KINETICA ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING

7 and 9 August 2002

Draft Minutes

Dockside, Darling Harbour


AGENDA

 

1.

Welcome, introduction and apologies

2.

Minutes of the previous meeting and business arising

3.

Director-General’s remarks

4.

Kinetica statistical information

5.

Kinetica status report

6.

Stakeholder and Customer User Surveys

7.

Pricing Working Group

8.

Kinetica training issues

9.

Expert Advisory Group on Future Development Priorities

10.

Commonwealth Government Libraries Survey

11.

Electronic Resources : Progress Report

12.

Microform Collections on the NBD : a status report

13.

NBD : quality issues

14.

Final report of the Expert Advisory Group on Authority Record Delivery

15.

Report on Kinetica Subject Headings Review Panel, 7 August 2002

16.

Kinetica Annual Users' Meeting August 2002

17.

Review of the Kinetica Annual Users' Meeting August 2002

18.

Conclusion

 


 

PRESENT

Acting Chairperson

Ms Sherrey Quinn

Libraries Alive! Canberra

Members

Mr Craig Anderson

Chief Executive Officer, Yarra Plenty Regional Library

 

Mr John Arfield

University Librarian, University of Western Australia

 

Ms Maxine Brodie

Deputy University Librarian, Macquarie University

 

Ms May Priddle

Director, Library, Department of the Treasury

 

Ms Pam Gatenby

Assistant Director-General, Collections Management, National Library of Australia

 

Ms Kaye Hill

Coordinator, Application Services, State Library of Western Australia

 

Ms Doreen Parker

University Librarian, Victoria University of Technology

 

Ms Patricia Scott

Bibliographic Services Librarian, University of Adelaide

 

Mr David Toll

Deputy Director-General, National Library of Australia

 

Mr Trevor Wakely

Technical Services Librarian, National Meteorological Library

Observer

Ms Jan Fullerton

Director-General, National Library of Australia

Officers in Attendance

Ms Roxanne Missingham

Assistant Director-General, Resource Sharing Division, National Library of Australia

 

Mr Rob Walls

Director, Kinetica Database Services, National Library of Australia

 

Ms Cheryl Brickell

Director, Kinetica Customer Services, National Library of Australia

Apology

Ms Jan Maslen

Associate Librarian (Information Resources), La Trobe University

Minutes

Ms Margaret Kennedy

Kinetica, National Library of Australia

The meeting commenced at 1.30 pm.

AGENDA ITEM 1

WELCOME, INTRODUCTION AND APOLOGIES

Roxanne Missingham passed on an apology from Ms Jan Maslen, who was unable to attend the meeting. She also welcomed the new CAUL representative, Mr John Arfield, to the meeting. Roxanne also thanked Sherrey Quinn for accepting the Acting Chair's role.

As acting Chair of the Committee Sherrey Quinn expressed her gratitude for the contribution to the Kinetica Advisory Committee (KAC) of former Chairperson Helen Livingston.

 

AGENDA ITEM 2

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING AND BUSINESS ARISING

Ms Doreen Parker noted one correction, the name Victorian University of Technology in the list of attendees be corrected to Victoria University of Technology.

Agenda Item 2:
At the last meeting Ms Doreen Parker undertook to find out which libraries would be interested in entering into an agreement on the provision of Table of Contents data. Of those who expressed interest, only seven were prepared to commit to pay for the service.

One issue was the request by Innopac users to have the data delivered in MARC 970 field. This is a field used exclusively by the Innopac system for TOC data; however the standard MARC field is 505.

Ms Roxanne Missingham and Mr Rob Walls reported on investigations of alternative sources of TOC data, including from the Australian Defence Force Academy, British Library and Library of Congress. It was agreed that Kinetica users would be surveyed, as last time, to gauge whether there was sufficient interest to funding the acquisition of Blackwell's TOC data.

Agenda Item 5:
Ms Roxanne Missingham drew the Committee's attention to Agenda Paper 5 which clarified the National Library's support for Kinetica Training Agents.

A review of the next version of the Kinetica Cataloguing Client would be undertaken shortly. Discussions had been held with Elias on the development of a new web cataloguing interface, due for release in 2003, with the full web product due 2004.

Agenda Item 7:
The Kinetica vision statement has been released in a new format, along with a number of other revised marketing pamphlets.

Agenda Item 13:
A pamphlet will be produced shortly identifying advantages of the Kinetica Document Delivery Payments Service including information from the study of administrative costs for processing ILL payments.

It was resolved:

KAC/2002/2/RES/1
That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 15 March 2002 are a true and accurate record of the meeting.

 

AGENDA ITEM 3

DIRECTOR-GENERAL’S REMARKS

Directions Statement
The Library's Directions Statement for the next three years is about to be released. The emphasis is on improving access to the National Library's collections by all Australians.

New ILMS
An announcement will be made shortly on the successful tenderer for the new Integrated Library Management System.

