Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this exploration project taking place?

The June 2024 Why Merge document includes background about the exploration project. Improved service to library patrons and library staff were key motivating factors. We anticipate that V-Cat Libraries will be paying less in V-Cat shares with a shared ILS. In addition, with a shared ILS patrons will benefit from an expanded collection, and libraries will benefit from a larger team for ILS Administration and Support.

What changes are expected for library staff?

Groups working on NICE recommendations made every effort to minimize changes for library staff.

Library staff will continue to use the familiar Sierra ILS software interface. Library staff may be asked to make updates to select item or patron records. Library staff may need to learn new usernames, passwords and codes.

Staff from eight member libraries will be asked to join the ILS Advisory group to assist with collaborative decision making. Others may be asked to provide input in their areas of expertise. 

Workload changes related to each library’s circulation and interlibrary loan activity are anticipated.

Library staff may spend less time processing out of consortium interlibrary loans. With more titles and items readily available for patrons, library staff may spend more time processing materials coming from other libraries to fill patron requests, and materials going to other libraries. 

As consortium members, library staff will continue to adapt to changes in processes and procedures to increase efficiency and best serve patrons as the need arises. 

Were patrons surveyed to identify a need for expanded library collections?

Measuring patron need was not considered a necessary metric. The motivation for the NICE project was a desire to provide increased service to member libraries and library users more efficiently and sustainably. See the June 2024 Why Merge document for background about the exploration project. 

Will workgroup minutes, votes and decision making rubric scores be shared?

As advised by project managers, the leadership team opted not to share meeting notes or rubrics because they are working documents and include specific individuals’ candid comments.

The important points about the decision making process are included in each workgroup’s recommendation available on the Documents page. The workgroups themselves are not committees, and don’t have traditional minutes or votes. Decisions were made via consensus, unless noted in the recommendations.

What about recent procedural changes at V-Cat and NWLN libraries? 

Each consortia has the prerogative to make changes to unify applications and practices. V-Cat and NWLN continue to operate independently while considering the possibility of working together. Following the June 2023 NICE Report and Key Takeaways, we are considering a joint ILS with movement towards shared practices and policies. The NICE Team and Workgroups have worked to make decisions needed to share an ILS. In other areas, the two groups will move towards shared practices and policies as the need arises.

What were the goals of the 2023-24 NICE project?

Facilitate next steps toward a merged ILS:

• Develop a mutually agreed upon project timeline
• Determine vendors and products to pursue
• Determine cost of initial migration to a merged ILS 
• Determine merged ILS annual budget projections and calculation method for membership shares
• Make decisions on identified issues including delivery, circulation, cataloging, and database standards, and ILS support plan
• Establish timeline for migration including implementation plan, logistics, and steps needed for a merged ILS
• Determine record clean up processes, archiving needs, and contracted technical support necessary for a merged ILS.
• Pursue database and record clean up, and shared ILS adjacent services, such as:
  • Implementation for cataloging utility, re-indexing of records etc. 
  • Record clean up and preliminary record matching work for bibliographic and/or patron records
  • Consulting services with ILS vendor to match field names and usage 
  • Historical data archiving to minimize data loss with a migration 
  • Discovery layer migration implementation 
• Establish cultural groundwork, address concerns, and establish communication pathways
• Craft policies and governance structure for cohesive membership and management

What were the goals of the 2022-2023 project?

The goals of the 2022-2023 feasibility grant were:

• Identify concerns and barriers taking in account lessons learned from past collaboration attempts
• Identify benefits of a merged system
• Identify conditions that make a merged system desirable
• Identify fiscal realities of a merged system beyond migration and into the future
• Establish cultural groundwork, address concerns and establish communication pathways
• Design policies and governance structure
• Determine joint consortium overall budget and calculation method for membership shares
• Create timeline for migration including an implementation plan, logistics, and steps needed for a unified ILS

How will it be determined if the goals of the project have been met?

