Shared Governance Task Force Ongoing, UCLAS-integrated SILS

Shared Governance Task Force

Ongoing, UCLAS-integrated SILS structure, work practices and charges

June 23, 2021

The Systemwide Integrated Library System (SILS) Shared Governance Task Force (SGTF) was charged in

phase 4 to develop a shared operational and governance structure for ongoing SILS management.

In fall 2020, SGTF developed and secured endorsement of its proposed UC Libraries Advisory Structure

(UCLAS)-integrated SILS organizational chart from both the SILS Working Group and Council of University

Librarians (CoUL); this chart served as the basis for the SILS governance and operations model presented

herein.

During winter and spring 2021, the task force carried out a UC Libraries-wide survey to assess the phase

4 SILS structure and engaged the SILS Working Group, SILS All Chairs and the Direction and Oversight

Committee (DOC) to draft the roles and responsibilities for the proposed ongoing SILS groups and teams.

In June 2021, the following structure, work practices and charges for ongoing SILS governance and

operations were endorsed by the SILS Working Group and then endorsed and finalized by CoUL:

● SILS Organizational Structure

● SILS Work Practices (applicable to all SILS groups and teams)

● SILS Leadership Group charge

● SILS Operations Team charge

● SILS Operations Subteams charge

● SILS Operations All Chairs charge

● SILS Digital Collections Project Team charge

● SILS RLF Configuration Project Team charge

The start date for the new, UCLAS-integrated SILS structure is January 03, 2022 (the SILS Project Phase 4

will conclude on December 23, 2021).

The phase 4 SILS Working Group has charged a SILS Transition Task Force (TTF) to develop, support and

advance the transition from phase 4 to UCLAS-integrated SILS. The TTF will partner with DOC on

numerous activities, including management of an open call to fill the new SILS team/group rosters in fall

2021.

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

UCLAS-integrated SILS structure

Please note:

● The SILS Operations Center at CDL is presented as a distinct element that will be deeply

connected to and embedded in the UCLAS-integrated SILS governance and operations structure.

A summary of the SILS Operations Center at CDL is under development and will be released

before the UCLAS-integrated SILS structure is launched in January 2022. Already, the

recommended SILS charges reflect that the various SILS groups and teams will partner and work

cooperatively with the SILS Operations Center at CDL; the center’s summary will similarly reflect

these deep interconnections and partnerships.

● “Project Team” is an existing team type within UCLAS; these teams perform time-limited and

clearly scoped activities with specific outcomes and end dates.

● The SILS Operations All Chairs follows a structure developed in phase 4; this All Chairs group will

establish a forum to advance operations-based communication and consultation.

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

SILS Work Practices

The following work practices outline the roles, responsibilities, guidelines and decision-making processes

for UCLAS-integrated SILS governance and operational work. These practices are intended to be a

starting point; SILS team members are expected to refer to and, as necessary, expand upon these work

practices to best advance their charges. As groups establish their working norms, they should document

changes or additions to their work practices, both to confirm they are shared amongst group members

and to make such changes visible to all UCLAS teams and the UC Libraries community.

SILS work practices and activities will be informed by the SILS principles:

1. Prioritize high-quality user experience for UC faculty, students, staff, clinicians, researchers and

other library patrons;

2. Transform and improve library work practices and policies, harmonizing to best take advantage

of current and future operational and service opportunities afforded through the SILS;

3. Innovate and explore new ways of working, being mindful of benefits and costs;

4. Advance UC’s values of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging through SILS-related

operations and work practices;

5. Empower data-driven and consultative decision-making, where decisions are sent as far up the

chain as is warranted but no further;

6. Commit to shared governance, transparency and open communication;

7. Align SILS-related work with near- and long-term UC Libraries systemwide priorities.

Work Practices: Table of Contents

Roles & Responsibilities

Best Practices for Team/Group Members

Decision-Making

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SILS Work Practices

Roles & Responsibilities

Chairs

Each group/team has a chair or co-chairs, responsible for the following:

● Execute their team’s charge, including the the timely completion of assigned tasks, transmission

of deliverables and identification of risks and issues;

● Ensure group members understand the charge and their responsibilities;

● Formation of a small steering committee, if needed, to plan work and manage the timeline

(potential members to include the chair, vice chair, one or two group members and staffing, if

applicable);

● Create clear, action-oriented meeting agendas;

● Facilitate group decision-making and confirm team decisions;

● Actively engage all group members;

● Support group members in ensuring they have the necessary time allocated to fulfill their

responsibilities to the group;

● Confirm delegation of tasks within the group;

● Collaborate and actively share information with other chairs within the SILS structure and

UCLAS;

● Form and task subgroup(s) as necessary;

● Escalate issues, if necessary, to the group/committee that they report to;

● Share updates and information with stakeholders in a timely fashion;

● Schedule meetings/calls, manage minutes and group documents, and ensure group information

is kept up-to-date (some teams have a support person, who is responsible for these activities).

Vice Chairs

Group/teams may also have a vice chair, responsible for the following:

● Stand-in for their team’s chair, in their absence;

● Partner with the chair on planning the team’s work and fulfilling the charge, including

participation on a steering committee, if one is formed;

● Fulfill the expectations of team/group members (see below).

Members

Team/group member are expected to:

● Actively participate in meetings and come prepared;

● Represent the interests and needs of all involved/interested, both at the campus and

systemwide levels;

● Complete tasks and assigned work outside of meetings;

● Serve on (or lead) subgroups, as necessary;

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

SILS Work Practices

● In partnership with team/group members, actively participate in communicating, sharing

information and consulting with experts and representatives (be it at the systemwide level, or

with the member’s “home” campus);

● Participate in group decision-making;

● Provide advance notice of any absences to the chair and/or support member;

● As necessary, work with the chair(s) and/or their manager to ensure they have the bandwidth

(and if required, time-limited release from other responsibilities) to fulfill their role in the group.

