WiLSWorld #4

Continuing live blogging

Opening Evergreen: Inside the Source Tree
or, Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Slide Show
Jason Etheridge, Equinox Software, Inc.

Why?
"because the other software sucked"
Heard other people talking about library sofware running into walls. They only have ceilings.Software was dictating policy
Overloading fields with information that should have been used orthogonally
Finger pointing was futile
People seem to want commercial support so that they have someone to blame

How?
Focus groups
Too many people came with their frame of reference, their klugy work-arounds, couldn't get passed it
Clean slate with "Pretend it's magic"
Question every assumption, and fear the grandfathered workarounds
By being "agile" with many iterations and prototypes

Yes, buthow??
Automation vendors don't have a monopoly on software developers. GPLS hired some.
Building blocks are larger these days (with code libraries), and often a commodity
Leveraged existing open source softare and expertise: Postgre SQL, Apache, Jabber, Mozilla, Code4Lib
We built the rest

Staff client built on Mozilla framework
Mac version has some issues
Transactions are tied to the workstation identifier
Offline permits uploading later (shoddy networks)

Demo Circ
Search by any part of record
Fields sorted, re-sized, control over which displayed
info displays in sidebar frame
Can check out a pre-cataloged item. Doesn't pollute database. Resides in another table.
Can define how long data is retained. Up to system administrator.
By default, Evergreen keeps data.

Org hierarchy
Permissions given at hierarchy
By default, patron can't place a copy level hold.
Only available at staff client
Pull list updates itself every 15 minutes
Haven't implemented hold-freezing or stalling
Requests are truly random
Plans in future to define weights to different routes
thoughts about true geo-spatial based holds

Daily fines listed separately, one line item for each day
Software allows for different policies
Can link patrons into groups.
Present limitation, can only be in one group.
Can have any number of permission groups.

Can use barcode checking
Will alert for duplicate data in patron record, good for checking if already in system
PC reservations uses SIP2

Georgia requires asking patron about voter registration, and take it if they wish
Not in software right now to display the address

Can place firnat specific request

Notices done through 3rd party, XML

Search interface is the same for staff and patrons, there are just more options from within the staff interface (when logged in)

PINES only imports records from OCLC. Others can import through Z Search of LC, etc.

In OPAC in staff client, you get extra meta data in the top panel.