Library Tools and Trends

Ah, tis' spring! The smell of the flowers, the warmth of the sun, and the dreaded end of the term's essay assignment!

Math Made Fun Iridescent beetles, LEGO gunships, gnomes in peril—math has never been more fun. That’s the point of Math Pickle, a site that employs these and other kid-friendly elements to teach mathematical concepts through More...

Teachers and students can now build their own reference works, and young authors can publish their stories and share them with the world. More...

Do you have permission to contact your students with updates from the library? I don’t mean having to approach your administrator or IT department, but rather, do you have permission from the students themselves? It’s More...

In this Article The Details It’s been a frequently asked—and highly contentious—question since their nearly simultaneous release in mid-November: Which is the better color ereader/tablet, the Kindle Fire or the Nook Tablet? I had the More...

In this Article Sticking Points Talk about a revolution. Since Amazon unveiled the first Kindle in 2007, digital devices have dramatically changed the way kids read and even think about books. But it’s less clear More...

We all would like to believe that our students are honest. But occasionally, as we read through their essays, we’ll come across something that makes us wonder, “Did Susie really write this?” In those moments, More...

Armani Harris, a high school senior in Chicago, used to just hang out or go home after school. “I didn’t do much,” he says. But then the 17-year-old stumbled onto YOUmedia—an innovative learning space that’s More...

What's going on with search today? 'Web-scale discovery'; promises to take researchers beyond the simple search and retrieval options of yesterday and expand access to library collections, both print and online.Moderator Jane Burke, senior vice More...

Operations to be centralized in Utah; Huntsville and St. Louis offices to closeNew logo and Customer Support Center site to debutLibrary Relationship Manager program expanding from six to 16 staffersSirsiDynix today announced to employees and More...

Bill Schickling has spent a good chunk of his professional life at what is now Polaris Library Systems, shaping both the older Galaxy system and the newer Polaris integrated library system (ILS). When he joined More...

Suit brought in July 2009Charge that the "bait and switch" involved multiple librariesNo clarity on terms, reasons for settlementNot with a bang, but a whimper: the suit brought last July against SirsiDynix by the Queens More...

PTFS to take on leading position in open source ILS supportLibLime CEO Ferraro will stay on as consultant for up to 18 monthsWill rift with Koha community be repaired?After some delay, the acquisition of Koha More...

Equinox offering two new Koha support packagesCompany taps in-house experts familiar with KohaReaction to Enterprise Koha, and growing interest in Open SourceYesterday, Equinox Software, which has built its name and business supporting the Evergreen open More...

Go back to the Academic Newswirefor more storiesLibLime assets will not be acquired by PTFSPTFS still plans to expand into other marketsLibLime parent Metavore will continue current business focusIn an unexpected reversal late Thursday, the More...

Knowing customer interests improves collection displayOne-on-one community leader outreach is keyTechnology options can help to reach more age groups It should be a given for libraries to learn more about potential customers to better serve More...

Management team buys companyContinuity of products a priorityDeal helped bynew, local investorIn the first ILS news of the Midwinter ALA meeting, Polaris Library Systems announced that the current management team, headed by CEO and President More...

PTFS will take over LibLime assets, contracts, and brandLibLime CEO Joshua Ferraro to exitCustomer base has invested significantly in developmentPTFS plans to invest in KohaIn a move with strong implications for the growth and development More...

VP of strategic partnerships and markets at GaleWill continue role as library speaker and punditMove follows other staff shifts at SirsiDynixStephen Abram-the well-known library pundit and occasional lightning rod for debate-is leaving his position as More...

Customer satisfaction data is the most important factor librarians wish were included in star libraries rankings to showcase how their libraries are performing, according to 57 percent of respondents to a survey of America's star More...

North Iowa's BEACON project chooses The Library CorporationEbrary offering free access to H1N1 (Influenza) Searchable Information CenterEBSCOhost access available through smartphonesThe North Iowa Libraries Collaborating Board is uniting a score of public and school libraries More...

Being in sync with community needs is thesingle most importantkeytotheir success,identified by 73 percent of America's star libraries. In a survey conducted by Library Journal, the star libraries, the top 258 libraries given stars by More...

