Library About Library Services Platform

New Library Services Platform

Library Guide to Using One Search

Business Case Summary

In 2019 a number of factors coalesced that required the replacement of our library catalogue - so Library & Information Sources (LIS) partnered with Technology Solutions Directorate (TSD) to draw up a business case for a replacement that was approved by the Digital Advisory Committee (DAC) later that year.

The existing library and electronic resource management systems are not adequate to manage library information resources in a contemporary academic environment. They are also no longer being developed by the vendors and are running on out-of-date technology. The university is at risk of these critical systems failing or requiring expensive and time-consuming remediation, as well as not being capable of providing contemporary library services to our students, researchers, and staff.

It's no secret the information landscape has changed enormously this century. While we have acquired new systems to manage electronic resources to supplement the print-focussed catalogue (acquired in 2004) there has been a disconnect between these systems (that we work hard to shelter our users from). Libraries in academia have long realised this and it has driven demand for a Library Services Platform (LSP). Fundamentally the LSP is an integrated cloud-based format-agnostic approach to providing access to library resources.

Simultaneously the management of corporate ICT infrastructure has seen a seismic shift away from in-house server provision and application maintenance toward 'Software as a Service' (SaaS). The LSP satisfies the drivers from the worlds of both computing and libraries.

An environmental scan was carried out and Ex Libris' Alma LSP was selected to replace the:

  • Catalogue (Horizon)
  • Discovery Layer (branded as One Search) (Summon)
  • Link Resolver (branded as Find It @JCU Library) (360 Link)
  • Electronic Resources Management System (public front end branded as eResources Portal) (Intota)

A team of LIS, TSD and JCUS Library staff have been working on the delivery of this project during 2020.

Project Key Dates

Note: the systems being replaced are also used by JCUS (print and online resources) and JCUB (online resources only).

Technical freeze:

  • No more resources added to existing systems
  • Final migration of collection inventory
  • Does not impact users.

13 Jan 2021

  • Renewing and placing hold requests via My Library Account switched off (5pm AEST)

Circulation Freeze:

  • Final email notices from old system sent
  • Borrowing/Returning still available through offline alternative
  • Final migration of patron and circulation data
  • Fine payments disabled

  • Offline loan data uploaded
  • New system goes live

Systems Integration Transition

Our systems have varying levels of integration with each other. The systems being replaced are intertwined with systems that are not being replaced.

There will be a short period of overlap where old and new systems may be seen depending on your access path - regardless, links to resources will continue to work.

Notable integrations that we will keep as frictionless as possible for you are:

Readings

  • Uses Find It @ JCU Library to link to readings
  • Searches catalogue to scrape metadata for books
  • Links to catalogue when an ISBN for a reading exists in our collection

Find It @ JCU Library

Embedded in:

  • Google Scholar
  • Many databases
  • EndNote

Self Loan Machines

  • Communicates loans/returns with catalogue

eResources Portal

  • Loads ejournal holdings into Browzine

Browzine

  • Provides PDF links to articles in One Search

Web Sites/Services

A lot of links need to be updated as quickly as possible but not before the transition - we are working on strategies to minimise length of the disconnect

  • Linkages in our web site (Squiz)
  • Links from Library Guides
  • Links from FAQs
  • Reusable Learning Objects

Key Differences for Library Clients

What We Have What We Get
One Search recognises on campus users and presents all available content to them - off campus users have to login via EZproxy SSO log in to see all available content - regardless of whether you are on or off campus
For print items in the collection One Search links to the catalogue (Horizon) One Search is the Catalogue
Electronic Resource Portal is an alternative search interface for eBooks, eJournals and streaming video There is no eRP - One Search is the Catalogue
You can limit searches to 'In the library' but you have to click through to the catalogue to see the library and/or collection the item is available at You can filter your search results by library and/or collection
If you search One Search then log in you lose your search and filters If you search then login you don't lose your search or filters
You can mark items and save them to One Drive or Google Drive, but you can't save searches You can mark items and save searches in your library account
Click on title in Search results to get online item or see catalogue entry Click on title in search results to see all access possibilities (print or electronic)
New catalogue content could take over a week to appear in One Search One Search is the Catalogue
Users who are both staff and student have two library accounts All users will only have one library account

Notable Changes

SMS library notices

  • Due to a lack of demand for this service we will cease to offer it.

Lending policies

We've taken the opportunity to streamline the lending policies for the Mabo and Cairns libraries:

  • All general collection items have a 3 week loan
  • Short loans items have a 3 day loan
  • All items are automatically renewed (unless someone has placed a hold on them)
  • You will receive a monthly email containing your borrowing activity and the items you have on loan
  • Items will be placed on (and removed from) short loan automatically, depending entirely on demand (number of holds)

Receipt printing

  • All receipts will be sent via email, they will no longer be printed

Feedback

Please contact us should you wish to provide feedback or have any questions.

Key Differences Library Clients

One Search recognises on campus users and presents all available content to them - off campus users have to login via EZproxy Alma has accounts that you have to login to see all available content - regardless of whether you are on or off campus
For print in the collection One Search links to the catalogue (Horizon) One Search is the Catalogue
Electronic Resource Portal was an alterative search interface to eBooks, eJournals and streaming video, but was never complete as some items were only available through Horizon (and by extension Ones Search) There is no eRP - One Search is the Catalogue
You could limit searches to 'In the library' but you had to click through to the catalogue to see which library, collection an item was available at You can filter your search results by Library and Collection
If you did a Summon search, then logged in you lost your search and filters If you search, then login you don't lose your search or filters
You can mark items and save them to One Drive or Google Drive, but you can't save searches You can mark items and save searches in your Library account
Click on title in Search results to get online item or see catalogue entry Click on title in search results to see all access possibilities (print or electronic)
Catalogue content could take over a week to appear in One Search One Search is the Catalogue
Users who are both staff and student have two library accounts All users will only have one library account

Notable Changes

SMS notices

  • Due to a lack of demand for this service we will cease to offer it.

Lending policies

We've taken the opportunity to streamline our lending policies for the Mabo and Cairns libraries:

  • All general collection items have a 3 week loan
  • Short loans items have a 3 day loan
  • All items are automatically renewed (unless someone has placed a hold on them)
  • You will receive a monthly email containing your borrowing activity and the items you have on loan
  • Items will be placed on (and removed from) short loan automatically, depending entirely on demand (number of holds)
Receipt printing
  • All receipts will be sent via email, they will no longer be printed