Support member

Support members will staff the SILS Leadership Group and SILS Operations Team to carry out the

following:

● Provide meeting management support, including taking minutes and ensuring minutes are

publicly shared for the UC Libraries community;

● Support the applicable steering committee, including agenda-building, managing open

topics/issues;

● Maintain the group’s Confluence site.

This support role is a professional development opportunity, providing exposure to strategic and/or

operational discussions and decision-making, as well as providing mentorship opportunities from chairs,

vice chairs and group/committee members.

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SILS Work Practices

Best Practices for Team/Group Members

Discussion facilitation

While discussion facilitation is often managed by chairs and vice chairs, all group members may be asked

to lead and facilitate a discussion. Facilitators should keep the following best practices in mind:

● Provide structure to the discussion (e.g., outline a plan in advance that includes any processes or

mechanisms that might be used, topics to cover, discussion questions, etc.);

● Encourage members to practice both stepping forward (i.e., actively speaking and participating

in discussion) and stepping back (i.e., actively listening to their teammates);

● Periodically stop to “take the temperature” on a topic, asking each person for their input;

● Summarize what is being said at key junctures (e.g., following discussion where several points of

view are raised, as consensus is being developed, before a decision is called, etc.) and confirm

your interpretation with group members;

● Ask questions to open-up or focus discussion, as needed;

● Actively look for and articulate common ground;

● Ensure that discussion notes and decisions are recorded.

Resolving disagreement and having difficult discussions

Even successful teams/groups can have disagreements and difficult discussions. When differing

viewpoints and potential conflict arises, the following should be established and maintained by cohort

members:

● Identification of the issue(s) that need to be addressed;

● Widely-held determination of what a resolution might look like (where possible);

● Open dialogue, which requires:

○ Active listening;

○ Active sharing (including asking questions, sharing viewpoints, etc.);

○ Sufficient time;

○ Acceptance of feedback and new ideas;

○ Professionalism and respect;

○ Support for diversity of thought, opinions and perspectives;

● Shared commitment to transparency and clear communication.

Sometimes teams/groups will be unable to reach a required decision despite good faith efforts; the SILS

decision-making workflow reflects this reality and includes mechanisms to escalate applicable decisions

to the appropriate group(s).

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SILS Work Practices

Decision-Making

All SILS teams/groups are encouraged to discuss decision-making approaches and establish a shared

practice around how decisions are made. As a starting point, three decision-making processes are

recommended: supermajority, fist-of-five and consent agenda decision-making. As outlined below, these

three mechanisms are recommended to serve different decision-making scenarios.

When making systemwide decisions, team/group members will consider the SILS principles and work

areas outside of their own expertise, and balance applicable systemwide and local/campus needs. Once

a decision is made using the agreed upon approach, group members will support the decision. As noted

above, all work practices, including decision-making, are subject to change as each team/group

establishes and refines its practices.

All UC Libraries employees may propose potential systemwide policies, procedures and other items for

harmonization. The SILS Operations Team will manage assignment of the operational decision items (e.g.

to operation subteams); as appropriate, decisions that impact FTE and/or budgets will be escalated to

the Leadership Group and potentially further within UCLAS.

Introduction

During the project phases for planning and migrating to the SILS, a variety of decisions were made

around Alma and Primo VE configuration and harmonization of practices and policies. Now that the UC

Libraries are at the operational/ongoing stage of SILS work, decision-making continues to be required,

including for product enhancements and further harmonization. To ensure ongoing transparency and

appropriate consultation, this work requires clear decision-making processes that reflect and support the

UC Libraries’ principles and priorities.

The recommended decision-making mechanisms reflect the SILS principles, which ask members to:

1. Prioritize high-quality user experience for UC faculty, students, staff, clinicians, researchers and

other library patrons;

2. Transform and improve library work practices and policies, harmonizing to best take advantage

of current and future operational and service opportunities afforded through the SILS;

3. Innovate and explore new ways of working, being mindful of benefits and costs;

4. Advance UC’s values of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging through SILS-related

operations and work practices;

5. Empower data-driven and consultative decision-making, where decisions are sent as far up the

chain as is warranted but no further;

6. Commit to shared governance, transparency and open communication;

7. Align SILS-related work with near- and long-term UC Libraries systemwide priorities.

While this decision-making documentation outlines standalone processes, team/group members are also

encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Seeds for Change “Consensus Decision-Making” guide.

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SILS Work Practices

Decision-making processes

For decisions specific to harmonization (i.e., determining when to standardize and when to maintain

local, campus practices), teams/groups will begin their work by employing three main decision-making

types: supermajority, fist-of-five and consent agenda decision-making.

Supermajority decision-making necessitates a high level of agreement to secure endorsement for a

decision, but it does not need unanimous support. A supermajority requires a two-thirds threshold, so

long as quorum is met (quorum requires half of the membership plus one in attendance). If two-thirds

does not equal a whole number, the group will round down. This method is typically used for selecting

which policies or enhancements are considered for harmonization; it is also used in other scenarios

where consensus is not required to move forward.

Fist-of-five decision-making requires members to vote along the fist-of-five scale (see below). An initial

fist-of-five may be taken early in a discussion, to help identify members with reservations; typically, those

members voting three or below are given the floor to discuss their concerns and the group/team will see

if any amendments can help address those concerns. If a member votes (1) in the scale, they are

blocking the group/team from endorsing the item. This method is typically used for decision items that

involve significant discussion and endorsement from all team/members, such as a policy or

standardization decision; through synthesis and discussion of ideas and issues, common ground (though

not necessarily unanimity) is established.