Two INIST-CNRS databases available on EBSCOhostSerials Solutions phones in Summon serviceDialog offering free Dialindex service to out of work librariansEBSCO Publishing (EBSCO) and France's Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique of the Centre National de More...

Library Journal's national rating of public libraries, the LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009, Round 2, rates 7,268 public libraries and identifies 258 "stars." Created by Keith Curry Lance and Ray Lyons, this round More...

SirsiDynix releases Enterprise/SchoolRooms 3.0Credo platform sports 173 new subject encyclopediasMichigan's Grand Valley State University/University of South Australia running SummonSirsiDynix®, is now marketing Enterprise™ 3.0, which offers users a single search to discover all resources the More...

Should complaint be narrowed, fewer industry implicationsInitial conference held this morningDiscovery phase will last until June 4Vendor: it could take 500-700 hours to parse 70 terabytesResponding to allegations filed in July by the Queens Library More...

Go back to the Academic Newswire for more storiesDocument gives vendor's view of "the other side" of open source promotionOpen source advocates say report spreads "fear, uncertainty, and doubt"Some not unsympathetic to Abram's view, but More...

Columbus Library signs Potomac Digital SignageInfobase Publishing buys World AlmanacIndex Data re-engineering OhioLINK's discovery services platformLyngsoe Systems purchasing FKI Logistex Library SolutionsWhen the Columbus Library, GA, needed a better way to communicate with patrons, it More...

Breach of contract, fraud chargedCourt hearing November 2Suit claims other libraries damagedThe Queens Library (QL) has sued the Dynix Corporation, the Sirsi Corporation, and Sirsi Holdings Corp., (now operating as SirsiDynix), charging a bait-and-switch during More...

Go back to the Academic Newswirefor more storiesProjects at universities, libraries, museumsFunding fordigital advances, research, collaborationsDemonstrations and planning grantsThe Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has announced National Leadership Grants (NLG) totaling $17.9 million More...

Enterprise Koha shifts development focus entirely to customersCritics worry about division in the communityOpen letters address relationship between users and vendorsTypically, a revamped vendor product line doesn't result in a flurry of open letters to More...

Swets marketing eDeal Renewal ServiceAuto-Graphics partners with AmigosSaudi Arabian academic selects Millenniumebrary offering InfoSci-BooksSwets is now marketing eDeal Renewal Service, which is integrated into SwetsWise Subscriptions. The service, the company said, was 'developed to assist More...

Continued demand for a 'compelling library interface';Federated search hasn't lived up to its promiseKey to content today is indexes, not databasesRoughly 400 attendees joined library technology pundits Marshall Breeding and Eric Lease Morgan August 18 More...

EBSCO purchases AgeLinePolaris Library Systems snags six North American librariesSerials Solutions adds new participants to SummonEBSCO Publishing has purchased the AgeLine® database, formerly produced by AARP. AgeLine is the premier source for the literature of More...

SirsiDynix offering upgrades of Symphony and Web ReporterBlackwell gets e-book distribution rights to libraries via Ingram's MyiLibraryTLC releases 'Kids'; version of LS2 PACSirsiDynix came to ALA Chicago armed with two major product announcements. First, the More...

Bibliotheca snags Multnomah County Library/Minuteman membersEbrary providing usage stats to B&TInnovative introduces Encore ReporterOpen RFID solutions firm Bibliotheca Inc. has added to its stable of customers. The Public Library of Brookline, Wellesley Free Library, and More...

Rough Guides added to Gale Virtual Reference LibraryEBSCO providing tech support for accessing Voyager and AlephSirsiDynix debuts Strategic Partnership ProgramGale has cut a licensing agreement to include more than 100 titles from the Penguin Group's More...

Circulating, noncirculating materials now in same catalogDownloading resolved; difficulty logging inUses Millennium from Innovative Interfaces[Updated July 9] A message to patrons via email and on the web stated: The transition to this new system has More...

Polaris Library Systems partners with LibraryThing for LibrariesDartmouth launching open beta test of Serials Solutions' Summonebrary incorporating new features3M Library Systems signs Florida's Lee County Library for RFIDTom Fitzgerald joins ABC-CLIO as VP, Sales & More...

