RFI SJVLS 16-001: Library Management System
Purpose
San Joaquin Valley Library System (SJVLS or System) is seeking responses from qualified vendors for a library management system (LMS) capable of supporting a 10-member, 111-location consortium of public libraries. SJVLS previously issued an RFI in 2011 for a next generation integrated library system. At that point, none of the commercial options was a good fit for SJVLS, but the Evergreen open source software, while not ready at that time, showed promise. A test of the Evergreen system with sample SJVLS data ran for 9 months, after which SJVLS made plans to migrate to Evergreen. An RFP for migration to and support of Evergreen was issued in April 2015. Awarding a contract from that RFP is on hold, pending a fresh look at the commercial options. The intent of this RFI is to determine if any commercial LMS is competitive with Evergreen in migration/support costs and in the ability to meet consortia operational needs. If such systems are identified through this RFI, SJVLS will invite those vendors to respond to a full RFP.
Background
SJVLS serves the public library systems of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Mariposa, and Tulare counties, and the city/district libraries of Coalinga-Huron, Porterville, and Tulare. In all, SJVLS represents 10 library jurisdictions and 111 individual library locations including large urban, medium city/suburban, and small, isolated rural libraries. Two new locations are in progress and a third is planned. [See http://www.sjvls.org “Find a SJVLS Library” for a map of branch locations.] SJVLS has a long history of sharing a single LMS and of actively sharing the majority of its library resources. SJVLS attempts to provide the member libraries with services that can be performed more economically as a consortium than as individual libraries.
KEY DATES
| RFP Issue Date: | September 16, 2015 |
| Vendor Teleconference: | October 8, 2015 at 10:00AM (PDT) |
| Teleconference Results Posted: | October 9, 2015 at 4:00 PM (PDT) |
| Deadline for Requests for Interpretations or Corrections of RFP: | October 16, 2015 at 4:00 PM (PDT) |
| Response to Questions Posted: | October 19, 2015 |
| RFP Closing Date: | October 29, 2015 at 3:00PM (PDT) |