P1252428571tMnrJ

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David Singleton, Deputy State
Librarian Bill Erickson, PINES Software
Developer
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Georgia Systems PINES Systems
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PINES Anticipated Growth
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What Makes PINES Special?

• The PINES library card is free to any resident of
  Georgia, and may be obtained from any PINES
  library.
• The PINES library card can be used at any PINES
  facility as if at the home library.
• Materials may be returned to any PINES library.

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What Makes PINES Special?

• Users may request materials delivered from any
  PINES library to local library, at no charge.
• In FY06, over 452,000 intra-PINES loans.
• PINES libraries agree to a common set of
  policies, fine structures, and procedures--patrons
  have a consistent experience at any PINES
  library.

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PINES Governance

• Nine (9) representatives (Library Directors) from
  member library systems compose the Executive
  Committee.
• Module-specific subcommittees (Circulation,
  Cataloging, OPAC, Reports, Acquisitions) make
  policy recommendations.

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What are the Benefits?

• Libraries provide increased access to resources
  in return, GPLS assumes the costs of the
  automation system.
• Access, not ownership.
• Economy of scale PINES annual cost is
  approximately 1.6 million. Compare to over 15
  million to replace PINES with individual library
  automation systems, and approximately 5 million
  per year to maintain those systems.

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Services from PINES Central

• Training for 1,400 PINES staff in libraries
  across the state. Training is conducted
  regionally to reduce travel demands on libraries.
• Printing and mailing of overdue notices for all
  PINES libraries
• Helpdesk via phone, email or web, available 24
  hours/day.

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WHAT DO PATRONS LIKE BEST ABOUT PINES?Comments
from the PINES User Survey

• It SIGNIFICANTLY expands the choices of books
  and other materials available to me. I appreciate
  this so much because I live in a rural part of
  the state with a very small local library.
• Allowing books to be check out from other
  libraries is WONDERFUL. This way, the Pines
  System is like one gigantic library making
  available a tremendous selection of books
  regardless of where the books are physically
  housed.

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The Evergreen Project

• The 5-year software contract for PINES ended in
  June 2005.
• 2003-2004 comprehensive survey of library
  automation marketplace
• At issue the unique needs of a statewide
  consortium sharing a union database and utilizing
  a statewide library card
• Is the software driving the policy/procedure, or
  is the policy/procedure driving the software?

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The Evergreen Project

• What do PINES libraries need?
• A true relational database
• Flexible system administration
• Granular permissions structure
• A complex holds matrix
• Ability to separate acquisitions records by
  library system
• Reports designed to correspond to annual
  reporting requirements

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The Evergreen Project

• Evergreen Integrated Library System was developed
  using Open Source architecture.
• Released under General Public License.
• Alpha release (OPAC, Cataloging, Circulation)
  debuted in July 2005.
• Beta release in early 2006.
• All PINES libraries migrated to Evergreen
  software on September 5, 2006.
• Transactions, patron records, bib records were
  migrated from former system.

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Evergreen OPAC Features

• Streamlined searching from a single search box.
• Google-like spell-checking and search
  suggestions.
• When appropriate (and when available from the
  MARC data), series listings appear in the right
  sidebar on the search results screen.
• Ability to select specific material formats from
  the OPACs front page.

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Evergreen OPAC Features

• In MyOPAC, patrons can
• change personal login name
• change PIN
• place, cancel, and view holds
• modify how they would like to be alerted of
  available holds
• view fines and
• view address information
• view Bookbags (and share them)

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Evergreen OPAC Features

• Utilization of Meta-records patrons can place a
  single hold that can be filled with a copy from
  multiple versions or formats of a work.
• Randomized holds that include geographic location
  as a factor
• Smart MARC editor.
• Scalability in anticipation of PINES growth.

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Evergreen Core Technologies

• Database Postgresql
• Logic/glue languages C and Perl, Javascript
• Webserver Apache mod_perl, C modules
• Client side software XUL
• Server operating system Linux
• Server hardware x86-64
• Messaging core Jabber (Ejabberd)

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Evergreen Design

• Server-side software is designed to run on
  inexpensive commodity hardware with Linux as the
  Operating System.
• Designed to run in a clustered environment,
  giving it enterprise-level high availability and
  failover.
• Evergreen's staff client is cross-platform.

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What We Did Right

• We listened, and designed the system based on
  input from library staff and patrons. This
  created a sense of ownership and pride in the
  system as it developed.
• We sent our patron data to Unique Management
  Services for clean up. This made the job of
  importing the patron data much easier.

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What We Did Right

• We performed multiple dry-run migrations. This
  was useful in ensuring our data migration plan
  was sound from A to Z. Staff were involved at
  every step.
• Staff from all libraries were involved in testing
  the alpha and beta releases we learned a lot
  here about what would work on the front lines.
• We involved staff around the state in
  documentation and training.

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Hindsight is 20/20

• We could always use more money, and more
  time!!!!! We were working with a very limited
  budget and a 2-year time commitment.
• Too much last-minute work over the Labor Day
  weekend left us exhausted for go-live morning,
  when we needed to be sharpest.
• The GPLS Helpdesk position was vacant on go-live
  day.

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Hindsight is 20/20

• Pay attention to everything!
• Day one load challenges.
• In order to troubleshoot issues, we turned
  logging levels up on the production system. The
  sheer amount of log traffic swamped the central
  logger servers, and in turn, made finding
  pertinent log entries extremely difficult.

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Staff Client Features

• Use of surveys including voter registration
  information. Flexibility to collect information
  at both the local and PINES-wide levels.
• Use of buckets (virtual containers) to allow easy
  changes to a group of items. This same feature
  can be used to push out lists to the public
  (bestsellers, reading lists, lists of materials
  on a subject, etc.)
• Simplified merging of bibliographic records
  (limited by login).
• OPAC view in the staff client.

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Staff Client Features

• Local flexibility to define authorizations by
  login.
• Ability for staff to customize the look of the
  client and features readily available.
• Use of tabs (like Mozilla) to facilitate ease of
  transition between tasks.
• Ability to search patron data by ANY field in the
  patron record.
• Truly randomized holds which work in a tiered
  structure (facility, library system, PINES-wide).

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Lets take a look www.gapines.org
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Where Do We Go from Here?

• New librariesSix systems waiting to migrate.
• Portal for other kinds of information (GALILEO
  databases, local information, etc.)
• Acquisitionswe dont underestimate how huge this
  is.
• Open NCIP
• Online bill pay (accounting is the hard part)
• Enhance social aspects of the catalog tagging,
  user ratings, reviews, and comments

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Where Do We Go from Here?

• Use of buckets for things like virtual return
  cart, point of need lists, etc.
• Complete the Spanish translation for the OPAC
• Develop the children's portal for the OPAC
• Offer deeper links into the GALILEO database and
  potentially other databases
• Devote resources to making Evergreen more of a
  community project than a GPLS project
• OPAC for mobile devices

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Where Do We Go from Here?

• New approaches to holds
• Queue management
• Pausing" holds
• Home delivery, potentially through a
  subscription service?
• Automated phone notifications?
• Wholly separate OPAC and staff client interfaces,
  potentially geared for a specific use, e.g., a
  lightweight, text-only circulation interface for
  high throughput.

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Watch our progress and get involved at
open-ils.org dsingleton_at_georgialibraries.org bil
lserickson_at_gmail.com