26015-RFI-EST_Integrated_Library_System.pdf

HillsboroughSchools.org • P.O. Box 3408 • Tampa, FL 33601-3408 • Procurement Services (813) 272-4374 Raymond O. Shelton School Administrative Center • 901 East Kennedy Blvd. • Tampa, FL 33602-3507

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

For

26015-RFI-EST INTEGRATED LIBRARY SYSTEM

1 OVERVIEW

Hillsborough County Public Schools (“HCPS”) hereby issues this Request for Information (“RFI”) to announce that HCPS is seeking responses from all qualified firms or individuals that provide the commodities and contractual services as described herein.

Hillsborough County Public Schools’ library program serves 222 school library locations, 131 elementary, 17 K-8, 39 middle, 29 high, and 6 specialty schools, each with its own collection and circulation policies, operating within a shared union catalog. The district currently uses SirsiDynix Symphony Version 4.1.1 as its Integrated Library System (ILS), with a union catalog shared across all school libraries. Each school functions as a distinct lending location with:

• Site-specific circulation and fine policies

• Site-specific patron groups and loan rules

• Local holdings and item records within a shared bibliographic database

The district also uses an online public access catalog (OPAC) for staff, student, and family searching and account management. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to:

• Gather information about ILS and discovery layer solutions comparable to or exceeding the functionality of SirsiDynix Symphony.

• Understand how vendors support a union catalog with separate school-level lending libraries in a large K–12 environment.

• Identify hosting, integration, migration, training, and support options.

• Inform the development of a subsequent Request for Proposal (RFP).

This Request for Information (RFI) is for informational purposes only, and no contract will be awarded as a result. A firm or organization’s response to the RFI—or lack thereof—will have no impact on the evaluation of responses to any subsequent competitive solicitation released. Responses will be used solely for information and planning purposes.

2 SUBMISSION DETAILS

HCPS posts all solicitations and supporting documents on www.myvendorlink.com (“VendorLink”). It is the respondent's responsibility to monitor VendorLink for future solicitation opportunities, due dates, and updates, and to ask questions under any HCPS solicitation.

All questions must be submitted via VendorLink.

Please upload your responses to this RFI via VendorLink before the due date identified below.

3 RFI TIMELINE

Please review the RFI timeline below. Dates may be modified or amended by HCPS, which will post an amendment to this RFI notifying prospective respondents of any change.

RFI Released: Friday, January 09, 2026

Deadline for Questions: Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 4:00 pm.

Responses Due: Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 4:00 pm.

4 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Hillsborough County Public Schools, Florida (“HCPS” or the “District”) is a political subdivision organized under Section 4, Article IX, of the State Constitution and Florida Statutes. HCPS, which is coterminous with Hillsborough County, is the nation’s seventh-largest school system. HCPS currently has 235 PreK-12 schools, specialty centers, and technical colleges, serving approximately 225,000 students and employing approximately 24,000 staff members. Management of HCPS is independent of metropolitan and city governments. The School Board of Hillsborough County, Florida (the “Board”), a public corporation existing under the Laws of the State of Florida, is the policy-making body of HCPS. The Board consists of seven members elected by geographic area. Among other duties, the Board has broad financial responsibilities, including the approval of the annual budget, which for the 2019/2020 fiscal year is $3 billion. The Chief Executive Officer is the Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Van Ayres, who was appointed by the Board and is responsible for all financial transactions and records of HCPS.

Vision. Preparing Students for Life.

Mission. To provide an education and the supports that enable each student to excel as a successful and responsible citizen.

5 GOALS AND OUTCOME

HCPS seeks information to guide the development of a future competitive solicitation for an Integrated Library System and discovery solution that:

• Supports 222+ independent school libraries within a unified district environment.

• Strengthens data quality, reporting, collection analysis, and transparency.

• Enhances patron access and usability for students, staff, and families.

• Integrates with district systems such as SIS, SSO, and content vendors.

• Improves operational efficiency, catalog management, and district oversight.

• Provides robust, accessible OPAC/discovery tools suitable for K–12 users.

This initiative is prompted by the district’s need to improve system performance, simplify workflows, expand analytics, and align with emerging national standards and local policy changes regarding school library systems.

