“We were able to provide Auto-Graphics with a real challenge, and they were up to it.”
Booth & Dimock Memorial Library Gets More Than Just Better Usability and Increased Functionality From VERSO® Integrated Library System Implementation
Challenge:
In early 2007, the Connecticut Library Consortium (CLC) acted as conduit for member libraries to purchase the VERSO® integrated library system (ILS), offering enhanced functionality and more streamlined access to existing state funded, Library Management Platform-powered resources: iCONN, Connecticut’s research engine, and reQuest, Connecticut’s statewide bibliographic database and interlibrary loan system. The Booth & Dimock Memorial Library was a perfect candidate for VERSO, having outgrown the functionality of the library’s former ILS product, which Booth & Dimock had been licensing for 20 years. The library’s management team decided to move forward with the VERSO implementation utilizing the Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery method, joining 10 other CLC member libraries to bring the total number of libraries utilizing VERSO in Connecticut to 28.
In mid-March, Booth & Dimock presented the Auto-Graphics implementation team with both a patron and bibliographic file to review in anticipation of a phased implementation approach scheduled for the coming months. When the Auto- Graphics implementation team arrived at the library in mid-April to meet with Library Director Sharon Pacholski, they discovered that the current system had experienced catastrophic failure.
“When the Auto-Graphics team came into the library on Thursday morning, our ILS server had crashed, with both drives failing. Our server was literally in pieces on the floor, and we were running the library on paper, taking down names, barcodes and titles,” said Pacholski. “From there we learned that the system that we thought had been performing back-ups had also failed, leaving us without a system and no access to our patron or bibliographic records.”
Solution:
As a short term fix to quickly get Booth & Dimock’s loan process back online, the Auto-Graphics implementation team immediately began setting up VERSO’s standalone circulation system with a window into reQuest, the statewide database containing electronic records from both the main circulation and children’s desk. Concurrently, the library’s IT resource, a part-time town network administrator, employed a company specializing in data recovery to extract the library records from the crashed server.
“My main goal was to minimize the downtime at the library and to get them up and operating as quickly as possible. Once the standalone circulation systems were put into place, the library was business as usual from the patron’s perspective,” said Mark Hewes, Auto-Graphics’ customer service manager responsible for the Booth & Dimock implementation. “Having received the library’s patron and bibliographic databases prior to the system crash also meant that — if the data couldn’t be recovered from the server — we would still be able to go live with VERSO with all but three weeks of lost transactions.”
Luckily the database files were successfully recovered from the crashed server and the Booth & Dimock team delivered the most current patron and bibliographic files for the VERSO implementation by Friday afternoon. The Auto-Graphics implementation team worked diligently over the weekend to process the records from the recovered files, as well as the records from the standalone circulation system that had been put into place as a stop gap.
By Monday morning, Pacholski approved the loading of data into the VERSO web-based system. That evening, the Auto- Graphics implementation team worked to load the data and during the next several days proceeded with the set-up and configuration of the VERSO system to Booth & Dimock’s specifications. On Thursday morning, just one week from the date of the server crash, Auto-Graphics’ Hewes held the first of two training sessions for the Booth & Dimock library staff before opening hours. “This was a great example of the Booth & Dimock library community coming together — from the part-time IT resource to the entire library staff — with Sharon leading the team and maintaining a level-head through the technical difficulties,” commented Hewes. “The Auto-Graphics team was ecstatic that we could get the library up and running in such a short time after what could have been a catastrophic failure.”
Results:
When the doors opened on Thursday morning, Booth & Dimock was operating as a fully functional VERSO library utilizing the web-based OPAC, splash page, circulation modules, cataloging and administrative features. With VERSO, the Booth & Dimock Memorial Library is also able to actively participate in reQuest, Connecticut’s AGent-powered statewide bibliographic database and interlibrary loan system, and offer 24/7 remote and onsite access to its resources.
“While we have been a little shell-shocked with the quick implementation of the new system after having utilized the same system for over 20 years, we are truly enjoying the functionality of the VERSO system,” said Pacholski. “Our catalogers have found that cataloging through VERSO is seamless, and the library staff likes having all the patron information on one tab with the ability to easily renew, reserve and delete reserves in one fell swoop. VERSO also provides detailed statistics about circulation activity in an easy to understand graphical format that we use regularly for town council meetings.”
President
Customer Service Manager
Product Manager – VERSO
Product Manager, SHAREit
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Operations Officer
Mr. Hicks, CPA, has been a director since February 2012. Mr. Hicks is Chairman of the Audit Committee. Mr. Hicks has been a practicing certified public accountant for over twenty-five years in addition to partnering and managing both an underground construction company and real estate development business. Currently, Mr. Hicks is a founder and senior partner of Hicks & Williams, LLP a certified public accounting firm providing tax, audit and management consulting services to small and medium size clients across the nation.
Vice President of Sales
Mr. Heath has been a director since December 2012. Mr. Heath immigrated to California from Canada during the Internet commerce boom in 1999. Mr. Heath was formerly Vice President, Secondary Markets at Best Buy (2008-2010) and founded Dealtree.com in 1999, where he was CTO & COO from (2001-2010). Mr. Heath has developed expert system technologies for managing online sales channels and created several online marketplaces supporting secondary market sales. Mr. Heath is an Internet technology and business operations consultant and serves as President of Heath Investment Properties LLC. Mr. Heath is an active member of Rotary, and currently serves a Technology Director for District 5320 in Southern California.
Dr. Murphy has been a director since December 2012. He has over 20 years experience as a successful software executive specializing in high-growth SaaS companies. He currently is CEO of GVNG Technology and Practitioner of Strategy at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. Dr. Murphy is an active member on the board of directors for several early-stage and private equity owned companies. He received his MBA from Pepperdine University and his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from the Alliance Manchester Business School at The University of Manchester.
Ken Kerr has been a director since April 2020. During his career, he served in a variety of leadership positions in sales, marketing, and operations with companies in startup, turnaround, and expansion. Most recently he was CEO/CFO of Advisys, Inc., a SaaS company providing financial planning solutions to Fortune 100 banks, brokerages and insurance companies, and thousands of independent financial advisers. He retired from Advisys in 2018 and now consults with businesses to improve profits and productivity through effective employee engagement strategies. Ken graduated Cum Laude from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and has an MBA with an emphasis in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix.
Director of Customer Service and Quality Assurance
Controller
Product Manager, SHAREit – Customer Services
Product Manager, VERSO – Technical Services
Director of Information Technology