June | 2016 | LiberTay

Library Services are very excited to announce that our new Library system will go live on Thursday 30^th June 2016.

Our current Library Management System,Voyager, will be replaced by Alma and our Resource Discovery System, Summon, will be replaced by Primo. Both products are provided by Ex Libris and are used in Universities all around the world. These new products are fully integrated which means we are waving goodbye to our old friend the Library Catalogue. There’s now a single way to search for print and online content and it looks a little something like this:

Alma

Alma is a next-generation Library Management Solution which means that behind-the-scenes workflows such as ordering and processing our physical stock and activating our online content is far more unified and streamlined. This is good news for us but even better news for our staff and students as it allows for a better level of service.

Primo (AKA LibrarySearch)

Primo is a Resource Discovery System similar to Summon and will replace both it and the Library Catalogue. We’ve branded our version of Primo as LibrarySearch – and it does exactly that: search all of our print books and journals, games and DVDs, eBooks and online journal articles, conference proceedings, databases* and much more from a single, simple interface!

*There are a few of specialist databases which we recommend searching separately. What you are and are not searching is clearly marked on the LibrarySearch home page.

LibrarySearch is very similar to Summon with its simple keyword search and refining via facets and filters. However, it also provides added features and functionality to make the user experience even easier. LibrarySearch is intuitive to use, is fully mobile-optimised so can be viewed on any device, and provides enriched discovery with features such as recommendations and citation trails.

No need to worry about learning how to use another search tool – if you can use Google, you can use LibrarySearch.

Results display in LibrarySearch in a similar way to Summon (see below) You can refine using facets, filters and a date slider on the left of the screen and access services and additional functionality via the tabs on the middle of the screen under each result and also to the right of the screen:

Example of the LibrarySearch mobile interface (on iPhone)

LibrarySearch – Preview

You can have a sneak peek of LibrarySearch here – try some searches and see what you think of the user interface.

**Please remember that this is not live until 30th June – we’re still working on content for the home page and some functionality is being tweaked. Please just use this for testing, don’t try to renew or place requests etc.**

Key Changes

Here’s a very quick overview of some of the key changes you’ll see as a result of the new system from a user perspective.

LibrarySearch – the single place to go to search for physical and online content, renew your loans, pay fines, place requests and more. *It is necessary to log-in to LibrarySearch using your network username and password before you start searching. This provides streamlined access and enhanced functionality*
Increased functionality – LibrarySearch allows you to discover and view online content without leaving the interface. Tabs provide links to various services including placing requests via Interlibrary Loan (some fees apply)
Auto-renewals – If there are no requests on items you’ve borrowed, the system will automatically renew these for you as if by magic! Normal loans (28 days) and weekly loans can auto-renew twice and Overnight loans can auto-renew once.
Overnight loans – Short Loans have been re-vamped as Overnight Loans. These high-demand items can be booked in advance, can be auto-renewed once (providing there are no other bookings) and have a reduced fine rate of 50p per hour.
Increased borrowing – Postgraduate students and researchers can now borrow up to 20 items.

Future developments – Reading List System

As if that wasn’t enough, there’s more! Towards the end of August we’ll be launching Leganto which is a Reading List System also provided by Ex Libris so will work seamlessly with our new Library System. In addition, Leganto will be integrated with Blackboard. You can find out more here

Minimal Disruption to Services

We’ve been busy beavering away on this for well over a year now: cleaning and migrating data, getting trained up on all aspects of the system (we even had to sit an exam to become Alma Certified Administrators!), configuring workflows and making sure all our systems and resources are integrated correctly, and of course working on getting the LibrarySearch interface just right…

We’ve tried to have as little disruption as possible to all Library services during the various phases of the project. As we ‘re now very much on the last leg and are switching things over, there will be some interruptions. Self-service facilities (book issues, returns, online renewals, holds and recalls or fine payments) are unavailable between Monday 27th June and Thursday 30th June. Books and other materials can still be taken out on loan, but will need to be issued manually from the SEZ desk on Level 1.

We will also be unable to process any new library memberships or any SCONUL Access/Dundee University library authorisations during this period.

Apologies for this disruption but this slight blip is unavoidable at this point in the switch over.

Help and Support

As mentioned, LibrarySearch is very similar to Summon and is nice and easy to use. However, we will still be proving help and support as well as guidance on the various features and functionality – the Library intranet pages and YouTube channel will be updated over the coming weeks to include shiny new videos, FAQs, user guides etc. We’ll also be communicating with you regularly via our social media channels giving updates and top tips. If you’re not already following us, please do! Here’s our Twitter and our Facebook links for you.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts on LibrarySearch. If you have any suggestions for improvements or encounter any teething problems, please contact us on librarysystems@abertay.ac.uk

We’re really looking forward to talking to you all and showing you LibrarySearch in action during our classes, workshops and drop-ins!

High five from all of us in Library Services.

We’re busy making room on Level 3 for all the new books the Librarians have been buying for you so have moved our Literature collection down to Level 2. You’ll find the Literature collection on the same shelves as our Audio Visual collection which is right beside Student Services.

We’ve got just over 700 titles covering the classics and some more modern literature and they can be identified by ‘LIT’ on their spine labels.

So, if you fancy catching up on some reading for pleasure/leisure before the serious studying starts, get yourself along to Level 2 of the Library. And let us know which are your faves!