Purpose

The reason for this decision is so that:
• City of Doncaster Council’s Culture Services will
achieve direct benefits by shaping the market and achieve savings
on its most expensive annual item of expenditure, its customer and
stock database (library management system, LMS). The current
system,
which is provided by Axiell, currently costs £57,000 per
annum on a 4 + 2 year contract. A consortium approach will reduce
this by at least third.
• 14 other Local Authorities will derive the same or similar
benefits.
• End users will receive enhanced library services, e.g. to be
able to search one catalogue across 15 Local Authority library
services. Residents in Doncaster will be able to request library
books from Hull, York, Leeds etc., and much more cost effectively
than the current
Inter library loan system.
• There are examples of other consortiums for library
management systems in other areas of the UK operation effectively
(e.g. South East Library Management System – SELMS).
• No other Local Authority library service head of service has
identified capacity within an LA to achieve the outcomes sought. As
I am a rep who represented Libraries Connected previously as a
member of the national executive committee working on the UK
libraries digital offer, I am a representative with the necessary
skills and experience to drive this change forwards, and with
capacity to do so.

Content

To receive up to £40,000 from Libraries
Connected to pay for the salary costs and administrative costs for
a Project Manager post, part-time and for 12 months. The post
holder will develop a framework for a Library Management System
across the Yorkshire and Humber region, ready to implement from
June 2024 onwards.
The Project Manager’s exact working hours are to be
determined, dependent on a grade evaluation by HR; the amount of
salary required to meet the grade will then determine the number of
hours the fixed budget can pay for.