Go back to the Academic Newswirefor more stories"Soft" launch of discovery serviceInitial feedback positive, with reservationsTrade-off between specificity and "unified" interfaceThe highly anticipated commercial launch of Serials Solutions' Summon discovery platform will take place at More...

. More...

Elsevier ups A&H titles in ScopusEBSCO made exclusive worldwide distributor of Footnote.comForeWord Magazine names the University of Nebraska Press its 2008 Independent Publisher of the YearWilson adds 21,000 images Cinema Image Gallery plus new search More...

A stellar panel of library technology and system experts led webcast attendees through an informative and entertaining look at the integrated library system (ILS) marketplace. Sponsored by Polaris Library Systems, the June 16 Consider the More...

SirsiDynix has released the URSA® 4.2 (Universal Resource Sharing Application) automated interlibrary loan system. It 'communicates with local circulation systems to provide self-service requests that save staff time and speed the delivery of materials to More...

Innovative signs threeSirsiDynix releases URSA® 4.2.Informa Healthcare merging medical and pharmaceutical titlesIngram Digital debuts MyiLibrary AudioInnovative has a new trio of domestic and international customers in both public and academic libraries. The vendor announced that More...

LibLime recently partnered with Syndetic Solutions to give users of its Koha open source ILS access to enhanced content subscriptions featuring book covers, summaries, annotations, excerpts, and book reviews. According to company reps, integration of More...

Just before the Ex Libris Users of North America (ELUNA) meeting May 6-8 in Richmond, Ex Libris announced the general availability of its bX article recommendation service. The service takes its cues from "Web 2.0-type" More...

Univ. of Calgary to beta Serials Solutions SummonThomson Reuters Healthcare and Science releases new version of ScholarOne ManuscriptsBBC Audiobooks America titles downloadable via NetLibraryEBSCO releases Sustainability Reference CenterKwantlen Polytechnic U Lib contracts for Relais International More...

3M and Vocera strike 'strategic sales and marketing alliance';Serials Solutions® KnowledgeWorks enhancedProQuest products available through DialogCredo Reference adds three to corporate advisory board3M and Vocera have struck a 'strategic sales and marketing alliance aimed at More...

RefWorks launched RefMobile interfaceAcademic selects Relais ILL Hosted ServiceWestern Michiganto beta Serials Solutions SummonWorld Book adds 'How To Do Research,'; online toolRefWorks has launched RefMobile, a new interface that enables students and researchers to use More...

The Joint Conference, a meeting of SirsiDynix customers, was both the first and the last of its kind, drawing some 746 librarians to Dallas from April 6–8. Beginning with the election of a new single More...

Relais in New Brunswick PLCredo/EBSCO linking agreementSwets expands BCR partnershipKoha recognizes ByWater as open ILS supportSerials Solutions offers Full-Text and Peer Review features 360 SearchRelais International announced that the New Brunswick Public Library Service (NBPLS), More...

Go back to the Academic Newswire for more stories Serving as a local catalogHow consortial borrowing would workSupporting circulation, acquisitionsSee also: News of OCLC's original announcement and reactions from vendors and librarians.OCLC's planned WorldCat Local-based"Web-scale" More...

Questions tied to ongoing debates about OCLCVendors express concern about their businessWould large libraries stay away?(Updated April 28 with quotes from Karen Schneider and Richard Wallis)See also: News of OCLC's original announcement and a breakdown More...

A third space for library automation, combining ILS and discoveryNew project will manage, deliverall library print and electronic resourcesPhased-in approach begins withno-fee quick start for WorldCat LocalGo back to the Academic Newswire for more storiesSee More...

East Baton Rouge Goes V-SmartEx Libris Inc. and BCR offer joint trainingVITAL workshopThe East Baton Rouge Parish Library (EBRPL), LA, has selected V-smart, Infor's web-based integrated library system, to offer its 386,000 users improved access More...

On March 11, VTLS announced a new service to make FRBR records available to library catalogs and interfaces via Software as a Service (SaaS), without requiring any change to an institution's existing bibliographic record set. More...

