Each library pays directly to the vendor. This is an area where we will need to stay flexible. Right now we are targeting shared automated systems and individual automated systems. The fewer systems that we try to search across, the better the results. The end user is the person doing the search.
Mechanics are an issue and are directly related to what the infrastructure is going to look like.
The Z39.50 gateway, i.e., the Virtual Catalog, may be phased in over the next couple of years. The NAB-Z Committee is working on these issues. We have some immediacy in implementing a gateway by the end of May so that we do not lose our funds. Independent libraries are involved in the process. There has to be a uniform way to handle this and the State Library must be involved.