Please submit it here: https://forms.gle/TK8rw1KDzUqjv9KT6
 

They can be contacted at: imms-training-team@multco.us
 

Previous Questions have been documented and answered here in this explainer document.
 

The Intelligent Materials Management System (IMMS) is a database and tracking system that monitors physical materials in the library. The IMMS database connects directly with Symphony to track items in real time. IMMS is able to route individual items where they are needed based on rules we set up. There is a web-based portal and a mobile application. IMMS works in conjunction with Symphony and AMH to route items in real time throughout the system.

IMMS will help automate the balancing of our collections, sending items where there is space and a need in real time. As we maximize space for people in our libraries, we need to dynamically manage our collections across the system. IMMS allows us to do that automatically, while still allowing staff to curate what types of items will fill a location’s collection. The Isom collection at the Library Operations Center will be used as a “media hotel” to store items for holds fulfillment and to refill collections gaps in public locations (see What is a "media hotel"?).

After an item is scanned (either by AMH or manually) IMMS uses a list of parameters/questions selected by MCL to route the item. IMMS works with our current RFID tags on items (as well as with tags on crates, book trucks, and locations) to track where items are throughout the system. This allows it to quickly and efficiently route items to where there is space and a need for the item. The parameters can be changed by library staff. For example, if a location already has two copies of a book on the shelf, and a third is checked in, IMMS could route the third copy to another location that does not have one. Different parameters can be set on system or location levels based on our needs. Because IMMS keeps track of items in transit, we are able to use batch check in of all delivery items with IMMS.
 

Yes, Symphony is a database. The IMMS database will connect directly to Symphony and give us enhanced item tracking capabilities. 

IMMS will not have access to any patron information. IMMS only accesses and stores item information.

IMMS can access that a hold exists on an item, and where that hold needs to be routed. IMMS does not access patron data.

Before IMMS goes live MCL will map the physical spaces in all libraries and assign each bay of shelving a physical length and a group of items that can be shelved there. IMMS will keep track of the items on those shelves, and route items to where there is space to shelve them. Locations will be able to adjust shelving maps as needs change. IMMS calculates the width of books based on page counts in Symphony, or uses a default width size based on the type of material.

The Collection Advancement Project is working with locations throughout the bond timeline to set up initial collection profiles. Once the bond work is over, location staff, regional librarians, selectors and the collection manager will continue to work together to meet the collection needs of our community. Once IMMS is implemented, locations will be able to update location maps and needs in consultation with the regional librarian.

Yes, IMMS will allow us to share our collection system wide as well as share parts of our collection within groups of locations. For example, WYSL collections will be shared among libraries that serve those communities. An auto-rotation feature also allows us to rotate stale items which should prevent pooling of low circulating inventory. IMMS allows us to be more intentional about sharing collections among locations. Much of the collection will be shared, but more decisions on specific collections and procedures for identifying exceptions that will remain fixed to a specific location need to be made. 

As part of moving to a shared collection, as of July 1st, 2024, new items will not have a location code on the spine label.

Benefits of moving to a shared collection include:

• With the bond projects there is less space in locations for our collections. Sharing will allow us to store and make use of an offsite collection.
• By sharing, we will have better, fresher, and more dynamic WSYL collections at the appropriate locations.
• More dynamic collections support patrons who don’t use Holds as often. 
• Sharing also allows us to cut down on materials movements. Items don’t have to take a trip if they’re a good fit at the returning branch.
• IMMS will automate collection rebalancing by assigning items where there is room for them. There will no longer be pooling or scarcity in locations.
• IMMS also takes into account the number of copies currently at a branch, if the branch has not had a title recently etc.
• Auto rotation will automatically move items that have been sitting for a long time at a single location to another location where patrons might want them.
• Materials movement will be reduced if items that fit the parameters of  the location to which they are returned remain where they are rather than being sent unnecessarily around the system. 
• Sharing allows all items in Ops Center to have the opportunity to circulate, nothing is considered too old to not belong in front of a patron.

There will be a number of ways to use IMMS to get the right results for your location’s collection, depending on the outcome that you are trying to achieve (whether that is more books on a specific subject, more books by certain authors, etc.) The first step will be to work with your regional librarian to identify the need and the possible solutions. These might include:

• Adjusting “item groupings” or other settings in IMMS,
• Using temporary or permanent displays,
• Fixing items to a branch, if they are needed to meet a specific and unique local community need.

Before doing any of this, however, it will be necessary to see what actually happens when we begin sharing materials across the system and using IMMS to control distribution - at some locations and in some parts of the collection, the make-up of the books on the shelf might be improved by the change to a shared collection.

A “media hotel” is a collection used for storage of items when there is no space at a public location. In the case of MCL, the media hotel will be at the Library Operations Center, and identified in Symphony as ISM, the Isom collection. These items will be used for hold fulfillment and to refill the shelves at locations. For example: if a class visit has reduced the number of green and blue readers at a branch below designated minimum levels, IMMS will automatically generate a list for Operations Center staff to pull green and blue readers to refill those shelves. If more readers come back and there is no more room at the branch, items may be routed back to the media hotel or to other locations that have space. IMMS also allows us to utilize Chaotic Storage at the Media Hotel if we need to further maximize space.

