Collecting Data

Owned by Ian Ibbotson (Use this one)
Dec 04, 2023
2 min read

A Resource Sharing network is composed of many different elements, these systems use specific terms to refer to those elements - our definitions

  • Library System - a known kind of system, for example FOLIO, SIERRA, POLARIS, ALMA, Koha, etc.

  • HostLMS - An instance of a software system used to host library functions. for example, the FOLIO sandbox system is an instance of the Folio Library System type. A HostLMS has a type, and a set of per-system-type specific configuration properties that determine how we talk to that library.

  • Agency - If an entity (Including but not limited to : A University, a Public Library, a Corporation) wishes to participate in a resource sharing network, their participation is in the role of “An Agency” - Agency is the umbrella term we use for a legal entity participating in the resource sharing (Lending, Borrowing, Pickup) process.

  • Location…

Heh - let's give this a shot then ....

  • In the world there are Consortia (eg, MOBIUS)

  • Each Consortia has Members (eg, University of Missouri, St Louis County)

  • Members can be Libraries (eg, St Louis County) or Agencies (University of Missouri) with multiple Libraries (eg, Kansas City, St Louis)

DCB doesn't distinguish between these - Agencies are equivalent to Libraries for our purposes, or vice versa. Typically we talk about them as Agency.

  • Agencies use systems that run on Host LMS servers.

  • Each Host LMS can have 1 or more Agency that uses it and shares (is constrained to) common configuration attributes.

  • Each Agency has multiple types of Locations, ranging from shelving locations to branches (let's leave that    closed for now).

So, to answer your question "It seems that "agency" and "location" are synonymous?":  sadly, no ... more like

  • Consortium has Agency has Locations.

In conceptual terms:

  • Consortium and Agency are organizations

  • Member denotes a relationship between Consortia and Libraries/Agencies.

  • Libraries are the thing that patrons have a relationship with - and manifest in the real world (just like patrons)

  • The essence of Host LMS is that it is nothing without the hardware and network it's on.

  • Not all Locations are real - most are physical, but some are also virtual buckets that serve just to exercise loan policies.

 

The first thing you will need is a register of all the systems in your resource sharing network.

List all the locations -

 

Operated as a Community Resource by the Open Library Foundation