Librarytechnology.org’s Marshall Breeding stated here that ”Library automation isn’t in the realm of shrinkwrap software. Rather, each installation is unique, and it’s advantageous to both the libraries and the companies to peg the price of the software to appropriate indicators.”

Every organization’s needs are unique and we view our job, as the the library software vendor, to provide a solution that molds to your needs. But what are some of those “indicators”? What are the things that make up library software costs?

The “Indicators”—Determining Cost Factors for Library Software:

• Size of Staff and/or Library. Library software vendors differ on how they calculate the price of their software and services. Smaller library software suites charge a flat price for a more out-of-the-box solution. Some vendors calculate the library software cost based on the number of items in a library’s catalog. Some companies (like EOS) base their prices on the amount of simultaneous staff users logged-in to administrate the solution. We’ve found this option to be the most flexible to organizations as it lets them purchase enterprise-level software at entry-level prices.
• Hosting. There are two options for where to host your software: The first option is to host it in the Cloud. The second option is to host it Locally on computers you control, or a hybrid of the two. Hosting your data in the Cloud lets you leave the worry and hassle of backup and storage behind because vendors are paid to manage that for you.If you host your data locally, you control the updates, backups and must have a plan to accommodate your data storage. It is not uncommon to have a hybrid approach where the records for your collection is stored in the cloud, but the digital content is hosted locally.Library software vendors base their price on the amount of storage required for your collection (ex. 1GB of data hosting is included with most service agreements at EOS International. Additional hosting is available upon request.)
• Implementation. Depending on the complexity of your current software, your library may be looking at implementation costs. If the software previously used is older and does not export in MARC format this can incur an extra cost because the implementation team must do extra work to convert your data from the previous system to a new one. Also, some vendors charge based on the amount of data converted, i.e. the amount of records in your collection.
• Training. The cost of training for your library software will be dependent upon how you wish to receive the training. Options often include pre-recorded training videos on specific topics, an online conference call with screen-sharing with a live trainer, travelling to the vendor’s location to receive on-site training in a classroom, or having a trainer visit you at your location for training.
• Support. There are a few factors to consider when considering the support options of a software vendor. You will want to make sure that the support the vendor provides matches your needs and expectations. Unfortunately support is something that you don’t need until you really need it.Some questions to consider: WIll you always be able to get a person on the phone? Or is support only available via email? When is their support available? Is it 24/7/365? Will you be able to understand them? Is their native language, your native language? (At EOS, we provide support 24/7/365. So you will always have a person to talk to at every hour of every day.)
• Additional Services. Additional Services may be needed to meet your library’s primary operational and service requirements.

No Magic Bullet

These are most, but not all, of the things that go into library software pricing. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet. Because each library is unique and presents its own degree of unique challenges for the software to overcome, differing amounts are paid by organizations—and it’s very difficult to come up with a flat cost.

If you are looking for a price on library software, EOS.Web is a very flexible, affordable solution. We would be happy to help you determine how an EOS.Web system can help your library. We have a few options for you to get familiar with it. The easiest is to Attend a Webinar or Request a Demo.

In a world of diminishing budgets and where Google is King, libraries are put in a position to need attention.

They need to be used. If libraries are used, their patrons will then fight for them to remain open when they are on the budget’s chopping block. With that in mind, below are 5 things Libraries can do to get noticed and provide top of mind awareness.

1) Jack-Up Your OPAC

When your car gets a flat, you have to jack-up the car to fix it. Similarly, when your OPAC is looking drab, dreary or otherwise flat, it’s time to jack-it-up. Add new logos, change the colors, and integrate with the latest technology from your OPAC software. If your OPAC looks ancient, your patrons will think it and its resources might be as well. But if it looks current and modern they will feel the resources are up-to-date and relevant.

2) Employ Technology

Allow your patrons integrate with you in new ways via technology. This could be through RSS feeds, Search Widgets on their Google Account page and/or integration on your SharePoint portal. Allowing multiple places for your patrons to begin their searching experience, will get your library noticed.

3) Play Nice with Others

If your library is in an environment that does not have proprietary materials, begin sharing your collection with other libraries. Lend them your items and borrow from them. If patrons from other libraries find necessary items in your library, you will increase your transactions. Ask other libraries for a link to your Catalog on theirs and vice versa; the more links that point to you, the more awareness you will have. If you have a library association or committee you are a part of, you can ask the same from them.

4) Chat It Up

Though chatting about your library is important, why not chat with your patrons? This can be done by using different easy-to-use Chat Software so you can answer LIVE reference questions. Again, the more ways the patrons have to get what they’re looking for, the better.

5) In the News

Starting a library newsletter could be a way to stay on the radar of your patrons. If you do not have the time or resources to do that, perhaps you could simply email your patrons with a brief blurb about any of the above enhancements you have made.

Be Creative

By being creative in the ways you stay on top of people’s mind, the more they will think to come to you for their needs. This will trigger transactions in your library. Transactions will prove your usefulness and help maintain the ever-so-needed institution that is: The Library.

