Skip to main content

New Melvyl Governance in Place

September 26, 2011 Author: Ellen MeltzerCategories:

By Ginny Steel, Chair, CoUL

The Council of University Librarians (CoUL) is launching a new systemwide structure to manage the Melvyl WorldCat Local service.  The new structure is incorporated in the CoUL Advisory Structure and consists of the following:

  •  Strategic Team – This team will provide high level leadership/vision for consideration of discovery and other solutions including external partnership opportunities and advocacy for functionality to advance UC’s collaborative initiatives.  Membership will be reviewed and approved by the Council of University Librarians.
  •  Melvyl Advisory Group – This small working group is composed of domain specialists (chairs of ACGs, a SOPAG representative and one member of the CDL Melvyl Operations Team).  With SOPAG oversight, it provides expert advice; charges task groups or lightning teams; and works with ACGs to communicate changes to Melvyl.  Additionally it solicits feedback from the campuses and discusses the implementation of new features and related service enhancements with respective campus and systemwide groups.  This is a transition team that will be reviewed in a year.
  •  Melvyl Operations Liaisons – The Melvyl Operations Liaisons provide technical and operations support in the campus libraries, serving as a single point of campus contact for the CDL Melvyl Operations Team. Appointed by SOPAG and managed by CDL, the liaisons’ responsibilities include organizing technical testing and feedback or providing updates for campus-specific data. This team communicates primarily through an email listserv; there are no regular meetings.
  • Users Council – This existing group will resume responsibility for front line librarians and staff interactions with Melvyl.  This function was temporarily moved to other groups.  Working closely with UC Heads of Public Services (HOPS), the Users Council will review new features, distribute training materials, and bring user needs to the forefront in addition to its other functions.  Members monitor communications from the CDL concerning issues, changes, or new features, to ensure that relevant campus staff members receive information either directly from the CDL or through local communication mechanisms.
  •  CDL Melvyl Operations Team – This existing team is led by the UC operations manager of Melvyl. It is the primary contact with OCLC for Melvyl and works to create a strong collaborative structure for the libraries to provide advice, policies, and strategic planning. It utilizes a broad range of communication methods and under the guidance of the Melvyl Advisory Group, consults with the appropriate ACGs.

As the use of Melvyl supported by WorldCat Local becomes UC’s current primary resource discovery tool, the Council of University Librarians thanks the Next-Generation Melvyl Executive and Implementation Teams for their leadership throughout the multiple years of the project.  Thanks also go to library staff on the campuses who have contributed to the success of this latest version of Melvyl.