Fist-of-five decision-making scale:

(5) Full support (endorsed by member with no concerns)

(4) Agreement (endorsed by member with minor concerns)

(3) Reservations, but can live with it (endorsed with reservations/caveats)

(2) Don’t like it, won’t block it (endorsed but the member registers their disagreement,

though they will support the group’s decision; this includes publicly supporting the decision

beyond the team/group)

(1) Cannot support it (member does not endorse and seeks to block it)

Consent agenda decision-making allows low-risk decisions to be bundled into a “consent” item on an

agenda. Unless a group/team member calls for discussion or objects to the inclusion of a decision item,

the consent agenda is immediately approved/endorsed at the meeting in question. This method is used

for low-risk, non-controversial decisions that are believed to not require discussion.

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SILS Work Practices

Conditions to support decision-making

● Commitment to embody the SILS principles

● Clear delegation and responsibilities for leading discussion topics and decision items; where an

issue/decision is cross-functional (e.g. potentially spanning multiple operations subteams), the

SILS Operations Team will identify one subteam to take the lead. That subteam is then

responsible for consulting broadly.

● Establishment of clear processes, including escalation pathways and selection of a

decision-making mechanism

● Active participation (see Roles & Responsibilities)

● Commitment to consult, seek feedback and share information broadly (see Roles &

Responsibilities)

● Commitment to collaboration and cooperative problem-solving

Checklist for decision-making

● Responsibility for decision item clearly assigned to a group/team

● Opportunity for members to initially discuss the item broadly, brainstorm and begin thinking

about solutions (if needed)

● Assign responsibility for steering/managing the decision item to a member or subgroup

● Member/subgroup carry out further research, including active consultation and communication

with UC Libraries experts, external experts and professional literature; share ideas and

proposal(s) with the group/team

● Group/team will weigh the pros and cons of the ideas and proposal(s) and discuss amendments;

the chair or a delegate will actively facilitate this conversation

● Proposal(s) for consideration are redefined as necessary, with discussed amendments

● Decision mechanism(s) identified and confirmed by group/team members

● If agreement cannot be reached or applicable amendments/collaborative solutions agreed to:

Group/Team will escalate the item to the team that they report to.

● Communicate to stakeholders (within and outside of SILS); to be facilitated by the team/group

itself or done in partnership (e.g. an Operations Subteam to partner with the Operations Team).

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

SILS Leadership Group: Charge

Introduction

Between 2017 and 2021, the University of California (UC) Council of University Librarians (CoUL) charged

a multi-phase project to plan, identify and implement a Systemwide Integrated Library System (SILS) --

moving the UC Libraries from ten independent enterprise systems to a single, shared solution through

which UC now manages the discovery and circulation of all print and digital collections.

Following the libraries’ successful migration to the SILS (externally referred to as UC Library Search),

systemwide governance and operations were integrated into the UC Libraries Advisory Structure

(UCLAS), charged by and reporting to the Direction and Oversight Committee (DOC). A centralized SILS

Operations Center was also established at the California Digital Library, to work in partnership with the

UCLAS-integrated SILS teams.

The SILS Leadership Group (SLG) reports directly to DOC and is the high-level group responsible for

leading the systemwide strategic direction for the SILS - both in its current iteration and involving future

platforms and integrated technologies. As well, the group actively integrates the UC Libraries plans and

priorities into SILS work and strategic directions, making course corrections as needed. The SILS

Leadership Group provides oversight and direction to the SILS Operations Team and ensures decisions

made throughout SILS governance and operations reinforce the UC Libraries core principles, including

diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging, a transformative level of integration and

harmonization, and a cohesive, user-centered approach to services and collections.

Charges and core responsibilities

In all facets of their work, the SILS Leadership Group intentionally fosters teamwork and cohesiveness

throughout the SILS structure, reaffirming the SILS principles and supporting the evolution of effective,

shared work practices. More specifically, the SILS Leadership Group is charged to focus on:

1. Strategic direction: Advance the SILS strategic direction and make recommendations to UC

Libraries leadership (primarily DOC, but also CoUL as appropriate) around implementing new

directions, including the pursuit of new core products (e.g. replacements for Alma and Primo

VE), when other technological approaches and solutions become available and more cost

effective.

2. Organizational priorities: Consult and partner with DOC on furthering UC Libraries

organizational priorities related to SILS.

3. Leadership/Oversight: Oversee the SILS Operations Team and assist with the development of

strategic priorities for systemwide SILS operations, intentionally fostering teamwork and

advancing the SILS principles throughout the SILS structure. Receive issues and requests from

the Operations Team for decision-making. As needed, engage additional, high-level experts to

address escalated decision items and escalate pertinent topics and decision items to DOC and

the Council of University Librarians (CoUL).

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SILS Leadership Group: Charge

4. Vendor/partner engagement: Oversee strategic, high-level engagement with vendors and

partners, for current products and new or emerging solutions. (Communication and actions

related to fiduciary responsibilities for the SILS contract sit with CDL.)

5. New developments: Oversee planning specific to the development of business intelligence,

privacy-related practices and policies, learning analytics and other applicable topics, to integrate

into strategic planning, projects and decision-making.

6. Assessment and structural change: Proactively assess the UCLAS-integrated SILS structure and

work practices, in consultation with the Operations Team and in partnership with DOC. As

needed, DOC and the SILS Leadership Group will implement structural changes.

7. Project management/work plan: Develop and maintain a Leadership Group work plan, to

identify priorities and a timeline for completing work; regularly review the work plans for SILS

teams.

Specific to the conclusion of SILS Phase 4, the Leadership Group will assist with the review and

implementation of remaining work; this will involve assisting the Operations Team with assigning

remaining activities and tasks from phase 4.