What have you done to get your library noticed?

Over 30 years ago, libraries, like so many organizations, were not automated. Paper card catalogs in oak cabinets were the standard of the day. That all changed with the advent of the personal computer and associated system and application software.

The first library systems were pretty rudimentary and replicated the essential workflow of the paper card catalog. Library patrons could find an item, check it out and return it much faster and easier than before. Librarians could catalog a new item and easily keep track of their physical collections.

Over the years, the basic library software modules have been greatly enhanced and integrated, creating what we commonly refer today as an Integrated Library System or ILS. What began as 2 modules, cataloging and circulation, was expanded to include serials management, acquisitions and of course the Online Public Access Catalog, or OPAC. Tens of thousands of librarians worldwide use an ILS to efficiently manage their libraries today.

Technology is always changing, becoming faster, more efficient and more cost effective. Since those early days, additional features and functions have been added by many ILS vendors, including knowledge management, reference tracking, 3rd party software and hardware integration, barcoding and RFID identification, Web services, encrypted security, classification management, media bookings, academic course reserves, electronic content management, electronic resource management, inter-library loans, RSS content aggregation, report writing and the capability to effectively manage both print and digital collections.

Libraries heavily rely on their ILS vendor to continue to develop and support the features and functions they need today and in the foreseeable future. Today’s ILS is not dead or even dying. It is a living and dynamic entity, that will continue to evolve as the needs and desires of libraries change.

After the latest round of RDA webcasts, I now believe in the vision of a single-access, cloud-based, FRBR-compliant future (Bob Maxwell). In the bubble over my head, a huge, white, fluffy cloud containing all of the world’s resources floats along in a shared atmosphere for everyone’s use. I see it as having the expansiveness of Amazon, the ingenuity of Google, and the consistency of OCLC – so I will call it Amagoocle, or the goo-cloud for short.

In the goo-cloud, our FRBR-uture materializes as all new and existing works are harvested and cataloged to produce a single, unique record for each work. In 2005, OCLC reported over 93,000 bibliographic records for the Bible (held by over 796,800 libraries). In the goo-cloud, there would be one record for the Bible; Mother Goose, The Iliad, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would also be represented by one record for each work. Each record would then be linked to records indicating the expressions of the work – English, French, Bulgarian, text, performance, adaption, etc. Each expression would then be linked to records noting the physical manifestations of that expression – an edition, imprint, physical description, etc. As libraries acquire resources, no longer would they copy the details about the works over and over again into their own, respective databases. They would simply get in their EOS-based item cloud, scoot up next to the goo-cloud, and link their item records to the appropriate manifestations. While the item level information would continue to be maintained by and specific to each library, the information about the particular manifestation/expression/work is available to a patron, without duplication or further maintenance in the library’s database, whether that patron is searching the holdings of a library in Boise or Timbuktu.

This vision is exciting but what I like about the goo-cloud is that it reduces redundancy and allows us to focus on new collections.

In addition to standard content, research libraries have been harnessing the power of raw data for years by creating databases of scientific notes and pieces of information uncovered during the process of research itself. Academic libraries are following the lead of their research counterparts by building institutional repositories to capture dissertations, theses, and other scholarly and unique works generated by their institution. Neighboring Cal State San Marcos is considering unpublished undergraduate work for their repository to allow access to what is basically unmediated research which can be used as a basis for further study. In a webcast presented by Darren Poley at this year’s ACRL conference, Poley pushes the envelope even further by suggesting libraries move beyond institutional boundaries to reach into, and partner with, surrounding communities to create or bring to life previously hidden collections.

Working with special libraries as we do here at EOS, we see new content springing up everywhere, databases dedicated to image archives, tape libraries, internal manuals, reports, corporate communication, scientific data, textiles, and artifacts as well as specialty databases that reflect parts of a whole – such as articles, elements of court proceedings, bits of research data – and other forms of corporate and competitive intelligence custom cataloged for specific patron communities. It’s exciting!

EOS client, San Diego Air & Space Museum, recently created a group of custom databases including one to integrate over one thousand oral histories directly into their MARC-based collection. Using Excel to bypass the obligation of having to grant dozens of volunteers access to their ILS, Head Archivist Katrina Pescador and Library Consultant Kathy Wright have been able to define the format for each of the new databases, establish guidelines for content (e.g., COSATI for Technical Reports), and review work done in Excel before importing the data into the Museum’s online catalog. The Museum is currently partnering with two other local museums to catalog more than 3000 audio-visual items. Materials such as technical drawings and biographical files are also being prepared for upload. “We have a volunteer who has just started to edit more than 6,000 drawing records,” says Wright.

These are the exciting collections originating from and showcasing the work being done at the Museum to give form and access to the technical output and knowledge of the Museum’s communities – something the goo-cloud isn’t planned to deliver.

So let us begin cataloging all that is buried, wild, and scattered around us to turn information in its rawest form into searchable stores of knowledge for relevant retrieval and exchange.

