Core library systems: useful resources
Below is a collection of useful reports, websites, blogposts etc. relevant to different aspects of core library systems:
Liz McGettigan. Solus [website] 14 March 2023.
From the article:
“At SOLUS we are well known for our mobile app in public libraries and our newly introduced events and room booking platform. We are now entering the US academic market with our debut at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) conference in Pittsburgh in 15th – 17th March. SOLUS currently has approximately 20 academic customers with our mobile app in Australia, UK and USA and are now more than ready for expansion.The academic library app features include:
- Integration with 15 ILS/LSP platforms
- Authentication options include Shibboleth, CAS, SAML and Azure Active Directory
- Format roll-up, FRBR-ized display of available resources
- Push, emergency and event notifications to students, faculty and admin
- RFID and barcode self-check out/in
- Consortia support
- 30 languages with new support for right to left languages (Arabic, Hebrew & Urdu)
- Reading and wish list functionality
- Virtual and on-campus events
- Events integration directly into the app (register/cancel reminder notifications, history, etc.)”
I Set Out to Build the Next Library of Alexandria. Now I Wonder: Will There Be Libraries in 25 Years?
Brewster Kahle, Founder and Digital Librarian of the Internet Archive. Time. 22 October 2021
“Global media corporations—emboldened by the expansive copyright laws they helped craft and the emerging technology that reaches right into our reading devices—are exerting absolute control over digital information. These two conflicting forces—towards unfettered availability and completely walled access to information—have defined the last 25 years of the Internet. How we handle this ongoing clash will define our civic discourse in the next 25 years. If we fail to forge the right path, publishers’ business models could eliminate one of the great tools for democratizing society: our independent libraries.”
The FOLIO Open Source Library Services Platform.
Tamir Borensztajn. EBSCO 2021.
Article about the open source library system including details of EBSCO’s hosting service of FOLIO
Recenter Library Systems on the User
An Interview with OhioLINK’s Gwen Evans. Scholarly Kitchen [blog] Roger C. Schonfeld, 24 Feb 2020.
From the blog post:
“OhioLINK and its members have grown frustrated with current offerings as it becomes harder and more labor intensive to gather and analyze collection and usage data at the consortial level, ensure seamless access, deliver faster, more transparent delivery of print, and connect our resources to other systems on campuses”.
“Ultimately, the single most essential aspect of the OhioLINK vision is to recenter library systems on the user — rather than on the library or its collection. Many library systems are essentially acquisitions and inventory management platforms at their heart. OhioLINK is looking for systems that are fundamentally centered around the user’s search for information, desire to access it, and efforts to utilize it effectively”
“It’s notable that OhioLINK is working to transform the market for a given product category, rather than responding to the initiatives of vendors and publishers”.
Gwen Evans, Roger C. Schonfeld Ithaka [White Paper] January 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18665/sr.312608
From the foreword
“The mission of academic and research libraries is expanding, and our work is transforming. Collections alone are no longer sufficient to articulate our new value proposition and establish ROI to our institutions. Our academic and research libraries are doing more than just managing collection-centric resources, we are contributing to faculty productivities and student success. As we aim to support the goals of our colleges and universities and maintain mission relevance, including technological advancement, we must also understand and support the evolving needs and requirements of our users”
McGarvey, V. Insights, 2018, 31: 21, 1–7; DOI:https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.411
25 Important Apps And Digital Learning Tools For University Students
Scott N. Romaniuk 14 April 2018. eLearning Industry
Article primarily focused on the range of study skills apps available to students.
Open Source Software. Navigating the ecosystem
Marshall Breeding. American Libraries. 1 November 2017
Rebecca Pool. Research Information 29 September 2017
“Complex workflows and new services are driving developments in cloud-based library management systems.” A summary of the market focussing on the cloud based library services platforms Alma (ExLibris), Worldshare (OCLC) and Folio (open source).
Brighter outlook for tools in the cloud
Sharon Davies. Research Information 2 October 2015
From the article:
“the benefits of library tools in the cloud continue to be realised by research libraries, as the adoption of cloud-based systems continues to grow”.
“Academic research libraries also understand the cloud-based systems better support management of the growing volume of electronic resources and can support researchers’ needs better”.
“Cloud-based systems are lower cost for libraries, they are more easily and rapidly updated, and have a stronger support system across the world with multiple locations. Cloud-based systems also better meet the needs of modern researchers operating in an “anytime, anywhere and on any device” model.’”
“Talking about the perception of cloud-based technologies, Pace added: ‘An early adopter of OCLC’s WorldShare Management Services said “one of the main challenges is to overcome the illusion of control around managing library management system locally [as opposed to in the cloud]”
Ken Chad. CILIP Update September 2012
If you are in the market for library systems, what should you be looking for? Needs vary across sectors: corporate, legal, public, school, college, and university – and circumstances differ between individual organisations. Nevertheless, there are enduring similarities between libraries and these are reflected in the market for library systems. The library management system – LMS (or, in US parlance, the integrated library system – ILS) remains the core system for many libraries. However, the weakness of the conventional LMS in terms of managing electronic resources means it is diminishing in importance. The article looks at the key technology themes influencing library system development.