SWAN Board, I am preparing an announcement about the RAILS focus group about the overlay. At your January meeting it was agreed that the SWAN Board will attend the RAILS meeting on March 18 1:30PM as a group. I will work with Kate Boyle to invite other ILL staff to join the meeting. I request that you register for this meeting online using the L2 event. Keep in mind that we will need to treat this as a SWAN Special Board meeting due to OMA. http://www.librarylearning.info/events/?eventID=19504 Below is a draft of a message that I was going to either send directly to the ILL staff or out via SWANcom. The timing of this event isn't great considering the migration we are in the final stages of completing, but RAILS values our input, along with the other consortia. Aaron ------ As you are most likely aware, RAILS is undertaking a multiyear, four phase project to explore options to provide more seamless access to Resource Sharing (i.e., searching system-wide holdings and placing interlibrary loan requests) throughout the service area for all libraries. RAILS is currently in Phase Two: Research into Organizational Factors. To find out more about the RAILS project, read about it on the RAILS website here: https://www.railslibraries.info/catalogs/overlay RAILS is working with organizational consultant Eric Craymer, who will be conducting focus groups with various stakeholders. Here is the schedule, additional information, and location for SWAN's focus groups: SWAN Focus Group Schedule Wednesday, March 18, 2015 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM SWAN Board Representatives. This focus group will be with consortium board members/library directors. Topics for this focus group will center on broader strategic aspects of the overlay project, its potential value, and library preferences, needs, and concerns regarding the project. [Due to OMA requirements, this will be considered a SWAN Board Special Meeting.] 3:00 PM - 3:20 PM Technical Presentation. Open to Board Representatives & Interlibrary Loan Staff. 3:20 PM - 3:30 PM Break. 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Interlibrary Loan Staff. This focus group will be with frontline staff with interlibrary loan responsibilities. Depending on the library, this may be a circulation staff member rather than someone with an interlibrary loan job title. The topics of this focus group will be more specific to the ILL process, such as what is working well now, what is not working well now, and what would make it better. Location: RAILS Burr Ridge 125 Tower Drive Burr Ridge, IL 60527 Main Meeting Room We hope to have Interlibrary Loan staff representation attend the appropriate focus group session. As indicated above, please register online in L2 by 5:00 PM on Friday, March 12. The maximum number of registrants will be 25. http://www.librarylearning.info/events/?eventID=19504 Aaron Skog SWAN Executive Director Reaching Across Illinois Library System Burr Ridge Office Phone: 630.734.5122 Fax: 630.734.5056 aaron.skog@railslibraries.info<mailto:aaron.skog@railslibraries.info> http://www.railslibraries.info