And really, until the folks at Apple figure out a way to put infinite knowledge into an i-orb that attaches to our foreheads, reads our minds, and transmit to us what we need to know (while, of course, implanting product endorsements and extracting our deepest, darkest secrets), libraries will have to continue to shoulder the responsibility of mediating access between patrons and all that is known whether the information exists in the goo-cloud or surfaces through the cataloging of new, raw, unpublished resources yearning to be retrieved!

Quick plug: In EOS.Web, metadata-friendly templates can be created for use in your library’s database by adding new rule sets, tags, mappings, indexes, etc. or using KnowledgeBuilder. Both methods allow bibliographic templates to be created with custom entry fields specific to the information being cataloged. For example, in newer databases, we have added KB and MARC record formats based on the Dublin Core guidelines to the list of default rules sets available in EOS.Web. (The DC templates were created based on the DC element set. LOC’s Dublin Core to MARC crosswalk was used to determine field labels and mapping. The import/export format is MARC for a MARC-based record format and CSV (Text or Excel) for KB-based record formats.)

As a trainer I think about this question a lot.

The trainer tries to make the training topic enjoyable and simple for the learners to understand. This is not always easy to do. If a topic is complex the trainer divides the topic into sub-topics and maybe sub-sub-topics or sub-sub-sub-topics. The trainer organizes the information in such a way that hopefully learners will be able to digest and understand the topic.

A sure sign of a good training session is lots of note taking.

When learners can look at notes a few days or weeks after the training session and after their memories have faded a little, and recall from the notes what was covered in the training (i.e. key points, step-by-step instructions, or other useful details), that is a sign of a good training session.

For there to be good notes, learners must have understood the training topic well enough to write the notes. For learners to have understood the training topic, the trainer must have organized and presented the topic to learners so they can digest the information and transfer that information to their notes. Learners also ask questions, maybe many questions. Questions are good.

Now, let me say notes don’t have to be perfect. They don’t have to include every detail the trainer said. Notes should include enough information for the learner to know how to do what the learner needs to do or at least show how to get started. Notes also should include where the learner can look for more information. Information like this:

Help Website: Click on the ‘?’ icon to open the Help website.
How-To: There is step-by –step how-to: web pages on the help website.
Training Guides: these are found under Client Services (Client Services | Training Guides)
Training Videos: these are found under Client Services (Client Services | Virtual University)
Help desk: 1-888-728-8746 (24/7/365) email: support@eosintl.com
When I see good notes I know I am doing a good job.

Integrated Library Systems have evolved a great deal since the advent of the Internet. One of the biggest changes has been the delivery methods by software vendors to include cloud services. The software is delivered by Internet connections using data centers to host the software and library data. As a result, the importance of service guarantees has never been greater for libraries using services especially in the event of an emergency, like a power outage. But how many vendors can truly say they are proven service providers in case of an emergency? The reality is that all library vendors make promises about “up time”, but how many have been put to the test? Are library software vendors that utilize third party data centers to provide their hosting, sure about their services?

On September 8th 2011, a real emergency put our San Diego global data center to the test. An unprecedented massive power outage struck Southern California at about 3:38 PM PST affecting millions of people in two countries. There were numerous reports of people stuck in elevators, loss of traffic signals and serious confusion everywhere. At the EOS International facilities in Carlsbad, all eyes were on the global data center. As I walked toward the data center, I felt a nice warm feeling when all the lights were up and blinking in our data center and our clients continued to be served.

Once we were back on the grid, the technician who inspected our systems made comments about how many institutions including one hospital and other data centers were down. The EOS data center by comparison was off the grid for over 8 hours with no downtime. The reality is that it is only a matter of time before the next emergency strikes and the question becomes, is your library vendor a proven service provider?

We’re headed to San Francisco November 17 – home to the famous Golden Gate Bridge, sourdough bread, devastating earthquakes, and of course Tony Bennett’s signature song “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, written by George Cory and Douglass Cross back in the 1950’s. San Francisco is also home to The Book Club of California which turns 100 next year. The Book Club has a rich and fascinating history including publishing books on California and the West, hosting exhibitions, lectures and demonstrations, as well as a list of impressive founders such as philanthropist Phoebe Apperson Hearst (mother of William Randolph Hearst – American business magnate).

We are very excited to partner with The Book Club of California to host our Bay Area Seminar on Thursday, November 17, 2011, where interested knowledge and library professionals can learn all about our world-class EOS.Web information and knowledge management system, including a live demonstration. This is a great opportunity for anyone in the bay area to spend an hour with us and see first-hand how our products and services can solve the challenges they are facing today and into the future. Lunch will be provided.

For our bay area users, we will also host a Client Reception later in the day to share our latest exciting news. We will do a quick demonstration of our next-generation OPAC and hear from one of our EOS.Web users – Marlene Vogelsang of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. In addition, there will be plenty of networking with others, while enjoying delicious food and beverages.

Whether you are already an EOS client, or thinking about moving up to a new information and knowledge management system, we hope you will visit us next week at one of our two events. For more information, please contact EOS International at 800-876-5484, and we look forward to seeing you there!