Michigan State University Begins Transition to the FOLIO Library Services Platform
~ FOLIO Implementation with EBSCO FOLIO Services will Include EBSCO Discovery Service™ and OpenAthens ~
IPSWICH, Mass. — October 28, 2020 — Michigan State University will be transitioning to the FOLIO Library Services Platform (LSP) and plans to fully implement FOLIO in 2021. Michigan State will be utilizing EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) for EBSCO FOLIO implementation and hosting services and will also leverage EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) and OpenAthens. EBSCO FOLIO Services consist of a highly-trained, experienced team to assist with efficient and well-planned implementations and seamless service support, as well as sophisticated technology and trained engineers for hosting.

The Michigan State University Library and its partners are now moving to FOLIO to be part of the future of libraries and to take advantage of the latest innovation in library automation. Michigan State University Dean of Libraries Joseph A. Salem, Jr. says the new contract with EBSCO to migrate to FOLIO reflects a commitment to access, organization and growth. “Our collections continue to grow, and as they grow, we need a library service platform that can manage various kinds of collections and workflows.” Michigan State is dedicated to the FOLIO community and is taking steps to contribute to the FOLIO Special Interest Groups and Development teams.

Salem says EBSCO FOLIO Services will better serve students, faculty and researchers. “Our partnership with EBSCO to move to FOLIO will support our mission to provide expertise, collections and infrastructure for discovery and creation. It will also serve our partnership with the Library of Michigan, and it will help all who use our collections find the resources they need for the work they do.”

State Librarian at the Library of Michigan (LM) Randy Riley says that the continuation of the Library of Michigan’s long-standing partnership with Michigan State University Libraries as they migrate to FOLIO will benefit staff and public users. “Through this collaborative arrangement, LM will gain access to a next generation open source catalog that is versatile, flexible, and highly customizable. The agreement also makes available EBSCO’s user-friendly public interface and their state-of-the-art discovery layer. Everybody wins.”

EBSCO Information Services Manager of FOLIO Consulting Services Anya N. Arnold, MLIS, says migrating fully to FOLIO will be a group effort across multiple teams at Michigan State University, FOLIO and EBSCO. “The EBSCO FOLIO Services migration team has facilitated several implementations and created processes to facilitate the collaboration between the library staff and EBSCO. EBSCO and Michigan State will be working closely together throughout the implementation process.”

Michigan State has also signed on to use EDS as the library’s discovery interface, and OpenAthens for single sign-on authentication. EDS will be used as the primary interface for most of the libraries’ print and electronic resources. OpenAthens will allow for single sign-on — a simple, standards-based system that makes it easier for users to access digital resources via the library website.

About Michigan State University Libraries
The MSU Libraries are partners in the teaching, learning, research, and engagement missions of Michigan State University. As the information environment has become more complex, the MSU Libraries have emerged as a revitalized intellectual center on campus. The leading principles of the Libraries are to promote equal access to information and to create an inclusive environment that encourages intellectual discovery.

About FOLIO
FOLIO is a collaborative effort among libraries, vendors, developers and consortia that leverages open source technology and a community-based effort to redefine library services and innovate based on library futures. By building on what libraries need and by leveraging library expertise as well as vendor capacity and velocity, FOLIO is designed to move libraries forward, build on the services they provide and redefine the role libraries play within their institution. FOLIO also levels the playing field and makes open source technology available to all institutions regardless of size or staffing. FOLIO brings vendors together to innovate and host services for customers and introduces open source as a service to libraries. To sign up to participate or receive more information, go to www.folio.org.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the preeminent provider of online research content and search technologies serving academic, school and public libraries; healthcare and medical institutions; corporations; and government agencies around the world. From research, acquisition management, subscription services and discovery to clinical decision support and patient care, learning, and research and development, EBSCO provides institutions with access to content and resources to serve the information and workflow needs of their users and organizations. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries, Inc., a family owned company since 1944. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com.

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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 x2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com

ByWater Solutions, America’s forefront provider of Open Source library technology support, announced today that VOKAL (Vermont Organization of Koha Automated Libraries) has added Swanton Public Library to its consortium. They will be using Koha for their ILS.

ByWater completed the transition of the library's 17,000 plus holdings from Library World ILS and is providing ongoing support services to the library.

Their customized OPAC can be viewed at https://swanton.kohavt.org/.

About Swanton Public Library
The Swanton Public Library was built in 1915 and serves as a hub for books, programs, and community partners.

Read more at https://www.swantonlibrary.org/.

About VOKAL
The Vermont Organization of Koha Automated Libraries (VOKAL) is a project of the Green Mountain Library Consortium dedicated to creating a shared catalog and Integrated Library System.

In late 2007, three Vermont libraries joined with a representative from the Vermont Department of Libraries to explore a replacement ILS for Follett, the system currently used by the three libraries. After exploring many options, the group settled on Koha, an open-source ILS solution originally created in New Zealand.

In May of 2008, the group chose the name VOKAL - the Vermont Organization of Koha Automated Libraries - as a name for the group and the project.

Initially, VOKAL's Koha project was implemented on a stand-alone system. In October of 2010, VOKAL implemented a consortium version of the ILS and began migrating member libraries into the shared system. By January 2011, 4 libraries had been migrated.

Today VOKAL has grown to 59 libraries. Read more at https://www.gmlc.org/index.php/vokal

About ByWater Solutions
ByWater Solutions is a full service, high-quality Open Source support and implementation company dedicated to providing libraries with a lower cost, more advanced level of support for their systems than a traditional proprietary solution can offer. ByWater Solutions has a proven track record in the first-rate implementation and support services with library systems of all sizes for the Koha ILS, Aspen Discovery, Folio LSP, Coral ERM, and Libki PC Management.

Our highly ranked, comprehensive support is what sets our company apart from any other vendor in the industry. Partnering with ByWater Solutions not only lowers the cost of implementation and maintenance of OSS but more importantly empowers libraries by giving them the flexibility and freedom they deserve. For more information please visit https://bywatersolutions.com.

About Koha
Koha is the first open-source Integrated Library System (ILS). In use worldwide, its development is steered by a growing community of libraries collaborating to achieve their technology goals. Koha’s impressive feature set continues to evolve and expand to meet the needs of its user base. It includes modules for circulation, cataloging, acquisitions, serials, reserves, patron management, branch relationships, and more.

Koha’s OPAC, circulation, management, and self-checkout interfaces are all based on standards-compliant World Wide Web technologies, HTML5, CSS and Javascript, making Koha a truly platform-independent solution. Koha is distributed under the open-source General Public License (GPL). For more information about Koha, please visit http://koha-community.org.

For more information
Jessica Zairo
Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
ByWater Solutions
bywatersolutions.com
Phone:(888)900-8944