All findings will be published in a final report that will include:

• Recommendations from targeted workgroups including Decision-making, ILS Vendor Selection, Funding Formula, Delivery, Holds Fulfillment, Records Standards and Cataloging.
• Each consortia will vote to approve the Recommendations
• Each System Board will vote to approve the Recommendations

What is the role of the NICE Team?

The Exploration Team will guide the exploration project overall, encourage library staff to participate in the exploration via surveys and focus groups, review survey results and focus group reports, and assist in developing a final recommendation report.

Who will make the decision about a merger?

The NWLS and WVLS Boards have final authority over merger decisions, and will make the decision after careful consideration of our respective NWLN and V-Cat consortiums’ recommendations.

What is the timeline of the NICE project?

The NICE project has been a two year process. It began in 2022 and V-Cat and NWLN will be asked to vote on the future of an ILS merger by September of 2024. Grant cycles,  ILS contracts and the desire to be efficient with funds are all factors in the timeline. 

Based on existing deadlines and potential for significant savings, NWLN will need to decide on either an individual or joint ILS contract by September 2024. If the systems do not vote to merge their ILSs by that point, NWLN will sign a vendor contract, putting them in another contract cycle.

LSTA funds are available to assist with implementation costs, estimated up to $150,000, pending a positive vote to move forward with the merger. These funds are tied to a firm LSTA timeline. The financial support will come in the form of two grants: a $75,000 grant from July 2024 to June 2025 and a $75,000 grant from July 2025 to June 2026. This second grant is estimated and not guaranteed.

More information about a tentative timeline for implementation is available in Appendix B of the June 2024 NICE report. 

Are we talking about merging Library Systems?

We are exploring the idea of sharing an ILS (Integrated Library System). An ILS is the software used to create and utilize databases of collection, patron, acquisition, and circulation records for a library. Currently, NWLS and WVLS separately use the Sierra ILS, a product of Innovative Interfaces Incorporated.

Are NWLS and WVLS going to be reducing the amount of ILS Administration and Support staff as part of this project?

Reducing ILS Administration and Support staff is not being considered as part of the NICE Project.

Why aren’t more library systems involved in the NICE Project?

From previous attempts at merging multiple groups to use one ILS, we believe it is easier to start by bringing two groups of libraries together.

How similar or different are NWLS and WVLS when it comes to size, funding, collections and borrowers?

Appendix G of the June 2024 NICE Report includes information about NWLS and WVLS libraries, collections, and library users.

Do we have an exact number of how many unique titles our collections will expand by with a shared collection?

The NICE Leadership team determined that it was not feasible to perform a full audit of the NWLS and WVLS collections. An ILS merger significantly increases the number of materials available to library users in central and northern Wisconsin. This larger collection will offer access to more unique titles and more copies of popular titles.

Are possible consortium membership changes being considered as part of the NICE project?

There are no anticipated membership changes to NWLN or V-Cat Consortium. A new consortia agreement is part of the NICE project. According to current membership agreements and bylaws, libraries may join or leave either consortia.

How will items in transit be handled?

Specific details of resource sharing can be found in the Delivery Recommendation.

If we are covering a larger geographical area, how is this going to affect how long our patrons have to wait for something? 

There is not evidence that there will be longer wait times for patrons. The NICE Delivery Recommendation is for NWLS and WVLS to continue with their current courier/delivery vendors. Courier/delivery is expected to continue within each service area on the same schedule. This includes the daily delivery between the two system hubs in Ashland and Wausau.

Communication channels will remain the same for member libraries. All communication from member libraries regarding courier should come through the WVLS or NWLS offices. 

As has always been the case, delivery transit times are impacted by what library fills a hold and what library is the pickup location for that item. To help reduce the transit time, the Holds Fulfillment Targeted Workgroup has recommended prioritization of hold fulfillment at the home library and the ILS will prioritize in-system fulfillment of holds before paging at the other system’s libraries. An item will be paged for delivery within each consortia, according to their paging priorities, and then paged at the other consortia’s libraries. Delivery time may increase or decrease depending on which library has an available item to fill a hold and the hold pickup location. 

