HIT: Interviewing vendors

[Ginny Waples <lib_waples@VINO.EMCMT.EDU>]

On August 6, 1996, I posted the following question to the LM_Net
listserv:
"If you have already automated your library, was there a question you
wished you had asked potential vendors, but did not?...
What are we likely to FAIL to ask?
If you have any good tips for interviewing vendors, please e-mail
them and I will post a hit."

The following is a summary of the suggestions I received from about
15 librarians:

1.  TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND TECHNICAL SERVICE RESPONSE TIME:
    (This was the concern raised by the largest number of librarians
who responded).
    --Ask about followup service and tech support.
    --Get real times for return calls.  How long (as in how many
minutes, hours, days, etc.) until you get to speak to a
troubleshooter?  Make them be specific!
    --Who staffs the phones?  REal people?  People who know about
libraries?  Answering machines?
    --How many people are on the telephone support team?  How many
customers do they support?

2.  TRAINING:
    --Will a rep from the company come to teach us to use the system,
each individual at his/her own school?  If not, who will and how is it
that we will be trained?

3.  EASE OF USE:
    --How easy is the search screen for kids to use?
    --How many steps does it take between common operations? (For
example, if you have searched for a title, then want to search by
subject, how many keystrokes or mouse clicks does it take?)
    --How well integrated are the components?  Can you easily discover
when searching whether an item is out on loan?  When you enter an item
in cataloging, is it instantly available from Circ?

4.  DATA ENTRY/EASE OF LOCAL CATALOGING & EDITING OF RECORDS:
    --How easy is the data entry for doing your own cataloging?
    --Do you have to go through many steps just to enter data in one
field?

5.  MARC RECORDS:
    --Can the system import & export USMARC-MicroLIF records?  This
enables you to easily migrate between systems, build union databases,
etc.
    --Take some records from a bib source that will be important to
you.  Check these records.  Import them to your system, then export
them again.  You should get the exact same records out that you put
in.
    --Many systems will truncate fields, select only certain fields,
or will not export your records without a great deal of effort.  It is
vital to your long term interests that you can import and export records
at will.  Otherwise you may have to pay many $ if you choose to
migrate to another system, or if you want to participate in a union
database.

6.  NETWORKING:
    --Will the system interface with online (i.e. Web) services so
that you can multitask your student stations--OPAC, CD-ROMs, and
Internet?
    --Will the system support dial-in from remote sites?
    --What network systems will it run best on?  What are the limitations?
    --Is the system capable of linking separate buildings together in
a wide area network?  Or is it limited to providing a number of
separate catalogs?

7.  OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
    --What modules are available?  (In addition to cataloging,
circulation and public access).
    --What version barcodes can their system read?
    --What will the cost of a major software upgrade be (over and above
the annual support fees?)
    --What is the cost of "custom programming" in case we have to
modify the program to work with our student information system?
    --What hardware modifications might be necessary in the future?
    --If the school district in planning to manage textbooks by the
automation system, be SURE that the vendor has done this a lot and
that they understand what is involved.

8.  EVALUATING SYSTEMS:
    --"The most important thing is that you make your judgements
based on what you see rather than what is in print about an OPAC/CIRC
system.  If you are going by the judgements of others, talk to some
people who actually enter the data and operate the Circ system."
    --"The most valuable thing we did before deciding which company
to go with was to visit sites that were similar in size and complexity
that already used their system.  We were able to chat with the
librarians using the system and got the 'true' picture on support,
needs, and problems, etc.  Your vendors should provide lists of
users."

Thanks to all who contributed the above ideas!
--Ginny Waples
  Billings, Montana
  lib_vino.emcmt.edu