Since I have not yet worked as a librarian, I chose the
second assignment option. After reading
the Wikipedia page and Automation Marketplace article, I decided to look into
Ex Libris’s Alma, which is mentioned early on in the Automation Marketplace
article as a new product that differs from older and more popular products such
as the mentioned Symphony and Millennium.
I enjoy researching newer technologies and products, but the main detail
that caught my eye was the fact that Alma is primarily cloud-based and works
for both print and electronic resources, which is where libraries are headed. (I did not pick OCLC’s WMS, which the article
also mentioned as a new product, because I’m not a fan of WorldCat… it seems to
lack structure in its records.)
The Wikipedia page did not mention Alma, but the Automation
Marketplace did offer some interesting statistics. Ex Libris, for example, was one of the few
ILS producers that saw an increase in sales during this period of budget cuts
in libraries over the past few years. I
found an synopsis at http://www.exlibrisgroup.com/category/AlmaOverview. In short, Alma claims to be a cost-saving/customizable/collaboration
encouraging program, which utilizes the Unified Resource Management (URM)
framework, that provides major functionalities such as combining acquisitions
with cataloging and inventory maintenance, easy-to-understand services for the
users, dissemination control, and multi-library coordination of various types
of resources. I’m not sure if this
aspect is a unique quality since I haven’t researched too many Integrated
Library Systems, but the program is also multilingual. Since this project is also in the testing
phase, a variety of buyers can participate as testers who can influence the
future of Alma.
I’m not sure if I would recommend this service to a K-12
library based upon the information I found.
The program seems to be focused more so towards a high education
audience based upon the current partner libraries listed on the Automation
Marketplace article. It will be
interesting to see if they attempt to pull in the K-12 library market.
Thanks for the information on this ILS. Like you, I have not worked in a library yet. I feel I am a little green to give a well-informed critique, I guess that is why we are in the class!
ReplyDeleteYou made some valid observations about this program and I totally agree with you that auto generated notices are the wave of the future, but maybe for older students/clientele.
It definitely seems geared toward a higher age/education. I do appreciate that it is in multiple languages. It is interesting to read about a system they are still testing and it will be neat to see what they decide to go with and how their reach younger audiences.
ReplyDeleteEx Libris’s Alma looks to have promise, but I too worry about the small system libraries like ours. We don't need some of the sophisticated offerings described here, but maybe we will in the future! Since my only experience is with Destiny Quest I really have no knowledge of how it stacks up to other systems either. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone else chose to look at this one so I appreciate that you chose something different. It helps to hear about all of the choices -- not just the frontrunners. That way we remember that we do have options.
ReplyDelete