The SILS Leadership Group, in partnership with DOC and active consultation with the Operations Team

and Operations Subteams, will complete an assessment to determine if the operations subteams should

transition to another membership model; this assessment will be completed and reach a determination

18-months after the ongoing structure is initiated (by/before June 30, 2023). The SILS Leadership Group

will partner with DOC to determine processes for filling SILS team/group rosters in future (the initial

cohort will be established by DOC and the SILS Transition Task Force).

Similar to peer leadership groups within UCLAS, the SILS Leadership Group may form subgroups and

time-limited teams, identifying expert assistance as needed.

Reporting line

The SILS Leadership Group reports to DOC. The DOC liaison to this group will provide regular updates to

DOC, in partnership with the SILS Leadership Group Chair.

Through DOC, the SILS Leadership Group will also escalate pertinent topics and decision items to the

Council of University Librarians (CoUL); such topics will include those related to SILS costs, impacting FTE,

and proposals to seek a new vendor/technology or develop new shared services.

Related groups

The group will consult with, engage, share information and collaborate with other UC Libraries entities,

including:

● DOC

● Peer leadership groups within UCLAS

● SILS Operations Team

● CDL SILS Operation Center

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

SILS Leadership Group: Charge

Time commitment and expectations

The SILS Leadership Group will hold monthly or bi-monthly virtual meetings to carry out their charge,

with additional ad-hoc meetings as needed. Members are expected to commit an additional 2-5 hours of

work per month, outside of meetings.

The campus and CDL members will serve staggered three-year terms, where the DOC liaison and

Operations Team Chair will serve one-year terms. For the initial members, some will serve shorter or

longer terms to enable staggered terms moving forward and to align all terms with a July 01 changeover.

As a non-representative group, roster selection and rotation is managed by DOC and will ensure that all

campuses have an opportunity to serve over time.

Roster and required expertise/membership

The SILS Leadership Group is a non-representative group, comprised of senior library leaders (e.g.

Departmental Director/Head, AUL or empowered local leader):

● 4-5 campus members

● CDL member

● DOC liaison

● Operations Team Chair

The SILS Leadership Group is also staffed by a support person (to take minutes and assist with meeting

management).

The group’s chair and vice chair will be selected by the membership; this represents a two-year

commitment (year 01 as vice chair, and year 02 as chair).

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

SILS Operations Team: Charge

Introduction

The SILS Operations Team (SOT) is charged with leading and coordinating the systemwide operational

use of the systemwide ILS (SILS), including the Network Zone. This team works in partnership with the

SILS Operations Center at CDL to carry out the vision, strategies, priorities and policies established by the

SILS Leadership Group. In addition, the SILS Operations Team provides oversight and direction to the SILS

Operations Subteams, particularly to empower the subteams to develop and maintain standard, UC-wide

policies and practices. The team utilizes data to inform decision-making and advance operational

planning in regards to harmonization, achieving operational efficiencies and meeting end-user needs.

Charges and core responsibilities

In alignment with the SILS principles, the SILS Operations Team leads and coordinates the development

of systemwide SILS workflows, policies and operations. This work, as well as vendor engagement, will be

done in close partnership with the SILS Operations Center at CDL. Central responsibilities for the SILS

Operations Team will include:

1. Vendor engagement: Manage vendor relationships in close partnership with the SILS Operations

Center at CDL, including tracking high-priority issues (realizing commonalities in issues reported

across campuses) and overseeing troubleshooting and escalation workflows (systemwide and

with the vendor). Members serve as the primary campus contacts for the SILS (including for

participating campus affiliate libraries), coordinating with their local campus SILS teams. As

needed, the SILS Operations Team and SILS Operations Center at CDL will escalate issues to the

SILS Leadership Group, if/when higher-level engagement is required with the vendor.

2. Coordinating SILS operations: Connect campus activities with systemwide workflows when/as

appropriate and monitor the overall SILS operational landscape and interconnections (for

campuses, RLFs and CDL, as well as participating and non-participating affiliate libraries, as

necessary), as well as potential outcomes from operations subteam decision-making.

3. Oversight and coordination: Oversee the work of the Operations Subteams, providing guidance

and feedback as necessary. Serve as an escalation path for subteams when they encounter a

decision related to policies, practices and workflows requiring high-level consultation, or when

the subteam(s) is unable to reach a required consensus despite good faith efforts. Consult with

SILS Operations All Chairs as needed.

4. Product enhancements (advocacy/voting): Manage and coordinate Ex Libris Enhancements

(ELUNA-NERS) voting, including necessary consultation with SILS Operations Subteams and other

experts (including shared service managers, as applicable) across the UC Libraries and their

individual campuses. Coordinate with SILS Operations Center at CDL on the voting finalization.

Oversee UC Libraries participation and coordinate with the SILS Operations Center at CDL in the

Alma Consortia Advisory Group.

5. Product enhancements (testing/implementation): In partnership with the SILS Operations

Center at CDL, the team will coordinate and test new releases, as well as coordinate

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SILS Operations Team: Charge

maintenance and scheduled jobs, as needed. The team will also consult with Operations

Subteams and/or other experts (including shared service teams), as needed.

6. Analytics: Analyze systemwide operational data in partnership with SILS Operations Center at

CDL, working with appropriate subteams as needed, and respond to SILS Leadership Group

information and consultation requests, such as those related to business analytics, learning

analytics, privacy and other topics, to inform strategic directions and operations.

7. New developments: Evaluate how the system might optimally manage Alma and Primo VE

solutions, such as the Central Discovery Index (CDI). In partnership with the SILS Operations

Center at CDL: identify and prioritize automation opportunities (e.g. scripts, APIs) to be

developed by the SILS Operations Center at CDL; support systemwide sharing of scripts and

code, as needed; and monitor long-term API requirements and usage.

8. Alma account management: Monitor UC’s accounts, assess trends and share best practices, in

partnership with the SILS Operations Center at CDL. Actively share findings and

recommendations, re: account usage, with the SILS Leadership Group.