Senate Select Committee on the Role of Libraries in an Online Environment
The Library has made a submission to this Committee. The Director-General said that she considered Kinetica to be the most important piece of library infrastructure in Australia, and she urged the Kinetica Advisory Committee to make a submission before the closing date of 16 August 2002.
The Kinetica Advisory Committee agreed to prepare a submission.

Other current Ndevelopments including:

Jan Fullerton reported on:

 

AGENDA ITEM 4

KINETICA STATISTICAL INFORMATION (KAC/2002/2/1)

Roxanne Missingham spoke to this paper.

Kinetica revenue was lower than the target for 2001/02. This is consistent with the trend over recent years, and is due in part to pressure on the budgets of participating institutions.

Mr John Arfield asked if Kinetica system development was driven by revenue, or if there is a set budget for required development. Mr David Toll responded that there is a small annual budget for Kinetica enhancements which is not a percentage of revenue, and that critical enhancements would need to be identified.

A two year extension to the contract with IBM-GSA is currently under negotiation.

 

AGENDA ITEM 5

KINETICA STATUS REPORT (KAC/2002/2/2)

Roxanne Missingham spoke to this paper.

This year is the 21st anniversary of the National Bibliographic Database (NBD). It coincides with the addition of the 13 millionth bibliographic record and 35 millionth holdings record to the database.

The new Kinetica Help Desk customer management system is working well, and is providing statistical summaries of help desk tasks. KDD is a significant proportion of all enquiries.

A project is under way to monitor response times. A summary of the project results will be available for viewing at the next Kinetica Annual Users' Meeting.

Response times have been monitored for 3 Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Currently a trial of an AARNet line in addition to Telstra line is under way. This configuration is likely to result in cost saving because of the lower usage on each line.

The next version of the VDX software (Version 2.2.7.6) was recently installed in the test environment at the Library. We hope to have the KDD system upgraded in approximately four months, and will be working on interoperability for LIDDAS libraries using ISO functionality.

 

AGENDA ITEM 6

STAKEHOLDER AND CUSTOMER USER SURVEYS (KAC/2002/2/3)

Roxanne Missingham spoke to this paper.

Information collected in the surveys was important for setting future directions for Kinetica.

There has been a lower response rate than previous Kinetica surveys, and the next survey would be carried out in 2004. A significant improvement in user satisfaction was recorded in the surveys. It was particularly pleasing to note the increase in satisfaction with the Kinetica Help Desk.

KAC members will be encouraged to have some input into the design of the next survey. KAC members would be invited to do this prior to the construction of the next questionnaires.

The Committee discussed the reasons for the low response rate to the surveys. KAC members felt that non-response could be indicative either of overall satisfaction, or of frustration in the effectiveness of comments and suggestions previously offered. Ms Roxanne Missingham noted that the survey company do follow up non-respondents.

KAC members suggested that the survey company should contact non-respondents to ascertain the reason(s) for non-participation. In addition, Kinetica should ensure that feedback is provided on the results of the surveys, and a summary of outcomes of the previous survey distributed with the next survey.

Ms Roxanne Missingham undertook to investigate two issues in the reports - the 2000 figures for university response rate in the Stakeholder Survey and the final table in the customer survey report.

 

AGENDA ITEM 7

PRICING WORKING GROUP (KAC/2002/2/4)

Ms Roxanne Missingham spoke to this report.

It was noted that the Pricing Working Group's terms of reference are included in the report. The group has discussed alternative sources of funding for Kinetica, and will consult with Kinetica users later this year.

Mr Craig Anderson has been invited to join the group.

If the Pricing Working Group recommends changes to charging it was suggested that adequate time was needed to notify users of such changes.

The cost of end-user access was discussed. Ms Doreen Parker has approached CAUL regarding end-user access to Kinetica, and has found little interest. Some institutions are reluctant to initiate trials of free end-user access because they are uncertain whether they have sufficient resources to maintain the service once the free period concludes. Some institutions however are committed to paying for end-user access.

Mr Craig Anderson noted that a funded pilot project to provide end-user access to library resources, including document delivery, was carried out in a regional public library in Victoria. The anticipated increase in usage was not realised, although the pilot was not extensively marketed.

It was noted that there were attitudinal factors and management practices to be overcome in provision of end-user access.

 

AGENDA ITEM 8

KINETICA TRAINING ISSUES (KAC/2002/2/5)

Ms Cheryl Brickell spoke to this paper.

A survey of Kinetica Training Service Providers (KTSPs) has been undertaken. A small number of written responses were received, and non-respondents were approached for feedback.

Responses included:

In addition providers felt more online courses needed to be made available, and there was a need to discuss training provided in library schools and TAFEs. Kinetica is considering offering access to Kinetica training databases to library schools free of charge. The National Resource Sharing Working Group is investigating establishment of a course on document delivery in the curriculum for library technicians.

 

AGENDA ITEM 9

EXPERT ADVISORY GROUP ON FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES (KAC/2002/2/6)

Ms Roxanne Missingham spoke to this paper.

