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As you probably know, the three WFU libraries have begun the process of migrating to the Alma library management system (LMS) from Ex Libris. The contract was signed a few weeks ago, and the migration path is becoming more clear.
This means saying goodbye to a familiar, consistent, and trustworthy part of life at ZSR over the last 20 years. We will be retiring our Voyager ILS. It has done its job well, but it just wasn’t designed for life in the third decade of the 21st century. Alma will let us integrate our e-resources workflows, inter-operate with other software platforms on campus (without re-keying invoices!), and be ready for major changes in description and discovery of library content.
Lauren and I are chairing the ZSR migration team, with Jess Wilson-Saia as our project leader. I want to pre-thank the members of the team: Kevin, Will, Tim M., Jeff, Steve, Kathy M., Mary Beth, James H., Heather, Rebecca, Megan, Carol, Roz, Denice, and Celeste. We will also be working with our colleagues at PCL and CCCL to make sure the migration goes smoothly for everyone.
Starting this summer and going through the fall, we will work with Ex Libris on an onboarding process that will get us ready for implementation work that starts in January. That will lead to a busy spring, leading up to a last fiscal rollover in Voyager and then a go-live date currently planned for:
There will be a lot of information coming out as we go along, a lot of opportunities to ask questions, and a lot of support.
And so (because next year is a leap year), we are at Migration Day minus 366.
6 Comments on ‘Save the Date – 7/22/2020: Big Retirement Party (for Voyager!)’
Yeah..no re-keying invoices!
Since we are retiring Voyager, perhaps a Viking funeral is in order…a burning ship sinking beneath the waves.
Thanks for this update, Thomas, and many thanks to you and the migration team!
Thanks for the update– and many thanks to the team for your work now and in the months to come!
In the immortal words of Jessie Spano, “I’m so excited! I’m so… scared.” I echo the many thanks to the migration team, especially Jess as project manager!
You know how sometimes (I’m told) in sports, fans of the home team will jangle their car keys at the opposing team in the waning minutes of the game, chanting “start the bus!” when it becomes apparent that the visitors will lose?
This is like that, but instead of sports, it’s library systems, and instead of keys, it’s blog comments.
(Jangles keys at Voyager)