Library users will soon notice big changes in Beebe Library’s online catalog. Along with the other
libraries in the North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE), Beebe Library will be switching in late May to a new online catalog and circulation system called
“Evergreen.”
The switchover will take place over the Memorial Day weekend. Beebe Library will be closed on Saturday, May 26 to facilitate the changeover to the new system. The library
will also be closed on the previous Monday, May 21, for staff training.
Some remote services will not be available May 25-28, including online renewal of materials and placing hold requests. Electronic resources such as EBSCO periodical databases and Overdrive for downloading ebooks and audiobooks will be available as normal during the changeover.
When the library re-opens on Tuesday, May 29, it will be with a brand new Evergreen catalog and
circulation system.
Evergreen is an open-source library system that was developed in 2006 by the Georgia Public Library Service and has since been adopted by more than 1,000 libraries
worldwide. Local librarians are excited about Evergreen and are confident that library users will share their enthusiasm about the new system.
Evergreen will offer many customer-friendly features familiar to users of other online sites. You will be able to create personalized, easy-to-remember usernames, instead of always needing to enter your library card number to check on your online account. In addition, you will be able to create and even share personal “lists” of favorite books or books you would like to read, as well as keep track of what you have already read. You will slso be able to receive pickup notices for holds via text message or email. Another new feature will be the ability to freeze your requests while away on vacation.
You’ll keep the same library card, and records of items checked out and on hold for you will be transferred to the new Evergreen system, according to NOBLE. But one thing that cannot be transferred to the new system (because it’s encrypted) is each patron’s personal identification number (PIN). Users will have two options for resetting their PINs.
To reset your PIN online, please make sure that the library has your current email address on file, as Evergreen will need your correct email address to send you a link to
reset your PIN. The second option is to visit the library to reset your PIN once the new system goes online May 29.
Local librarians report that Evergreen is an intuitive, user-friendly system, but library staff will be available to assist users in person, by phone and online.
Evergreen’s software is “open source,” which means that it is freely available and can be modified and developed by anyone with programming knowledge. This helps NOBLE and its member libraries to control costs because money that would have been spent on expensive licensing of proprietary software can now be used to fund development
of improvements to better serve users. NOBLE libraries will also be able to share in developments funded by other library systems at no charge.
Initial customization, improvement and implementation of the new system have been subsidized by a $412,000 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The grant was awarded to NOBLE and two other Massachusetts library networks, the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium (MVLC) and Central/Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing (C/W MARS) working together as the Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative (MassLNC). Cooperatively, the three networks selected the software, prioritized improvements and share training and expertise in order to design a system to meet the needs of their member libraries.
The North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE) is a non-profit consortium of 28 public, academic and special libraries founded by participating libraries thirty years ago to share resources and improve service and efficiency through shared automation.
