Managing Library Software Development: A Case Study in Developing an Inventory Management System for Off-Site Storage Using an Outside Contractor

Authors

  • Aaron B. Bales University of Notre Dame
  • Robert Fox University of Notre Dame
  • Miranda R. VanNevel University of Notre Dame

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5860/llm.v31i4.7198

Keywords:

Off-site storage, Project management, Software development

Abstract

Hesburgh Libraries of Notre Dame established an off-site storage facility in 2015, with only one year to transfer 450,000 items. This necessitated the implementation of an inventory management system (IMS) to track the location of and efficiently retrieve individual items. After conducting an environmental scan of other institutions, the library decided to develop an open source IMS and to contract a developer for the purposes of implementing a working prototype. Working with a contractor required a well-planned development process and a close working relationship. This article describes the project management challenges, development workflow, and lessons learned.

Author Biographies

Aaron B. Bales, University of Notre Dame

Associate Librarian, Hesburgh Libraries

Robert Fox, University of Notre Dame

Manager of Web and Software Engineering, Hesburgh Libraries

Miranda R. VanNevel, University of Notre Dame

Project Manager, Hesburgh Libraries

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Published

2017-07-26

How to Cite

Bales, A. B., Fox, R., & VanNevel, M. R. (2017). Managing Library Software Development: A Case Study in Developing an Inventory Management System for Off-Site Storage Using an Outside Contractor. Library Leadership & Management, 31(4). https://doi.org/10.5860/llm.v31i4.7198

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 4 (2017)

Section

Peer Reviewed

License

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.