Q&A

Multi-site campuses on Concourse

Posted by Sheila Sage on June 3, 2011 at 16:14

I attend a multi-site church, and I am the librarian at the main campus.  I am using Concourse software for cataloging, but do not have electronic checkout capabilities yet. 

 

One of our other campuses is in a city about 60 miles away, and it is a brand new campus, with less than 100 attendeees.  That campus pastor would like to start a library at his location and wondered if there was any way to use the software our church is currently using to include both locations.    I feel that the collections should be totally separate, but since we are essentially "one church", I'm not sure how would be the best way to pursue it.   

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on this issue? 

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Replies

  • Sheila Sage June 6, 2011 17:04

    Thanks, Edith.  I appreciate your input, as I have been contemplating how to handle having two libraries in the same city.  So your expertise would definitely be helpful, even if you use different software.  I'm not sure what approach would be best.

     

    Do you have just one database/collection, but you have the ability to show which location the  media is located?  And I assume you are automated? 

     

    I think if we were automated, it might then be possible to have one database, with the capability to see where each piece of media is located.  Then it wouldn't matter if the item was returned to the same place it was checked out or to the other campus. 

     

    I am  new to this, so I appreciate any ideas I can get.

    Thank you, Edith  

  • Sheila Sage June 6, 2011 15:35

    You are right, it would be difficult to do much sharing via intralibrary loan at this time. 

     

    However, I would like to hear more about your procedure with the sites in the same town.  We also have another campus in our town, within easy driving distance.  Some people wanted a library at the other location in town, so about a year ago I took some of the books from the Main Campus library, rather than starting another separate collection.  I can now see that is not going to work too well, especially since we are not automated yet, and still use the index cards for checkout.   It is hard to keep track of where the books were checked out and match cards with books. 

     

    Do you  have two separate collections, identified as coming from two separate locations?  Are you able to  put both entire collections on Concourse (I assume Level 3 or above)?

     

    I would like to hear more about how you handle this.

    Thanks, Edith!

     

  • Sandra Fitts June 4, 2011 10:06
    Contact your sales rep at BookSystems for the answer to this question. (Click on the Concourse link in the column to the right on this page to find out who that person is.)  There may be some networking possibilities available for you, but they would be the only people who could give you the legal and practical answers!  It's great that the pastor wants to begin a library at the new location!
    • Sheila Sage > Sandra Fitts June 6, 2011 14:22

      Thank you, Sandra.  I have contacted my sales rep, and she should be able to direct me.

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