MATERIAL MATTERS
U N I Q U E
M A N A G E M E N T
Volume 6, Issue 2
S E R V I C E S ,
Library Specialists
I N C .
Fall 2003
Message from the President
Avoiding the Migration Migraine
Lyle J. Stucki
O
the migration process. Although the document focuses prine of the most nerve racking operational challenges
marily on how the migration will affect material recovery, our
many of our customers face is selecting and migrating
customers often comment that it is helpful in all areas of
to a new integrated library system. Moving large, interthe migration. In addition, our technical staff is
related data bases from an old operating system
available as a resource to assist library and
to a new one is often an expensive, time
We have learned
vendor staff in working through the chalconsuming adventure that can send even
a great deal about
lenges that are specific to each software. In
the most seasoned IT manager screaming
how to facilitate
other words, we can help you avoid “wheel
into the night with a severe migraine.
the process.
re-invention.”
The process can require enormous amounts of
library resources and staff time. The process is, by its very
Here are comments we have heard from customers going
character, time consuming and fraught with peril. Of course,
through recent migrations:
careful planning is absolutely essential. The consequences of
From Martha Pitchford, deputy administrator of the
each action must be thoroughly anticipated. And, a missed
Lakeland
Library Cooperative in Walker, Michigan:
step can cause delays, data corruption, downtime, and lost
service to patrons. We have learned that with careful plan“While each system works differently, I cannot emphasize
ning, migration downtime for processing overdue accounts
enough
the need to work with Unique, the current vendor,
can be minimized to about a month.
and the new vendor to make the migration go as smooth as
possible. For example, when working with a migration from
For UMS’ customers, one of the most costly effects of
the old vendor to the new vendor, it is very helpful to know
migration downtime is the increased loss of materials and
to include the last activity date for the patrons in the migrafines revenue. That is because our patron contact ceases until
tion. By including it, the process of selecting those patrons to
the migration is complete and the library can resume submitting data files to UMS from the new system – the longer the
be sent or excluded is much easier.”
downtime, the greater the library’s loss. Even though we will
And, from Kathy Ransom, circulation manager at Carmel
process many of those accounts after migration, recovery rates
Clay Public Library in Carmel, Indiana:
will suffer because time has lapsed.
“
”
The good news is that our experience can give you an
advantage. Having worked with dozens of libraries through
migrations to various software vendors, we have learned a
great deal about how to facilitate the process, reduce material-recovery downtime, and get your system back on line
faster. In addition, UMS has formed strategic partnerships
with most of the major software vendors and can often work
with them to help the process run more smoothly. For example, we have worked very closely with Dynix technical staff
and they have been great in helping think through, plan and
implement a smooth transition of collection account information. Things work well when the library, software vendor, and
Unique technical staff work as a team.
One of the tools we have developed for our customers is
a detailed checklist to guide you through the major steps of
“Unique was very helpful during our migration. They
gave us time lines and resources that made the process go
smoother. They also gave us a report of existing accounts
from their system that allowed us to accurately re-create
these accounts in our new system.”
Those are just a couple of examples of comments we
hear from customers. Even if your library is not currently a
Unique client, we would be happy to share with you our software migration checklist. You might get some ideas that will
help. If you are currently a Unique client, please let us know,
as soon as possible if you are thinking about migrating to
another software. We want to help you make the process as
painless as possible and hopefully avoid a potential “migration
migraine.” As always, we appreciate the opportunity to work
with and serve our clients.
MATERIAL MATTERS
Page
Page22
Can We Fix It?
Bert A. Lumetta
Customer Service Specialist
O
ne of my three-year-old son’s
favorite programs is a show titled
“Bob the Builder®.” It is a show about
clay animated and humanized construction equipment led by Bob and his
partner, Wendy. It is also a show that
might be very familiar to many libraries
around the USA and Canada. If you are
currently surrounded by people in hard
hats and steel-toe boots, you have company.
In 2001, more than 80 new public
library buildings opened. UMS’ clients
that are currently completing, or have
just completed building projects include:
Akron-Summit County Public Library,
Skokie Public Library, San Jose Public
Library/San Jose State University
Library, Seattle Public Library, Cherry
Hill Free Public Library, West Des
Moines Public Library, The Urbana Free
Library, and Massillon Public Library, just
to name a few. (In future articles, we
would like to feature new library construction or renovation. Please let us know of
your completed construction or renovation
project and we will celebrate with you.)
Even in the midst of widespread
budget cuts, the need for additional service is evident. It is a well-known fact that
when the economy is down, library usage
goes up. This presents an interesting challenge for libraries that are so heavily
dependent on the tides of the economy.
