Selecting a Retrospective Conversion Vendor

Contracting with a vendor to provide retrospective conversion services is an often considered alternative to an inhouse project. George Washington University's Gelman Library has used several vendors to augment its retrospective conversion project, depending upon the requirements of the project at a particular time. It is from this experience that this paper will seek to answer such questions as: when should a library consider using a conversion vendor; what methodologies are available from them; and what factors should be considered before selecting the vendor?