This issue of Online Update is dedicated to all things Advantage.
SCLS Advantage – Follow up to the May 19, 2022 All Directors Meeting
SCLS will convene a meeting June 15, 10 am - 11:30 am to discuss Advantage. We intend to cover money options, background, Individual Advantage Accounts, and voting.
Members will need to register for the Zoom webinar that will be recorded.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEld-qoqTkqGtBB2pjbCd86jIFwJc80cFRm
Melody Clark of WILS and WPLC Project Manager will attend to answer questions.
Marty Van Pelt and Jean Anderson will participate in the meeting also.
An Excel spreadsheet with 4 pricing options can be found here: https://www.scls.info/sites/www.scls.info/files/documents/file-sets/190/2023-draft-advantage-fees-options-revised-05-17-22_0.xlsx
Members can look up their individual library’s annual fee on the spreadsheet. Members can use the spreadsheets to put in any total amount to test scenarios. To do this, simply replace the yellow highlighted cell under the label of 2023 SCLS Total. The spreadsheet will instantly recalculate every library’s portion.
Voting to confirm the amount for the 2023 Advantage account will be offered after the June 15 meeting. Voting will be 1 vote for each library and electronic. Voting will be open from June 15 at noon to June 21 9:00 pm. A simple majority of the most popular option will be chosen as the final decision. The options will be $15,000, $20,000 or $30,000. Reminders will be sent out throughout the voting period. The decision will be sent via email to all SCLS Library Directors.
The final 2023 Advantage account vote for fees based on the approved amount will occur at the July 21, 2022 All Directors meeting. This is intended to be via weighted voting as in the past.
Please submit any questions here: https://forms.gle/2FKEURb6AqjZJ3H69
We will collect them and share answers as we get them.
History
SCLS is a member of the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) http://www.wplc.info/
Only systems can be members of WPLC and must pay a membership fee. This fee covers the platform and management of the statewide digital buying pool aka OverDrive. In 2023 this fee will be $6,953. SCLS allocates $6,000 to SCIDs for Advantage also.
https://www.scls.info/committees/wplc.html
SCLS Advantage titles can only be checked out by users with a library card from a SCLS member library. It is not open to other systems or the statewide digital pool.
SCLS members have been supporting a SCLS Advantage account since 2014. Each year members have been asked how much they wish to fund and for the last nine years it has been $20,000. It should be noted that this is considered a minimum. Members can add more throughout the year and they do! SCLS Foundation has also contributed money.
The Advantage program was discussed at the May 16, 2019 All Directors Meeting
https://www.scls.info/committees/all-directors/2019-05-16
Please visit the links and minutes for more background which includes PowerPoint presentations: OverDrive Advantage Preliminary Hold Analysis and OverDrive (this includes statistics).
Individual Advantage Account
SCLS will allow its member libraries to set up individual Advantage accounts with the following rules:
- Libraries with individual Advantage accounts may only purchase additional copies of materials accessible by all SCLS libraries. This is supported by the LINKcat policy that items restricted to an individual library’s patrons can not appear in LINKcat.
- Libraries with individual Advantage accounts will continue to contribute to the system’s OverDrive and Advantage programs as full system members.
Individual Advantage Account Set Up
Member submits a request to SCLS with:
Library Name:
Contact Name associated with the Advantage account:
Email Address that will be connected to the Advantage account:
SCLS approves the request and notifies WILS with the library information.
WILS & an OverDrive customer representative will contact the member library to set up an account. There is a $250.00 minimum which will be applied as a credit to content. OverDrive can provide additional training plus their Resource Center has live trainings on various topics plus archived on demand recordings to get familiar with Marketplace. https://resources.overdrive.com/library/upcoming-webinars
The plan is to make all members comfortable in their knowledge of the Advantage program going forward.