[Web4lib] ILS options for small libraries

[Erin Kinney]

Cab,

My husband is the director of a small public library in Nebraska, though his library is a tad larger than yours (7 FTE and a service population of 5700).  Like many small libraries in Nebraska, they are on a Follett system.  Unlike many libraries in Nebraska, he upgraded to their Destiny product, so they actually have an online catalog.  He had the local computer shop build him a box and he runs it.  I don't have the specs but I could put you in contact with him if you wish.

He has played with OpenBiblio and is now playing with Koha.  But, like you said, open solutions like those take skill and time and manpower you probably don't have, since you have to run a whole library and do things like go to city council meetings.  He is also talking with similarly sized libraries in Nebraska and trying to form up their own ILS consortia.  Coming from Wyoming, where all the public libraries and then some are on one system, that solution seems to make the most sense to him.

Another option is for you to look at a company like LibLime which offers Koha and they could take on the heavy work.  I read recently about how they just signed consortia in Kansas and Indiana, so they are growing.


Erin


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Erin Kinney, Digital Initiatives Librarian
Wyoming State Library
516 S. Greeley Hwy.
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Email: ekinne at state.wy.us
Phone: (307) 777-6332
http://will.state.wy.us/
http://gowyld.net/
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http://wyominglibraries.org/
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