Voyager ILS: Difference between revisions
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The Folger has used Voyager as its ILS, or integrated library system, since it first brought its catalog online. Voyager includes modules for Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Circulation, as well as several administrative tools.
The Folger used Voyager as its ILS (Integrated Library System) from 1996 to 2022, when it was replaced by TIND. Voyager included an online catalog (known as [[Hamnet]] at the Folger), modules for Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Circulation, plus additional administrative tools. The online catalog transitioned to a web-based interface in the early 2000s, but the other modules remained client-based, installed on individual computers.  
 
==Integrated library systems==
Most libraries use an integrated library system, commonly referred to as an ILS, to coordinate the work of different departments and to automate portions of their workflows. An ILS is made up of distinct modules that allow different departments to link their work together and see the same information from different vantage points. For example, when buying a book, Acquisitions staff enter information about the book, the vendor, and the price in the Acquisitions module in order to create a purchase order and a preliminary catalog record; Cataloging staff can access the same preliminary catalog record through the Cataloging module in order to create a full description; and Reading Room staff can find that catalog record in the Circulation module and temporarily link it to a patron record in order to sign the book out to a reader. Some ILSs also include components for preservation services, serials, or licensing, and ways to run reports from or make large-scale changes to a library's data.


==Voyager at the Folger==
==Voyager at the Folger==
The Folger was a relative latecomer to library automation, largely because the Online Public Access Catalogs ("OPACS") of the 1970s and 1980s were too basic to describe rare books and special collections adequately. In September 1994, the library put out an RFP for vendors, and received about half a dozen responses. Over the next year, the OPAC Steering Committee met with representatives from each vendor, contacted other libraries who had implemented their products, and compared pricing, implementation timelines, and product capabilities to evaluate their choices. In December 1995, the Folger selected Voyager, an Endeavor Information Systems product, and began planning for roll-out in the coming year.<ref>"Summary of Folger Endeavor Decision," [1996?], Folger internal files.</ref>


===Initial adoption===
Voyager was chosen because its features best fit the needs of a special collections library. For example:
Seeing the steady advance of online cataloging and automated systems, the Folger decided to bring the catalog fully online and transition to an ILS in the early 1990s (switching to full [[MARC]] cataloging in the process). In September 1994, the library put out an RFP for vendors, and received about half a dozen responses. Over the next year, the OPAC Steering Committee met with representatives from each vendor, contacted other libraries who had implemented their products, and compared pricing, implementation timelines, and product capabilities to evaluate their choices. In December 1995, the Folger selected Endeavor Information Systems, then the maker of Voyager, and began planning to install Voyager in the coming year.<ref>"Summary of Folger Endeavor Decision," [1996?], Folger internal files.</ref>
* full control over public display and search indexing of MARC data in the online catalog
* ''de facto'' unlimited field length and number of fields for descriptive metadata
* ability to preserve circulation history for security purposes


The Acquisitions and Cataloging staff went through a training period on the new system in June 1996.<ref>Memo to Acquisitions & Cataloging Staff, 7 June 1996, Folger internal files.</ref> The [[Hamnet|front-facing OPAC]] component went online in January 1997.<ref>Letter from Folger Librarian to IRLA President, 20 January 1998, Folger internal files.</ref> Throughout 1997, the Folger gradually refined its use of Voyager, and increased its licensing to allow for more simultaneous users of both its back-end and front-end components.
The Acquisitions and Cataloging staff went through a training period on the new system in June 1996.<ref>Memo to Acquisitions & Cataloging Staff, 7 June 1996, Folger internal files.</ref> The [[Hamnet|front-facing OPAC]] component went online in January 1997.<ref>Letter from Folger Librarian to IRLA President, 20 January 1998, Folger internal files.</ref> Throughout 1997, the Folger gradually refined its use of Voyager, and increased its licensing to allow for more simultaneous users of both its back-end and front-end components.
===Current version===
The Folger transitioned to Voyager 8 around 2012, and currently uses version 8.2.2. In October 2015, we [[2015 Voyager upgrade|upgraded]] to Voyager 9.
==Help with Voyager==
For questions or problems concerning the Folger's installation of Voyager, please contact the Head of Collection Information Services. For questions or problems concerning the public Folger catalog [[Hamnet]], please email hamnethelp@folger.edu.
===Settings, workflows, and procedures===
: [[Setting preferences in Voyager]]
: [[Deleting or suppressing records in Voyager]]
: [[Relinking records in Voyager]]
: [[Voyager bulk import]]
: [[Voyager keyboard shortcuts]]


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[[Category:Cataloging]]
[[Category:Voyager]]
[[Category:Staff policies and procedures]]

Latest revision as of 20:22, 28 October 2022

The Folger used Voyager as its ILS (Integrated Library System) from 1996 to 2022, when it was replaced by TIND. Voyager included an online catalog (known as Hamnet at the Folger), modules for Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Circulation, plus additional administrative tools. The online catalog transitioned to a web-based interface in the early 2000s, but the other modules remained client-based, installed on individual computers.

Voyager at the Folger

The Folger was a relative latecomer to library automation, largely because the Online Public Access Catalogs ("OPACS") of the 1970s and 1980s were too basic to describe rare books and special collections adequately. In September 1994, the library put out an RFP for vendors, and received about half a dozen responses. Over the next year, the OPAC Steering Committee met with representatives from each vendor, contacted other libraries who had implemented their products, and compared pricing, implementation timelines, and product capabilities to evaluate their choices. In December 1995, the Folger selected Voyager, an Endeavor Information Systems product, and began planning for roll-out in the coming year.[1]

Voyager was chosen because its features best fit the needs of a special collections library. For example:

  • full control over public display and search indexing of MARC data in the online catalog
  • de facto unlimited field length and number of fields for descriptive metadata
  • ability to preserve circulation history for security purposes

The Acquisitions and Cataloging staff went through a training period on the new system in June 1996.[2] The front-facing OPAC component went online in January 1997.[3] Throughout 1997, the Folger gradually refined its use of Voyager, and increased its licensing to allow for more simultaneous users of both its back-end and front-end components.

  1. ↑ "Summary of Folger Endeavor Decision," [1996?], Folger internal files.
  2. ↑ Memo to Acquisitions & Cataloging Staff, 7 June 1996, Folger internal files.
  3. ↑ Letter from Folger Librarian to IRLA President, 20 January 1998, Folger internal files.