It's Academic

In a webinar titled “Flexibility Without Complexity: A Demo of How WMS Can Meet Your Library’s Needs,” OCLC Solutions Strategist Amy Lytle discusses the many advantages of being one of the 600 libraries worldwide (in at least twenty countries) using WorldShare® Management Services (WMS). Lytle starts off by saying that OCLC exists to serves libraries, with the WorldCat® database being the heart of WMS. Its appeal starts with the fact that WMS, which was introduced in 2011, is a cloud-based library services platform, a cloud which is actually owned by OCLC and has not gone the route of say, Amazon or Google. WMS is a complete library services platform which provides for the streamlining of all essential library functions, such as acquiring, describing, discovering, circulating, sharing, and analyzing data. Subscribers to WMS can expect the traditional applications, such as OPAC, cataloging, acquisitions, circulation, serials, reporting, and interlibrary loan. However, much more is included with a WMS subscription, some of which libraries may be paying separately for, such as discovery layer, evaluative content, an integrated mobile interface (WorldCat® Discovery is built using responsive design, since there is not a separate URL or app.), and WMS’ very own Digby mobile app, which aids with circulation and inventory tasks. Additionally, course reserves are included and an item scheduling module is part of circulation. A knowledge base provides its users with an integrated open URL resolver and from that knowledge base, WMS built an automatic A to Z list. Authority updates are provided at no additional cost for the service. WMS is committed to providing continuous training as well as ongoing updates.

How does WMS allow its subscribers to do things differently? WMS reduces IT support and simplifies library operations because there is no hardware to purchase or software to manage. This saves both money and time, freeing up the staff’s time to tackle higher priorities. WMS improves discovery for your users and visibility for your library or group. It informs decisions to prove your library’s value through integrated custom reports which can be run at any time. Finally, WMS can future-proof your library with a next-generation system, since it is formed on a modern platform which has a strong commitment to reliability, security, and safeguarding your private data.

WorldCat® is quite impressive. A new record is added to WorldCat® every second, and as of November 2018, there were 442 million records and over 2.7 billion holdings! (Lytle now reports that the holdings have increased, three months later when this presentation was recorded, to well over 2.9 billion. As I write this in early March, I can only imagine that that number has surpassed 3 billion.)

As we enter March, especially growing up as a softball player in a highly involved Little League family, I often find myself quoting Field of Dreams: “if you build it they will come.”

As libraries resources become more and more digital (and therefore accessible from outside of the walls of our building), I find my attentions focusing more and more on spaces (see my previous post on Space Renovations) and programing.

Of course as librarians, we have information literacy, but what else can we do, outside of the box, to bring not only students, but also faculty and staff into library spaces? We’ve had some success at Baker Library with our creative displays and events (next week is National Grammar Day and National Oreo Cookie Day!), so we have people guessing what crazy thing we’ll come up with next. Which is great, but in reality, how much do Oreos really have to do with academic library services?

Our library is small (2 full-time librarians, 2 part-time staff, and 3 student workers), so we have to be careful about what events and programs we want to allocate resources to. We have 3 programs this semester:

Walk-In Wednesday Workshops (for students): Wednesdays during lunch we bring in pizza, and students can walk-in to receive research help. (Our librarians are often busy with teaching, meetings, etc., so this gives students a dedicated time when they know we’re available).

Pizza & Pedagogy Series (for faculty): 3-4 times/semester, typically on a Friday during lunch, we bring in pizza and share pedagogy ideas, education technologies, etc. with our faculty over pizza. (Relationship building is a great take-away from these events!)

Writers’ Retreat Series (for faculty): once a month (date and time selected by Doodle poll to match schedules), we carve out 2-4 hours, set up a coffee and tea bar, bake snacks, bring in food (if it’s over lunchtime), and break out the charging stations. We invite our faculty and staff to join us for a writers’ retreat where everyone can work on their own scholarship.

Does anyone else have any free or low-cost program ideas they can share? What can we build (or schedule) to get them to come?