by Matt Lee
Quick Summary
Update on our three-state database selection process, including information on the recent assessment survey and RFP creation.
A lot of work has been undertaken on our three-state database selection process since our last update.
Assessment Survey
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback to Minitex and the Shared E-Resources Task Force on needs that are met and unmet by the current statewide database collection. We received 573 responses, and have done a detailed analysis of those responses for trends and themes. That analysis will help us to craft the Request for Proposal (RFP), seek out vendors, and evaluate vendor proposals to acquire a collection that meets broad library community needs.
RFP Creation
A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document that defines what we are looking for in a statewide database collection. Vendors propose e-resources that they believe meet the needs defined therein, and answer questions about business practice that are posed to them. The Shared E-Resources Task Force is currently crafting our RFP. We plan to have the RFP ready for release in December, and will share it broadly, including to a range of vendors that have been identified by the library community. It is our intention to gather as many responses from vendors to our RFP as possible, to give the Shared E-Resources Task Force a wide range of e-resources to consider.
Next Steps
We will release the RFP in December. We’ll ask for vendor responses by January. As part of those responses, we will require trial access to proposed e-resources. The library community will have the opportunity to trial proposed resources and provide feedback on them to the Shared E-Resources Task Force, beginning in January.
More Info
Information on the project timeline, Shared E-Resources Task Force, and more is on our Statewide Database Selection Process 2019-2020 web page.
