Hi, Ivy.

 

When I arrived at the Bartlett Library at the Museum of International Folk Art almost 3 years ago, the library still used a non-MARC version of InMagic that had been installed in the late 1990’s, and it was only available on two computers inside the library itself. After taking a long look at options and at the available budget, I chose to enter into a partnership with a sister-library in similar straits, and we both moved onto a shared installation of Koha hosted by ByWater Solutions. You can see “my” catalog at http://library.internationalfolkart.org/ and the Laboratory of Anthropolgy (our partner’s) at http://library.indianartsandculture.org/. Although we share the installation, you can’t tell from the patron side. Our catalogs are essentially totally separate, just sharing server space.

 

I am pretty happy with Koha and with ByWater. I’ve written about our migration in a couple of spots, and also presented at an Amigos conference, and I’d be happy to share that information off-list. I am a huge fan of open-source solutions, especially when budgets are low. Hosted open source is the best of both worlds, offering the advantages of open source with the support some of us in smaller libraries need.

 

Everyone’s situation is different, though. I’d advise that for every ILS you are considering you ask for a detailed tour (or better yet a demo system you can play with). Look at it from a staff perspective – can you do what you need to do? And then change perspective and try to look at the OPAC from a non-librarian’s point of view – can you navigate it and do what you need to do?

 

Others have recommended Marshall Breeding’s library tech site. I absolutely agree. I pored over it when I was deciding. One interesting bit of research info that is sometimes missed is the comparison between the staff breakdowns of different vendors. Look, for example, at the ratio of sales staff to support staff. Does that tell you anything?

 

Feel free to email me off-list or give me a call if you’d like to talk further.

 

Caroline

 

Caroline Dechert,

Librarian and Archivist

Bartlett Library

Museum of International Folk Art

505-476-1210

http://library.internationalfolkart.org/

 

 

 

 

I’m listening in on this conversation. Many thanks, Jennifer, for pointing toward these resources.

 

We’re also in the first stages of shopping for a new ILS. I’d love to hear from other museum librarians especially—how do you feel about your ILS? Was it your first or did you navigate a switch? I’d love any input you could offer. So much of the information on ILS selection, while still helpful, is geared toward academic/public environments with, you know, more than one librarian.

 

With thanks!

 

Ivy Blackman

Library Manager

Frances Mulhall Achilles Library

Whitney Museum of American Art

99 Gansevoort St.

New York, NY 10014

 

 

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