News

BOSTON, MA – June 18, 2020 – The Simmons University Library went live with the Open Source Library Services Platform FOLIO on Monday, June 15, 2020. As part of the Fenway Library Organization (FLO), Simmons implemented FOLIO in collaboration with the FLO staff as well as its hosting partner Index Data. It is using VuFind, the open source library resource portal, as its public-facing catalog user interface. This is the first implementation of VuFind as a public interface to FOLIO, and it includes full integration with patron empowerment functionality. 

FOLIO (an acronym for the Future Of Libraries Is Open) is an open source project that is  reimagining library software through a unique collaboration of libraries, developers and vendors. It moves beyond the traditional library management system to a new paradigm, where apps are built on an open platform, providing libraries more choice and delivering new services to users. The FOLIO platform includes core functionality found in current library management systems and is extensible, allowing libraries to meet ever-changing needs over time.

Jay Campbell, Head of Collections and Systems at the Simmons University Library, states that “we are very excited to be running FOLIO and VuFind. Our staff has been extremely pleased with the functionality and flexibility of the systems. It’s been a real improvement over our previous ILS.” Jay added “working with the FLO staff and Index Data has been a great experience. They were exceptionally responsive and provided outstanding guidance and support throughout the migration and testing process, which has been remarkably painless.”

Migration to FOLIO and VuFind provides library patrons with a user centered and accessible experience. This supports the mission of the Simmons University Library as an active participant in the student learning experience, an essential component of a Simmons University education, and a vital asset to the University, fostering an institution-wide culture of academic inquiry and knowledge cultivation. 

Mike Gorrell, Director of Index Data noted, “Partnering with FLO and Simmons has been an awesome collaboration. We’re super happy that the migration has gone so smoothly and that FOLIO fits the needs of Simmons. Additionally, it’s been a real pleasure to work so closely with VuFind, creating some extensions and committing those back to the community.” 

About Simmons University

Located in the heart of Boston, Simmons is a respected private university offering more than 50 majors and programs for undergraduate women and graduate programs open to all on campus, in blended formats, or entirely online in nursing and health sciences, liberal arts, business, communications, social work, public health, and library and information science. Founded in 1899, Simmons has established a model of higher education that other colleges and universities are only recently beginning to adapt: the combination of education for leadership in high-demand professional fields with the intellectual foundation of the liberal arts. The result is a Simmons graduate prepared not only to work, but to lead in professional, civic, and personal life — a vision of empowerment that Simmons calls preparation for life’s work. Follow Simmons on Twitter at @SimmonsUniv, and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/school/simmons-university/

About Fenway Library Organization

The Fenway Library Organization (FLO) is a consortium of 37 academic and special libraries in Massachusetts. Founded in 1987 as Fenway Libraries Online, FLO has been promoting resource sharing, encouraging staff development, and providing technical support for over thirty years. The consortium is constantly expanding in membership and all libraries who join benefit from a greater sense of community and statewide recognition. For more information visit www.flo.org

About Index Data

For 25 years Index Data has been building market-leading open source software relied on by libraries and service providers. As the lead architects/developers behind FOLIO’s novel design, Index Data has a unique understanding of the platform and offers hosting, migration, and customization services for libraries looking to adopt the FOLIO LSP. Index Data is also a key stakeholder in Project ReShare, a community-owned, open platform for resource sharing. Together, we’re building the library platform of the future. To learn more about Index Data and FOLIO, visit www.indexdata..com/folio.

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For more information, please contact:

Mike Gorrell

Director, Index Data

mdg@indexdata.com

Project ReShare is getting ready to start testing across a group of PALCI member libraries. Watch a quick video walking through some of the functionality of the latest software release. If you’d like to learn more, feel free to get in touch with us, or with the project at http://projectreshare.org/

Connect with us in Pittsburgh, PA next week at Code4Lib 2020. Index Data is a sponsor and Peter Murray will be there and will be happy to discuss FOLIO and our FOLIO Services. If you would like to set up a time to get together, please drop a line to info@indexdata.com.

Index Data will be at ALA Midwinter in the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Friday, January 24 to Monday, January 27.

We would love the opportunity to talk with you on your schedule.  Whether it’s our work on FOLIO, our efforts in Project Reshare to help launch a community-owned resource sharing platform, or our renowned discovery tools, we’re here to journey with you as you think about how technology impacts your services.  Please contact one of our team attending ALA to set up a time:

• Lynn Bailey, CEO
• Sebastian Hammer, President and co-founder
• Mike Gorrell, Director of Hosting Services
• Kristen Wilson, Open Source Community Advocate

On the Schedule

Come to the Project ReShare Town Hall on Sunday, January 26 from 1 – 4 PM. Bring your questions and get the latest updates on the development of the ReShare resource sharing software.

On the Exhibit Floor

When we are not in presentations or meetings with clients, you can find us on the exhibit floor in booth 1652.   If you would like a free pass for the exhibits, please drop us a line.

The Lehigh University Library has selected Index Data as its hosting and support vendor for its adoption of the FOLIO Library Services Platform, planned for Summer 2020. The library’s technical staff at Lehigh will manage the FOLIO install in Index Data’s cloud environment with secondary support from Index Data.

FOLIO (an acronym for the Future Of Libraries Is Open) is an open source project that reimagines library software through a unique collaboration of libraries, developers and vendors. It moves beyond the traditional library management system to a new paradigm, where apps are built on an open platform, providing libraries more choice and delivering new services to users. The FOLIO platform includes core functionality found in current library management systems and is extensible, allowing libraries to meet ever-changing needs over time.

Boaz Nadav-Manes, Lehigh’s University Librarian, discussed the partnership with Index Data: “We are very excited to be able to work with Index Data, who were able to customize a service specifically for what we need at the Lehigh University Library.” He went on to add “Staff at Lehigh Libraries are very experienced with technology—and in many ways we are well equipped to be totally self sufficient, partnering with Index Data provides added expertise and really bolsters our team’s capabilities in new and innovative ways, particularly given Index Data’s experience with cloud computing and their role in FOLIO and other community based projects.”

Lynn Bailey, CEO of Index Data acknowledged the partnership’s significance for Index Data. “We are honored to work with the Lehigh University Library and happy to be able to apply our team’s expertise.” She continued, “As we build out our services business, it has been important to us to remain true to our roots – agile, nimble and able to adapt to a customer’s specific needs, all while delivering top notch services.”

Bruce M. Taggart Vice Provost, Library & Technology Services at Lehigh University said: “Lehigh University, established in 1865, has been actively involved since the inception of the Open Library Environment (OLE) initiative and the professional library staff at Lehigh have been contributing to the FOLIO system since the project’s inception, working collaboratively with leading research libraries across the globe. The experience has changed how the libraries at Lehigh think about building and enhancing software that improves overall operational efficiencies and effectiveness of information flow to users of library resources. The libraries at Lehigh see FOLIO as an exciting and strategic open source library ecosystem technology pivot, where they can leverage a platform to build solutions across multiple domains.”

Index Data has been the lead architect and developer for FOLIO since its inception. As a software company specializing in creating innovative products and tools for the library ecosystem for 25 years, it prides itself on delivering, hosting and supporting manageable, scalable, high-performing software to address complex challenges. Index Data offers a range of FOLIO services from software support to hosting to migration services to custom app development. Learn more at www.indexdata.com/folio, or contact us at folio@indexdata.com.