Looking Ahead to 2011

Welcome to my first article of the New Year and I hope you all enjoyed a happy and restive Christmas and New Years break. With the holidays and Summer Reading Programme now over, the library is settling back into normal routines. It has however been very wisely said that the only constant is change and that is certainly true of the library. This year there are several big changes coming up that we are preparing for – and probably a few we don’t know about yet!


When we switched to managed services for our library computer system late last year we also introduced a few small upgrades. We can now send borrowers an email of their issued books in addition to, or in place of, the printed slip. Borrowers can even choose to have no issue slip produced at all – a great option for people who always bring their books back early. Soon we will also be able to send automated txt alerts to let borrowers know when their reserved book is available.

Another change coming soon is the addition of Sorcer to the libraries OPAC. The OPAC (or Online Public Access Catalogue) is the computer software which members of the public use to check the libraries catalogue, either in the library or through their own computers at home (or work if the boss isn’t looking). Sorcer allows for a much more advanced and personalised use of the library catalogue, utilising a range of Web2.0 concepts and tools.

Borrowers who sign into Sorcer will be able to view new and recently reviewed books and recommendations made for them based on their borrowing history, and the borrowing habits of others who read similar authors. This will also extend to the movies and television programmes in our DVD collection and music in our CD collection. Sorcer will allow borrowers to do much more advanced searching of the catalogue and create savedlists of searches to come back to at a later time. Borrowers will also be able to link to ‘friends’ through Sorcer and share reading interests.

We are currently working on a major overhaul of the library’s website. We hope that the finished product will be visually more appealing and we are certain that it will be easier to use. The website is also being designed so that it will be much easier for us to update which will allow us to make more regular changes and ensure the information is kept timely and accurate.

Probably the biggest change coming to the library this year will be the realisation of the SMART consortium of libraries. SMART (Shared and Managed a Region Together) is a joint venture by the public libraries of Masterton, Kapiti, Porirua and Hutt City, and the tertiary libraries of the Wellington Institute of Technology and Whitirea Community Polytechnic. These libraries all use the Spydus library management system and the goal is to create a shared regional library resource for our patrons to utilise.

It is planned that ultimately borrowers will be able to use their library card and drop their books off at any of the member libraries. They will also be able to request books from the other libraries and have them dropped off at their nearest library. This will give our borrowers access to over 550,000 books, magazines, DVDs etc and allow them to borrow from 23 libraries across the lower North Island. SMART is a very exciting initiative for us and will hugely increase our capability to meet our borrowers information needs.

While there will be changes at the library you can rest assured that some things will remain the same. The Book Club had its first meeting of the year on the 18th of January, we will be resuming our Rainbow Kids preschool programme on the 9th of February, and Seniors Celebrate will be back on the 22rd. So for this year what you can expect is more of the same – the introduction of some new initiatives and the continuation of existing programmes and events, all with the intention of offering the best and most helpful service we can.

Jon Adams
Community Outreach Librarian
Masterton District Library