----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Dear Ms. Saenz,

My library (The Detroit Institute of Arts) belongs to a multi-library
consortium where we are a full contributing member.  This arrangement is
actually very expensive for us but allows our users the benefit of a
state-of-the-art integrated library system as well as allowing our library
important governing powers concerning our own catalogue.

Our consortium shares cost proportionally to the number of records we have
but it still works out to be more expensive than many cheaper stand-alone
library systems.

I think it may be much easier to join a consortium in your area that
already exists and has provisions (or different pricing schemes) for
members that are not full participants.

I would also investigate (request literature and quotes) the option of a
stand-alone library system. There are many systems designed for the smaller
specialized library - consult the Librarian's Yellow Pages
(www.librariansyellowpages.com)  for some examples of online systems that
might best fit your needs.

Good luck with your conversion,

Kraig Binkowski
Librarian
The Detroit Institute of Arts
5200 Woodward, Detroit MI, 48202
(313) 833-7926   <a href="/scripts/wa.exe?LOGON=A3%3Dind9907%26L%3DARLIS-L%26E%3D7BIT%26P%3D406558%26B%3D--%26T%3Dtext%252FplainTEXT%252FPLAIN%3B%2520charset%3DUS-ASCII%26pending%3D" target="_parent" >[log in to unmask]</a>

At 06:00 PM 7/23/99 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Please help me! I am the Library Collections Intern at the Museum of
>Latin American Art (Long Beach, CA), and I'm trying to get our 2,000
>records automated cheaply. Deborah Barlow Smedstad, head librarian at
>the L.A. County Museum of Art, told me some museums have consortium
>arrangements with public or university libraries. The bigger library
>does some or all of the automation while the art library retains
>circulation control (or something like this.)
>
>Does your organization or the museum of someone you know have such an
>arrangement? How is it arranged? What were the costs involved? What
>should I know about setting one up? I am considering approaching the
>Long Beach Public Library or Cal State Long Beach.
>
>I appreciate other ideas you have for a small library getting automated
>for the first time, especially regarding: retrospective conversion (we
>have cards for some records, nothing for others), barcodes, and
>inventory. I regard the folks on this list as THE experts in what I'm
>trying to do, so I really hope some of you can help me.
>
>Thank you,
>Andrea Saenz
>Museum of Latin American Art
>Long Beach, CA
>
>_________________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
>
>
Kraig  A. Binkowski
Technical Services Librarian
The Detroit Institute of Arts
5200 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48202
313. 833.7926    <a href="/scripts/wa.exe?LOGON=A3%3Dind9907%26L%3DARLIS-L%26E%3D7BIT%26P%3D406558%26B%3D--%26T%3Dtext%252FplainTEXT%252FPLAIN%3B%2520charset%3DUS-ASCII%26pending%3D" target="_parent" >[log in to unmask]</a>