"Dive into the conversation with hosts Heather Mansfield, owner of DIOSA Communications and Online Community Manager for Change.org and Carie Lewis, Internet Marketing Manager for the Humane Society of the United States, as they explore the ins and outs of using social networking sites and strategies for determining how, why, and when to use different applications to broadcast your message. In discussing the dos and don’ts of effectively fundraising and promoting your cause, we’ll also look at lessons learned from successful (and not so successful) online campaigns.

This event is asynchronous (not live). No registration is required, just show up and post! If you have any questions about the event, please email: community@techsoup.org."

Issues to be discussed include:

• How do social networking sites fit in with other outreach efforts?
• Are the benefits worth the time needed to keep up a social networking presence?
• How can you translate online activism into on-the-ground action towards change?
• Is it ever a good idea for organizations to start their own social networking sites?

Blog Name: Small Dots

Blog Topic: Social media and other useful technology tools for nonprofits and the people who love them

About the Author: I am the Director of Communications and Technology for the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, I pursued graduate studies in geology at Syracuse University. When I was 28, I bought a nightclub, euphemistically known as a "live-musicvenue," in upstate New York and operated that for several years before returning to Cape Cod in 2002. I then worked for several years as a freelance editor for Random House Publishing, Sterling Publishing, and several scientific academic journals, and served as the Director of Communications for the Harwich Junior Theater before joining the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod in 2006.

I've been in communications since 1997, nonprofit communications since 2004, and I've been blogging since about 2003. I started blogging on a personal blog, and quickly branched out into writing weekly columns for several humor blogs (all of which are now sadly defunct). I'm a darn good public speaker, an enthusiastic baseball fan (but not for the team you would expect), and an ex-professional chef. I am also an expert sock-knitter. Yes, expert.

What's one lesson you've learned from blogging? Be yourself. You can be no other.

If you could lived on any street, which street would you live on and why? Perry Lane. It's the dirt road on which my great-grandfather' s house still sits -- an 1840 farmhouse on Cape Cod, only a few miles from where I live now. My grandfather had to sell it a few years ago, and none of us had the scratch to buy it from him at the time. I'd love to buy it back from the (very nice) folks who bought it, and then settle there. I mean, those ghosts are MY ghosts.

Who would be your dream real-life neighbor? Annie LaMott. She's one of my favorite writers; she writes great fiction AND great non-fiction on the subject of writing, and I think we would make terrific neighbors. We have a lot in common, including a certain level of neuroticism, and a peculiar sense of humor.

Why do you blog? I'm a compulsive blogger, and I have been since I first started in 2003. I love to write, and I love how blogging keeps my writing skills sharp. I love the community of people that I have met through writing a blog and reading blogs. Blogging makes me global.

What's your favorite blog post and why? The one where I compared CEOs (those who are averse to social media) to the Tiv tribe in Africa: Lost in Translation - Social Media and Hamlet. I was remembering that old Intro to Anthropology essay that we all had to read, about the young anthropologist who believes that Hamlet is universal and transcends cultural differences, and she faces hysterical obstacles in her quest to translate it to the indigenous population she is working with in Africa. I like it because it's typical of the way I think, drawing strange metaphors and parallels from seemingly unrelated disciplines. It's what we liberal arts college graduates are best at, I think.

Look out next week to see who else has been nominated in the neighborhood!

************************************************

This continuous weekly series highlights different blogs and their respective bloggers in the blogosphere neighborhood. Following the great Mr. Rogers, who tells us to ‘Get to know your neighbor,’ this series introduces us to our blogger neighbors, making for a more unified, collaborative voice for the social sector. Like to nominate someone or be featured yourself? Contact me @ socialbutterfly4change@gmail.com.

If you have a patron or client who is looking for information on:

• Aboriginal law
• Biodiversity
• Climate change
• Community planning
• Environmental impact assessment, law, and/or monitoring
• Natural resources management
• Sustainability
• Indigenous Knowledge, and more... 

***

This may not be the one thing the group Finger Eleven was singing about, but Rosetta Thurman of the blog Perspectives from the Pipeline asks about a certain one thing....

***

"If (we) knew all about this one thing......wouldn't that be something?!?"

