For the second instalment of our BiblioShare in Eight blog series, we have invited Tamara Mair-Wren, Operations Manager at Ampersand Inc., to share with us insights about their experience as data receivers in the publishing industry and how BiblioShare has played a role in achieving efficiency.
Ampersand Inc., has been around for over 60 years, they represent a wide variety of book and gift lines. Their mission is to be the best book and gift sales group in Canada and to provide the most comprehensive and unsurpassed service in the industry.
1. What was the goal of your project?
The goal was to streamline all of our data so that we weren’t receiving bits and pieces from each publisher and distributor each season. Historically, it was quite the task to corral everyone to get their data in time for our sales conferences. Further to that, our data was often incomplete or competing against other data that was being received at different times from different people. When we moved everything over to BiblioShare it made everything instantly easier, cleaner, and more consistent. It made sense for us as receivers of data but also for the publishers who were already submitting their data to BiblioShare.
2. What technologies/frameworks are you using?
We are using a file transfer protocol (FTP) folder to receive our data files and we upload them to an in-house customer relationship management (CRM) system that Ampersand has built.
3. What are your expectations for this project? Are you going to continue working on it?
Our expectations are that our data comes in its best form to Ampersand and is then integrated into our system seamlessly. We're always going to be working on this project, as the need for different and new information evolves. I'm not an expert in this field by any means, but working with the people at BNC and using their extensive knowledge and incredible support has been amazing and eye opening. I’ve learned so much and am happy to continue to learn as the industry develops.
4. What do you wish was available in standards and/or technologies?
I wish for consistency throughout the whole industry in terms of metadata. The publishing industry is so fortunate to have ONIX as a universal language and if the data was 100% clean, the process of swift communication about books would be unparalleled!
5. What was your biggest takeaway working on this project?
I think seeing a much larger scope of where data is going and the process it takes to get there really opened my eyes to how much work goes into every step of the way. I thought my job was complicated but I am only a tiny speck in a huge web of moving parts. It’s amazing, really.
6. What was the most fun to work on?
I think I enjoyed sitting down with Tim Middleton at BNC and having an initial talk about the project and about data the most. As the only person who handled the data in my company at the time, it was so refreshing to share some of my experiences and frustrations with someone who could not only relate but who also had real solutions! Having real support has been invaluable to me.
7. Most importantly, what are you reading right now
I’m kicking it old school and reading Jane Austen’s Emma. It was a simpler time and it’s nice to mentally step away from 2020 once in a while.
Many thanks to Tamara for taking the time to answer our questions, we look forward to more years of working cooperatively in this rapidly evolving, yet amazing industry.
You can read the first interview of this series here.
If you would like to be featured in this series, or know someone who should be, please get in touch with the BiblioShare team.
You can easily request advance reading copies (ARCs) on CataList.