As a member of the OhioLINK consortium, Ohio Wesleyan University Libraries will be upgrading its library services platform during the months of June and July 2025. The new enterprise software will be used to manage day-to-date operations (searching, borrowing, lending, statistics, etc.) as well as help users find and access the information they need for teaching, learning, and research. It includes our library catalogs (CONSORT, OhioLINK and SearchOhio), our discovery service (Summon or "All" search), and more.
OhioLINK and staff from all member libraries, including OWU, have been hard at work behind the scenes for the last year and a half to prepare for this major transition. This spring and early summer, our systems will experience some necessary technical freezes to complete the final transition. These have been timed in such a way to cause minimal disruption to end users and library services. OWU staff are actively working with OhioLINK and member colleagues on workarounds to make this migration as seamless as possible. For your cognizance, we want to bring attention to the following system freeze dates and their impact on services for Spring and Summer semesters.
OhioLINK borrowing and lending will pause beginning at 5pm on May 23, 2025 until the end of June. SearchOhio requests (from public libraries) will pause at the same time but resume a bit later in the year than OhioLINK.
Impact to users and workarounds
CONSORT lending will pause June 10th, and the green request buttons will be removed from the CONSORT catalog at that time.
You can still checkout items from OWU, but it will require manual checkout and return by library staff.
Impact to users and workarounds
This will be the first day for full use of the new library services platform for public users.
Impact to users and workarounds
On this date, OWU patrons will again be able to request resources from other OhioLINK schools in the new OWUSearch platform.
Please note that there will be no separate CONSORT or Five Colleges of Ohio-level borrowing with the new system. The new setup will ensure that we find your items at the closest location available so you can receive your requests as quickly as possible.
Why are we making this change?
The new LSP will offer stability and security, reducing the chances of security threats and loss of service or improvement that comes with aging software. It not only updates our system but will provide many additional features for users as we well as efficiencies to library operations and workflows. Some notable improvements include:
Will we still have access to the same resources as before?
Yes. OWUSearch will replace the current catalog that searches all the physical holdings (books and other printed materials) and electronic resources (e-books, e-journals, databases) accessible to our library and campus.
The interface will look different, but the actual collections will not change. Users will have new ways to search these collections and the library will provide training for doing so closer to the "Go-Live" date.
It is important to note, however, that CONSORT will be going away. Instead, users will be able to scope searches to OWU and other OhioLINK locations. The CONSORT libraries (Denison, Kenyon, Wooser and OWU) will still continue working closely with each other.
How much is this change costing OWU?
Amazingly, nothing. OhioLINK procured capital funding to upgrade all member systems together, with no additional cost to members. There are also several new tools as part of this package that might end up saving us money over time.
When can I see the new system?
Library staff are working with their colleagues to discuss help documentation, training and more. Updates will be provided as they become available.
90 South Henry Street | P 740-368-3271 |
Ohio Wesleyan University | E libraries@owu.edu |
Delaware, OH 43015 |
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