"On the FLiP homepage there is a great article about how, in many respects, traditional philanthropy is actually reinforcing the status quo. In my comment to that article I quoted Martin Luther King Jr, "Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropists to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice that make philanthropy necessary."

What are your thoughts on that? Are too many of us in the nonprofit sector offering programmes that are far too reactive, vs actually examining and addressing the socio-economic issues that require our 'programmes'?"

This discussion topic is followed by another that asks about philanthropy education programs. And, to my surprise and after some research, there are many, and growing: IUPUI's Center on Philanthropy, NY University School of Philanthropy, Columbia's MA in fundraising, Hebrew University of Israel's M.A. in Community Leadership and Philanthropy Studies, Bay Path College in Massachusett's M.S. in Non-Profit Management and Philanthropy, St. Mary's graduate program in Philanthropy and Development, and MORE!  The programs listed include degrees surrounding fundraising, non-profit management, leadership, governance, development, philanthropy and othe-related terms....yet social marketing termed programs still lack.

Upon this brief internet browsing, I reflected on what the definition of 'philanthropy' means. Stay with me for a moment, are the terms philanthropy and social marketing interchangeable? What is this term social-change philanthropy? We've been talking a lot about the identity crisis in communications, and it appears that there is some overlap. Social marketing does take in the marketing process, but it is also - as the Facebook Poster said - can be applied to looking at socio-economic issues.

Feel free to share as this thought is still developing....how do the two relate to one another and what does this mean for the field of communications or in the non-profit sector?

"offers nonprofits a one-stop resource for technology needs by providing free information, resources, and support. In addition to online information and resources, we offer a product philanthropy service called TechSoup Stock. Here, nonprofits [and public libraries] can access donated and discounted technology products, generously provided by corporate and nonprofit technology partners."

Their site is chock full of useful and accessible information. They have a community blog and discussion forums, and will deliver news information to your email or via RSS feed. Above all, they understand the non-profit sector and speak to its unique needs. If you haven't visited their site, consider doing so. 

The negotiation process can include negotiating the cost of the system and your contract. In our instance, the vendor wasn't open to negotiating the cost of the system. That doesn't mean you don't give it a try. You can suss this out by asking if they will provide you with a free add-on, a discount on an aspect of the system (e.g., a module, an add-on, hosting fees, etc.), or a discount on the system. If they don't seem receptive, you've got your answer. If you have limited experience in this area, see if someone else in your organization can provide you with tips or assistance during the negotiation process. Also, consider posting to a listserv for ideas.

Negotiating the contract is a very important piece. The contract is a legally binding document. Contracts tend to be both wordy and technical. If possible, have a lawyer review it, as well as your technical staff. Both will be able to provide you with advice and recommendations.

We requested a number of changes to our contract. Our vendor was open to these changes and they were subsequently made. I would recommend that you don't sign the contract until you've reached terms that are reasonable to both parties. If you need to continue negotiating, do so. It is in the best interest of your organization.

You've signed the deal! Congratulations! Now comes the fun stuff...ILS implementation! Enjoy!

Request References

Start by requesting references from the vendor, and ask for references for libraries that are similar to yours. I was looking for Canadian special library references. All of the vendors that I worked with were willing to share this information.

References can also be found if the library has an OPAC. For many OPACs, the vendor's product name is part of the library catalogue's URL. For example (where "[...]" constitutes information specific to the particular library):

• http://sirsiweb[...] - Sirsi product
• http://www.[...]/liberty3/opac.htm - Softlink product
• http://[...]/inmagicgenie/opac.aspx - InMagic product
• http://[...]/GLAS/Search/SimpleSearch.asp - EOS product

If you do an Internet search for "sirsiweb" or "inmagicgenie", a number of library systems will be retrieved. If one fits your criteria (e.g. in my case a Canadian special library), consider getting in touch with them.

Develop Your List of Questions

Develop a short list of questions to guide you during the interview process. Doing so will also ensure that you're asking all of the references the same core set of questions.

I asked the following questions:

1. What systems did you review when choosing an ILS?
2. Did you migrate from another system to [system under review]?
   • If so, what prompted you to migrate to another ILS?
   • What system did you migrate from and how did you find the migration process?
3. How has your experience been so far with using [system under review]?
4. Is your library publicly accessible and your catalogue available online?
5. What problems have you experienced with [system under review]?
   • Is there any feature that you don't like? Please describe.
6. Were [the vendor's] training and support materials sufficient for your needs?
7. Are there any other libraries that you are familiar with that are using [system under review]?