In 1999 two Expert Advisory Groups were established, which made recommendations on future enhancements to Kinetica Services. These were the Expert Advisory Group on Reference and End User Services and the Expert Advisory Group on Kinetica Document Delivery. Most of the recommendations of these groups have now been delivered, and it is time to undertake a more strategic review of enhancement priorities.

The Kinetica Advisory Committee was invited to nominate two members to the Expert Advisory Group on Future Development Priorities, and Ms Patricia Scott and Ms Kaye Hill nominated. The group would also comprise a representative of State user groups, three expert users (covering areas of cataloguing, document delivery, reference, and interface design); and Mr Rob Walls and Ms Cheryl Brickell from Kinetica. The group will consider customer needs and enhancement priorities for the medium term, and will report back to KAC in March next year.

After discussion, the formation of the group was endorsed, and its title changed to Expert Advisory Group on Enhancements.

 

AGENDA ITEM 10

COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT LIBRARIES SURVEY (KAC/2002/2/7)

Ms Roxanne Missingham spoke to the paper.

The survey was undertaken to obtain information on government on-line publishing, and the extent to which such publications are represented in the NBD.

The survey highlighted the low rate of contribution to the NBD for these publications. Kinetica will conduct a trial in 2002/03 with FLIN to acquire metadata from a selection of Commonwealth Government agencies for loading to the NBD.

The report was noted.

 

AGENDA ITEM 11

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES : PROGRESS REPORT (KAC/2002/2/8)

Mr Rob Walls spoke to this report.

A database has been set up to manage the workflows and tracking required to operate the Electronic Collection Sets Service.

In June a survey was carried out to identify the major electronic collections in Australian libraries and to determine the priorities for provision of electronic collection sets.

The Expert Advisory Group on the Cataloguing of Electronic Resources has completed its guidelines for cataloguing these resources and the guidelines will be made available on the Kinetica web site.

The report was noted and the EAG thanked for their work.

 

AGENDA ITEM 12

MICROFORM COLLECTIONS ON THE NATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATABASE : A STATUS REPORT (KAC/2002/2/9)

Mr Rob Walls spoke to the report.

Four new datasets have been purchased for microform collections. A survey has been held to ascertain the microform collections in Australian libraries, and a list of 64 collections were identified. Many of these collections were only held by one library.

Priorities for purchase of datasets will be determined from the results of this survey.

The report was noted.

 

AGENDA ITEM 13

NATIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATABASE : QUALITY ISSUES (KAC/2002/2/10)

Mr Rob Walls spoke to this report.

Kinetica's ability to make global changes to large numbers of bibliographic records allows changes in cataloguing standards to be implemented efficiently both in the NBD and in customers' local systems. A number of global changes to headings and codes have been made recently.

The Batch*Link service continues to grow.

Work continues to refine the match/merge program to improve the matching of incoming records. This work should significantly reduce the number of duplicates added to the database.

The report was noted.

 

AGENDA ITEM 14

FINAL REPORT OF THE EXPERT ADVISORY GROUP ON AUTHORITY RECORD DELIVERY (KAC/2002/2/11)

Ms Margaret Kennedy spoke to the report.

The Expert Advisory Group on Authority Record Delivery considered many issues relating to both the import and export of authority data, and made ten recommendations, some of which would require software development.

The National Library is currently considering the group's recommendations.

In the meantime Kinetica staff will address recommendations relating to training and surveying libraries on the extent of authority work currently occurring in local systems.

The report was noted and the Committee thanked for their work.

 

AGENDA ITEM 15

REPORT ON KINETICA SUBJECT HEADINGS REVIEW PANEL, 7 AUGUST 2002 (KAC/2002/2/12)

Mr Rob Walls spoke to the report.

The Kinetica Subject Headings Review Panel has focused on implementing terms for names of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and languages on the NBD. It has been very successful with non-Australian name submissions this year.

The report was noted.

 

AGENDA ITEM 16

KINETICA ANNUAL USERS' MEETING AUGUST 2002

Mr John Shipp joined the Kinetica Advisory Committee for this agenda item.

A total of 222 people have registered for the forthcoming Kinetica Annual Users' Meeting. It was agreed that parallel sessions would be divided into four groups, with each group to be facilitated by two KAC members.

Ms Doreen Parker said facilitators should attempt to focus on strategic issues.

The results of the four groups would be collated and presented to the meeting on Friday morning.

The Kinetica Advisory Committee meeting adjourned at 5.15 pm, Thursday 8 August.

KAC reconvened at 1.30 pm, Friday 9 August.

 

AGENDA ITEM 17

REVIEW OF THE KINETICA ANNUAL USERS' MEETING AUGUST 2002

Mr John Shipp joined the Kinetica Advisory Committee for this agenda item.

The following points were raised on the evaluation of the Kinetica Annual Users' Meeting:

 

AGENDA ITEM 18

CONCLUSION AND DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The Kinetica Advisory Committee recommended that:

The meeting concluded at 2.30 pm, Friday 9 August.