For the first time in over two decades, the library is transitioning to a new library management system. This system handles important library functions like circulation, ordering, and cataloging physical materials, as well as the many electronic materials that we own or license, such as databases, ebooks, and ejournals.

The system also includes Primo, the online search interface that you will use to locate library materials within Hamersly Library and at our Summit partner libraries. The new system is shared among the 37 academic libraries in the Orbis Cascade Alliance, the consortium behind the Summit borrowing system.

Why are we switching? [wpspoiler name=”More about new library system” ]The simplest answer is that we are required to as a member of the Alliance. The deeper answer is that the core technology we currently use has been appended and stretched to accommodate new needs over the last 22 years, and it’s now restricting our ability to serve library patrons’ evolving needs. The benefits of the switch include:

• updated technology that supports more efficient library operations;
• collaborative purchasing of library collections among Alliance members;
• lower software maintenance costs;
• more efficient Summit borrowing;
• enhanced search and discovery of library resources;
• collaborative workflows between libraries;
• shared preservation initiatives.

The library staff is currently in the thick of migration activities, and we expect to switch over to the new system June 23. Prior to and during Fall term, we will have tutorials and workshops to assist you in learning the conventions of the new interface. In the meantime, I encourage you to take a look at our Primo FAQ for more information; we’ll be adding to and updating the FAQ over the summer.

This is a large scale project, and there will be bumps in the road. We and our colleagues at other libraries are working hard at smoothing the path and will be doing so for some time. We need and appreciate your patience. Our top priority through the transition will be to maintain library services at the level that you expect and require. Please communicate with us if you have questions, concerns or issues as we move through this transition.[/wpspoiler]