How can libraries provide the service
needed to a growing patron base when
funds are scarce?
Here at Unique Management
Services, we know that we can help.
When libraries do everything that they
can to protect community resources, it
resonates well with taxpayers and exemplifies sound stewardship. Our service has
been a great benefit to many library budgets. Even though only about 1% of a
library’s patrons will ever come over to
us, that 1% can dramatically affect the
library’s ability to provide services and
materials to the other 99% of its patrons.
As usage goes up, it is inevitable that
libraries will lose more material and incur
more cost unless there is a process in
place to recover non-returned items after
the library does all it can do internally.
Our service is budget friendly so that
each of our clients can free up budgeted
dollars for other costs including that
expansion or renovation that is desperately needed. For most libraries our service
actually produces revenue, an added benefit to getting material back.
With a limping economy and
increased patron usage, libraries can
expect to feel the need to expand. The
role of public libraries is very important,
How can libraries
“
provide the service needed to a
growing patron base when
funds are scarce?
”
even in a digital information age. There are
numbers to back this up. In 2002, the ALA
commissioned a study by KRC Research
& Consulting titled “@ your library™:
Attitudes Toward Public Libraries.” About
1,000 adult Americans were questioned in
a national random-sample telephone survey
conducted March 8-11, 2002. Part of the
survey sought to gauge public perceptions
of libraries. It found that:
• 91 percent believe libraries are changing and dynamic places with a variety
of activities for the whole family;
• 90 percent believe libraries are places
of opportunity for education, self-help
and offer free access to all;
• 88 percent agreed libraries are unique
because you have access to nearly
everything on the Web or in print, as
well as personal service and assistance
in finding it;
• 83 percent believe free people need free
libraries; and libraries and librarians play
an essential role in our democracy and
are needed now more than ever; and
• 81 percent agreed that librarians are
techno-savvy and on the forefront of
the Information Age.
Most people recognize the
importance of libraries. Change and
growth are necessary in order to continue
to meet customer expectations and needs.
Bulldozers and cranes seen at many libraries
are proof to that fact. The benefit that
libraries provide to communities is immeasurable. Unique Management Services will
continue to help libraries recover valuable
materials so that limited budget dollars can
be used for things other than replacing
non-returned items, like that new furniture
to replace the 1960’s era plastic, multi-colored chairs.
Like millions of children around the
USA and Canada, Unique Management’s
answer to Bob the Builder’s question,
“can we fix it?” is most certainly, “Yes we
can!” We can ease you library’s budget
by helping you recover material and fines
while maintaining patron goodwill.
Some services that Unique
Management has developed to help
libraries with tight budgets are our
Overdue Notice/Bill service and our
Small Balance program.
Overdue Notice/Bill Service
When a library uses our Overdue
Notice/Bill service they would simply
send us a file with notice and bill information and we would take care of the
rest. No more monopolizing the printer
or creating mailing lists or even stuffing
and sealing envelopes. With our bulk rate
discounts that we receive for sending so
many pieces of mail, we are able to keep
this service very affordable for libraries. In
most cases it can be a cost cutting benefit. A minimum number of weekly notices
must be sent to use this service.
Small Balance Program
Another budget saving service that
we have developed is our Small Balance
program. We have learned that the balance amounts from $10 to $25 represent
a large portion of unrecoverable cost for
libraries. These accounts slip through the
cracks and sit in a library’s database
untouchable. We also know that it would
not be cost effective to pursue these
accounts through Unique Management’s
normal collection service so we have
developed this program to recover those
fines and materials while still maintaining
a positive return on the library’s investment. Accounts in this service are
processed through the Small Balance program at a reduced price so that the
library can recover those materials and
fines while creating another source of revenue that previously was not there. We
recognize that with balances in this range
it is very important to communicate with
patrons in an extremely gentle manner.
The contact with patrons in this program
have been made even more gentle than
our normal service so that patron goodwill is maintained whenever possible.
If you would like to learn more
about the services that Unique
Management offers, including our
Overdue Notice/Bill and Small Balance
services, please contact your Customer
Service Account Specialist or Dick Neal
at 800-879-5453.
MATERIAL MATTERS
Fun Quotes
“You see, I don’t believe that
libraries should be drab places
where people sit in silence, and
that’s been the main reason for
our policy of employing wild animals as librarians.”
- from Monty Python
“Do not use a hatchet to remove
a fly from your friend’s forehead.”
- Chinese Proverb
“People can lose their lives in
libraries. They ought to be
warned.”
