Voyager ILS
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.
Integrated library systems
Most libraries use an integrated library system, commonly referred to as an ILS, to organize their records (both those of their book and their patrons) and to automate portions of their workflows. An ILS is typically made up of several distinct modules - such as cataloging, Acquisitions, and Circulation - which are linked together so that the Acquisitions department can order a book through their module, Cataloging can describe the same book in their module, and Circulation staff can in turn check it out to a reader with their module. 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
Initial adoption
Seeing the steady advance of online cataloging and automated systems, the Folger decided to "go digital" - bring the catalog fully online and transition to an ILS - in the early 1990s. In September 1994, it 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.[1]
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.
Current version
The Folger transitioned to Voyager 8 around 2012, and currently uses version 8.2.2.
Help with Voyager
For questions or problems concerning the Folger's installation of Voyager, please contact [?] For questions or problems concerning the public Folger catalog Hamnet, please email hamnethelp@folger.edu.