NEWS
ABOUT THE NEW THREE-CITY LIBRARY ALLIANCE
The
Public Libraries of Bridgeton, Millville, and Vineland are forming a new alliance
in order to assure excellent library service for the residents of the
three cities. Forced by recent events to replace the old CLUES system,
staff and Trustees of the three libraries took several weeks to study all the
modern library computer systems on the market and to compare and explore their
many features. Once a front runner was selected, the three library directors
negotiated an excellent price.
At
the center of the alliance is a brand new software product called
Sierra, created by Innovative Interfaces, Incorporated. The three libraries are
among the first in the nation to showcase Sierra, which features a more
user-friendly format than the system used by CLUES.
Annual
costs for Sierra are also less than for the CLUES system, which is being
abolished by the Freeholders and the County Library Commission in what they
call a “money-saving initiative”. Earlier this year, County officials
maintained that abolishing CLUES and moving all the local libraries to a group
in Gloucester County known as LOGIN would save the County budget a great deal
of money. Because there was no such
savings to be had by the municipalities,
the three city libraries objected
strongly to the abolishment of CLUES,
which had provided the basis for reciprocal county-wide borrowing
enjoyed by all local residents for over
two decades.
Now,
it seems, the County Library may not be saving anywhere near what they’d hoped by
joining LOGIN. But the three city libraries – after purchasing Sierra - will be definitely spending less than they
did for CLUES and also less than they would by following the County Library to
LOGIN. They intend to use the money
saved in order to purchase more library materials for local residents.
Staff
members at the libraries in Bridgeton, Millville, and Vineland are excited
about the catalog-searching features of Sierra and expect it to be
well received by library users inside the library and from their personal
computers at work, school, or home. In addition, Sierra offers many
upgraded staff-friendly features that make behind the scene tasks like
cataloging books and other materials easier and quicker.
Officials
of the three municipal libraries believe that better service will be
provided by creating the new
alliance than by following the County
Library to the Gloucester group. They feel that a locally-based service
is a better way to serve the needs of more than 114,000 people who live in the
three cities. Maintaining shared service among the three city libraries will
improve patrons’ access to locally owned library materials. For most patrons,
the changes will look like business as usual, since the three libraries will
continue to share many services as they have done for decades. However, during
the transition from one system to the other, there will be periodic service
interruptions.
Details
of the new alliance are being worked out, including choosing a name that
describes the level and scope of services being offered. There is
work underway now to get ready for the switchover to Sierra. In order to clean
up the materials and patron records – the major database used by the new
software – the three city libraries will restrict some services for a short
period of time. Vineland Library has prepared a FAQ – a list of Frequently
Asked Questions – that describes the changes for our patrons. The new
system will be fully operational within a few months.