9. Assessment and structural change: Assist the SILS Leadership Group with proactively assessing

the UCLAS-integrated SILS structure and work practices, in consultation with operations

subteams. Support problem-solving and brainstorming from all levels of the structure.

10. Project management/work plan: Develop and maintain an operations team work plan, to

identify a timeline and priorities, in consultation with the SILS Leadership Group to help guide

the operations subteams’ work plans.

11. Communications: Responsible for communicating decisions to the SILS Leadership Group, and

responding to any questions/suggestions/recommendations that they might have. Ensure

information from SILS Operations Center at CDL is communicated to Operations Subteams and

campus staff as needed and appropriate. Responsible for coordinating communication from the

Operations Subteams and campus staff to the Leadership Group and/or SILS Operations Center

at CDL as required, needed, or appropriate.

Specific to the conclusion of SILS Phase 4, the SILS Operations Team will assess and coordinate remaining

activities and insights from phase 4; this work will be carried out in consultation with the SILS Leadership

Group. Remaining phase 4 tasks and decision items may be assigned to the SILS Leadership Group,

Operations Team and Operations Subteams.

The Operations Team may form subgroups and time-limited teams, identifying expert assistance as

needed.

Reporting line

The SILS Operations Team is charged by and reports directly to the SILS Leadership Group. When making

decisions with financial or FTE considerations, consultation with the SILS Leadership Group is required.

The SILS Operations Subteams will report directly to the SILS Operations Team.

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

SILS Operations Team: Charge

Related groups

The team will consult with, engage, share information and collaborate with other UC Libraries entities,

including:

● SILS Leadership Group

● SILS Operations Center at CDL

● SILS Operations Subteams, particularly to ensure that clear communication channels are

established with other groups within the UC Libraries Advisory Structure (SILS and non-SILS) and

with shared service teams

● Local/campus groups (with each representative acting as an communications and consultation

conduit)

Time commitment and expectations

The SILS Operations Team will meet regularly and members are expected to complete work outside of

the meeting time. The total estimated commitment per member for systemwide activities will range

from 5 hours per week (or .125 FTE) to 10 hours per week (or .25 FTE).

Campus commitments in support of local activities will vary by campus needs and plans.

Team members will serve staggered three-year terms. For the initial members, some will serve shorter or

longer terms to enable staggered terms moving forward and to align all terms with a July 01 changeover.

Roster and required expertise/membership

Representative membership from all 10 campuses and CDL. Members will be chosen by their expertise

and role at their respective campus, where they are responsible for understanding the larger scope of

the ILS migration that accounts for the intricacies and interdependencies between the various operations

such as cataloging, e-resources, acquisitions, systems, patron/circulation, etc. The SILS Service Manager

will also be a member in the role of systemwide coordinator and liaison for the SILS service and primary

contact with the vendor.

The team’s chair and vice chair will be selected by the membership; this represents a two-year

commitment (year 01 as vice chair, and year 02 as chair).

Roster:

● UC Berkeley

● UC Davis

● UC Irvine

● UCLA

● UC Merced

● UC Riverside

● UC San Diego

● UC San Francisco

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SILS Operations Team: Charge

● UC Santa Barbara

● UC Santa Cruz

● CDL SILS Service Manager

● Past SILS Leadership Group Chair (for the 1st year, SILS LG will appoint a member to this role)

The SILS Operations Team is also staffed by a support person (to take minutes and assist with meeting

management).

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

SILS Operations Subteams: Charge

Introduction

The SILS Operations Subteams (OSTs) are the primary groups responsible for leading discussion and

making operational policy and practice decisions in defined functional areas, with the goal of developing,

implementing, and maintaining standard UC-wide policies, practices and workflows. Operations

Subteams collaborate broadly with peer subteams and other systemwide and campus groups, experts,

and shared service teams. Operations Subteams proactively communicate on team activities, including

developing documentation, work plans and responding to requests for information.

Operations Subteams include:

1. Acquisitions & E-Resources

2. Discovery

3. Fulfillment & Intercampus Resource Sharing

4. Resource Management: Cataloging & Metadata

Charges and core responsibilities

The overarching responsibilities shared by all SILS Operational Subteams are the efficient operation of

Alma and Primo VE, harmonization and localization decisions, documentation and communication of

decisions and workflows, and analytics in support of data-driven decisions and communication.

1. Harmonization: Identify and develop policies, practices, procedures and workflows where

appropriate harmonization will best take advantage of the operational and service opportunities

afforded through the SILS; likewise, identify areas where localization (unique to individual UC

institutions) is preferred over harmonization and/or is interoperable with the SILS.

2. Collaboration: Coordinate, consult and collaborate with peer subteams and other systemwide

and campus groups, experts, and shared service teams. Consider how decisions and best

practices established by one subteam may inform other functional areas. Consult and engage as

appropriate to support information sharing and decision-making.

3. Communication: Proactively communicate (such as to SILS teams, functional/expert teams and

campus groups) decisions and team activities; activities should include publishing meeting

agendas and minutes, recording decisions and developing documentation. Respond to

information requests from the SILS Operations Team, the SILS Operations Center at CDL, peer

subteams and other groups within the system.

4. Project management/work plans: Adhere to project management best practices; establish

project timelines, track actions and record decision items. Develop and maintain a work plan,

including timeline and priorities, in consultation with the SILS Operations Team.

5. Documentation: Create and publish documentation regarding decision-making, policies, best

practices and operational workflows.

6. Training/support: Develop and maintain training resources and documentation for systemwide

use.

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7. Analytics: Manage analytics for the assigned functional area, including harmonizing systemwide

definitions, measurement and capture of data. Respond to requests for information in meeting

UC Libraries systemwide statistical reporting requirements.

8. Quality assurance: Assist with the review of new releases and assess potential impacts of new

functionalities, as requested by the SILS Operations Team and SILS Operations Center at CDL.