Schedule and conduct interviews

People were happy to share their feedback and perpectives on the systems we were reviewing, which was excellent and much appreciated. If possible, try to have a telephone conversation with someone. If this isn't possible, email correspondence also works quite well.

Most, if not all vendors, will provide you with an opportunity to test their system. If they're not open to this, I would recommend dropping them from the shortlist. Why pay 10K+ for a system that you can't test?

The test environment will likely mimic the demo environment. The vendor will provide you with a login and password for a "mock" automated library. You may even get the login and password for the demo. The vendor may also provide you with a manual that explains how to do some basic test tasks. This support is particularly useful, however, only one vendor provided this to me. With the others, I was "left to my own devices", which wasn't a huge problem, but it meant that I couldn't go off on my own, test, test, test, and then get back to them. I had to communicate with them throughout the testing process, which consumed much more time, and I had to wait for them to respond to my questions. 

Take your time testing the system aspects that will be particularly important to your library context. How do you do this?

• Develop a list of activities that you commonly conduct or plan to conduct if you are automating your system for the first time (e.g., add a new bibliographic record, search the catalogue from the OPAC and administrative sides, add a new library patron, etc.)
• Develop an ILS Matrix listing each activity and the systems being tested
• Develop a scale to represent the usability of the system as it relates to each activity (e.g., 1 = very usable, 4 = not usable)
• Conduct each activity
• Plot your perceptions of the system in the matrix

After you review each system, you'll have a completed matrix where you can conduct a comparative analysis of the systems. This "big picture" view will be very useful when making your decision.

These sites are useful for general guidance on proposal writing and for writing an ILS-specific RFP:

• American Library Association Wiki - Request for Proposal page
• Library Technology Reports - Model RFP for Integrated Library System Products
• NISO - The RFP Writer's Guide to Standards for Library Systems

Here are a few sample RFPs that you may want to look at for ideas:

• City of Commerce Request for Proposal for an Integrated Library System
• Integrated Library System Reports - provides a list of several ILS RFPs for review
• Plum Creek Library System - Request for Proposal for an Integrated Library System
• Sample Library Request for Proposal - Integrated Library System

More examples are available online. When writing your RFP, the one thing that I would stress is to ensure that you cover off all of the priority areas for your library and your clients - clearly articulate your core needs in your proposal. You will want to explore your core needs with each vendor when you start reviewing the systems. 

After you've developed your RFP, you will need to submit it to the various vendors on your list. Personally, I was surprised by the differences between the proposals we received. Some had clearly been developed for us; in others, it was clear that our name had been added throughout the proposal similar to a form letter. Finding the right system will be your highest priority, but if a vendor doesn't seem to be paying attention to your needs at this early juncture, then you might want to think twice. The RFP process provides them with their opportunity to begin building a relationship with your organization; it is important.

I looked for the following when reviewing the proposals:

• Did they try to get to "know us" and our needs?
• Were they attentive to detail?
• Did they address our requirements/answer our questions in their proposal?
• Was the system within our budget?

After reviewing the proposals, narrow the list. These will be the vendors that you'll want to contact for demos and system testing.

As I stated in a previous post, there are a number of systems out there, so I focused my energies on identifying systems geared to special libraries. Though most vendors have systems for "everyone", some specialise in the special library market and are very familiar with the needs of these libraries.

Below are some of the resources that I reviewed and found particularly helpful:

• Pamela Cibbarelli. "ILS Marketplace: CIL's Quarterly Series on Library Automation Markets: April 2003: Special Libraries." Computers in Libraries 23.4 (2003): 33-40. Though this article is now dated and new systems are out there, it was nice to see a matrix-style resource.
• Survey of Library Automation Systems in Use at Various Libraries, by the Solo Librarians' Listserv. It's a little dated, but a great place to start. This site also provides some good links to other resources.
• Library Technology Guides: This is an excellent resource for information about the current status of products, mergers, and library automation. It also has a searchable directory of libraries that identifies the type of ILS each is using and links to the catalogue (where available). You can narrow your search by library type.  
• Bibliotech: This site provides a database of ILS vendors and current news analysis and commentary on various technologies. Though you cannot narrow the vendors by market focus, they do provide information about the vendors' geographical location. If your library is based in North America, you might want a product from a North American company. Technical support services might be more accessible.

