Academic library beta testing of vendor system design and upgrade: Legal aspects and checklists of best practice

Working relationships between vendors and academic libraries have extended from a traditional one of customer and bookseller to the testing of vendor-developed software. This extension has occurred since 1980, the last quarter century. What has changed since 2000 is the addition of tests of vendor/client interface informed by enterprise software that completely alters methodologies for accommodating library requirements for book supply, MARC record supply, and electronic invoices and purchase orders. This paper will examine the technical, administrative, and legal considerations now relevant to beta testing of vendor software by library staff and offer charts and checklists that may make these projects more easily comprehended.