OC Library District to join Missouri Evergreen Library Consortium – Areawide News

Felicia Baudry with Equinox Open Library Initiative visited Alton Library to train Oregon County Library District librarians how to use the new software system that will be implemented soon.

Renee Janes

Oregon County Libraries were recently closed to introduce employees to a new software system that will enable librarians and patrons to expand their resources.

The new system they are going to use is called Evergreen, which is software being used, but they are also joining the Missouri Evergreen Library Consortium. It is a consortium of over 50 libraries that have come together to work together and collaborate to make sure they have the best quality system they can provide to their patrons, said Felicia Baudry with Equinox Open Library Consortium.

She explained Evergreen is an open source software used to manage inventory and patrons. This is what will be used to check materials in and out and add patrons. They will also be able to share their materials with other libraries within the Missouri Evergreen and other Missouri Evergreen libraries will be able to share their materials with them. It is an easy way to move materials back and forth between libraries, said Baudry.

The integrated library system will enable patrons to search what is available from other Missouri Evergreen libraries and place holds on them.

It expands their collection, said Baudry.

There are a lot of advantages to joining a library consortium. I think it maximizes the investment that all the funders give to their libraries at state and local levels. So, it expands what they can do and their reach. It helps libraries do, what I think libraries were always intended to do, which is to share information with everyone. It is a nice way to give as much as you can to the community, said Baudry.

Our patrons will be able to log on at home and place holds on books and things like that

The system will enable patrons to log on from wherever they have internet access and search the catalog and place holds on books and have them sent to an Oregon County Library.

Oregon County Library Coordinator Janice Richardson explained patrons accounts will be created when the system goes live, and they will manage their own accounts.

If an individual already has an Oregon County Library card, they will have one when the new system begins. Those without a card will need to visit an Oregon County Library to register. Logging in will not be required to search the system but will be needed to see what they have checked out and place holds on items.

We, as staff, we are doing this training now. We are excited to offer this to the community and would like for everyone to come in and see what its about and use the libraries here, said Richardson

The system will be accessible to patrons at the beginning of February.

Baudry is a trainer with Equinox Open Library Initiative. We are the organization that provides support and training and development for Missouri Evergreen. We also work closely with the Evergreen community to help support the system itself. Because of its open source, it is freely available to anybody who uses it. There is a large community around it that creates documentation, develop features, but we are just one of the organizations that participates in doing that and we are providing the support for Missouri EvergreenWe are two separate entities, but work very closely with the Evergreen community, said Baudry.

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OC Library District to join Missouri Evergreen Library Consortium - Areawide News