Information gathered through this RFI will inform HCPS in shaping the Scope of Work, technical requirements, and evaluation criteria in a forthcoming RFP.

6 WHO SHOULD RESPOND

HCPS is especially interested in hearing feedback on this proposed project from the following firms, organizations, or individuals:

• Integrated Library System (ILS) vendors

• Discovery platform providers

• Companies with large-scale K–12 multi-site experience

• Vendors able to support a districtwide union catalog with school-based lending policies.

• Organizations with proven migration experience

Respondents should have expertise in:

• National library metadata standards (MARC21, RDA)

• School district SIS/SSO integrations

• ILS hosting, cybersecurity, and data privacy

• Supporting districts with 100+ school libraries

7 WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

1. Respondent Background

Please provide:

1. Organization overview, including years in operation, customer base, and history.

2. Experience providing ILS/discovery solutions to large K–12 districts.

3. Relevant work with school districts, state agencies, or local governments

4. Examples of other multi-site or union catalog implementations (preferably 100+ schools)

2. Functional Requirements – Union Catalog & Multi-Site Environment

Please describe the functionality of your ILS/discovery solution, addressing:

• Support for union catalog environments

• How separate school-level circulation policies, item records, and patron types are managed.

• Customizable patron fields

• How circulation and access policies can be defined at the district level (global defaults) and overridden at the school level (local policies)

• How the system manages temporary locations and genrefication

• Cataloging tools, including RDA, authority control, batch import and overlay of records, batch edit, copy/volume/item record management for multiple locations, and metadata management.

• Circulation features including holds, renewals, offline circulation, and self-checkout kiosks

• Library materials inventory processes

• Reporting and analytics capabilities relevant to K–12 collections, including collection analysis metrics, circulation data, overdue/lost items, top circulations by school, weeding reports, etc.

• Customizable reporting tools

3. Discovery Layer / OPAC Requirements

• OPAC/discovery features for K–12 users, including filtering by school, genre, subject terms, etc.

• How students view their account (renewals, holds, fines, etc.)

• How the interface can be customized by school (featured books, carousels) will still operate within a shared platform

• Integration with ebooks, audiobooks, databases

• Enriched content, such as Syndetics Unbound or similar to jacket covers, professional reviews, read alikes, etc.

• Features specifically to support K-12 environment (primary grades OPAC)

• Accessibility compliance and assistive technology compatibility

4. Technical Specifications

Please provide information about:

• Hosting options (cloud/SaaS, on-premise, hybrid)

• Data security, privacy protections, FERPA compliance

• Integration with K–12 SIS systems (FOCUS for students, INFOR for staff)

• SSO compatibility (ClassLink)

• Available APIs and standards support (Z39.50)

• Performance expectations for a district with 222 libraries, approximately 175,000 students, with significant concurrent users

5. Migration from SirsiDynix Symphony

Please address:

• Your experience migrating ILS data, including any large districts.

• Data elements migrated (bib, item, patron, holds, history, authority records, etc.)

• Tools and validation processes used.

• Data cleanup

• Typical district responsibilities and timeline

6. Implementation, Training & Support

Please provide:

• High-level implementation plan for a district with 222+ libraries

• Training formats (on-site, virtual, asynchronous modules, documentation)

• Ongoing support model

• Risks and challenges districts typically encounter and mitigation strategies.

7. Costs & Licensing Structure

No pricing is requested. Instead, describe:

• Your general cost structure (e.g., subscription, per-site, per-FTE, module-based)

• One-time implementation/migration fee structure

• Optional modules and potential add-on services

8. Additional Considerations

Respondents may include:

• Product roadmaps

• Examples of innovative use cases in other large K–12 districts

• Constraints, resource needs, or implementation considerations HCPS should plan for

• Recommendations for the future RFP structure

• Any evaluations or studies demonstrating system effectiveness.

Please provide any additional background information or context that may be useful for HCPS to draft their RFP, i.e., implementation timelines, budget information, and similar materials that provide insight into achieving the goals of the RFI or challenges to be faced by HCPS in maintaining the solution.