Call for survey participants – Blogging in “library land”

As a follow up to her 2005 survey, Meredith Farkas (Information Wants to Be Free) is conducting a 2007 Survey of the Biblioblogosphere. She states:
“If you consider yourself a “biblioblogger,” please consider taking this survey and pass the word on to other library-related bloggers. The more people who fill it out, the better picture we [...]

Purchasing an ILS (Parts 8, 9 & 10): Select your system, negotiate and sign the deal

You’ve done a lot of homework! Now, it’s time to select your system. Doing so can be challenging, unless you were fortunate to find one system that outshone the rest. If you didn’t, try to avoid getting stuck in a ”what if” or waffling mode. If you find that you’re struggling with the selection process and you still have [...]

An Eco-Librarians Course?

Wow! A recent post on the Libraries, Information and Sustainability blog indicates that an eco-librarians course is in the works at the University of Wisconsin SLIS.  More information about the course can be found in Anna Palmer’s post Eco-Librarians Continuing Education Course. It sounds as though Pam Bosben, Director of the Rosemary Garfoot Public Library in Wisconsin [...]

Purchasing an ILS (Part 7): Request references and conduct interviews

Try to find the time to incorporate these activities into your selection process. It was through this process that I acquired important information about how each system under review was fitting within libraries. Through this process, you will hear from other consumers. Their perspectives will not be available from the vendor and they will highlight the [...]

Purchasing an ILS (Parts 5 & 6): Request demos and test systems

Most vendors want to demo their product with you. After you’ve developed your shortlist, get in touch with each vendor and set up a demo time. During the demo, the vendor will take you through a “mock” library collection automated with the system, and highlight the systems’ major features and capabilities. Please be aware: they will not show [...]