Cover Story

University Center STP!

Features

University Centers Increase ScienceDirect Title Coverage

Next Group of Libraries begin ALEPH Implementation

Additional SUNYConnect Updates

Oswego's Sturr on (partial) Release Time to SUNY OLIS

SUNY and Morrisville are Wired (and Wireless)

Distinguished Librarian

How to Contact Us

Linkable Links

Link to the SUNYConnect Committees List

"We've spent an enormous amount of time checking our data, and we don't see any remaining issues related to data conversion," reported Sandy Card Binghamton's Head of Cataloging. With that Binghamton indicated that a major step in the ALEPH implementation was complete and that they were ready to "switch to production" January 2, 2002.

"We're in business!," exclaimed Andy Perry, Assistant Director of Libraries for Systems, Binghamton University.

"Following the successful completion of the NOTIS data conversion on December 26th, Binghamton University Libraries switched to production (STP) on ALEPH January 2nd. ... Our website links have now been switched to the new catalog. We wish to extend our thanks to everyone who helped with the project." Along with the more standard and extensive implementation tasks, Binghamton provided testing of the loading programs for Marcive records, evaluated a separate database of government documents and provided additional service to the SUNYConnect community in areas such as web opac customization and software upgrade/maintenance procedures. http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/webdocs/bearcat.html
shows how Binghamton has set up access to both their complete catalog as well as to specific portions (electronic resources, government documents, their Science Library and their journal collection).

Binghamton's STP "is very exciting; they have done a good job," said the Office of Library and Information Services' Maureen Zajkowski. "They planned well, divvied up the various migration chores among a number of different staff members and, most significantly, facilitated the implementation process with Ex Libris."

"Implementation of ALEPH, the SUNYConnect system, was one of the two top priorities for the Libraries," Eleanor Heishman, Director of Libraries." The emphasis was on preparing the data for loading and, once loaded, verifying the accuracy of the load. The implementation process and organizational structure developed at Binghamton is considered by SUNY System Administration to be a model. The involvement of staff and the emphasis on shared decision-making is resulting in shared knowledge of the components of the system."

This new addition to SUNYConnect represents approximately one and a half million library titles. Congratulations to Binghamton upon reaching this milestone and thanks for their efforts on behalf of their campuses and the greater SUNYConnect world.

UB Delays Implementation As sometimes can happen in large implementation projects such as the SUNYConnect LMS: two steps forward, one step back. That is, University at Binghamton has completed migration to the SUNYConnect LMS, the University at Buffalo has decided to delay their implementation. Initially, one of the SUNYConnect pilot sites, UB has decided to keep using their NOTIS system for the foreseeable future. "The University at Buffalo Libraries have decided to delay implementation of the Ex Libris integrated library system at this time," (letter from UB's Assistant Vice President for University Libraries, Stephen Roberts to SUNY Assistant Provost Carey Hatch). Buffalo has stated that prior to moving ahead with their implementation they will want to see: "standardized, documented version releases of the software a successful track record of implementations followed by upgrades at complex university library sites manageable upgrade and indexing strategies for complex, multi-unit sites such as UB" Buffalo's Mark Ludwig was a member of the eight person SUNY evaluation team that selected the Ex Libris software as the SUNYConnect LMS. "Let me go on record as saying that none of us questions the choice that was made to buy Ex Libris in the first place; we are not second guessing that decision at all," Stephen Roberts. Roberts goes on to say, "please do not read of any of this as an indictment against the SUNYConnect project to which we remain committed...we want to remain engaged." This includes continuation of UB's role hosting other users of the ALEPH software as well as their participation in various SUNYConnect committees and work groups.