-So-Successful Stories World renowned content, 21st century research, 19th century technology Non-IT staff choosing technology product (Do you really have to be a techie to participate in technology project?) What to expect for a RFP process The most important question: What do you really want to do?