You might also consider reviewing the Directory of Library Automation Software, Systems and Services, edited by Pamela Cibbarelli.

In addition to web and literature research, I also looked at archives of various listservs (e.g., Web4Lib) and posted to the Special Libraries Association Solo Librarians listserv to inquire about the systems implemented in listserv members' libraries. Finally, if I saw a library catalogue that I liked, I emailed the library and asked them what system they were using. Some of these systems can be tailored substantially, so the product name is not always apparent.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. People are quite happy to provide their suggestions and feedback when asked. I was pleasantly surprised by this (and thankful)!

BUDGET

It goes without saying that your allocate budget will significantly influence your decision. Get a clear idea of what you're working with beforehand; there is little point in speaking with a vendor that sells a system with a price tag that far exceeds your budget. Some solid and affordable systems are out there, so don't worry...there's a system for your library.

HUMAN AND TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES

Human resources and technological resources are connected.

Hosting the system yourself: Most ILSes are databases, so if you intend to host the system yourself, you'll require a database server. To provide public access to your catalogue via an OPAC, you'll need a web server and an Internet connection. So, in addition to your software purchase (your ILS), you could also be looking at hardware purchases. 

On the human resources' side, you'll need to learn about the hardware you'll be implementing and ensure its proper configuration, or hire a technical services consultant to assist you during this process. Vendors will also assist with the initial installation, configuration and support, but ongoing maintenance would likely become your responsibility. 

Hosted option: If you don't have the technological or human resources' capacity and don't have plans to build it, explore the hosted option. Many vendors are offering this service. What it means is that you don't have to worry (well not as much) about the technological end of the system; they do it for you. If you go this route, there will be a monthly hosting fee that you'll need to factor into your budget.

• What is your timeline?
• Can you establish an internal team to assist with the work or do you have sole responsibility for this task? If you have sole responsibility, you might want to sign up for some library-related listservs and inquire about others' experiences.
• Are you automating your library or looking to upgrade your existing system? If your systems hasn't been automated, you will need to plan for retrospective conversion (see definition in the list) of your library's titles.
• How many titles do you have in your collection?
• Will you need to weed your collection before automating or migrating it to the new ILS?
• Are you a lending library?
• Who are your patrons/clients?
• Will your library need to be publicly accessible via an OPAC?
• Are you wanting a commercial ILS or an open-source system? The Library Success Wiki has a good page that lists some of the open-source ILSes currently being used. Brenda Chawner also developed a bibliography on open-source in libraries (last updated in June 2006). One system, Evergreen, is not identified in either of these resources though and should also be looked at if you intend to explore this area further.
• What type of special library do you manage (some systems are geared to specific special libraries)?
• What do you envision for your library in the next 3-5 years?
  • Estimate the size of your collection
  • Will your patrons remain the same?
  • How is your subject area (if your library is subject-specific) changing?

The main thing to do during this time is to brainstorm your current needs and future vision. When you start working with vendors, they will ask you these (and other) questions. 

I will be writing a "string" of posts on this subject, so that I'm not bombarding you with a lot of information at once. I just went through this process for my place of work (MPOW) so will discuss my experience during this selection process.

Below are the basic steps that you'll go through (or I would recommend that you go through) to select your system. I will discuss each item in a separate post. 

1. Identify your current needs and explore your long-term vision
2. Identify your resources (budget, human resources, technological capacity)
3. Research and identify systems
4. Develop an RFP
5. Request demos
6. Test systems
7. Request references and conduct interviews
8. Select your system
9. Negotiate
10. Sign the deal!

In Canada, we have "interest groups" and "committees", which means that yes, there are people interested and committed to library services for First Peoples, but no organization to spearhead these efforts nationally. I think that we need to have a membership-based non-profit dedicated to these efforts that might choose to be affiliated with existing library associations, but independent of them.

