[ISLMA-Share] Switching library software

[Email list for the Illinois School Library Media Association]

     To be honest, Shannon, I'm sure our situation is radically different
from what yours will be.
     Your tech people should be able to transfer the full database of your
materials and history over to Destiny.  They're the ones who do much of the
background set up.
     Then you'll take a couple of training webinars (one's 3 hrs.; the
other's 4 hrs.). The webinar facilitators try to answer your specific
questions well. It can seem a bit overwhelming at first, because they give
you more info than you may need. Also, as with any new program, it will
take some adjustments. You will probably need to work some summer hours to
set up access levels, borrowing time periods, report templates, fines, etc.
as well as to get familiar with things. Still, I would think things will
fall into place pretty well.
    We're actually doing the switch RIGHT NOW, mid-school year, while still
utilizing our old circ system, LibrarySoft. For some reason, LibrarySoft
could not provide a usable format for Destiny to convert our files, so we
are adding each of our titles individually. *Yes, this is very tedious -*
which is why we opted to start now and finish up over the summer. I've
found some responsible seniors and a willing parent to volunteer time to
input records to alleviate some of my work.
    If our database could have been converted, I doubt I'd have to do much
beyond setting up our personal library specifics. I'm finding Destiny to be
pretty easy to work with so far.  Regarding history, clearly we won't have
anything to carry over because of the tech-incompatibility. Hopefully that
won't be the case for your school.
   Best of luck!
:) Kathy Sullivan
   Princeville High School Media Ctr.
   309-385-4660 x1574

On Fri, Apr 8, 2016 at 9:29 AM, Email list for the Illinois School Library
Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:

> Kathy,
>
> When did you switch?  Was it over a summer?  How much did you need to be
> present for the whole process?
>
> Shannon
>
> Shannon Hayes
> *S*chool *L*ibrary* I*nformation *S*pecialist
> Grade 6-8 Gifted Specialist
> Library Days with Mrs. Hayes
> <http://librarydayswithmrshayes.blogspot.com/>
>
> Lakeview Junior High
> 701 Plainfield Road
> Downers Grove, IL 60516
> 630.783.5200
>
> "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body" - Joseph Addison
>
> On Thu, Apr 7, 2016 at 3:28 PM, Email list for the Illinois School Library
> Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>
>> We're currently in the midst of switching softeare from LibrarySoft to
>> Destiny. Follett offers various options, including transferring your
>> current database into Destiny - which is huge!
>> They offer trainings that are somewhat helpful, too.  So far, we've found
>> Destiny to be pretty user-friendly.
>> We're a very small district, so you'll probably appreciate others' input
>> more, but had to respond because we'd had the same questions a couple of
>> months ago.
>> Best wishes!!
>> :) Kathy Sullivan
>> Princeville HS Media Ctr.
>> On Apr 7, 2016 3:19 PM, "Email list for the Illinois School Library Media
>> Association" <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello!
>>>
>>> Our district currently uses software called L4U.  We are currently
>>> looking into switching to Destiny since the high school and public
>>> libraries use.
>>>
>>> Can anyone tell me what the process is like to switch servers?  The
>>> amount of time work that's invovled?  What should we be expecting when we
>>> make the switch?
>>> Shannon Hayes
>>> *S*chool *L*ibrary* I*nformation *S*pecialist
>>> Grade 6-8 Gifted Specialist
>>> Library Days with Mrs. Hayes
>>> <http://librarydayswithmrshayes.blogspot.com/>
>>>
>>> Lakeview Junior High
>>> 701 Plainfield Road
>>> Downers Grove, IL 60516
>>> 630.783.5200
>>>
>>> "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body" - Joseph Addison
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> ISLMA-Share mailing list
>>> islma at list.railslibraries.info
>>> For list archives and subscription options, visit:
>>> http://list.railslibraries.info/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/islma
>>> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
>>> islma-leave at list.railslibraries.info
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> ISLMA-Share mailing list
>> islma at list.railslibraries.info
>> For list archives and subscription options, visit:
>> http://list.railslibraries.info/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/islma
>> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
>> islma-leave at list.railslibraries.info
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> ISLMA-Share mailing list
> islma at list.railslibraries.info
> For list archives and subscription options, visit:
> http://list.railslibraries.info/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/islma
> To unsubscribe, send a message to:
> islma-leave at list.railslibraries.info
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.railslibraries.info/pipermail/aisle/attachments/20160411/37123538/attachment-0002.html>