IMMS can track the lifecycle of items, including things like how long an item has been sitting on the shelf at a particular library. Throughout implementation and after go-live, we will be working with library staff to identify how IMMS can help with our current collection management processes. The ability to easily move items among different locations, and the availability of an off-site “media hotel” for less-used items will provide more options for how we manage the collection on a systemwide level. Weeding decisions will still need to be made by staff, but our processes for when and where these decisions are made may change with the implementation of IMMS.

IMMS will allow the collection to be more dynamic in public locations. IMMS will provide more granular data on collection usage that can enhance materials selection. IMMS will allow the library to be responsive to community changes; for example, by making it easier to shift WYSL items to a location to meet a new need in the area. Library staff will continue to use our current tools in collection development, as well as the enhanced reporting provided by IMMS in collection decisions. Location staff will still need to continually evaluate their location’s collection to make sure that it is meeting patron needs, and to identify areas where changes to IMMS settings are necessary.

In preparation for a shared collection, we are making changes to our spine labels. Starting July 1, 2024, new library materials (including books and media) will no longer include the location code of the “owning” library on the spine label. That section will be blank going forward. More info about this change on the Library Commons.

Items in cultural collections like Black Resource Collection (BRC) and Black Pacific NorthWest (BPNW) Collection have their local series marc tags also mapped to the Item Category 6 in Symphony. This Item Category is visible to  IMMS and will allow us to specifically monitor and control how items in these cultural collections are being handled. (For example, always being pushed to a branch rather than the Ops Center). We are still learning about the IMMS distribution strategies that can be applied to these collections. Once we know more, we can develop a proposal with more detail and get feedback on it from Equitable Collections and other stakeholders.

IMMS will not allow for year to year trend analysis without additional costs for storing and analyzing the data outside of IMMS. IMMS does keep data calculated over the course of a year and can use that data to respond to given actions we define. 
For example: when use of a given title drops below a certain threshold, we may adjust distribution of the title to fewer copies to each branch. If average use per copy drops even further, the system might suggest weeding some copies. These are all settings where we would determine the thresholds and outcomes and these strategies can be set at the title level or based on rules that we set up.

As a bond funded project, IMMS Implementation does not provide for any additional long term staffing. The IMMS Core Team has been passing feedback along to the Future Staffing Initiative to set expectations of changes IMMS may bring. For example: We know that we can expect temporary materials movement increases as a result of IMMS Implementation and in anticipation of this, materials handlers throughout the system will be briefed and ready. We will also do weeding and send overflow to OPs in the time leading up to Go Live to displace this work prior to the Go Live day.

Over the longer term, the library will have to assess what the change in movement volume looks like before responding. This is complicated by other factors right now. We already know that we have a disproportionate number of holds moving through the system and we know some locations have had their demand displaced to others during refresh projects that will still be active at IMMS Go Live. We will also need to understand the staff time saved through new processes such as our floating collection, increased batch check in and reducing the amount of shifting needed. 

After implementation, the EMT will need to  assess staffing needs based on the efficiency of the new workflows and the changed volume of items moving through the library.

Looking up an item in Symphony will show a placement string. This string indicates an item's exact position in Ops. 
For example, here is the Placement for item 31168000018588 

Which translates to Section B, Aisle 5, Bay 4, Shelf 4 of the Ops Center

The IMMS Project Team is working to develop new reporting to monitor the overall distribution of the collection, including what is pooling at the Ops Center. Reporting can be accessed here.
The overall evaluation of the collection will sit with the Collection Manager and the Systemwide Collection Management Team

IMMS device passcode format was developed alongside input and guidance from County IT and for the meantime will follow the format of Quarter/Year (EG 01/2025). Efforts on this development are documented here: Link 

Different locations will have different procedures for managing device sanitation. 
General guidelines for cleaning the IMMS Devices can be found here: Link 

This example provides an illustration of how IMMS will work once it is active.
In the simplified example below, there are 5 bays and each bay is assigned a range of call numbers. Each of these ranges is called an ‘Item Grouping’ in IMMS. 

Once IMMS is turned on, it will monitor that each bay is filled to a set percent of its capacity with the call numbers we want to see represented on that shelf.

For Example: In the diagram we can see that Bay 3 and Bay 4 are pretty empty. 

Assuming that no returns to the branch fill up those shelves by the end of the day, overnight IMMS  will create a picklist for these bays, and materials will be dispatched from the Ops Center to fill them out to the expected capacity. After Go Live this should allow for shelves to be kept at optimal capacity for day to day operations.

For Example: In the diagram we can see that Bay 1 is at full capacity. 

Let's imagine that this location then experiences a sudden glut of patron returns for items with the call number 150. IMMS should know that Bay 1 at this location is at capacity and direct these returns back to the Ops Center. 

However, in the event that it asks these returns to be put on Bay 1, it is important that we do not shift items with call numbers between 000 and 199.999 down onto Bay 2 where call number 200 begins. 

This is an occasion where we'd want to stop, assess the stock on Bay 1 and likely pick items from that shelf to send back to the Ops Center; as well as notify our regional librarian and the IMMS project team about the problem.