Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Tue, Dec 06, 2011 @ 12:27 PM
By:Salvatore Provenza, VP of Global Sales and Marketing, EOS International
I really love books. As you would expect, I love to read them, but I also love to surround myself with them on stained wooden shelves in my home or a library. I really enjoy the slightly musty smell of older ones and the crisp sound newer ones make when you first crack them open.
I think of each one as a special container of knowledge, drama, comedy, intrigue, suspense and mystery. I like the fact that I can establish a personal relationship with a book from the moment I start reading, until I finish the final chapter. Finishing a good book is like saying a fond farewell to an old dear friend. There is a special feeling of solitude in reading. It is just you and the author, sharing a brief time together.
Don’t get me wrong, I also love reading books on my new iPad, but the relationship is quite different. The convenience, accessibility and quickness of downloading an ebook is indeed a true marvel of modern technology, but I don’t think it will ever completely replace the look and feel of a high-quality, leather-bound volume.
You will need to excuse me now, since I am in the middle of reading a good mystery novel. I will post a new blog when I finish and just before I start another reading experience!
Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 @ 09:15 AM
By: Jeff Smith - VP Client Services, EOS International
We’re headed to San Francisco November 17 – home to the famous Golden Gate Bridge, sourdough bread, devastating earthquakes, and of course Tony Bennett’s signature song “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, written by George Cory and Douglass Cross back in the 1950’s. San Francisco is also home to The Book Club of California which turns 100 next year. The Book Club has a rich and fascinating history including publishing books on California and the West, hosting exhibitions, lectures and demonstrations, as well as a list of impressive founders such as philanthropist Phoebe Apperson Hearst (mother of William Randolph Hearst – American business magnate).
We are very excited to partner with The Book Club of California to host our Bay Area Seminar on Thursday, November 17, 2011, where interested knowledge and library professionals can learn all about our world-class EOS.Web information and knowledge management system, including a live demonstration. This is a great opportunity for anyone in the bay area to spend an hour with us and see first-hand how our products and services can solve the challenges they are facing today and into the future. Lunch will be provided.
For our bay area users, we will also host a Client Reception later in the day to share our latest exciting news. We will do a quick demonstration of our next-generation OPAC and hear from one of our EOS.Web users – Marlene Vogelsang of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. In addition, there will be plenty of networking with others, while enjoying delicious food and beverages.
Whether you are already an EOS client, or thinking about moving up to a new information and knowledge management system, we hope you will visit us next week at one of our two events. For more information, please contact EOS International at 800-876-5484, and we look forward to seeing you there!
Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Tue, Oct 11, 2011 @ 10:25 AM
By: Salvatore Provenza, VP, Global Sales & Marketing, EOS International
EOS International and Priory Solutions recently formed a marketing partnership that will allow larger law firms to get the most out of their online services. Although Priory offers several great software products, their flagship solution is called Research Monitor. Research Monitor is a superior offering both from a product and service point of view. The product focuses on 4 key aspects of managing online services.
1. Usage Monitoring
2. Access Control
3. Client Validation
4. Cost Recovery
Usage Monitoring allows law firms to record online usage and gives clear, consistent usage reports across all online services. It can report usage down to an individual user level or summarized by practice area, office or job title. It can also record details of how people use online services, such as search terms, databases accessed and documents viewed.
Access Control allows single sign-on by automatically logging users on to online services they have access to. People no longer need to remember passwords and can control access to services on an individual or group level.
Client Validation authenticates client references entered in any online service against a current validation list. Ensuring only valid references are used can dramatically increase recovery rates without changing existing internal processes.
Cost Recovery records online charges as they occur and seamlessly feeds the information to the legal billing system, eliminating unnecessary manual effort and maximizing recovery rates. It also allows client rate-cards to be configured, to easily determine what charges to pass on to clients.
The combination of the EOS.Web and Research Monitor is the perfect solution for large law libraries to easily manage their physical and digital collections and online services!
Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Mon, Sep 19, 2011 @ 09:09 AM
By: Horacio Gurrola, Account Manager, EOS International
Integrated Library Systems have evolved a great deal since the advent of the Internet. One of the biggest changes has been the delivery methods by software vendors to include cloud services. The software is delivered by Internet connections using data centers to host the software and library data. As a result, the importance of service guarantees has never been greater for libraries using services especially in the event of an emergency, like a power outage. But how many vendors can truly say they are proven service providers in case of an emergency? The reality is that all library vendors make promises about “up time”, but how many have been put to the test? Are library software vendors that utilize third party data centers to provide their hosting, sure about their services?
