SHARE Tech

Following Along the Open Source Trail

sharetpc — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:50:58 +0000

I’m glad to see that the SHARE system is not the only consortium that has started looking into open source ILS options. This post from Brian Herzog at the Swiss Army Librarian shows that libraries around the US are chomping at the proverbial bit for a better product. Interestingly, Herzog notes that he has to “apologize to patrons on a daily basis for such a difficult catalog interface,” and then links to their regional catalog. Their catalog, like ours, is a SirsiDynix product. The Merrimack Valley Library Consortium’s site looks a whole lot easier to navigate than ours, though.

steev

more stuff: Educause Quarterly’s Pros and Cons of Open Source

Combining SMS and the catalog

sharetpc — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:57:22 +0000

The January 2009 issue of Computers in Libraries has an article “Using Text Messages to Communicate with Patrons”. It has some interesting ideas about how to combine SMS and the library catalog. I encourage all of you to go and check it out. I especially like Project One: Send to Phone where patrons can send call numbers to their phone. I don’t know that I would use that instead of the old fashioned pen and paper, but it does seem more environmentally friendly.

Any thoughts?

-Jill

Try out SirsiDynix Enteprise!

sharetpc — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:53:03 +0000

From a comment on David Lee King’s blog:

a beta test of the Enterprise catalog.

spb

OCLC joins the Empire?

sharetpc — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:34:24 +0000

As always, Slashdot has some interesting commentary on this particular technology issue: OCLC wants control over all of its records, including ones that we have paid for. Score one for Darth Proprietary? Not so fast! OpenLibrary offers its records for free, or at least it will someday. Discuss.

The social OPAC

sharetpc — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:51:35 +0000

Here it is at last, and none too soon; I was getting sick of the anti-social OPAC!

‘Nother browser

sharetpc — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:51:04 +0000

Google released the beta for its Chrome web browser yesterday. I’m using it right now, in fact. I have to grudgingly admit that it seems to load faster than Firefox 3 and it looks cleaner. There’s a little bit of a learning curve (it lacks a dedicated search field and has no menu bar), but I suspect people coming from IE will have an easier time with it than folks moving over from Firefox. Either way, it’s a nice new addition to the “browser wars.”

Get some browsers!

Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, IE8 (beta)

Another system goes open source. . .

sharetpc — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:22:33 +0000

We here at TPC have been brainstorming for months about how to get our OPAC looking better and working more like a normal search engine. The [proprietary system] we currently use is not very user-friendly and is incredibly ugly. I’d like to believe that if we had had the choice two years ago to move to the open source Evergreen ILS, we would have gone that route. Being stuck with [proprietary system] at the moment, however, I can only look on with envy as more and more library systems move to adopt an open source ILS. The latest is the Michigan Library System, which includes such giant public libraries as Grand Rapids. Their OPAC is freakin’ beautiful.

steev

Down with the AT-AT!

sharetpc — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:17:49 +0000

Would a galaxy-spanning totalitarian government controlled by a maniacal emperor really spend the time, effort and money to create a hulking machine that looks and moves like an extinct mammal? It’s all intimidation and no teeth; big, bloated, a complete waste of resources. Why continue to use archaic technology when there are better solutions available to deal with your rebellion?

This blog is about new technologies. It’s about making stuff that looks good and is useable by everyone. In our case, everyone means the folks who use our libraries. Discussions may include open source software, widgets, wadgets, blogging, our clunky proprietary OPAC and stuff in general that libraries are doing these days to take tech to the people.

Please contribute! Down with the Empire!

steev baker