News

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.

June, 2019 – Boston, MA and Copenhagen, Denmark

Project ReShare and Index Data are pleased to announce that Index Data will become the first Certified Service Provider for the ReShare consortial resource-sharing platform. A software company specializing in creating innovative products and tools for the library ecosystem, Index Data will offer hosting, implementation, and support services for consortia that adopt the ReShare platform.

For the past year, Index Data along with academic, consortial, and commercial partners has engaged with Project ReShare, a groundbreaking effort to build a new, Open Source resource sharing platform for and by the library community. Initially focused on patron-initiated consortial borrowing, the ReShare partnership intends to develop the platform into all aspects of library resource sharing.

Sebastian Hammer, President of Index Data says, “Project ReShare is a strategic collaboration between important organizations in the library space, but more importantly, it is an unparalleled gathering of passionate and talented individuals. ReShare is a powerful example of what can be accomplished through open collaboration. At Index Data, we believe that open technology infrastructure is the essential substrate of a vibrant service ecosystem; one that fosters innovation and puts the patron in the center by eliminating roadblocks to interoperability. We participate in Project ReShare because collaboration is in our DNA as a team and because we firmly believe that we are at our best when we work together.”    

As a ReShare Service Provider, Index Data will contribute technical and community resources to the project, as well as contributing financially to community activities.  In the coming months, Index Data will work closely with the ReShare Steering Committee to develop open and transparent pricing models, negotiate caps on annual increases, and offer discounts to ReShare community members.

This partnership exemplifies the benefits of ReShare’s community-ownership approach, which brings together libraries, consortia, software developers, and open source advocates to collaborate on a shared vision for library resource sharing. As a leading development partner for ReShare, Index Data has already made significant contributions of staff time and resources to the project and cultivated a deep expertise in its software, workflows, and user needs.

Index Data expects to go live with initial ReShare consortial customers in 2020.

Background

Index Data has built solutions based on open source software since it was founded in 1994 and has created and released dozens of open source tools over the years. Its recent experience as lead development partner for the FOLIO project has led the company to develop a very strong perspective on the use of open source software as a means of building communities of intent, and for genuinely sharing ownership of technology across different kinds of organizations. Contact info@indexdata.com for more information, or visit us at booth #2941 at the American Library Association Conference in Washington, DC.

The ReShare Community is a group of libraries, consortia, information organizations and developers, with both commercial and non-commercial interests, who came together in 2018 to create Project ReShare – a new and open approach to library resource sharing. The ReShare Community has a bold vision for building a user-centered, app-based, community-owned resource sharing platform for libraries to set the standard for how we connect library patrons to the resources and information they require. Contact info@projectreshare.org for more information.

Charlotte Whitt of Index Data will be supporting the FOLIO participation at ELAG 2019. FOLIO is an ELAG partner this year. There will also be a presentation on “Improving FOLIO Architecture” by Julian Ladisch and Martina Tumulla. If you are at ELAG, drop by the FOLIO booth and say hello.

Index Data will be at ALA Midwinter in the Washington State Convention Center on January 25th through the 28th, and we would love to talk with you about our projects using technology to re-imagine how services are offered to your users.

In Presentations

Sebastian Hammer joins Peter McCracken from Cornell University for a session about FOLIO’s impact on the library marketplace in the Symposium on the Future of Libraries.  See if this quote from the session description whets your appetite:

What do you think a future library marketplace should it look like? Should it contain just a few giants (or, worse, just one), dominating the space and having sufficiently broad control that they significantly impact what you can and cannot acquire? Or would you prefer a broad range of content providers and vendors, offering a vibrant marketplace of products and ideas?

In an enormous marketplace like general retail, individual buyers don’t have much impact. I may choose to not buy from Amazon, but my decision will have no impact on Amazon’s bottom line. But in a small space like the library market, where each buyer represents so much more than an individual consumer in the broad marketplace, the actions of just a few libraries can impact the direction and development of that marketplace. Library decision-makers have the ability to impact the marketplace by thoughtfully determining how they spend money.

We believe that, if designed with care, the FOLIO Marketplace will be just such a dynamic place, where individuals and institutions can help shape our community’s future. The FOLIO Marketplace, and the manner in which FOLIO is being developed and distributed, changes how libraries can acquire the resources they need to keep providing newer and better services to their patrons.

Interested?  Join Sebastian and Peter on Saturday, January 26 from 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM in the Washington State Convention Center, Room 606.

On the Exhibit Floor

When we are not in presentations or meetings with clients, you can find us on the exhibit floor in booth #2611.  We are located just inside the exhibit hall from the ALA Store and ALA Lounge.

At the FOLIO Aster Release Party

Index Data joins the Open Library Foundation community in celebrating the Aster Release of the FOLIO software.  The release party will be Saturday, January 26 from 7:30 – 10:00 PM at the Pike Brewing Company on 1415 First Avenue in Seattle.  Whether you’ve actively participated in the project or want to see what a fun group we are, please RSVP and join us on Saturday evening.

On Your Schedule

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 Midwinter to set up a time:

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