- Saul Bellow
“There is not such a cradle of
democracy upon the earth as the
Free Public Library, this republic
of letters, where neither rank,
office, nor wealth receives the
slightest consideration.”
- Andrew Carnegie
“When your work speaks for itself,
don’t interrupt.”
- Henry J. Kaiser
“You can’t build a reputation on
what you are going to do.”
- Henry Ford
“A smooth sea never made a
skilled mariner.”
- English Proverb
“Never go to a doctor whose
office plants have died.”
- Erma Bombeck
“Two trucks loaded with a thousand copies of Roget’s Thesaurus
collided as they left a New York
publishing house last week,
according to the Associated Press.
Witnesses were stunned, startled,
aghast, taken aback, stupefied,
appalled, surprised, shocked
and rattled.”
-From Alan Schlein, sent to
Marylaine Block
Page 3
Cleaning Up
Drew Morgan
Customer Service Specialist
M
any of the customers that utilize Unique Management
Services, Inc. as their material recovery service are
The clean
aware of our cost effective and gentle approach to returning materials around 60 days overdue to the library. What up is a cost effective
many may not be aware of is that Unique Management
means to pursue
also has a cost effective way to help our clients recover
severely long overdue
those materials that are even longer overdue. We refer to
accounts.
this as a Clean-Up because one of the benefits is to
“cleanse” the libraries system of older stagnant accounts.
Here is how it works:
UMS offers a one-time clean up that allows the library to send
long overdue accounts up to three years past due. The clean up file is extremely easy to
generate using the collection agency module. The library simply sets the date limit back
to the time frame they chose and a file is created the next time a new patron file is run.
This file will contain all accounts qualifying for the one time clean up. This service provides the library with a means of generating additional revenue through a one-time
submittal of accounts. If the number of accounts to be processed is substantial, they may
be submitted on a staggered schedule. For those libraries that send accounts to Unique
Management by another method than a collection module, older accounts can be submitted easily as well.
UMS agrees to process these older accounts for the same price/fees utilized for the
library’s regular collection accounts.
Our current guarantee to the library will remain in effect for the clean up accounts,
even though they will be more than 60 days past due, as long as all of the other parameters remain the same.
The clean up is a cost effective means to pursue severely long overdue accounts.
Additionally, the library will be generating a positive revenue flow since a majority of
these accounts settle in cash.
The one time clean up is an effective way to clear the library data base of patrons that
have blocks placed on their records, there by increasing circulation since these patrons are
able to use their cards again.
“
”
“The clean-up process has been extremely smooth for us so far. We sent our clean-up
file to UMS on July 11, 2003. We were afraid there wouldn’t be much response from
our patrons, but we have already seen a great response from these accounts. Last Saturday
alone, we received two checks that totaled well over a hundred dollars. This is money we
never would have seen without doing a clean-up with UMS.”
- Libby Pollard
Assistant Director
New Albany-Floyd County Public Library
Please contact your Customer Service Specialist for more information regarding
sending older accounts. Call at 800-879-5453 or visit us online at www.unique-mgmt.com.
If you have comments, suggestions, questions or if you would like to be added to
our mailing list, please contact us! We look forward to hearing from you.
By phone – 800-879-5453
By mail – 119 East Maple Street, Jeffersonville, IN 47130.
By computer – [email protected] or
the “Contact Us” page of our website: www.unique-mgmt.com
MATERIAL MATTERS
Page 4
Skiptracing…
Sometimes, even good addresses go bad!
Ed Siewert, Director of Operations, and Michael Iacovazzi, Contact Center Manager
E
our Contact Specialists are trained to effectively and respectfully
veryday, thousands of families throughout North America
verify contact information when they are speaking with a
relocate to new residences, which means the
patron on the phone that has a bad address. The
addresses and phone numbers that libraries have
combination of all of these efforts provides
on file may not be the most recent. In
Unique has
libraries with many good addresses for their
today’s fast paced world, it is difficult to
dedicated an important part of patrons.
keep track of patron location information.
