[ale] Georgia Library PINES Program News

[Jeff Hubbs]

What I fear may happen is that this is actually headed up by PHBs who
can't function unless they do some sort of "strategic partnership" or
whatever with a vendor.  

On Sat, 2004-06-05 at 17:54, James P. Kinney III wrote:
> This is SO AWESOME!! It's about time that the libraries (one of the
> better public institutions in this country) got access to the tools and
> resources they need to make knowledge sharing they do even better. 
> 
> I would strongly recommend a good look at pgreplicator
> (pgreplicator.sourceforge.net/) and clustered jdbc from
> http://c-jdbc.objectweb.org/  . Tremendouse technology between the two.
> C-jdbc for HA and distributed database access. PGReplicator for keeping
> the datasets current and for pushing out new ones from a central test
> bed.
> 
> Open Source, free software. 30 years from now we will all look back and
> wonder why anyone fell for the closed source, proprietary software model
> for anything.
> 
> 
> On Sat, 2004-06-05 at 11:04, Brad LaJeunesse wrote:
> > All,
> > 
> > While this isn't Linux-related, it is open source and Georgia related, so I
> > figured people here would be interested.
> > 
> > A little bit of background first: as some of you may know, the majority of
> > Georgia's public libraries operate off of a single, central automation
> > system, to which they connect via the internet. (This automation system
> > stores information on the books, patrons, etc in the libraries, provides the
> > web-based catalog, and supplies the "business logic" behind functions like
> > circulation periods and fines.)
> > 
> > Further, books and other materials may flow freely between all of the PINES
> > libraries. So, for example, if you live in a small rural area, and your
> > local library doesn't have a good selection of Linux books, you can request
> > materials from other PINES libraries, free of charge. These materials will
> > be sent (usually within a day) to your home library. You can then return the
> > material at any PINES library, and it will be sent back to the owning
> > library free of charge. So, PINES is a huge resource-sharing network at it's
> > core. As far as we know, we are the largest library consortium anywhere.
> > 
> > There is no software available written with our needs in mind. We've
> > struggled with proprietary library automation software since the inception
> > of PINES in 1999, but much of this software was written for a much smaller
> > situation, such as a regional system with, say, 12 branches. In talking with
> > other larger libraries and consortia around the country, we find that many
> > have the same problems that we do, but to a lesser extent.
> > 
> > To cut a long story short, because of the above conditions and other
> > circumstances, we have decided to develop a library automation package
> > designed for a large library consortium like PINES. We are also going to
> > release this automation system (known in the library world as an ILS--
> > Integrated Library System) as open source software-- most likely under the
> > GPL.
> > 
> > As a side note, there are obvious similarities between the open source
> > movement and libraries, and we are natural allies. Both try to enrich their
> > members through sharing and disseminating knowledge, and both are open to
> > everyone, private or public, commercial or non-commercial.
> > 
> > This is really big news in the library world. No one, on our scale, has
> > attempted to do something like this in the library world. Open source
> > software really hasn't taken hold in the library world, and we are hoping
> > that this will help move it along.
> > 
> > We'll be posting job ads shortly for the programmers we will need to start
> > work, and we will certainly post the job ads on the ALE unemployed list.
> > Alternatively, for those of you out there that want to help Georgia and/or
> > public libraries, we'd really appreciate any help you can give. We are
> > currently developing an information website, and after we get out of our
> > planning stage, we'll be posting information about things we need on there.
> > 
> > Anyway, the full announcement from Georgia's state librarian is below.
> > 
> > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> > Brad LaJeunesse, PINES System Administrator
> > Georgia Public Library Service
> > www.georgialibraries.org
> > 
> > "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
> > --Walt Disney
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Veatch, Lamar [mailto:lveatch at GEORGIALIBRARIES.ORG]
> > Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 4:23 PM
> > To: PLD-L at APOLLO.GEORGIALIBRARIES.ORG
> > Subject: [PLD-L] PINES News
> > 
> > 
> > The past five years have witnessed a quantum leap forward for public library
> > resource sharing in Georgia.  Georgia Library PINES, which began as a Y2K
> > compliance project, now includes 44 public library systems and 249 libraries
> > and bookmobiles. With more than 1.3 million active registered patrons and
> > access to more than 7.7 million items, PINES is a national model on an
> > unprecedented scale. Yet the growth and scale of PINES has not come without
> > a cost, as everyday PINES pushes the limits of the available software.
> > Extensive alterations to the software and additions such as the Web-based
> > reporting system have been necessary to sustain growth and meet the needs of
> > participating libraries.
> > 
> > As most of you are aware, the award in 1999 to the present vendor included
> > renewal options through June 2005. As we move closer to this deadline, the
> > future direction of PINES has been a primary focus of the Georgia Public
> > Library Service and PINES participating libraries. Much time has been spent
> > researching, viewing demonstrations of integrated library system (ILS)
> > products, discussing options with vendors, collaborating with the Board of
> > Regents Office of Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT) staff,
> > and, most importantly, processing feedback from PINES participating
> > libraries.  Every available software option has been thoughtfully and
> > extensively explored in the effort to make the best possible decision for
> > PINES.
> > 
> > All available options include both challenges and benefits. Certainly,
> > making any software change will involve extensive training and conversion
> > efforts for both Georgia Public Library Service staff and for PINES
> > participating libraries. However, PINES participating libraries have made
> > clear to us that change is needed if we are to continue to grow and develop,
> > and that they are willing and eager to take on the challenges required.
> > While the current system has many strengths, from a system administration
> > standpoint, we need a system that is more flexible and scalable than the
> > present system. We have spent more than four years making extensive
> > alterations and writing program enhancements to a product that was not
> > designed for a public library consortium on the scale of PINES.
> > We strongly believe that the best choice for PINES at this critical
> > crossroads is an open source system developed by the Georgia Public Library
> > Service.  This system will be custom-written for a library consortium as
> > large and complex as we have become and into which we will continue to
> > evolve. After careful analysis of the library automation marketplace, where
> > we noted the possible benefits and potential shortcomings of every
> > vendor-driven solution for our particular needs, Georgia Public Library
> > Service and OIIT personnel agree that a custom-developed solution is the
> > direction that we should take.
> > 
> > Development of an integrated library software solution will take 18-24
> > months. We have the option of extending our current software contract for an
> > additional year. This means that we would remain on the present system until
> > at least June 2006. After one year of software development (June 2005), we
> > will evaluate our progress. If, at this time, our development efforts are
> > not sufficiently advanced, we will have adequate time to pursue a
> > vendor-supplied solution through an RFP process.
> > 
> > Many more details will follow this announcement. The underlying database
> > structure will be the first piece of this puzzle; before we reach the time
> > to design the functional layer, there will be ample opportunity for the
> > PINES community to share your needs, desires and wildest dreams for library
> > software functionality with us. Solicitation for participation on a PINES
> > development committee is forthcoming, and we encourage staff at all levels
> > to participate.  We can't do this without the support and the valuable
> > experience of our libraries.
> > 
> > Please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions and concerns. Your
> > confidence and support will make this endeavor a great success.
> > 
> > 
> > Lamar Veatch, State Librarian
> > Georgia Public Library Service
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
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> > 
> > 
> >