This one-day event asked the question, “Would a shared library management system improve services in Scotland?” To help us investigate the question, we broke the day into three sessions:
- What do we need from an LMS?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks to sharing?
- Would a shared LMS work for Scotland?
We wanted to get practical and honest feedback from participants. The day was not about pushing any agenda either for or against a shared LMS, but about trying to facilitate discussion and finding out what the people who would, potentially, be working with such a system really thought about the benefits and drawbacks. To help the discussion, we operated under the Chatham House Rule, “When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.”
The day was designed to encourage active participation for attendees, including round-table discussion and group work to help explore the question in depth. By the end of the day, we aimed to have a clearer understanding of both the benefits and drawbacks of a shared LMS within Scotland. We also wanted a clear indication of whether the vision of the shared LMS is a viable and useful one for Scottish libraries.
>> Next section: What do we need from an LMS?