A delivery test was conducted between WVLS and NWLS to gain an estimate of delivery times between our two systems. Results are available here. 

Transit times are impacted by such factors as when libraries receive deliveries and when libraries pull items to be placed in delivery. Distance is less of a factor. It may be that the time needed for items to be received from/sent to libraries in the “far north” is no more than the transit time between libraries within a system.

Sorting delays within WVLS have been resolved. Companies, systems and libraries can experience unforeseen staffing challenges. In May, WVLS staff began sorting items for delivery. Since taking on this responsibility, issues regarding sorting delays have been resolved.

Will the delivery workload increase?

It is recommended that systems & libraries should prepare for an increase of 15-20% in materials being lent and borrowed and thus moved through delivery. It is also recommended to plan for a 15-20% increase in the time needed for pull lists and sorting materials in transit. Libraries should anticipate an increase in the processing of materials, both lent and received.

What statistics or information led to the Delivery Workgroup estimating a 15-20% increase?

Other ILS mergers in Wisconsin report a range of increases in cross-borrowing of 13-20%. 

When the SHARE Consortium brought Lakeshore, Kenosha County and Arrowhead library systems together, each saw about a 13.1% increase. The best estimation of Monarch Library system’s increase with the change from a two-county Eastern Shores consortium to the four-county Monarch consortium was about a 20% increase.

These mergers occurred prior to the pandemic and patron borrowing behavior has shifted with the increased availability of streaming services and digital library collection usage. It is possible that the projected 15-20% increase could be lower for NWLN and V-Cat. It is noteworthy that libraries saw significant decreases in circulation in 2019 and 2020. While circulation totals continue to rebound for many libraries, total circulation in 2023 has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels.  

Potential increases in circulation from your library’s users and from filling requests from other libraries could mean more time to complete work in certain areas of the library’s operation. Until a full ILS implementation is completed, it is not possible to ascertain how much of an increase each library will experience in these areas (if any), nor what cost savings in operations each individual library might experience.  

 The NICE Team is unable to provide specific guidance on workflow or staffing at individual libraries. Workload changes will be different for every library. There is potential for services from ILS Administration and Support staff to increase, which may also decrease staff workload in some areas.

Is the anticipated 15-20% increase in transits a combination of materials being sent and received or is it 15-20% materials being sent and 15-20% received?

The anticipated 15-20% increase in resource sharing is an aggregate for both incoming and outgoing materials. If the increase was evenly split it would be 7.5-10% incoming and 7.5 – 10% outgoing.

Will staff need to memorize all the libraries in NWLS and WVLS in order to sort items for delivery?

No. Library staff will not need to memorize all the libraries in NWLS and WVLS. We are planning to configure transit slips to indicate the library system along with library information so library staff and delivery sorters can easily know where to send materials. This is included in the Holds Fulfillment Recommendation.

Will more space be needed for sorting materials?

WVLS libraries will need space for another bin or bag for items going to NWLN libraries. NWLN libraries will need space to sort all items for WVLS libraries into one bin or bag.  A temperature check at 6 months and evaluation of how holds are working one year after the merger begins will allow us to consider adjustments as needed.

Is there a risk of Sierra being sunsetted/unsupported?

At the 2024 Innovative User Group Conference Innovative employees stressed that Sierra is “not going anywhere”

In the American Libraries 2024 Library Systems Report  it was reported that Innovative “positions the Polaris ILS as its strategic product for public libraries. The brand’s Sierra ILS, still used by many academic libraries, continues to be supported but is not actively marketed for new sales.”…“Innovative has strengthened its offerings for public libraries—and its competitive position—through the development of Vega, a suite of customer-facing applications inter­operable with Sierra and Polaris.”

What does a new instance of Sierra mean?

Both consortiums would move to a new cooperatively configured Sierra database, instead of one consortium joining the other consortium’s current Sierra configuration. 

Will Acquisitions modules be separate and function independently?

