A director I spoke to who wishes to remain private stated, “Why should I have to open up our library’s catalog to the state when we are the ones who have invested our time and budget in building our collection? It does not seem fair that it is state mandated and [that] accreditation may be lost if we do not comply.”^[1],[2] The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has made it mandatory for accredited public libraries in Texas to “batchload” their records to WorldCat to implement Navigator, “the statewide interlibrary loan program [that] embodies several grant programs that work together to enable library users access to materials not available at their local library. It also works with other programs in Texas, the Southwest, and the country to promote resource sharing and provide greater access to information for all Texans.”^[3]

Transitioning to a group catalog is a lengthy process and a bit of a hassle to complete. Staff must watch eight Kickoff Webinars, sign and submit agreement forms to the state (or else lose accreditation as a library), batchload every collection—and then Navigator training begins. Only when all of this is completed can your library finally go live!^[4] If you do not have a seasoned cataloger or knowledgeable IT staff on hand, the whole process can be very difficult. Constant communication with OCLC and the state library is a must if you are in this situation.

But should a library with a small service population and a budget not even an eighth the size of a metropolitan library’s have to open up its collection to avoid being red-flagged or risk losing their E-Rate? The whole process is dependent on budget and, ultimately, biased towards more generously funded libraries. I do not blame the director I spoke with for being territorial about his collection, which is funded by taxpayers. Which begs another question: Why weren’t the taxpayers asked whether they wished to open up their collection to the entire state? I also understand, however, the progress the state library is implementing. A group catalog means more options for library users, which can lead to better research. Having Navigator as a tool has its pros and cons, like most other things in life. So depending on which side you are on, Navigator can be a good thing or not such a good thing.

Has your library dealt with a transition to OCLC’s Navigator? Where do you side on this issue?

References

[1] Unnamed library director in discussion with the author, July 19, 2016.

[2] “Update on statewide interlibrary loan program status,” minutes of the Texas Library Systems Act Advisory Board (MS Word document), March 19, 2015: §6.

[3] “Interlibrary Loan,” Texas State Library and Archives Commission, April 7, 2016.

[4] “Implementation Process,” Texas Resource Sharing, August 2, 2012.

The post Group Catalog and OCLC’s Navigator: Burden or Blessing? first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

It is an economic truth that some have more than others. Some communities are wealthier, some have different core values, some have different economic structures, and all of these factors affect the local library. In practical terms, this means that some libraries are well funded, and others are not; some libraries have longer open hours, larger staff, more materials, better technology, while other libraries exist with volunteers, limited access, and few resources.

Often, these qualities of the library are a direct reflection of the community they serve. This is unfortunate as the effect becomes that those communities with the most need, the have-nots, end up with the least, because, they have not! What concerns me most, however, is how quickly many of the more fortunate seem to forget the complications and financial limitations of the less fortunate.

I realize this phenomenon is nothing new, as evidenced by the infamous call to “let them eat cake!” Still, I am dismayed to see this common lapse of understanding occur in libraries. Libraries at core are institutions designed to help and serve people—all people: however, I have frequently witnessed well-funded, well-staffed libraries with strong collections scoff at their poorer sisters. “Just purchase this or that…” seems to be a go-to position for financially comfortable librarians.

I understand this reaction. I have been fortunate at times to enjoy the financial security to operate this way. I have also had the misfortune to not have this ability and appreciate that financial security is a luxury, not a given.

I am a strong believer in being thankful for what one has, and I have muddled through many an event that reminded me of how things could be worse. While some have called this “could be worse” approach negative, this practice has given me great empathy and great respect for others. Thankfully, I have never experienced a devastating fire or flood. I have never lived in a war zone. I have never lacked for necessities. But I can appreciate the trauma of these events precisely because I can appreciate what I have and not take it for granted.

I have known many librarians, often in small rural libraries and destitute urban libraries, that work in tragic situations akin to states of emergency. They tirelessly seek creative solutions and focus on the needs of the “have-not” population they serve.

It is easy to become complacent. It is easy to forget that our circumstances are not the same. When you have, it is easy to forget what it is like to have not. I hope that we, particularly as librarians, remember our mission to serve and let that be a strong guiding force, regardless of our individual situations.

