Catamount Library Network

Catamount Library Network
Catamount Library Network Logo
Abbreviation CLN
Purpose Library Consortium
Services Unified library catalog & Library resource sharing
President
 Russell Moore
Vice President
 Lynne Fonteneau-McCann
Secretary
 Jill Tofferi
Treasurer
 Jerry Carbone
Jerry Carbone, Lynne Fonteneau-McCann, Mary Kasamatsu, Russell Moore, Jill Tofferi[1]
Website http://www.catamountlibraries.org

The Catamount Library Network (CLN) is a consortium of public libraries in the U.S. State of Vermont. It provides a unified library catalog using the open source, Koha integrated library system.

Organization

The Catamount Library Network[2] is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization, governed by a 5 member board, chosen by a council composed of one representative from each member library, and officers (president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer), chosen by the board. The council also sets the CLN's annual budget and membership fees, and approves any bylaw changes.[3]

In addition, two groups have been established with representatives from each library, to address, respectively, cataloging and circulation & loans issues arising within the CLN.

Staff members from the Vermont Department of Libraries (http://libraries.vermont.gov) currently assist the organization in an advisory capacity. The Department of Libraries will be withdrawing most of its assistance over several months in 2015. CLN will then take over these tasks. This transition had been planned for some time, but budget cutbacks in state government have accelerated the timeline.[4][5][6]

History and current status

The development and planning of The Catamount Library Network (CLN) began in 2010 with an initial 5 member libraries, with seed money, consultation, and support provided by the Vermont Department of Libraries.[7]

The primary motivation for forming the organization was cost savings from switching from proprietary to open source software, and by having one shared system (as opposed to each library maintaining, and paying for, its own separate system). Additionally, a unified catalog allows easier resource sharing between libraries.

Initially, the CLN planned to use the Evergreen Integrated Library System,[8] but later selected Koha as its ILS.

The first 5 libraries switched to the new system in the spring and summer of 2013. An additional 9 libraries have since joined the organization, 5 of which, have added their holdings to the unified catalog. 3 of the other libraries are currently in various stages of preparation.

One library, Lawrence Memorial Library in Bristol, VT initially joined,[9] but left before being added to the consortium's catalog. It has since joined VOKAL instead. As a result of concern over unrecovered transition costs from Lawrence Memorial leaving CLN, the board voted on September 22, 2014, to require new members to pay a non-refundable deposit of $350(US).[10]

The CLN continues to seek additional members.

Database hosting

The Catamount Library Network's common Koha database and software are hosted by ByWater Solutions.[11]

VOKAL (The Vermont Organization of Koha Automated Libraries)

There is currently one other unified public library catalog in Vermont—VOKAL (The Vermont Organization of Koha Automated Libraries), established by the Green Mountain Library Consortium, and (like CLN), hosted by ByWater Solutions.[12][13][14]

CLN Member libraries (current and former)

Library Website Location Time the library was, or will be, added to joint CLN catalog
Founding members
Brooks Memorial Library http://brookslibraryvt.org Brattleboro, VT added May, 2013
Fletcher Memorial Library http://www.fmlnews.org Ludlow, VT added September, 2013
Rutland Free Library http://rutlandfree.org Rutland, VT added September, 2013
Springfield Town Library http://www.springfieldtownlibrary.org Springfield, VT added July, 2013
Waterbury Public Library http://waterburypubliclibrary.com Waterbury, VT added July, 2013
New members added to the system (currently part of the joint catalog)
Bennington Free Library http://benningtonfreelibrary.org Bennington, VT added January, 2014
Deborah Rawson Memorial Library http://www.drml.org Jericho, VT added October, 2014
Morristown Centennial Library http://centenniallibrary.org Morristown, VT added September, 2014
Royalton Memorial Library http://www.royaltonlibrary.org South Royalton, VT added December, 2014
Starksboro Public Library http://starksborolibrary.wordpress.com Starksboro, VT added January, 2015
Members currently in preparation (not yet part of the joint catalog)
Ainsworth Public Library http://ainsworthpubliclibrary.wordpress.com Williamstown, VT addition planned for May 2015[15]
Guilford Free Library http://homepages.sover.net/~wilken/guilfordlibrary/ Guilford, VT
West Rutland Public Library[16] http://westrutlandpubliclibrary.weebly.com/ West Rutland, VT
Former members
Lawrence Memorial Library http://www.lawrencelibrary.net/ Bristol, VT Left CLN before being added to the catalog

References

  1. ↑ "CLN Board Meeting February 12, 2015" (.PDF). www.catamountlibraries.org. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Catamount Library Network". Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "CATAMOUNT LIBRARY NETWORK, INCORPORATED BY-LAWS" (.PDF). www.catamountlibraries.org. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "CLN Board Meeting February 12, 2015" (.PDF). www.catamountlibraries.org. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  5. ↑ Spaulding, Jeb (Secretary, Agency of Administration); Reid, Martha (State Librarian); Friese, Christine (Assistant State Librarian). "Department of Libraries--Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request" (.PDF). leg.state.vt.us. p. 7. Retrieved 16 February 2015. Continued budget reductions and changes in library technology (e.g. e-books) challenge the VTLIB, as well as the libraries served by the Department. We saw a cut in federal LSTA funding (Library Services & Technology Act) in FFY2013 and expect that federal funding in FFY14 will be basically level-funded.
  6. ↑ Burkhardt, Heidi (March 20, 2015). "ACTION ALERT: Cuts to the Department of Libraries". vermontlibraries.org. Vermont Library Association. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES: THE NEWSLETTER, vol. 4, no. 2, February 2013". archive.constantcontact.com. Catamount Library Network Moves Ahead. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "Catamount Library Network Project Selects Evergreen". http://galecia.com''. The Galecia Group. March 20, 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Catamount Library Network. "Board Minutes--March 27, 2014 ("New Member Update" section)" (.PDF). http://www.catamountlibraries.org''. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Minutes: CLN Board of Directors September 22, 2014" (.PDF). www.catamountlibraries.org. New Members: General Discussion. Retrieved 16 February 2015. New members will be required to furnish a non-refundable deposit of $350 with their application to CLN. This fee will be applied to the new member’s fee due upon “Go Live”. If the member with a signed CLN agreement withdraws, the fee will be used by CLN to off-set costs for the preparation of the new member.
  11. ↑ "First Three Catamount Libraries Go Live with ByWater Solutions’ Koha Support". bywatersolutions.com. ByWater Solutions. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  12. ↑ "VOKAL/Koha Project". Green Mountain Library Consortium. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "VOKAL VT Public". Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  14. ↑ Linda, Helen. "VOKAL, The Vermont Koha Project". The Vermont Library Association. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  15. ↑ "Minutes--CLN Board Meeting February 20, 2015" (.PDF). www.catatmountlibraries.org. Catamount Library Network. Retrieved 25 March 2015. Ainsworth Training: May 6 – 8 Go Live May 18th
  16. ↑ "CLN Board Meeting February 12, 2015" (.PDF). www.catamountlibraries.org. New Members. Retrieved 15 March 2015. Payment and signed membership agreement received from West Rutland.

External links