Tearing down the system, together: assessing ILS pain points and building consensus to migrate through workflow analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate USU Libraries' need for a new integrated library system (ILS) and, if needed, to garner staff support for the migration to a new one. The researchers adopted a tripartite approach to measure the ILS's effectiveness. First, staff were surveyed about their use of the ILS and how well it complemented their collection management operations. Second, the patron discovery interfaces were examined through journey mapping to diagram hypothetical search scenarios. Finally, analyses were conducted on six representative collection management workflows to identify gaps between ILS functionality and operational needs. The survey revealed that (1) library staff used a range of software to fulfill their duties, (2) significant silos had developed between individuals' work and (3) additional testing was needed, particularly concerning the effects of the ILS on e-resource management. The workshop revealed that there was considerable dissatisfaction with how search results were presented in public-facing systems. Lastly, the workflow analysis uncovered that the ILS adequately supported only 37% of steps across all workflows, with a significant imbalance noted between the number of steps supported for digital and analog resources: 51% and 26%, respectively. This research demonstrated an inclusive and staff-driven assessment process that helped surface and document gaps between the ILS and the library's operational needs. This approach helped build consensus around the need to migrate systems, while also building a strong foundation for more responsive system maintenance and utilization post-migration.