On September 8th 2011, a real emergency put our San Diego global data center to the test. An unprecedented massive power outage struck Southern California at about 3:38 PM PST affecting millions of people in two countries. There were numerous reports of people stuck in elevators, loss of traffic signals and serious confusion everywhere. At the EOS International facilities in Carlsbad, all eyes were on the global data center. As I walked toward the data center, I felt a nice warm feeling when all the lights were up and blinking in our data center and our clients continued to be served.
Once we were back on the grid, the technician who inspected our systems made comments about how many institutions including one hospital and other data centers were down. The EOS data center by comparison was off the grid for over 8 hours with no downtime. The reality is that it is only a matter of time before the next emergency strikes and the question becomes, is your library vendor a proven service provider?
Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Wed, Sep 07, 2011 @ 10:13 AM
By: Daniel Fitz-Enz, Trainer, EOS International
As a trainer I think about this question a lot.
The trainer tries to make the training topic enjoyable and simple for the learners to understand. This is not always easy to do. If a topic is complex the trainer divides the topic into sub-topics and maybe sub-sub-topics or sub-sub-sub-topics. The trainer organizes the information in such a way that hopefully learners will be able to digest and understand the topic.
A sure sign of a good training session is lots of note taking.
When learners can look at notes a few days or weeks after the training session and after their memories have faded a little, and recall from the notes what was covered in the training (i.e. key points, step-by-step instructions, or other useful details), that is a sign of a good training session.
For there to be good notes, learners must have understood the training topic well enough to write the notes. For learners to have understood the training topic, the trainer must have organized and presented the topic to learners so they can digest the information and transfer that information to their notes. Learners also ask questions, maybe many questions. Questions are good.
Now, let me say notes don’t have to be perfect. They don’t have to include every detail the trainer said. Notes should include enough information for the learner to know how to do what the learner needs to do or at least show how to get started. Notes also should include where the learner can look for more information. Information like this:
- Help Website: Click on the ‘?’ icon to open the Help website.
- How-To: There is step-by –step how-to: web pages on the help website.
- Training Guides: these are found under Client Services (Client Services | Training Guides)
- Training Videos: these are found under Client Services (Client Services | Virtual University)
- Help desk: 1-888-728-8746 (24/7/365) email: support@eosintl.com
When I see good notes I know I am doing a good job.
Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Wed, Aug 24, 2011 @ 09:17 AM
By: Jill Moen, MLS, Technical Writer, EOS International
After the latest round of RDA webcasts, I now believe in the vision of a single-access, cloud-based, FRBR-compliant future (Bob Maxwell). In the bubble over my head, a huge, white, fluffy cloud containing all of the world’s resources floats along in a shared atmosphere for everyone’s use. I see it as having the expansiveness of Amazon, the ingenuity of Google, and the consistency of OCLC – so I will call it Amagoocle, or the goo-cloud for short.
In the goo-cloud, our FRBR-uture materializes as all new and existing works are harvested and cataloged to produce a single, unique record for each work. In 2005, OCLC reported over 93,000 bibliographic records for the Bible (held by over 796,800 libraries). In the goo-cloud, there would be one record for the Bible; Mother Goose, The Iliad, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would also be represented by one record for each work. Each record would then be linked to records indicating the expressions of the work – English, French, Bulgarian, text, performance, adaption, etc. Each expression would then be linked to records noting the physical manifestations of that expression – an edition, imprint, physical description, etc. As libraries acquire resources, no longer would they copy the details about the works over and over again into their own, respective databases. They would simply get in their EOS-based item cloud, scoot up next to the goo-cloud, and link their item records to the appropriate manifestations. While the item level information would continue to be maintained by and specific to each library, the information about the particular manifestation/expression/work is available to a patron, without duplication or further maintenance in the library’s database, whether that patron is searching the holdings of a library in Boise or Timbuktu.
This vision is exciting but what I like about the goo-cloud is that it reduces redundancy and allows us to focus on new collections.
