7J20 - Notice of Intent to Sole Source to OEM OCLC for EZProxy Subscription Software.

The library utilizes OCLC (Online Computer Library Center, Inc.) to provide cataloging, discovery, proxy server and interlibrary loan (ILL) services to Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) faculty, staff and students, and the broader library community. OCLC services integrate with critical library systems that include ExLibris Alma/Primo Discovery System for cataloging and discovery of library resources and the OCLC ILLiad system to manage all ILL requests.

OCLC is the platform used by most federal, academic, and public libraries for cataloging and ILL services. OCLC EZProxy software provides robust access and authentication software. This software is currently installed on premise. The on premise version of the software has become extremely labor intensive and costly to maintain to include:

security updates, vulnerability scans, SSL certificate management and troubleshooting bugs and cyber incidents. The library requires replacing EZProxy with the hosted version of the software. The hosted version is FedRAMP compliant and will free up staff and funding from the aforementioned tasks and responsibilities which will be shifted to the third party provider. As the software publisher and hosting provider, OCLC has greater expertise and available staff to maintain and host the software.