The North Judson-Wayne Township Library is getting a new automation system! Yep, by the end of the year (but hopefully sooner) the library will have a modern, up-to-date circulation system.
I heard mom talking about it today. She said that she and the director, Jane Ellen Felchuk, had a short web session with one of the people at Evolve. It was the first step in switching over from the now outdated Winnebago system the library bought back in 1998. They discussed setting up patron registration, what information was necessary, and what changes had to be made to tailor the program for our library. Both of them were impressed by the knowledge of the person doing the seminar and with how easy it was to make changes. Mom said that the session made her feel just a bit more relaxed about the entire migration. Her head is filled with horror stories from other libraries – like the library my Aunt Karen works.
About a month ago the entire staff did a webinar about the system and really, really liked it. ‘Course, once the system is in place there will probably be some slight problems – it’s only to be expected because nothing is perfect. (Except maybe me!)
Once the new system is in place patrons will have to turn in their library cards so the barcodes can be changed. That sounds like a lot of work, but the new barcodes will allow the NJ-WT Library to eventually invest in ebooks and other databases that weren’t available back in 1998. One of the reasons we haven’t bought ebooks is because we have the “wrong type” of barcodes and our patrons would not be able to use them to “check out” ebooks. All that will change in the future.
This also means that we will once again have an online catalog! Ya Hoo! I know that there are plenty of you people out there just waiting for that day. So is mom.
Well, I think I’ve blathered on long enough. Now remember, this is a secret between you and me. But I’ll let you know more as I find out about it. Till then, shhhhhhhhh!
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