In addition to standard content, research libraries have been harnessing the power of raw data for years by creating databases of scientific notes and pieces of information uncovered during the process of research itself. Academic libraries are following the lead of their research counterparts by building institutional repositories to capture dissertations, theses, and other scholarly and unique works generated by their institution. Neighboring Cal State San Marcos is considering unpublished undergraduate work for their repository to allow access to what is basically unmediated research which can be used as a basis for further study. In a webcast presented by Darren Poley at this year’s ACRL conference, Poley pushes the envelope even further by suggesting libraries move beyond institutional boundaries to reach into, and partner with, surrounding communities to create or bring to life previously hidden collections.
Working with special libraries as we do here at EOS, we see new content springing up everywhere, databases dedicated to image archives, tape libraries, internal manuals, reports, corporate communication, scientific data, textiles, and artifacts as well as specialty databases that reflect parts of a whole – such as articles, elements of court proceedings, bits of research data – and other forms of corporate and competitive intelligence custom cataloged for specific patron communities. It’s exciting!
EOS client, San Diego Air & Space Museum, recently created a group of custom databases including one to integrate over one thousand oral histories directly into their MARC-based collection. Using Excel to bypass the obligation of having to grant dozens of volunteers access to their ILS, Head Archivist Katrina Pescador and Library Consultant Kathy Wright have been able to define the format for each of the new databases, establish guidelines for content (e.g., COSATI for Technical Reports), and review work done in Excel before importing the data into the Museum’s online catalog. The Museum is currently partnering with two other local museums to catalog more than 3000 audio-visual items. Materials such as technical drawings and biographical files are also being prepared for upload. “We have a volunteer who has just started to edit more than 6,000 drawing records,” says Wright.
These are the exciting collections originating from and showcasing the work being done at the Museum to give form and access to the technical output and knowledge of the Museum’s communities – something the goo-cloud isn’t planned to deliver.
So let us begin cataloging all that is buried, wild, and scattered around us to turn information in its rawest form into searchable stores of knowledge for relevant retrieval and exchange.
And really, until the folks at Apple figure out a way to put infinite knowledge into an i-orb that attaches to our foreheads, reads our minds, and transmit to us what we need to know (while, of course, implanting product endorsements and extracting our deepest, darkest secrets), libraries will have to continue to shoulder the responsibility of mediating access between patrons and all that is known whether the information exists in the goo-cloud or surfaces through the cataloging of new, raw, unpublished resources yearning to be retrieved!
Quick plug: In EOS.Web, metadata-friendly templates can be created for use in your library’s database by adding new rule sets, tags, mappings, indexes, etc. or using KnowledgeBuilder. Both methods allow bibliographic templates to be created with custom entry fields specific to the information being cataloged. For example, in newer databases, we have added KB and MARC record formats based on the Dublin Core guidelines to the list of default rules sets available in EOS.Web. (The DC templates were created based on the DC element set. LOC’s Dublin Core to MARC crosswalk was used to determine field labels and mapping. The import/export format is MARC for a MARC-based record format and CSV (Text or Excel) for KB-based record formats.)
Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Mon, Jul 25, 2011 @ 09:04 AM
By: Katie Williams, Market Analyst, EOS International
Digitization is the act of creating digital images from paper documents, books, or photos. What is library digitization and why is it so important for the future of libraries? Just about everything is going digital these days. However, much of the content in libraries is still in paper form. This is why libraries must digitize as much of their content as possible in order to make their information more readily accessible by their patrons. For example, when a patron searches for a particular title, the search result is bibliographic information for the title attached to a picture of the book jacket. The picture of the book jacket has been digitized. Libraries around the world are using EOS.Web Digital to efficiently manage items in their collection.
The first item that is necessary for digitization is a scanner. The most important thing to remember is that in order to achieve a successful digital product one must become familiar with the features of your scanner. Another useful tool for digitizing library content and information is a digital camera. A digital camera works much like the scanner. The only difference is that you can easily view the digital images before downloading them into your computer. Other important aspects of digitization include an understanding of resolution, pixels, color vs. gray scale, and file formats of the digitized image. In order to be successful, The Digital Library Foundation recommends that anyone wanting to digitize should take a closer look at their Website - www.diglib.org.
Digitization can be a challenging and detailed process for any library. As a diligent Market Analyst for EOS International, I now value even more the benefits of digitization and appreciate the hard work that goes into our EOS.Web Digital product. This is the future of library automation: streamlined, efficient, functional and affordable. For more information about digital library automation, I highly recommend our newly published book, “The Digital Library Survival Guide” by Joseph R. Matthews.
Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Mon, Jul 11, 2011 @ 04:17 PM
By: Sal Provenza,Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing, EOS International
I am always amazed at how easily some companies say that their solutions provide the “Best Value” to the library community, without clearly identifying what exactly that means. Like so many marketing slogans, providing value is often not really understood and after repeated usage simply becomes marketing clatter to be ignored.
EOS has spent three decades carefully developing the features the library community needs today, while creating a solid platform for the easy implementation of future requirements. Simply put, value to EOS means “The most and highest quality ILS features for the price”.
Our Web-based solution, EOS.Web, was introduced to the library market eight years ago. We have continually enhanced it each year with additional features, market-specific bundles, alternative delivery methods and professional support services. A better product does not in itself define value. It is the combination of great features at a great price that defines value.
EOS.Web features include:
- Cloud or On-Premise
- Cataloging
- Circulation
- Serials
- Acquisitions
- OPAC Discovery
- Z39.50 Client/Server
- Indexer
- KnowledgeBuilder
- Reference Tracking
- SIP2/3M SelfCheck
- RFID
- Web Services
- IP Authentication
- Classification Management
- Media Bookings
- ECM
- ERM
- ILL
- Content Aggregator
- Course Reserves
- ReportWriter
- SSL Encryption
- Federated Searching
- 24/7/365 Live Help Desk
- GSA Contractor
- Microsoft Partner
- Custom Development
- Custom Services
- 2 data centers (US/Europe)
All at a great low price that truly defines “Value”. You owe it to your library to look at EOS, the company that has been defining value for over 30 years!
Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Tue, Jun 28, 2011 @ 01:07 PM
By: Mark Abes, Sales Manager, EOS International
How much longer is the library-as-destination model viable for professionals seeking knowledge assets held by their organization? The proliferation of web-enabled tablets, smart phones, social media, and the aversion of younger consumers to print material is rapidly changing the dynamics of the interchange between knowledge workers and knowledge consumers.
According to Nielsen, roughly 5% of the U.S. population owns a tablet such as an iPad or Xoom. More impressive is smartphone penetration measured at 31%, with some demographic groups gauging as high as 45%. Mobile professionals and students that rely on organizational knowledge assets represent an interesting challenge for our libraries and IT departments. In a recent symposium, Lindsay Notwell Executive Director of 4G Strategy & Implementation at Verizon Wireless, stated "Let's face it, the world is going mobile, and your patrons are going mobile."
In addition to new formats and forums for sharing and transmitting information, the growth of telecommuting and the centralization of information resources make the speed at which we access and deliver data as important as the reliability of the data itself.
An increasingly kinetic, always-connected population will come to expect their information to be served up like their burgers – ordered, prepared, delivered, and consumed in 5 minutes or less.
EOS responded by releasing Discovery OPAC, an enhanced online catalog with an elegant mobile interface. Discovery OPAC provides the unique capability of allowing patrons to easily utilize their EOS OPAC through their smartphone or tablet. This new OPAC automatically senses a smartphone’s operating system and optimizes the display to accommodate iPhones, Android phones, and BlackBerries. Add the benefit of being able to immediately access and download linked digital documents and we’re talking about a very powerful new functionality for your patrons.
An acute need identified by researchers was finding a way to push research results out to patrons in the field. Attorneys and other field staff wanted answers in real time, without having to find a mobile hot spot and boot up their laptop. To address this need at EOS, we enhanced our Reference Tracking module, providing the ability to transmit research results via SMS text message. Enhancements to the Discovery OPAC will allow patrons to better manage research requests from their smartphone, encouraging greater collaboration with library staff.
Although personal interaction between patron and library staff may be waning, there is an excellent opportunity to make your knowledge assets and hence the library, more valuable to the organization it serves. So, you want fries with that?
Posted by Lynette Maldonado on Thu, Jun 23, 2011 @ 03:27 PM
"The Digital Library Survival Guide" by Joseph R. Matthews was published in May 2011. It is an excellent book for all librarians who are moving into the digital library arena. It is written in a concise manner that will easily guide you through the migration process from traditional/hybrid to digital. The book briefly discusses the evolution of libraries and the technologies that enables them to effectively manage ever growing digital library assets.
Dr. Steve Matthews has mentioned The Digital Library Survival Guide in his blog below:
http://21stcenturylibrary.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/who-knows-what-a-digital-library-will-be-%e2%80%93-nobody/
To request a digital copy of our new book, please click here.