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White Paper: Why Sharing a Library System Makes Sense

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Tue, 01/10/2012 - 1:45am

This white paper identifies the key benefits of sharing a library system in the context of today’s technological environment. The benefits include cost savings, improved resource-sharing opportunities, providing a higher quality system staff, improving the quality of the collection, streamlining library workflows, optimizing the patron experience, eliminating routing slips and pre-sorting, and adding value to the consortial affiliation.

Fulfillment - Important Questions and Answers

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:00pm

In case you've wondering what's up with FulfILLment, I thought I'd share this short Q&A piece.  It was prepared for a California consortium (thus the reference to a couple of products in use there) but the info is generally useful to everyone.  It includes some info I've grabbed from the FulfILLment and Equinox blogs (e.g. underlying architecture).  The other info comes from conversations with people who should know these things with a spattering of my own opinion.  Oh, and I see Equinox has updated the blog so be sure to go there and read about the Next Generation Discovery Interface component after you get the basics from below....

What is it?

Fulfillment is an open source, resource-sharing (aka ILL) product that will compete with Link+ (Innovative’s INN-Reach product), SuperSearch (SirsiDynix’s URSA product), as well as AutoGraphics Agent Resource-Sharing and RelaisD2D. Who’s developing it? It is being developed by Equinox Software, Inc. under contract with OHIONET.

SIP 3.0 Ready for Implementation

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 4:00pm

SIP3 has just been released and it provides many new messages which means communication between ILS/LMS and your self-check, sorters, security system, PC management system....will be easier to implement and you'll have more options.  That is IF your ILS vendor supports it!  

So, make sure you start adding a requirement for SIP3 support to your procurement documents.

Here's what's new:

  • allow creation / registration of patrons from self-service devices
  • allow patrons to update their PINs / Passwords from a self-service device in the library
  • allow patrons to update their home addresses and phone numbers
  • support for handling electronic resources
  • support for staff overrides on self-service circulation
  • support for sortation systems
  • support for PC Management systems
  • added some other new messages simplify implementation and clarify usage
  • added Undo Checkout and Undo Check-in messages to simplify implementation. It has been confusing for many developers to send a Check-in w/cancel flag to cancel a Checkout and send a Checkout w/cancel flag to cancel a Check-in. This was confounded by the fact that many ILS vendors did not support cancelling a transaction and would then proceed as a standard check-in (if cancelling a checkout) causing the patron to be removed from the hold list.
  • added Off-line Checkout and Off-line Check-in messages to support off-line processing
  • added Unsupported Message Response to indicate that the message request is not supported by the library system
  • added Grouped data.  Data can now be grouped to provide all information required for a specific event. For example, a fee consists of the following fields: fee identifier, currency code, fee amount, and fee type. These fields can now be grouped together to simplify the passing of multiple fees on a single request or response message. Each set of group data starts with a group identifier and ends with a group end field.

Yes, you can choose two different RFID vendors!

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 4:00pm

I got a call the other day from one of my clients in the throes of an RFID implementation.  She was distressed because members of her consortium were not coming to agreement on which RFID vendor they would use so she wondered if it was possible to use one vendor's products in one location and another vendor's products at the other locations.

The answer is Yes You Can.  This is the beauty of standards.  

ILL is Dead: Network Effects and Resource-Sharing

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 5:00pm

Below is a session description I contributed to the Library 2.011 Conference which will be held online November 2-4, 2011.  My session wasn't accepted, but plenty were, including one by Grace Dunbar of Equinox Software entitled Human Target: Staff is More Important than Software.

 

ILL is Dead: Network Effects and Resource-Sharing

The key is for libraries to start adding data repositories beyond their catalog into their discovery environment.  For example, why shouldn't Ted Talks be searchable within your catalog?  They are well-produced, authoritative videos on a broad array of topics. Every library should include them in their holdings.  But they don't.  OpenLibrary.org has 1.7 million books available online.  Are these in every library's discovery interface.  No. But this needs to change.  And it is. 

Label-Less Library Logistics: Implementing Labor-Saving Practices in Massachusetts' High-Volume Resource Sharing System

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 12:38am

This article is the culmination of my three year project with the Massachusetts regions as it pertains to their delivery operations. The paper presents important aspects and issues related to the merging of six regional library delivery services in a single statewide system that serves more than 550 libraries, that together circulate more than 15 million items annually throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The purpose of marrying the six distinct systems was to reduce redundancies and incorporate innovative features to improve library processing efficiency. Most libraries are members of one of nine separate shared integrated library systems. The paper covers the background, objectives, benefits, issues, lessons learned, and a successful request for proposal procurement process for this complex project.

Choosing Software: Open or Closed Source? Locally Hosted or Vendor Hosted

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 5:00pm

I just read a good article on Motionbuzz.com called Control vs. Responsibility: How to choose the best software for your business.  The author is addressing the issues around choosing open source or closed source software and hosting it yourself versus using the vendor for hosting. 

As he says below...the option that makes the most sense for you will depend on you or your organizations need for control and the level of responsibility you are equipped to take on.

Good News for Evergreen - now a member of Software Freedom Conservancy

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Wed, 06/15/2011 - 5:00pm

Good news for all Evergreen Users!

The Software Freedom Conservancy welcomes the Evergreen project as its newest member. Evergreen joins twenty-six other Conservancy members, who receive the benefit of aggregated non-profit status available to all Conservancy member projects. Conservancy and the Evergreen community, including librarians, developers, and documenters, are excited to announce that Evergreen is now a member of the Software Freedom Conservancy.

Procurement and an Open Source ILS

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Mon, 06/13/2011 - 5:00pm

There was some discussion on the Koha Mailing List recently about how to go about procuring an open source ILS...or at least, how to remain open to the possibility of moving to either an open source or proprietary ILS.  The thing about the traditional procurement process is that it makes if very awkward (at best) to unmanageable (at worst) for the open source service providers for two reasons: