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This summer will be the first anniversary of our new
integrated library system, Endeavor's Voyager.
Voyager replaced DRA which the Godine Library had
used since 1989. The integrated library system is
the software that we use to catalog all of our materials
(books, videos, posters, dvds, etc.); track all of our patrons,
their fines and fees, and the materials they have charged out;
and search for the resources we need. We share our catalog with
the other eight Fenway libraries, so the process of switching over
was a monumental task. This first year has brought many expected
(and some unexpected!) challenges; there were many quirks in the
system that were different from the quirks in the old system!
But Voyager has also brought many anticipated benefits to our patrons.
These include the "my account" feature which allows our patrons to
view the materials that they have checked out and renew items
themselves (up to the allowable renewal limit), a "bookbag"
feature which allows patrons to save bibliographic citations
for future use, and the "place request" feature which allows
our patrons to request available items from any of the other
eight Fenway libraries and have them sent to the Mass Art
library circulation desk for pickup.
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In the future, we hope to add Encompass,
a “federated searching tool,” to our
software package; this will allow us to
integrate many searches into one user-friendly
interface so that patrons will be able to search
for books, journal articles, images, and websites
across many locations with a single search.
Please stop by and ask about using the new system
effectively to help you with your research.
There's always someone on the reference desk
(weekdays from 10 am - 6 pm) to help you find
the most relevant materials using our new system.
And look out for new features as they become
available--we'll keep you posted!
— Rachel Beckwith
Public Services Librarian
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