9. SILS Phase 4: Carry out SILS Phase 4 remaining work/activities, as assigned by the SILS

Operations Team.

Acquisitions & E-Resources Operations Subteam

The Acquisitions & E-Resources Operations Subteam will seek a coordinated, systemwide approach to

systemwide discovery, as appropriate and in alignment with the SILS principles. The subteam will

develop and maintain UC-wide policies, best practices and applicable workflows for acquisitions and

electronic resources. This subteam will consist of two branches (for acquisitions and e-resources), each

with their own chair; campuses and CDL can then each nominate up to two members; one with

acquisitions expertise and one with e-resources expertise.

Areas of responsibility include:

● Acquisitions workflows and data, including ledgers/funds, financial management, POs and

invoices, and acquisition of print monographs and serials.

● Electronic resources workflows and data, including procurement, licensing and management of

all electronic resources acquired by the institution.

The two branches will meet separately and together (as the full subteam), as needed, to advance

operations and harmonization for these work areas. It is expected that the full subteam will meet more

regularly in the early stages of its work.

Acquisitions & E-Resources OST related groups include: Shared Content Leadership Group (SCLG); CDL

Licensed Content Group (LCG); Shared Cataloging Program (SCP); Shared Content Acquisitions;

Acquisitions Liaisons; Licensing Liaisons; applicable Common Knowledge Groups (CKGs)

Discovery Operations Subteam

The Discovery Operations Subteam will seek a coordinated, systemwide approach to systemwide

discovery, as appropriate and in alignment with the SILS principles. The subteam will maintain and refine

the configuration of the SILS Primo VE services and applicable shared policies and best practices. The

subteam will strive to ensure a coordinated and shared discovery experience for all UC patron end users.

Areas of responsibility include:

● Harmonization and the implementation of consistent configuration across campus instances

related to search, navigation, terminology, and user interface design elements as appropriate

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systemwide.

● User-centered design, prioritizing the needs of patron end users and making design decisions

based upon user needs and the context of their use.

● Usability, accessibility, assessment and the evaluation of the discovery system using established

tools and methods.

● Collaboration with the Fulfillment & Intercampus Resource Sharing Operations Subteam to

ensure decisions optimize systemwide resource sharing functions.

Discovery OST related groups include: Fulfillment & Intercampus Resource Sharing Operations Subteam;

applicable Common Knowledge Groups (CKGs)

Fulfillment & Intercampus Resource Sharing Operations Subteam

The Fulfillment & Intercampus Resource Sharing Operations Subteam will seek a coordinated,

systemwide approach to systemwide discovery, as appropriate and in alignment with the SILS principles.

The subteam will consider and address areas of overlap and shared policy/practice concerns across

fulfillment and intercampus resource sharing. The subteam will develop and maintain UC-wide policies,

practices and applicable workflows to create consistency and efficiency at the local and systemwide

levels. This subteam will consist of two branches (for fulfillment and intercampus resource sharing), each

with their own chair; campuses and CDL can then each nominate up to two members; one with

fulfillment expertise and one with resource sharing expertise.

Areas of responsibility include:

● Patron and circulation workflows and data, including patron registration and management,

circulation policies, and calendars.

● Interlibrary loan workflows and data, including lending, borrowing, consortial borrowing (within

region), and external resource sharing management applications.

● Policies for lending and borrowing, including profiles for external resource sharing applications,

and integration with NISO Circulation Interchange Protocol (NCIP).

The two branches will meet separately and together (as the full subteam), as needed, to advance

operations and harmonization for these work areas. It is expected that the full subteam will meet more

regularly in the early stages of its work.

Fulfillment & Intercampus Resource Sharing OST related groups include: ILLOps (extracampus resource

sharing); UCILLs listserv members; UC Access Services listserv members; ILL Courier Shared Service Team;

applicable Common Knowledge Groups (CKGs)

Resource Management: Cataloging & Metadata Operations Subteam

The Resource Management: Cataloging & Metadata Operations Subteam will seek a coordinated,

systemwide approach to systemwide discovery, as appropriate and in alignment with the SILS principles.

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

The subteam will develop and maintain UC-wide policies, practices and workflows for cataloging and

metadata, at the systemwide and local levels as applicable.

Areas of responsibility include:

● Cataloging and metadata functions, including: bibliographic data entry, original and copy

cataloging, export/normalize/import functions, holdings and item data, database management,

authority control, policies, and workflows.

● Linked data policies, practices and workflows.

● Authority control practices and options within the consortial environment.

● Examination of equity and inclusion as it relates to cataloging and metadata.

Resource Management OST related groups include: Shared Cataloging Program (SCP); Joint Steering

Committee (JSC); Shared Print Strategy Team (SPST); applicable Common Knowledge Groups (CKGs)

Reporting line

The SILS Operations Subteams is charged by the SILS Leadership Group and reports directly to the SILS

Operations Team, which will provide guidance and serve as the escalation path for subteams when they

encounter a decision that exceeds the subteam’s decision-making scope or when the subteam is unable

to reach a required consensus despite good faith efforts.

Related groups

The team will consult with, engage, share information and collaborate with other UC Libraries entities,

including:

● SILS Operations Subteams (particularly to ensure clear communication channels are established

within the SILS structure, peer subteams and theSILS Operations Center at CDL)

● Operations subteams, for cross-functional issues

● Common Knowledge Groups and shared service teams, when appropriate

Time commitment and expectations

The SILS Operations Subteams will meet regularly and members are expected to complete work outside

of the meeting time. The total estimated commitment per member for systemwide activities will range

from 3 hours per week (.075 FTE) to 5 hours per week (.125 FTE).

