Up Against the Clock: Migrating to LibGuides v2 on a Tight Timeline

Abstract

During Fall semester 2015, Librarians at the United States Naval Academy were faced with the challenge of migrating to LibGuides version 2 and integrating LibAnswers with LibChat into their service offerings.  Initially, the entire migration process was anticipated to take almost a full academic year; giving guide owners considerable time to update and prepare their guides.  However, with the acquisition of the LibAnswers module, library staff shortened the migration timeline considerably to ensure both products went live on the version 2 platform at the same time. The expedited implementation timeline forced the ad hoc implementation teams to prioritize completion of the tasks that were necessary for the system to remain functional after the upgrade.  This paper provides an overview of the process the staff at the Nimitz Library followed for a successful implementation on a short timeline and highlights transferable lessons learned during the process.  Consistent communication of expectations with stakeholders and prioritization of tasks were essential to the successful completion of the project.