Technology on a Shoestring: Big Tools for Small BudgetsDemand is huge for low cost solutions to patrons' technological challenges. Evidence? Over 300 attendees in the virtual classroom for Technology on a Shoestring: Big Tools for More...

AquaBrowser to be Harvard's search and discovery platformBlackwenn named sales agent for ABC-CLIO ebooksProQuest products shortlisted for SIIA) 24th annual CODiE AwardsSwets signs agreement with Aldipress, for consolidation and logistics activitiesAquaBrowser Library has been tapped More...

Go back to the Academic Newswire for more storiesService will rely on indexed contentThree tiers of service based on the EBSCOhost 2.0 plaftormContent partnership includes access to OCLC WorldCat recordsAs many in the industry predicted, More...

On March 4, Polaris Library Systems announced a new Customer Relations Department to be managed by ten-year company veteran Jodi Bellinger, along with Connie Wilson, with the firm for 25 years, as customer relations coordinator.According More...

VTLS has released VITAL 4.0, its digital and institutional repository solution, which allows these facilities "to ingest, create, maintain, validate, uniquely identify, secure, preserve, and export the contents of institutional collections." VITAL provides functions to More...

Scriblio, the open source catalog interface designed as an extension to the extremely popular WordPress blogging software, has once again upped the ante on catalog independence with its latest release.In initial versions, much of Scriblio's More...

In a year where the general economy presented enormous challenges, libraries continued to make investments in automation, especially in products that help improve what and how they deliver to their end users. Access to electronic More...

Bowker/Choice debut Resources for College Libraries: Career ResourcesSwetWise Online Content available through iPhone/iPodSirsiDynix partners with Bell Canada for SaaSPolaris creates Customer Relations Dept.Bowker and Choice have launched Resources for College Libraries (RCL): Career Resources. Available More...

Serials Solutions Summons Sydney/LiverpoolScitopia.org adds alerting serviceVTLS releases VITAL 4.0IGI Global creates Library Technology Excellence AwardProQuest's Serials Solutions unit has signed new beta development partners and new content providers to its recent Summon unified discovery More...

Equinox Software has made a name for itself since late 2006 supporting and developing the consortial-level open source Evergreen ILS for libraries in Georgia, Michigan, and Indiana. Now, Equinox is lending its services to institutions More...

Swetswise Selection Support in Beta testingLibLime adds Support Center web portalSmooth Polaris installation in Phoenix PLOCLC/ALISE award grantsSwetswise Selection Support has entered the Beta testing phase. The decision support service combines customer's usage stats with More...

Following up on the debut of its Enterprise faceted search interface last year (see InfoTech, LJ 8/08, p. 21), SirsiDynix has recently released the second generation of the product. Enterprise 2.0 now offers users RSS More...

With the new bX article recommendation service from Ex Libris, students and scholars can now tap into the search patterns of their colleagues at more than 1500 institutions worldwide to get research suggestions.Based on data More...

Stand-alone unified discovery services and federated search systems, both of which have gotten much attention recently, tend to carry costs commensurate with their all-encompassing nature. With its LS2 PAC catalog module, however, The Library Corporation More...

In a scant three years at ProQuest, Marty Kahn, CEO, has moved a company coming out of a financial morass back onto solid ground. He came on board after the purchase of ProQuest Information and More...

Credo Adding M.E. Sharpe encyclopediasProQuest products Shibboleth compliantInnovative Interfaces new foreign contractsWebJunction releases Library Management CompetenciesCredo Reference has cut a deal to incorporate five of M.E. Sharpe's multivolume encyclopedias into its Credo General Reference collection: More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better than More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

America's Star Libraries: The LJ Index of Public Library Service 2009LJ Index OverviewWhy These Measures Matter How to Leverage the IndexModels You Can UseFind Your Library Included LibrariesFact SheetStarred Libraries by Category Editorial: Better More...

The web site is your library's most important feature. Think about it: Where do people go to find out if a book is available, or if you carry a particular DVD or magazine? Patrons use More...

Responding to many libraries' increasing reliance on electronic resources and a desire to maximize e-resource budgets, EBSCOhost at the ALA Midwinter Meeting filled LJ in on its own plans to add a federated search service More...

