Transcript Why spend money on new library software?

Why invest in new library
software?
Because it’s an
investment
in creating
information literate
students & teachers
for the 21st Century.
Investing in Students
Current problem:
Students see
Internet as answer
machine
Students
underestimate value
of print resources
Students lack good
searching skills
Solution:
Combine print and
Internet through
web-accessible
catalog
Increase student
use of catalog and
familiarity of
resources
Investing in Teachers
Current problem:
Teachers often don’t
have time to search
the library resources
during the school day
They need shortcuts
to quality information
on the web
Solution:
Provide access to
catalog via the
Internet
Provide access to
reviewed websites
via the catalog
What would be the best
library software to use?
Product
AlexWeb
Follett WebCollection+ *
Winnebago
Spectrum Web
User
friendly?
Voted 2nd by
students
Voted 1st by
students
Voted 3rd by
students
Ease of
conversion
Poor tech.
reputation
Good tech
support
Good tech
support
Report
flexibility
Low ranking
in SLJ study
Top ranking
in SLJ study
Good ranking
in SLJ study
* Current vendor
What will this investment
cost us?
Product
AlexWeb
Follett WebCollection +
Winnebago
SpectrumWeb
Windows
$3995
$1259
$4995
upgrade
Web
$1495
$1195
$995
access
Web
$495 annual $695 annual Not available
subjects
Online
Included in $249 annual Included in
cataloging
upgrade
upgrade
Is this really necessary?
Our current library software
version is many generations behind
and, as a result, our collection is
underutilized – a very valuable
asset is wasting away.
Is this really necessary?
•Our students need to gain in information
literacy before they leave our schools and
enter the workplace.
•Now is the time to teach them these critical
skills.
•In order to teach these skills, we need
current tools with which to teach them.
Is this really necessary?
Even if you're on the
right track,
you'll get run over if you
just sit there.
- Will Rogers
The answer is yes!
We will be doing our students and
our community a great service by
equipping them with the skills they
need to be successful in our society
today – the Information Age.
No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.
- William Blake