The initial subteam rosters will serve an 18-month term, at which point the SILS Leadership Group and

Operations Team will have completed an assessment to determine if the operations subteams should

transition to another membership model; moving forward, members will have staggered three-year

terms.

SILS Operations Subteam chairs will hold ex officio membership on the SILS Operations All Chairs Team.

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Roster and required expertise/membership

To start, the Operations Subteams are representative, with a member from each of the 10 campuses and

CDL, except where indicated otherwise (e.g. in some instances, campuses can assign two members).

Members are chosen by their expertise and role at their respective campus, where they are responsible

for the applicable SILS functional areas. As noted, it is expected that some or all of the operations

subteams will transition to a different membership model. When such a transition is made, this charge

will be updated.

The subteam’s chair and vice chair will be selected by the membership; this represents a two-year

commitment (year 01 as vice chair, and year 02 as chair).

Roster:

● UC Berkeley

● UC Davis

● UC Irvine

● UCLA

● UC Merced

● UC Riverside

● UC San Diego

● UC San Francisco

● UC Santa Barbara

● UC Santa Cruz

● California Digital Library

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

SILS Operations All Chairs: Charge

Introduction

The SILS Operations All Chairs is an information-sharing and consultative group that is part of the UC

Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS) Systemwide Integrated Library System (SILS) substructure; it

functions primarily to bring together representatives (specifically, the chairs) from the various SILS

operations teams to support cross-team dialog, relationship-building and issue resolution. While this is

not a decision-making body, it is a critical organizational component in support of the decision-making

that occurs within the Operations Team, Operations Subteams and potentially the Leadership Group.

Charges and core responsibilities

Operations All Chairs will foster and advance collaboration, information-sharing and consultation among

the Operations Subteams, as well as between the Operations Subteams and the Operations Team.

Together, the group members will establish a forum to:

● Information sharing: Ensure group members, as the chairs of the Operations Team and

Operations Subteams, are informed about major areas of work and discussion occurring within

the represented teams;

● Consultation: Facilitate “taking the temperature” (i.e. obtaining opinions and determining level

of support or opposition on a topic or potential practice/policy) and support dialog; share

“blocks” or challenges that individual teams might be facing, to support resolution

brainstorming;

● Bolster SILS communication/collaboration pathways: Discuss topics and issues that may arise

within and across the SILS operations teams, to brainstorm and determine pathways to

resolution and/or to recommend escalation, as appropriate; recommendations will be directed

to the Operations Team;

● Advise: Meet with and provide feedback to the Operations Team as needed, including on how

decision items spanning multiple operations subteams might be handled.

Operations All Chairs meetings will also be used to establish a forum for engaging experts and teams

from outside of the UCLAS SILS structure, such as shared service teams, to share knowledge and

information, and to identify and discuss overlapping areas of concern and opportunity.

Members of the Operations All Chairs will represent the consensus of their respective teams, as well as

the range of potential opinions that might exist on a given topic. Operations All Chairs members will

report back to and consult with their respective teams as needed. The full Operations Team and

Operations Subteams will help shape the topics discussed at the All Chairs meetings.

Reporting line

The Operations All Chairs is a conduit through which to engage all operations teams. Accordingly,

Operations All Chairs is not hierarchically “above” the SILS Operations Subteams, but rather a group that

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

TEAM NAME: Charge

supports a regularly organized forum. Should any issues arise within this group, they will be escalated to

the Operations Team.

Related groups

The group will share information, consult with and advise other UC Libraries entities, including:

● SILS Operations Team

● SILS Operations Subteams

● SILS Leadership Group

● Shared service teams

Time commitment and expectations

The Operations All Chairs will hold monthly virtual meetings to carry out their charge, with additional

ad-hoc meetings as needed. Standing meetings are expected to be 50 minutes in length, and will likely

involve an additional 2-5 hours of work per month, outside of meetings.

Roster and required expertise/membership

The Operations All Chairs group is comprised of the following ex-officio members:

● Operations Team chair

● Acquisitions Operations Subteam chair

● eResources Operations Subteam chair

● Discovery Operations Subteam chair

● Fulfillment Operations Subteam chair

● Intercampus Resource Sharing Operations Subteam chair

● Cataloging and Metadata Operations Subteam chair

● SILS Operations Center at CDL representative

This group will be co-chaired by two members: the Operations Team chair will always serve as a co-chair;

and one additional member, to be determined by the group, will serve as the other co-chair. The initial

elected co-chairs will serve for an 18 month term; subsequent co-chairs will serve 12 month terms.

Together, the co-chairs will plan and lead meetings.

Operations team/subteam vice chairs will act as alternates if their chairs are unable to attend an

Operations All Chairs meeting; vice chairs are also included on listservs and other communication

channels, to stay informed.

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UC Libraries Advisory Structure (UCLAS)

SILS Digital Collections Project Team: Charge

Introduction

The SILS Digital Collections Project Team is a time-limited group focused on further expanding and

improving discoverability of UC libraries digital collections within UC Library Search. This team is a

continuation of the SILS Phase 4 Digital Collections Functional Group; accordingly, it will build on the

functional group’s phase 4 work (both pre- and post-go-live) to complete its deliverables.

Charge and core deliverables

Responsible for optimizing the integration and findability of digital collections in the Primo VE discovery

service (“UC Library Search”), the Digital Collections Project Team is charged to:

● Assess collection harvest performance at the network zone, resolving issues as needed and

sharing best practices for institution zone harvesting;

● Assess and improve visibility of digital collections within UC Library Search, working in

partnership with applicable operations subteams; this will include initial usage analyses, to

understand the impact of UC Library Search discoverability for these collections;

● Update systemwide documentation, including network zone digital collection best practices,

workflow and training documents;

● Suggest potential Primo SE enhancements to the SILS Operations Team, for inclusion in UC

enhancement requests to Ex Libris;

● Collaborate and consult with SILS Operations Subteams as needed, including on metadata,

access and discovery-related decisions.

