Abstract
For the past few years, cloud computing has taken wing, and libraries are embracing this technology. The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Libraries is one of the libraries that is embracing the cloud by implementing Alma, a cloud-based library management system. This article will provide an overview of the VCU Libraries’s journey from implementation up until “Go Live” through the eyes of the Acquisitions Department.
The VCU Libraries was on the verge of buying two new servers to support its operations. After researching available library management systems, Alma was found to be an attractive prospect. Around the same time, the Libraries was looking for a discovery tool, Primo, and felt that Primo and Alma, both Ex Libris products, would be a good fit. After showing a true interest in Alma, VCU received an invitation to upgrade its software as an “early adopter” that was being offered to only 12 North American libraries in 2011. As early adopters, there were many challenges encountered by the Implementation Task Force. The Task Force had to make configuration decisions, attend training sessions, conduct internal training sessions, analyze existing workflows, and review configuration and migrated data. This article will document the Libraries’s journey in the cloud. A discussion of opportunities and challenges are discussed. Readers will learn about processes, cleanup and workflow issues and timetables. Finally, this article will share some lessons learned by different members of the Alma Implementation Task Force.
Alma in the Cloud: Implementation Through the Eyes of Acquisitions
For the past few years, cloud computing has taken wing, and libraries are embracing this technology. The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Libraries is one of the libraries that is embracing the cloud by implementing Alma, a cloud-based library management system. This article will provide an overview of the VCU Libraries’s journey from implementation up until “Go Live” through the eyes of the Acquisitions Department.
The VCU Libraries was on the verge of buying two new servers to support its operations. After researching available library management systems, Alma was found to be an attractive prospect. Around the same time, the Libraries was looking for a discovery tool, Primo, and felt that Primo and Alma, both Ex Libris products, would be a good fit. After showing a true interest in Alma, VCU received an invitation to upgrade its software as an “early adopter” that was being offered to only 12 North American libraries in 2011. As early adopters, there were many challenges encountered by the Implementation Task Force. The Task Force had to make configuration decisions, attend training sessions, conduct internal training sessions, analyze existing workflows, and review configuration and migrated data. This article will document the Libraries’s journey in the cloud. A discussion of opportunities and challenges are discussed. Readers will learn about processes, cleanup and workflow issues and timetables. Finally, this article will share some lessons learned by different members of the Alma Implementation Task Force.