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Board hears concerns about Vega and LEAP software upgrades from Monarch system
Summary
Library staff reported ongoing issues with Vega and LEAP products being introduced through the Monarch system, including that Vega is still under development, the library's $1,500 initial share, and potential operational impacts if LEAP replaces current circulation clients.
Library staff updated the West Bend Community Library Board on Feb. 18 about two software products Monarch has proposed — Vega and LEAP — and raised concerns about functionality, costs and rollout timing.
Library Director Steve told the board that Vega — a third-party layer intended to enhance catalog discovery, programming calendars and promotions on top of the Polaris integrated library system (ILS) — is “under development” and that the library has not yet been billed. He said, “The good news is we haven't paid for that product yet. We haven't gotten a bill for it,” and that the library’s initial share would be $1,500 to start.
Staff described Vega as an all-in-one package that bundles a discovery/catalog enhancement, a program/calendar module and a promote module; they said Monarch and the vendor have not yet provided full documentation showing how those pieces will be broken out or when features will be finished. Steve told the board the catalog enhancements compress multiple records into a single display and provide other discoverability features, but staff found some program and promote features inferior to vendors the library already uses.
Board members and staff discussed LEAP, a web-based client option that can replace some circulation workstations. Staff reported potential savings through fewer installed Polaris clients but cautioned that LEAP’s web-first design may create limitations: offline capability, printing receipts and some reporting functions are different than the current client. Staff said LEAP still relies on an attached client for certain tasks and that Monarch is testing deployments at a system level.
Brandon, who spoke about technical testing, said he had successfully attached multiple machines to a single client in testing but warned that a fully web-based LEAP environment could be vulnerable if the library’s Internet connection fails. The board asked staff to obtain clearer documentation from Monarch and the vendors before committing to changes and to revisit the topic closer to system contract negotiations late in the year.
No formal vote occurred on software purchases or transitions; staff said further documentation and negotiation timelines will come from Monarch and that the library will report back to the board when additional details are available.