It is expected that work on most if not all of these deliverables will at least begin during the final months

of SILS phase 4. A high-level, summary report will be submitted at the end of this team’s charge.

Reporting line

The SILS Digital Collections Project Team will report to the SILS Operations Team, which will provide

guidance and serve as the escalation path should the project team encounter a decision that exceeds it’s

decision-making scope or if the team is unable to reach agreement despite good faith efforts.

Related groups

The team will consult with, engage, share information and collaborate with other UC Libraries entities,

including:

● SILS Operations Team

● SILS Operations Subteams

● Common Knowledge Groups, as applicable

● Shared Service Teams, as applicable

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SILS Digital Collections Project Team: Charge

Time commitment and expectations

The Digital Collections Project Team is charged to carry out this work between January and June 30,

2022. The team will hold monthly or bi-monthly virtual meetings to carry out their charge, with

additional ad-hoc meetings as needed. The total estimated commitment per member for systemwide

activities will range from 3 hours per week (.075 FTE) to 5 hours per week (.125 FTE).

Roster and required expertise/membership

The SILS Digital Collections Project Team is an expertise-based group, composed of approximately 5

campus members and a CDL member. Team members will be knowledgeable of the following work

areas:

● UC Libraries digital repositories, content management platforms and content/collections;

● Creation and management of digital objects (e.g., images, texts, audio and video) and associated

workflows;

● Descriptive, structural and administrative metadata standards and associated protocols,

including those used to facilitate resource discovery and the execution of search queries.

The project team’s chair will be selected by the membership.

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RLF Configuration Project Team: Charge

The RLFs hold a significant portion of the physical collections of the UC Libraries. Over 400 monographs

and journal articles are delivered to patrons every day from the RLFs. Understanding how the fourteen

million items in the RLF collection should best be managed in the Systemwide ILS (SILS) will need to be

determined shortly after implementation, in 2022.

To investigate the best way to configure RLF materials in the SILS, an RLF Configuration Project Team

(RCPT) will carry out an analysis and make recommendations to the SILS Operations Team.

Charge

The RCPT will:

1. Broadly investigate how RLF collection records could be managed in the SILS environment:

a. Keeping in mind these three possible approaches:

i. Bibs, HLDG and item records are managed in the host campus Institution Zone (IZ)

ii. Bib, HLDG and item records are managed in an RLF-only IZ

iii. Bib, HLDG and item records are managed in the IZ of the original depositing

library

b. And keeping in mind key elements of RLF context:

i. Single copy policy

ii. Persistence Policy

iii. New inventory management system (implemented spring 2020)

2. Incorporate information from the informal interviews that were conducted with like consortia

(using Alma and an off site facility with deposits from multiple members that circulate to all

members)

3. Create a series of questions for campuses re: their expectations for RLF functionality in a SILS in

areas including statistics, discovery, holdings maintenance, ease of duplicate checking, resource

sharing, etc

4. In consultation with stakeholders, understand work required to support the different approaches

5. Guided by interview results, timelines and survey results, and informed by overall SILS

implementation discussions, issue a recommendation for RLF configuration which may be

phased.

6. Make a recommendation to the SILS Operations Team regarding how to manage campus records

that duplicate RLF records

7. Working in coordination with SILS operations teams to avoid redundant effort, determine any

other RLF-related issues that need to be discussed and determined related to RLF records in a

SILS environment, including but not limited to:

a. Holdings statements consolidation

b. Who is responsible for low level records? Or general record upgrading?

Date Finalized: 23-Jun-21 1 of 3

c. What decisions need to be made now to support a more efficient and streamlined RLF

implementation?

d. Statistics

Deliverable

● Final report and recommendations to be completed by fall 2022 and submitted to the SILS

Operations Team; additional review and endorsement will be required from SILS Leadership

Group, DOC, CoUL and SLFB, in that order.

Functional expertise needed for members

● RLF management

● Cataloging

● Access Services

● Information Technology

● Operations

● Public Services perspective

● Shared Print/Shared Print Collection Management Strategies

Other membership considerations

● Multiple staff from Alma campuses

● Depositors from non -host campuses

● Northern and Southern coverage

Members

● Cathy Martyniak (Co-Chair, SRLF, RLF management)

● Lynne Grigsby (Co-Chair, UCB, IT functionality)

● Sarah Koller (Davis, Operations, Alma)

● Linda Michelle Weinberger (Irvine, ILL/Fulfillment, Alma)

● Anna Striker (CDL, Shared Print)

● Hermine Vermeij (UCLA, Cataloging)

● David Eifler (UCB, Public Services and Curator)

Timeline and commitment

● This work initially commenced in January 2020; this specific charge will begin in January 2022,

with the commencement of the UCLAS-integrated SILS governance and operations structure

● Complete work by the end of fall 2022

● Bi-weekly meetings

● Average weekly time commitment of 2 to 3 hours for members (more for co-chairs)

Reporting line and communication

● Reports to the SILS Operations Team

Date Finalized: 23-Jun-21 2 of 3

● Due to the complexity of this effort, a project champion will be assigned to support the work of

the RCPT team. Erik Mitchell has been selected to act as project champion due to his status as a

former RLF Director and the UC San Diego University Librarian. He will not be a member of the

RCPT but will be kept apprised of the work of the team and will coordinate with the co-chairs to

clear roadblocks as needed.

● Consults with RLF staff and leadership; the SILS Operations Team and appropriate subteams; the

Shared Library Facilities Board (SLFB); Campuses and CDL (Implementation Coordinators) as

necessary; Ex Libris via the SILS Service Manager; Systemwide Print Collection Management

Strategies Working Group

● Communication technology: SLACK, Confluence, Google Drive

Date Finalized: 23-Jun-21 3 of 3