I question the following:

• Why aren't we organizing together as a collective? Though pockets of people throughout the country aren't bad and are essential to meet local needs, where is the space for all of us to get together and develop new efforts that have a national impact?
• How can we get library services for First Peoples on the agenda throughout Canada if these efforts are conducted locally or provincially, but no place exists for these efforts nationally?
• What is the role of the national library? 
• Are we reinventing the wheel throughout Canada and don't know it because we have no place to "bring our hearts and minds together"?

I have literature going back to the 1960s about library services for Aboriginal peoples in Canada, so these efforts have been going on for a long time now (though I question the motives of those services during the 60s given residential schools, the 60s scoop, etc.). Today, we see increasing activity in this area throughout the country. Libraries on reserve are growing, public libraries in urban centres are taking steps to focus on meeting the needs of Aboriginal peoples, the national library has developed its own plan of action...so...

why, after all of these years, do we not have an AILA equivalent in Canada?

Sales Demos 

Then, I proceeded to set up appointments with each company to begin the demo process. Some vendors were more responsive than others. If a vendor didn't get back to me, then I didn't demo their system. I figured that if I didn't get a response from sales, I likely wouldn't receive the best customer service after purchasing the product either.

I found that most vendors will not tell you the price of the product right away. They prefer that you go through the sales demo before they provide this information. This was a bit bothersome to me, as our budget was firm. Nonetheless, through this process I did get a better grasp of the differences between the systems.

All of the demos followed the same sort of pattern. Basically, each vendor established a demo website backed by the CMS that allowed them to showcase a fair number of the systems' functionalities. What I found lacking in all of the demos were explanations as to how you establish the site in order to add and edit content, etc. With each demo I found myself asking: How easy is it to implement the various functionalities available out-of-the-box? What tweaking is required? How much programming experience is required? What programming experience is required? Though it is clear that these systems are good tools, if you don't have programming skills or access to a programmer who is familiar with the system, you'll need to find one! Once implemented, the systems are easy to use, but a fairly extensive development process is required before you get to that stage. So, you need to be prepared to add web design services/programming services on to the cost of the system.

Personal Demos 

After conducting the initial demos, I asked for a login and password to explore the systems that met the majority of our criteria and were within our budget. These were readily provided by each vendor, which was nice. I would be concerned if a vendor wasn't willing to share this information. I then proceeded to explore each myself. Be prepared to allocate a fair bit of time to this exercise; there are a lot of features that you'll need to check and conversations that you'll need to have with the vendor to understand the system. If something seems or feels odd, don't be afraid to ask questions.

Throughout this process, I kept filling up my spreadsheet with my findings.

Compare, contrast and choose

After engaging in this, making the final decision was fairly easy. We ended up choosing the Ektron CMS400.NET. It had most of what we were looking for, the company is growing and consistently upgrading its product, and the customer service was excellent. Also, the product fit within our budget and has received good reviews in published literature.

One more thing...

No system is going to do it all, but some will come pretty close. If you find yourself struggling when making your final decision, go with your gut feeling. If you've done your research and have a good handle on the product and its functionalities, then your gut will likely be a safe place to go to direct that final step.

The first thing that I did was identify the criteria that our ideal system would meet. To determine this list of criteria, I started off by reviewing the features lists of various products. Some of these features were important to us; others were not. Important ones were added to my list of criteria; the others excluded. The majority of the criteria that made it to the final list were essential, but we did have room to budge in some areas.

Though I was really interested in exploring the open source options (and did), our organization, a mid-sized non-profit, does not have in-house programming capacity. As a mid-sized organization, some of the CMSes were much too complicated for our needs. So, I focused on those companies that gear their product to the mid-sized market. There were a number of systems to explore, and I found that most share some basic CMS functionalities: WYSIWYG editing, workflow definition, templating, etc. However, each company is trying to corner the market on website CMS, so spins their product a bit differently.

The content from these websites was particularly useful in helping me narrow down my search to identify systems:

• CMS Wire
• CMS Watch
• Prescient Digital Media

I also conducted an extensive literature review.

After conducting this research, I had a list of several systems: Hannon Hill Cascade Server, Hot Banana, Marqui, CommonSpot, Ingeniux, IdeaLever, Ektron, and iMIS. Now came the hard part...stay tuned for part 2.