For the latest data, see America's Star Libraries 2009, Round Two For years we've heard criticisms of the Hennen ratings of American public libraries. Library directors, statisticians, state librarians, and others challenged the nontransparent methodology More...

Extension of the EBSCOhost 2.0 brand and user interfaceSubscribers won't be charged for search connectors to EBSCO databasesMore content platforms vying to be end user search destinationsE-Views blogger Cheryl LaGuardia described yesterday how busy EBSCOhost More...

EBSCO, ProQuest,OCLCincluded for eighth consecutive yearCompanies judged according to content and managementEBSCO, ProQuest, OCLC, and a cadre of other vendors serving the library market were listed on EContent magazine's annual compilation of 100 'Companies That More...

Librarians dicuss services they provide that put their facilities front and center for patronsWebcast sponsored by PolarisA library discount promotion with local retailers, a Power Plus library card for students that gives them free public More...

OPAC enhancement product allows patrons to add item review directlyReviews aggregated across libraries; 200,000 to startUsers can view and share reviews via Facebook or blogLibraryThing, the social cataloging site that offers features to libraries like More...

eXtensible Catalog project website updated, converted from WordPress to DrupalRevamp comes during phase two of the project, on track for July 2009 completionMore information posted on project background, development partners, and participation optionsAs reported by More...

New installations to be Koha 3.0, existing installations upgraded upon requestLIS programs can receive up to five freely hosted installationsParticipating students gain access to hands-on ILS trainingMany LIS students complain they don't get enough hands-on More...

Single Sign-On authentication added to 360 SearchUnified access through Athens or Shibboleth to federated search resourcesSerials Solutions recently announced the addition of Single Sign-On (SSO) access control to its 360 Search federated search product. Now, More...

Active Alerts to provide patrons notifications based on search criteriaLib2Home to streamline checkout and delivery process for librarians and staffHoping to apply the efficiency of web technologies to solve some of the logistical problems of More...

SirsiDynix releases e-Library OPAC to users of Symphony 3.2.1e-Library is successor to iBistroOn-time release highlightedOn August 27, SirsiDynix announce the release of its e-Library OPAC to users of the Symphony 3.2.1 ILS. The revamped product More...

Security gates and self-check machines to feature EM/RFID hybrid detection abilityAllows for phased transition without disrupting circulationNew security gates and self-check machines from RFID vendor Bibliotheca are the latest products to sport a hybrid detection More...

NY private equity firm focuses on information industriesPurchase follows return of Carl Grant as president Leeds Equity Partners, a NY-based private equity firm, has purchased the Ex Libris Group for an undisclosed sum. Leeds is More...

Was 2007 Best Small Library in AmericaFirst libarary in Utah to use KohaSupport and cost heavy factors in selectionLibLime July 31 announced that the Grand County Public Library, UT, LJ's 2007 Best Small Library in More...

Sales includes select products, related services, domain names and associated service contractsCarl Grant becoming president of Ex Libris, North AmericaFinal closing is scheduled for this AugustOpen source solutions outfit LibLime July 29 announced the acquisition More...

System installed between January and Julyimplementation required custom software and integration with many third-party systemsThe Queens Library, NY, the nation's reigning circulation champions, is the proud owners of a new VTLS system, which the vendor More...

Offers 'easy readers' advisory';System layered on top of ILSUsers new to social web take to taggingBilbioCommons, a new social discovery system for libraries that replaces all user-facing OPAC functionality, allowing for faceted searching and easier More...

Further investigation has revealed that inaccurate information from several industry sources was carried in the report on SirsiDynix that appeared briefly on the Library Journal website June 30 and July 1. Because of those inaccuracies, More...

New York, Cleveland, King County and others to followDownloads compatible with the iPod® and other MP3 players, most cell phonesDemos at American Library Association ConferenceThe District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) yesterday became the nation's More...

Integrates digital content and the Polaris PowerPACUsers can view, read, listen to, or download materials on enriched data linksUnlimited digital files can be added to a bibliographic recordPolaris Library Systems June 24 debuted a digital More...

Beverly Church joins LibLime as project managerProQuest promotes John Law to the new position of VP of Discovery ServicesRFID house Bibliotheca has named industry veteran Lamar Jackson its new president and CEO. The company said More...