The TRAILS Consortium is seeking, in partnership with the Montana University System and associated campuses, a contractor to provide the Shared Library Management System specified herein. The Consortium seeks to support systems-enabled resource sharing and collaboration among Montana academic libraries. Through this RFP, the Consortium seeks a vendor and a next-generation system to help realize this sharing and collaboration, the end goal being improved efficiencies in operations, improved staff usability, and improved end-user services. Because we expect to consider new systems and approaches, this RFP is intentionally broad in scope and focused on outcomes rather than detailed functional requirements. Respondents are strongly encouraged to respond with functional details and to convey how their service would work in a shared environment to achieve improved user services, cost efficiency, and potential for increased cooperative work as well as the other outcomes described in the RFP. The TRAILS Consortium is seeking a qualified vendor to provide the necessary software, implementation, and training services for this implementation. The TRAILS consortium’s objectives in seeking this management solution are: • Improve the user experience for students, faculty, and other campus users who interact with the Shared Library Management System. • Lower Shared Library Management System licensing and support costs for the system. • Create a more seamless experience for library visitors seeking materials across Montana academic libraries. • Facilitate seamless academic collaborations, including material and record sharing across the Consortium. • Receive robust vendor support for implementation and ongoing maintenance and training for the solution.
