**New York University**

**ALCTS Technical Services Directors of Large Research Libraries**

**Discussion Group**

**ALA Midwinter \-- January 2007**

**ILS and Offsite**

These are the two biggest frustrations for NYU this past six months (and
actually a lot longer than that!). We have had to postpone our VTLS
Virtua ILS implementation until May 2007 because contractual software
enhancements are still not fully tested and functioning. Fortunately,
our Geac ADVANCE ILS is still running and was successfully migrated to
new hardware over the semester break. In the offsite arena, we have been
looking for land and/or facility partners for several years. A number of
opportunities have fallen through, but we are currently discussing
options of developing a shared facility with Syracuse University.

**Materials budget**

We continue to enjoy annual 7% increases in our materials budget, but
eresources eat into the increases. We are using some restricted funds to
cover the costs of vendor records or contract cataloging.

**Staffing**

In anticipation of changing staffing needs in technical services, last
summer we converted a vacant supervisory position to a metadata services
librarian. This redefined position will lead the way in making better
use MARC and non-Marc resource descriptions and optimizing efficiency in
tech services processing. Corey Harper has been appointed to the
position and will begin March 1.

We have endured a fair amount of turnover in Acquisitions over the past
few years, but each vacancy gives us a chance to rethink how we can
provide better service. We recently upgraded a staff position to Lead
Acquisitions Assistant. The position supports all acquisitions
activities and expedites resolution of questions with vendor and subject
specialists.

**Keeping local catalog and utilities in synch.**

Although we have been loading weekly updates to the RLIN database for
years, our exports to OCLC have been very irregular. In December we sent
the last 18 months of our cataloging to OCLC and will be sending
contributions monthly. After we migrate to our new ILS, we will do a
reclamation project.

**Content Management System**.

This spring, the library will migrate to a new content management system
that offers easier updating and gives us an opportunity to re-think the
content and organization of our online institutional presence.

**Faculty Digital Archive.**

Using the DSpace platform, the Library has worked with university IT to
establish a Faculty Digital Archive. This initiative responds to
scattered, unfocussed faculty interest in a place to store their work
and encourages faculty participation in the development of the
repository.

**New addition to NYU Consortium**.

This Fall, the Brooklyn Historical Society joined the NYU consortium.
Its recently converted cataloging records have been loaded into the
catalog, complementing holdings already represented by the New-York
Historical Society.

**Collections.**

Technical Services has completed integrating a gift of 12,000 monographs
and serials relating to the history and culture of the Caribbean. We are
now beginning the processing of the book and journal collection of the
New Museum of Contemporary Art.

**Shelf-ready.**

Despite delays in our ILS implementation, we are beginning steps to
implement a shelf-ready program with YBP this Fall.