CARLI Seeking Applications for I-Share Next Task Force

CARLI is seeking applications for membership on the soon-to-be-established I-Share Next Task Force. This group will be charged with coordinating the complex and challenging task of identifying a product to ultimately replace Voyager as the operating platform for the CARLI I-Share catalog and resource sharing system.

Instructions for submitting applications to serve on the ISN Task Force attached are available on the CARLI web site. As you consider applying or asking a colleague to apply, please be aware that while this will be an exciting and rewarding project, this will also be a lengthy and challenging project. As CARLI operates as a unit of the University of Illinois, our procedures that are used for selecting and purchasing products like a library management system, must comply with State of Illinois public procurement policies. A detailed, formal Request for Proposal (RFP) that clearly specifies all requirements and the evaluation criteria for how responses to the RFP will be ranked, must be prepared in accordance with State requirements. All Task Force members will be expected to sign a form disclosing any potential conflicts of interest and stating their willingness to comply with the confidentiality policies that apply to State procurement projects.  Once bids are received, there are strict policies relating to confidentiality of the content of the responses. The preface to the application form covers these requirements in more detail and provides a link to the confidentiality form.

We expect the ISN Task Force to be active for approximately 3 years, beginning this July, and to entail several hours of work per month for each member (and more time during bid evaluations). Because of the large time commitment we expect of members, we are asking that applicants indicate that they have the support of their library director as part of their application. For more information, visit the I-Share Next FAQ.

To apply, please edit the Word version of the application form to insert your responses, and send it along with a copy of a letter of support from your library director to CARLI support by 5pm CT Friday, May 23, 2014.

Applications will be reviewed by a Task Force of the CARLI Board and the membership roster is expected to be announced in mid June.

This is going to be an engaging and fulfilling project with long-term benefits for CARLI libraries, staff and, of course, library users. We have a long, long tradition as one of the pre-eminent library consortia in the world and this project's outcomes can take our consortium to new levels of service and efficiency in the years to come. We are looking to put together a Task Force that can reflect our diversity, strengths, traditions, and visions for the future.  If you are up to the challenges and hard work ahead of us, please consider applying!

In addition to the ISN Task Force, who will coordinate the RFP process, we expect that there will be need for many other people to serve on teams (subcommittees of the ISN TF) to carry out more specific tasks of shorter duration. If you are not able to serve on the ISN Task Force, but are interested in participating in the project in another capacity, please watch for future calls for participants for project teams.