Every month, we provide each library
Some may have relocated to follow a
our service to skiptracing.
with a Change of Address Report. This
career path, some may have moved for
allows libraries to update patron account inforeducational reasons, and others to be closer to
mation in their systems. There are many reasons why
a loved one. Whatever the reason may be, one who
it is important for libraries to update this information, some of
travels leaves a past behind – and often a trail of contact informawhich include marketing purposes, sending overdue/bill notices,
tion as well.
postcards, and for making phone calls regarding book orders. In
How many patrons inform you when they are going to
addition, having the correct address and phone number will
move to a different address, or when they change their teleimprove communication and maintain patron goodwill. The earliphone number? In most cases this information is not
er patrons are made aware of their overdue materials, the more
communicated. Because contacting your patrons is very imporlikely they will be to return valuable materials.
tant to ensure that they are aware of the status of their account,
On that note, it is important that library staff members verUnique has dedicated an important part of our service to skipify patron information on a regular basis. Some unique ways
tracing – locating library patrons who have relocated.
that our clients find good addresses include:
When a patron account becomes overdue and is sent to
• Requiring an annual renewal of library cards.
Unique, it does not always have the correct address and phone
• Requiring a recent utility bill in addition to a picture ID to
number. Therefore, we send all of the accounts that we receive
verify address.
through the National Change of Address (NCOA) database for
• Mailing new library cards instead of issuing them at the desk
verification. Of the nearly 80,000 accounts that we send each
to insure the correct address is on file. One library mentioned
month through NCOA we receive approximately 7,000 new
how surprised they were by the number of cards they received
addresses. That is over 8% of accounts for which we obtain new
in return mail because the address the patron provided was wrong.
addresses. Our goal is to obtain the necessary information to
• Working with a local business to mail a postcard to all patrons
make contact with the patron, which leads to the recovery of
to announce services offered. This library was able to verify
more materials and fees and provides the library with up-to-date
the addresses in their system by getting return mail for all bad
information. In many cases, we will have a good phone number
addresses, which many times had a new address. The local
and a bad address or vice versa. The use of letters and phone
business paid for the mailing and got wonderful recognition
calls together is very important in getting patrons to clear their
for helping the library promote their services.
balances because our experience has taught us that patrons
We encourage libraries to use the monthly Change of
respond positively to this combination of communication. In
Address Report to update patron records in their systems. It is
addition to NCOA, we search multiple national databases to
also important to notify UMS of any other new patron informaobtain addresses and phone numbers. For accounts that are
tion such as name or card number changes. Feel free to contact
known to have incorrect addresses or phone numbers, we
Dick Neal or your Customer Service Specialist for more inforobtain new addresses for over 15% and new phone numbers for
mation – or visit us at www.unique-mgmt.com.
about 10% of those accounts. In addition to our skiptracing services,
“
”
As Easy as 1,2,3
Jonathan Hayes, Senior Sales Representative, and
Dick Neal Sr., Manager of Strategic Partnerships
O
ne feature of our service that many libraries appreciate is
the electronic and seamless transmission of patron data.
Modules available from software vendors as well as interfaces
here at UMS, allow this process to take place. Even at libraries
where a module may not be an option, for whatever reason, data
can still be transferred in a streamlined manner. We have started
over 520 libraries across the US and Canada and have accumulated significant amounts of experience in the area of electronic
data transmission.
Occasionally, library staff may think that such an automated
process would take large amounts of time to implement. The
truth of the matter is, in most cases, libraries can be up and run-
ning in a very short amount of time. After a brief presentation
of UMS’services by a sales representative and a signed agreement,
the library is assigned to our Customer Service Department.
At this point there are basically three steps that take place.
1) A customer service specialist would help the library complete
the implementation preparations. 2) A technical setup call is
completed to establish transmission procedures, usually through
a module. 3) The procedure is tested to confirm set up and then
the process begins. UMS would provide training to ensure that
library staff is comfortable with the entire process. In some cases,
these steps can be completed in less than three weeks!
(continued on page 5)
MATERIAL MATTERS
Page 5
As Easy as 1,2,3
(continued from page 4 )
This interactive reference service is a partnership
of the Brisbane City Council Library Service,
Queensland Australia; Richland County Public
Library, South Carolina, USA; and Somerset
County Council Libraries, Arts and Information
Service, United Kingdom.
Do Frogs Have Teeth?
RCPL Part of First Global Reference Service
Chris Whorton
Customer Service Specialist
P
ublic libraries strive to provide services that excel in ingenuity, elevate
education, and exceed patrons’ expectations. The Richland County Public
Library in Columbia, SC has done precisely this with the Answers Now reference service, a partnership with a library in Australia and a library in the UK.
David Warren the Executive Director of RCPL said, “This connection allows
the three libraries to truly become global resources of information in a unique,
innovative way.”
“Answers Now-All The Time, Across The World,” went live on November
4th, 2002, making it the first 24/7 library global reference service. The
Richland County Public Library established a sister library relationship with
the Brisbane City Council Library Service in Queensland, Australia. As the
libraries discussed better ways to serve their communities, the development
of a 24-hour reference service began. A third library joined, Somerset County
Council Libraries, Art and Information Service in the United Kingdom, joined
to make the service more feasible.