Yes. Acquisitions modules will be separate so that changes to one library’s financial and order information will not impact another library’s information.

Is a breakdown of costs available?

​LSTA grant funds are available to cover most implementation costs. A breakdown of shared costs is available in Appendix F of the June 2024 NICE Report. Each consortium will provide documentation to illustrate potential savings for individual member libraries. 

A shared ILS is a proactive change in the face of fiscal realities for member libraries. As consortium costs for ILS operation are increasing, library funding remains stagnant. 

• V-Cat ILS costs increased nearly 41% from 2016 to 2023.
• V-Cat Total ILS Consortium Budget increased 23% from 2016 to 2023. 
• V-Cat  library budgets increased by 7.2% overall from 2019 to 2023. 

• NWLN ILS costs increased 29.5% from 2016 to 2023.
• NWLN ILS Total Consortium Budget increased 35% from 2016 to 2023. 
• NWLN library budgets increased 4.8 % from 2019 to 2023. 

These trends will make it impossible to maintain the ”status quo” and offer the same level of services.  A shared ILS offers economies of scale and potential increases in ILS administration efficiencies and expertise.

What is the cost-savings if a library experiences a change in staff workload?

Until a full ILS implementation is completed, it is not possible to ascertain how much of an increase each library will experience in these areas (if any), nor what cost savings in operations each individual library might experience. Potential increases in circulation due to increased requests from local library users and filling requests from other libraries could mean more time to complete work in certain areas of the library’s operation.

The NICE Team is unable to provide specific guidance on workflow or staffing at individual libraries. Workload changes will be different for every library. There is potential for services from ILS Administration and Support staff to increase, which may decrease staff workload in some areas.

Do libraries have to cover the 1% base site fee of the budget?

Individual library costs will be determined using each consortia’s formula. 

The 1% base site fee is part of the formula for how NWLN and V-Cat divide the shared NICE costs. This will become part of each consortium’s budget. Each consortium will combine the divided shared costs with the costs of the ILS that are not shared and apply its individual formulas to determine each member library’s total costs.

The way shared costs are distributed can be seen in Appendix F of the June 2024 NICE Report. Each consortium will provide documentation to illustrate costs for individual member libraries.

How do current committees within V-cat and NWLN function with the recommendation?

ILS Consortia will use each ILS consortium’s established procedures to vote on decisions that fundamentally change how patrons access materials or libraries do business. 

• V-Cat Council and standing committees will work as they currently do unless V-Cat chooses to update the V-Cat by-laws. 
• NWLN and committees will work as they currently do unless NWLN chooses to update the NWLN by-laws.
• The ILS Advisory Group will be made up of library staff from both consortia. The group is expected to liaise with consortia members, soliciting feedback when needed and sharing information. This group will either make decisions to be implemented by the ILS Experts, or, when a decision could fundamentally change how patrons access materials or libraries do business, will refer the decision to the ILS consortia at each system for a vote. 

How will each library be represented?

Every member library will continue to have a voice as described in the Collaborative Decision Making Recommendation.

Who are “ILS Experts”?

ILS Experts include NWLS and WVLS ILS administration and support staff. They are supported by a network of ILS administrators in the state and internationally, as well as specialists and experts employed by vendors.

If a patron searches for materials in the library catalog will they see all materials from NWLN and V-Cat libraries?

Materials from both NWLN and V-Cat, that can be requested and sent via courier, will be visible for patrons. During implementation we will consider whether materials that cannot be requested for delivery to another location should display in patron search results. All materials will be visible in the staff catalog.

What benefits are expected for library users?

• Library users will have access to more materials via the online catalog at nearly double the number of locations including  more unique titles, and more copies of popular titles.
• Library users will need only one account to access materials at NWLN and WVLS libraries.
• Library user requests across a larger service area are expected to be filled in a similar timeframe to the current experience. For titles not available in the current service area, patrons may receive items more quickly than WISCAT interlibrary loan.
• Requests for materials will continue to be filled in a similar way to current practices within each consortia, allowing for sharing of materials across the larger service area.

