by Tony Siciliano, MLS / SWAN

This summer the Oak Park Public Library (http://www.oppl.org) is set to join MLS’s System Wide Automated Network, otherwise known as SWAN making them the 81st library to become a member.

The library and SWAN staff have been working together very closely since summer 2009. Their goal is to migrate Oak Park’s bibliographic, item, and patron records into the 80-member SWAN consortium. A migration team consisting of staff from both organizations has spent a great deal of time reviewing all the data mapping required to translate date from one computer vendor to SWAN’s Innovative vendor.

The migration process began with several “getting to know each other” meetings, all very helpful in understanding the needs of one of the nation’s premier public libraries. Mapping the data in bibliographic, item, and patron records has required many data test loads to ensure such data has been migrated correctly. SWAN’s test server has proven invaluable as a means of loading, testing, and reloading data without affecting the operation of SWAN’s production machine that runs the day-to-day operations of the 80 member libraries.

Concurrently, SWAN staff has already begun training Oak Park staff in software operations. Continuing through the summer, Oak Park staff will learn the Circulation, Cataloging, Serials, and Acquisitions modules. Staff from both organizations are working to be sure that connectivity and firewall issues are handled in a seamless fashion as well.

A go-live date of mid-July is planned. The Oak Park Public Library main building and its two branch locations will add some 300,000 items to SWAN. This remarkable and unique collection will be a much-appreciated enhancement to an already rich consortial database. Oak Park patrons and staff will also have an integrated means of accessing the 7.2 million items currently in SWAN. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of this much-anticipated migration!

Questions contact Tony Siciliano sicilianot@mls.lib.il.us or Aaron Skog skoga@mls.lib.il.us.

Published June 9, 2010 in vol. 4, iss. 11 [View]