Library Technology Guides

Hyku for Consortia transitions from pilot phase to full production. The Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation and the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana announced the successful transition of Hyku for Consortia from pilot phase to full production, now serving 40 libraries across four prominent partners in the Hyku Commons: PALCI, PALNI, the Boston Library Consortium, and the Virtual Library of Virginia. This milestone marks a significant achievement for the project, as Hyku for Consortia moves beyond initial testing to provide stable, production-level service supported by a robust, community-driven infrastructure. Additionally, collaborators recently received another round of funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to enhance and sustain the Hyku open-source community. [Full Announcement].

Equinox Welcomes the Municipal Library Consortium of St. Louis County to Evergreen ILS, Aspen Discovery, and MessageBee with the Missouri Evergreen Consortium. Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to welcome the Municipal Library Consortium of St. Louis County, Missouri to Evergreen ILS, Aspen Discovery, and MessageBee SMS as part of their membership with the Missouri Evergreen Consortium. [Full Announcement].

St. Clair County Public Library (MI) launches MessageBee from Unique. Unique Library announced the addition of MessageBee for St. Clair County Library this week. Patrons will receive notifications from the library via email and phone notifications, creating a new channel for their patrons. Founded in 1917, SCCL was the first county library in Michigan and one of the earliest county libraries in the United States. The library has 11 branches in a county that borders Lake Huron and Canada.MessageBee is a powerful and customizable messaging tool that offers numerous features, making it an essential asset for libraries looking to enhance their communication strategies. [Full Announcement].

PALNI awarded IMLS grant to develop PEARL open source reading list system. The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana announced that it has received a $149,893 grant to develop an innovative open-source reading list system, Personalized Easily Accessible Reading Lists, or PEARL. The grant is one of 85 awards given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to support libraries and archival services across the country and was made through the National Leadership Grants for Libraries and the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. This two-year planning grant will enable PALNI to complete the development of a prototype for this new system, which will influence the way libraries, faculty, and students interact with educational resources. [Full Announcement].

St. Mary's Seminary transforms access to theological resources with Soutron Library Management System. Soutron Global, an internationally recognized provider of information management solutions for corporate libraries and digital archives, announces that St. Mary's Seminary's Cardinal Beran Library, a special academic library for theological scholarship, has significantly enhanced its library services by implementing the Soutron Library Management System. Prior to adopting Soutron, the library had used Agent VERSO from Auto-Graphics, and faced challenges in providing a customized, user-friendly, and easy to update experience for its diverse audience. The Seminary, established in 1901, serves the needs of its seminarian community and the broader Galveston-Houston Archdiocese, home to over 1.7 million members. [Full Announcement].

PALNI and PALCI awarded IMLS Grant to enhance and sustain Hyku open-source community. The Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation and the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana announced that they have been awarded a $248,600 grant for Sustaining the Hyku Repository Platform: Addressing Hyku's Unique Community Coordination and Collaboration Challenges. The two-year grant is one of 85 given by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to support libraries and archival services across the country and was made through the National Leadership Grants for Libraries and the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. It aims to strengthen collaborative efforts to ensure Hyku remains a viable, efficient, and sustainable solution for managing and preserving digital content across a diverse range of institutions. [Full Announcement].

CRL welcomes newest member: Saint Louis University. The Center for Research Libraries and Saint Louis University Libraries announced that SLU has joined CRL as its newest full-voting member. [Full Announcement].

Saint Mary's College awarded PALNI Library Innovation Grant. The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana has awarded an $8,000 Library Innovation Grant to Saint Mary's College. This grant will support Cushwa-Leighton Library's project, "You Belong in the Library," aimed at fostering a more inclusive and welcoming environment for first-generation students. [Full Announcement].

Tech Logic announces promotion of Al David. Tech Logic announced Al David's promotion to Director of Product Management. Al will assume responsibility for the leadership of Tech Logic's product management. Since joining Tech Logic in 2013 as a Software Engineer, Al has served as an integral part of Tech Logic's product development and automation teams. Highlights include a commitment to quality documentation for Tech Logic's product portfolio as well as crucial development work for Tech Logic's solutions, including our award-winning staffCIRC TRAK shelf management solution. [Full Announcement].