The post The Haves and The Have-Nots first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

What about e-books? What if a student needs a study from a professor in the Washington State MBA program but attends Arizona State University? Can the library get it then? Ryan Litsey, an associate librarian who is head of Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery at Texas Tech and recipient of the Library Journal’s Mover and Shaker award for 2016, thought the answer should be yes. With his partner, Kenny Ketner, the library’s software development manager, he developed the first and only library developed method to loan e-books through an interlibrary loan program.

It’s called Occam’s Reader, and it’s being used by twenty-four libraries across the country by over 600,000 users (seventy more universities are projected to join the program by the end of the year). Occam’s Reader has access to collections from multiple publishers and universities, which equals millions of titles.

The name comes from the Occam’s razor principle: simplified, it says the simplest solution is usually the best. Litsey’s and Ketner’s goal was to develop the simplest system possible for libraries to share e-books with each other, and with the pilot program complete and version 2.0 ready to launch, that goal has been achieved.

“When students are doing their research and writing their papers and they come across a citation or want to look at a book that they want to use for a paper that we don’t have,” Litsey said, “they can now make a request for the electronic book through the Occam’s Reader program.”

This is great tool for the university libraries that use it. What about public libraries?

As libraries and publishers come to agreements and hopefully move toward an ownership model for e-books for preservation as well as library cost reduction, an electronic interlibrary loan program makes sense. Occam’s Reader provides a model that can be expanded to include non-academic libraries.

E-book Borrows are on the Rise

Why do we need this program? Because despite belief to the contrary, OverDrive numbers released in April of 2016 show several trends in relation to e-books.

• Checkouts through OverDrive are on track to grow 30–40 percent for 2016 over the record levels achieved for 2015.
• With a 30 percent increase in children’s digital books borrowed (Q1 2016 vs. Q1 2015), younger readers are increasingly embracing public library children’s and YA e-book collections.
• Borrowing of self-published e-books is increasing—with 40 percent more titles being borrowed (Q1 2016 vs. Q1 2015).
• Publishers are offering new access models that increase availability for readers.

As children and teens become more engaged with e-books, from enhanced digital copies that include audio and video links to comics that are now available electronically, digital borrows will continue to soar.

Loans Save Money

Library budgets in many areas are shrinking or staying static, while demands on libraries to provide public Internet, act as community centers, offer makerspaces, and still curate both physical and e-books and promote literacy acquisition of new titles is often challenging. The process must be very selective.

An interlibrary loan program allows that selection process to be even more specific. Libraries within the program could work together, especially in the area of academic and nonfiction publications, to offer a wider variety of titles without each library having to purchase its own copy.

How does this program benefit students and library patrons? Not only does an e-book interlibrary program save libraries money and expand what they can offer, but it benefits patrons in amazing ways.

E-Library Loans Enhance Distance Learning

In 2013, Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCS) were thought to be the coming revolution in education. While they have been much maligned, the growth of online education and distance learning has been astounding.

One of the big advantages is the ability to take classes anywhere. Research can be done via the Internet, but what about obtaining specific books and academic sources? Let’s say a student enrolled in the already revolutionary Global Freshman Academy offered online by Arizona State University and needs to look at a white paper on the Drake equation from a professor at Texas Tech (Both universities are current participants in the program). Occam’s Reader offers distance learners access to such resources wherever they happen to be taking the course, from their couch to a corner table at Starbucks.

E-loans will not replace the in-person research that is sometimes necessary, but it will make more research possible from almost anywhere.

E-Library Loans Enable Teleworkers

Business is being transformed in a number of ways. Many people can work from home or nearly anywhere. One of the reasons is that more data is available faster.

More and more companies are hiring teleworkers and freelancers, allowing their employees to work remotely. E-library loans add to the data available remotely, making this kind of work possible for even more people.

Distance learning and telework are on the rise, and there is little question e-books are here to stay. They will continue be a growing and changing part of libraries. Occam’s Reader promises libraries can continue to work together to provide knowledge and education to their communities. Patrons will continue to count on libraries as a place to find that knowledge, and count on library staff to be able to help them find it.

In that simple solution, we are all winners.

The post Occam’s Reader: Interlibrary E-book Loans first appeared on Public Libraries Online.