Selecting and Implementing an Integrated Library System

Book excerpt: Selecting and Implementing an Integrated Library System: The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make focuses on the intersection of technology and management in the library information world. As information professionals, many librarians will be involved in automation projects and the management of technological changes that are necessary to best meet patron and organizational needs. As professionals, they will need to develop numerous skills, both technological and managerial, to successfully meet these challenges. This book provides a foundation for this skillset that will develop and acquaint the reader with a broad understanding of the issues involved in library technology systems. Although a major topic of the book is integrated library systems (a fundamental cornerstone of most library technology), the book also explores new library technologies (such as open source systems) that are an increasingly important component in the library technology world. Users will find a resource that is geared to the thinking and planning processes for library technology that emphasizes the development of good project management skills. - Embraces both technology and management issues as co-equals in successful library migration projects - Based on the experiences of a 20+ year career in libraries, including three major automation project migrations - Includes increasingly relevant subject matter as libraries continue to cope with shrinking budgets and expanding library demands for services - Contains the direct experiences of the University of Washington system in the Orbis-Cascade Alliance project, a project uniting 37 libraries across two states that combined both technical and public service functions