Can I see a comparison of high holds from NWLN and V-Cat?

A comparison of high holds for NWLN and V-Cat from March 2024 can be found here.

Will libraries be able to have high-demand collections for local browsing?

Yes. High-demand collections will be allowed.  High-demand collections are collections of new popular materials that are limited for a set period of time. While in the high-demand collection, the titles will fulfill the holds of that library’s patrons only. Once those holds have been fulfilled, the item will go on the shelf at the owning location. Any patron may visit the owning library to check out the high-demand items.

Will holds be filled giving priority to local patrons?

Yes. Patron holds will be filled giving priority to local holds. A local hold is one for which the pickup location is one of the owning library’s locations or branch locations.  

How will priority on local holds work for libraries that have branches?

Libraries with branches will be grouped together so that all branches have the same level of priority for items owned by the library regardless of what branch owns a copy.

What is the benefit of a shared ILS if holds can be filled via WISCAT?

While WISCAT is a good tool for resource sharing, it has more barriers for patron access than a shared ILS. Because WISCAT is a separate discovery platform, not integrated into the standard library catalog, patrons usually need to seek out library staff to find out if a title might be available. Many patrons don’t know that WISCAT is an option. WISCAT ILL is staff intensive, slow, and not provided by all V-Cat libraries. It would be an improvement for patrons to have access to more materials in a shared online catalog.

If I’m at a WVLS library and search Sierra for a patron, will a Northern Waters patron show up in Sierra?

Yes. All patron records will be shared and visible.

How will new bibliographic records come into the new ILS?

If a remote record is available for import by searching ISBN:

• WVLS libraries: Library staff will import that record, make changes if they are trained to do so, and attach their item. These records will be spot checked by system cataloging staff.
• NWLS libraries: Library staff will import that record and attach their item. Centralized cataloging staff will update the record.

For more information see the cataloging target workgroup recommendation.

How will bibliographic records be edited?

• NWLN Centralized Catalogers and NWLS staff will review, edit, and verify every bibliographic record with an NWLN library item attached. 
• WVLS staff will run reports and spot checks to review Bibliographic records with only V-Cat library items attached. 
• Once a record is marked as reviewed, library staff may notify NWLS/WVLS staff of errors or duplicate records for correction. 
• NWLS/WVLS staff, WVLS cataloging partners, or NWLS Centralized Catalogers will correct errors as needed.

How will I get a bibliographic record if one is not available in the local or remote databases?

If a remote record is unavailable, librarians will create a request in the cataloging request sheet or Library of Things request form. A bibliographic record will be created overnight by an automated process. An email will be sent to the requesting library staff member that the record is ready for an item to be added. System staff will update the automatically generated bibs to full records.

What if I find a bibliographic record that is incorrect, incomplete, or a duplicate record?

Library staff may notify NWLS or WVLS staff if they find duplicate records in need of merging or records that require correction.

Can library staff make edits to bibliographic records?

Yes, if they are trained to do so.

When merging the ILS, when both systems have bibliographic records for the same title/format, what is the process going to be? What information can be retained?

This is yet to be determined with advice from the ILS vendor’s migration specialist.

Meet the NICE Exploration Team

• Alexander Johnson, Marathon County Public, Library Support Services Manager
• Gina Rae, NWLS Database and Support Specialist
• Jackee Johnson, NWLS ILS Administrator
• Katie Zimmermann, WVLS ILS Administrator
• Molly Lank-Jones, Hayward Library Director
• Peggy O’Connell, Minocqua Library Director
• Rachel Metzler, WVLS Database and Support Specialist
• Sue Heskin, Superior Library Director
• Tammie Blomberg, Rib Lake Library Director
• Teresa Schmidt, Mercer Library Director
• Sara Klemann, Eagle River Library Director
• Kelly Wiisanen, Superior Public Library, Youth and Family Resources Manager
• Laurie Ollhoff, Merrill Library Director
• Katelyn Sabelko, Marathon County Public Library, Library Services Manager