Implementing Sierra @ USLUniversity of Sydney Library

Jane Barton and Isis Bibaoui, November 2012

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SIERRA

Coordinated by Integrated Library Systems Management Group (ILSMG)

ILSMG consists of functional experts from all service areas and head of Library IT Services

ILSMG

• liaised with III, Library staff, Library groups and Library Management as required

• Designed and delivered staff training sessions

• Responsible for all communication to library staff on migrations (email, Intranet Page, InfoBlog, presentation at

various meetings

Sierra list invaluable source of support and information

Coordinating the Migration

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Overview of Pre-Live workTechnical requirements pinned down and implemented

Record of Millennium settings

Access to III hosted Sierra

3 weeks prior to go live date – ‘Sierra Preview Access’

• Verifying required specs

• Purchasing / set up of hardware

• Back up of Initials & associated authorisations

• Backup of Settings and preference for all Millennium module logins (printer settings, print templates, macros, item/bib templates, options groups, stats groups, ILL departments etc)

• Full access to most functionalities to see it all in action

• Useful for screen shots of the various functions to run presentations for staff

• Opportunity to explore Sierra users and workflows and develop and understanding of how they work

• Staff consultation on appropriate workflows

• Limited access

• Most time spent in Sierra admin setting up Sierra users and workflows

• Staff training / Familiarisation

• Permissions had to be fixed – there was a slight numbering change that impacted some permisisions

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›  Sierra Database – Virtual Machine:

- Platform: VMware Infrastructure (vsphere) 4.1

- Operating system: Redhat Enterprise linux, 64bit, release 5.8

- Memory:  32GB RAM

- CPUs:  8 x virtual CPUs

-  Disk space is provided by Fibre Channel SAN administered by our Central IT department, the sizes are as per III specifications

› Millennium server, which became the Sierra Application server:

-  Its specs are similar but a bit smaller

-  Platform: VMware Infrastructure (vsphere) 4.1

- Operating system: Redhat Enterprise linux, 64bit, release 5.8

- Memory:  24GB RAM

- CPUs:  4 x virtual CPUs 

Technical specs @ USL

Sierra Users v’s Millennium logins and initials

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Sierra users

Millennium Login

Millennium Initials

Sierra User

Location

Options

Settings

Preferences

Permissions

Location

Options

Settings

Preferences

Permissions

+ Workflows

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Two Types of Possible Sierra Users

• Current millennium initials and password become Sierra User

• Individual Settings, preferences, Workflows & Permissions

Personal user

• Shared settings, preferences, workflows attached• Prompted for initials & passwords after login in• Have to request III to activate Context user setting prior

to Preview installation

Context User

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› A generic login, prompts only for initials only for financial functions

› Some individual personal users exist for staff with specialised workflows

USL Service desk users (generic personal user)

Location

Templates

Macros

Workflows

Permissions

Settings

Sierra SessionService desk user

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› 2 tier login process

USL Workroom users (context user)

LocationDoc del filesTemplates MacrosWorkflowsSettings

Permissions

Sierra Sessi

on

Workroom user

Personal user

(similar to a Millennium login)

(similar to Millennium initials)

Sierra Workflows V’s Millennium Modules

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Modules Vs Workflows

Millennium Modules

Modes within modules

WORKFLOW

WORKFLOW

WORKFLOW

WORKFLOW

Functions

Functions

Functions

Functions

becomes

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A workflow has to be assigned to a Sierra user in order to use the functions listed in the

workflow

You can assign workflows to personal Sierra user and to context users

Default workflows – by Millennium module, with all the functionalities listed

While a person might be assigned a workflow, can only use the functions in that workflow

if they have the permission to do so

Can tailor workflows, workflow names and order of position of workflow in functions menu

Workflows can be made up of different functionalities, regardless of previous mill module

The same function can be listed under more than one workflow

Need permission to work with workflows

About workflows

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Workflow Example @ USL – Workroom Workflows

Workroom – Core

• Checkout (circulation desk)• Check-in (no patron)• Search / holds• Course reserves• Serials checkin• Claiming• Funds• Reports

Workroom – Extra

• Create lists• Fines Paid• Notices• Data exchange• High-demand holds• View outstanding holds• Bookings maintenance• Catalog

Document Delivery

• New requests• Pending requests• Process returns• Filled requests• Cancelled requests• Enter requests• Process paged requests• Mediate requests• View requests

Program Registration

• Program management• Registration desk

Circulation

Serials

Acquisitions

Cataloging

Interlibrary Loans

Program Registration

Reports

Article Reach

Staff Familiarisation

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Run Millennium at the same time as Sierra

Train staff in Sierra a group at a time

Slowly migrate staff across to Sierra

BUT ….. 15

Initial thoughts on Introducing Staff to Sierra ….

SIERRA

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Decided to migrate all staff STRAIGHT to Sierra

Can run Millennium side by side but has to be reloaded, and there is an icon for each module

Uses the same users and initials and data as the Sierra system – so any problems with this would also impact Millennium users

Some functionalities (such as create lists and ArticleReach) only available in Sierra once migrated.

Once we had access to ‘Grizzly’ became clear that Sierra had exactly the same functionality as Millennium, with a different look and feel and some changes in navigation

Wish to have all staff using Sierra before the second phase of Sierra started

Didn’t want to see Millennium hanging on in use like telnet – we still had diehard telnet users up until last year!

Experiences being reported by other libraries on the Sierra list …….

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Sierra vs Millennium – migrated libraries’ experiences

“We migrated everyone to the Sierra interface on day 1.  This move met no

resistance, unlike when we migrated from telnet to Millennium.”

Appalachian State University Library

“We have been live for two days… None of the issues reported have been with staff

not knowing how to perform a task. That part is genuinely easy.”

MARINet Consortium of Academic & Research Libraries

SIERRA

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Staff training

Focused on the idea of managing change and anxiety rather than on the idea that ‘training’ was required

“Staff Familiarisation” rather than training

Sierra Page on Intranet created – link to III presentations on it, link to Familiarisations session presentations

Staff sessions run every day in two weeks prior to go live date

Power point presentation:

• Side by side slides of Millennium Screen

• Stressing same functionality, different look and feel

• About logins and workflows

• Detail of what was different (enhanced searching, underlying structure)

So what happened when we went live?

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Now been live for just over a week

Catalogue down during go live for 10 hrs, library notices not sent during period – switched on ability for clients to use Cross Search. Used training server as back up for staff.

ArticleReach supply and mediation switched off

Off line circulation utilised

Took much longer than anticipated; problems at both ends.

Within 14 hours all functionality except ILL and ArticleReach.

After testing of functions, rolled out by login

Going Live – Overnight Tuesday 6th November 2012

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› Docdel files not displaying

› ArticleReach not accessible

› Web services module – used to import patron data and web fine payments had problems.

› Fine mop up because of off line circulation limitation

› Many emails and calls to III during process.

› About a week of fine tuning needed.

Going live: problems encountered

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› Make the day of the implementation a day closed in your days closed table so that nothing is due

› Download Pending and New docdel files – just in case.

› Expect system to be down for a whole day, advise staff and clients

› Negotiate as early a start time as possible

› Get as much information on what ports need to be open (if applicable)

› IT services cc’d on all communications during live deployment

› If you have a training server, synchronise with production as close to migration as possible. Training server’s webopac can be used by staff.

What would we do differently

Any further questions?

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