Minnesota libraries cooperate to preserve 500,000 books for future generations. The Minnesota Shared Print Program is the effort of 24 academic libraries from across Minnesota. Each participating library has agreed to retain books in their collection deemed an important part of the scholarly record that are in demand but scarcely available within Minnesota or elsewhere in the United States. The program was administered and paid for by Minitex, a division of the University of Minnesota Libraries directly funded by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. [Full Announcement].

Butler faculty release new open textbook through PALSave. Two Butler University faculty members have released a new peer-reviewed open textbook through the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana. In “Linear Transformations on Vector Spaces,” authors Scott Kaschner, Chair and Associate Professor of Mathematics, and Amber Russell, Associate Professor of Mathematics, set out to redefine the way students learn linear algebra. The book is one of the first to be published with a Textbook Creation Grant from the PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning program, and as an open educational resource—OER—it is entirely free to students. [Full Announcement].

PALNI welcomes Holt as new Operations Manager. The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana has announced the appointment of Patti Holt as the organization's new Operations Manager, effective September 11. Holt is charged with supporting the management and coordination of business operations for the consortium, including finance and accounting, insurance and human resource compliance, administrative data management, business processes, contracting, and other integral office infrastructure. [Full Announcement].

PALNI recognizes affordable learning champions with Open Educator Award. The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana has named nine faculty and staff members from its supported institutions as recipients of the PALSave Open Educator Award for the 2022-23 academic year. The award recognizes innovation and excellence in support of higher education, textbook affordability and student success. As part of the PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning Program, these individuals have been key players in the creation and adoption of Open Educational Resources, or OER—a move that reduces costs for students, improves access to required texts, and increases student success and retention. [Full Announcement].

Equinox welcomes Saint Joseph Public Library to Evergreen ILS with the Missouri Evergreen Consortium. Equinox Open Library Initiative welcomed Saint Joseph Public Library to the Missouri Evergreen Consortium with their adoption of Evergreen ILS, an award winning library solution used by more than 1,800 libraries worldwide. [Full Announcement].

PALNI Awards Library Innovation Grants to Three Supported Institutions. The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) has awarded $20,000 in grant funds to three of its supported institutions in recognition of their innovative ideas for enhancing student learning and success. Butler University, the University of Indianapolis, and Wabash College are the 2023 recipients of the PALNI Library Innovation Grant—an award that funds programs, projects and initiatives that align with PALNI strategic priorities and support deep collaboration throughout the consortium. [Full Announcement].

Gale presents the CKG Foundation with charitable check to support student mental health and wellness. Gale presented the Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation with a check for nearly $9,000 from the proceeds of Cameron's Collection and Cameron's Camp for Wellness on the Gale eBooks platform. The funds will further support CKG Foundation's stigma reduction and educational programs to increase students' mental health literacy, self-awareness and promote positive coping skills. The collections are sets of eBooks curated by Gale in collaboration with CKG Foundation which help students better understand their mental health and provide guidance to strengthen their social and emotional learning skills. [Full Announcement].

PALNI awards grants to fund eight open textbooks. The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) has awarded PALSave Textbook Creation Grants to fund eight open textbooks from faculty authors at its supported institutions. The grants will allow these educators to develop open textbooks that are freely available online, making them part of a statewide effort to reduce the cost of course materials for college students. Financed with support from Lilly Endowment Inc., authors will receive up to $6,500 per project. [Full Announcement].

PALNI joins NISO as a voting member. The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana recently became a voting member of the National Information Standards Organization. Through this membership, PALNI will play an integral role in advancing standards-based library infrastructure and innovation through collaboration with cultural, scientific, scholarly and professional communities. [Full Announcement].

PALSave Textbook Creation Grant program releases first open textbook, The Bible and Music. In “The Bible and Music,” the first open textbook published with a grant from the PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning program, author James McGrath, Ph.D., Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, explores the intersection of faith and music while inviting readers to experience the material firsthand through interactive video and audio clips. [Full Announcement].

PALNI celebrates 30 years of excellence. The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) proudly celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2022. Since its first library-to-library collaboration in the 1980s, PALNI has worked to advance the educational missions of its supported institutions by sharing resources and leveraging expertise. The consortium was approved as a nonprofit organization in 1992 and has grown to support 24 private colleges, universities and seminaries—serving more than 47,500 students and faculty throughout the state. [Full Announcement].