Padgett S. Lewis, the Public Relations Manager of RCPL said, “Because of
the differences in our time zones, each library could staff the service for an 8hour segment of the day, enabling us to provide a 24 hour reference service to
library users in all three areas.”
The population from all three countries benefiting from this service exceeds
1,717,850 people. The service has been operating for just under a year and
there have been 3,980 questions asked and answered so far. The mission of
the Richland County Public Library is to meet the citizens’ needs for reading,
learning and information. Partnering with libraries around the world is one of
RCPL’s many methods to fulfill that mission.
Some actual questions posed around the world on the Answers Now site are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Where can I buy orthotic splints in Brisbane?
Can you help me locate information on currency in Croatia?
Can you help me with ideas for science fair projects?
Who is the U.S. Consul in the Moscow Embassy?
Where is gold found in Australia?
Is coffee consumption increasing worldwide?
And of course …
• Do frogs have teeth?
To access the library’s Answers Now service go to
http://www.richland.lib.sc.us/ and click on the logo as seen below.
answers now
all the time. across the world.
We understand the importance to
libraries to be up and running quickly. The
sooner the library is sending patron
accounts, the sooner the overdue items will
begin to re-circulate. We are aware of one
library that lost around $250,000 worth
of materials and fines every year. In other
words, $700 was leaving the library every
day. With outstanding amounts at this
level, it is easy to see why a prompt start up
is greatly appreciated and beneficial!
Library staff time is precious. A
prompt set-up and start, as well as maintaining a smooth process are critical. A
collection agency module allows the library
to send/update patron accounts automatically as part of day end processing. The
module looks through the system for
patrons who meet certain criteria. That list
of patrons is automatically emailed to UMS.
Patrons are contacted with a series of gentle
letters and calls encouraging them to return
the items to the library. As patrons come
back to the library and pay fines/fees as
well as return materials, the module automatically tracks what comes back and
provides an update to UMS for the patron
accounts. UMS has personnel available to
answer any questions that a library might
raise. Detailed monthly reports are provided
to the library to highlight results and ensure
that the entire process is easily managed.
Library staff will have the opportunity of
checking in overdue materials and receiving
patron payments instead of having to spend
time pursuing patrons with overdue items
and trying to explain to others why materials have not been returned.
The Burlingame Public Library recently
started our 90-day no-risk trial. They are a
great example of a quick and smooth implementation and start up. The implementation
preparations took place in late June 2003.
The technical set-up, testing, and training
took place in the following weeks. The
library was up and running with the service
by mid July 2003.
We understand the needs of libraries
and have developed a comprehensive service to meet those needs. UMS offers a
90-day no-risk trial, which allows libraries
to send accounts on a no risk basis to
measure the effectiveness of the processes
described above. If the library is not completely satisfied with the service, nothing
would be owed for patron accounts
processed during the trial. We encourage
libraries to visit our website at
www.unique-mgmt.com or call 1-800879-5453 to learn more about how our
material recovery service can help.
Page 6
MATERIAL MATTERS
A New Unique Library!
R
Silicon Valley. It will offer access to the collections of a major
university along with the resources of the city’s main library
and its 17 branches. The library will meet the learning needs
of people of every age, culture, ability, and income level.
To all that were involved in this unique venture, we
would like to say congratulations.
For more information, please visit the library’s website at
http://www.sjlibrary.org.
119 E. Maple St.
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
Unique Management Services, Inc.
ecently a new Library opened in California. It is what we
like to call a Unique library because they are one (actually they will be two) of our clients. However, there is another
reason why this new library can be considered “unique.”
This is the new Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. It is
a collaboration of the City of San José and San José State
University, integrating the operations of the main public
library and the university library. They describe themselves as
“the largest, all-new library west of the Mississippi, an innovative collaboration which has created an invaluable community
resource open and free to all. A feast for the mind, as well as
the eyes, the King Library boasts a collection of roughly 1.5
million items as well as delightful public art installations
awaiting your discovery on every floor.”
San José Public Library has been a client of Unique
Management since 1997. The San José State University
Library will start service in the near future.
The alliance of these two library systems is the culmination of a seven-year, joint development effort between the
City of San José, San José State University and the San José
Redevelopment Agency. It is the first library in the nation to
be funded, managed and operated by a city and a major university.
The 475,000-square-foot library is an expansive, lifelong
learning center and will serve as an information hub for the
residents, students and faculty, employers and employees of