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].

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].

Atla Awarded Lilly Endowment Grant for Discovery Platform Serving the Study of Religion and Theology Worldwide. Atla has been awarded an $800,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to develop a federated search solution for supporting research, teaching, and ministry. The first of its kind for theological education, this centralized hub will be an open discovery platform that cross-searches a wide range of materials, including a significant number of open access resources, special archives and collections, and institutional histories. It will be designed to serve and support theological education, interdisciplinary research in religion, preaching, and teaching. It is intended especially to make discoverable the at-risk and underrepresented collections and histories held by libraries, archives, organizations, and communities that fully reflect the diversity of contributions in religion and theology in society. [Full Announcement].

31 new libraries sign on to OCLC's WorldShare Management Services platform. In the last six months, 31 new libraries have signed on to use OCLC's WorldShare Management Services (WMS), the fully integrated library services platform designed to meet the needs of modern libraries. In addition, other libraries have signed extended renewals of WMS this year, reinforcing their commitment to OCLC's shared data network and technology for more efficient workflows. More than 850 libraries have signed on to use WMS worldwide. [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].

Austin Seminary and Seminary of the Southwest are live on Koha with ByWater Support. ByWater Solutions announced that the Austin Seminary and Seminary of the Southwest, both located in Austin, Texas, are now live on Koha ILS with ByWater Support. ByWater Solutions completed the migration of over 185,000 titles from the Voyager ILS product from ExLibris. [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].

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].

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].

University of Delaware selects Ex Libris Unified Suite of Services. Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, announced that the University of Delaware has selected Ex Libris Alma for library management, Primo for library resource discovery, Leganto for course resource delivery, and Esploro for research information management. It becomes the 79th Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member to choose Alma. [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].

PALNI awarded an ARPA grant to launch an initiative in open bibliographic data management. The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana announced that it has received an American Rescue Plan Act grant of $225,000 from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library. The planning grant will enable PALNI to identify ways of expanding current infrastructure to support open bibliographic data management tools, which library staff use to manage and share collections. The project aims to significantly enhance financial sustainability and access to information, allowing libraries to further deliver on their critical role in student success. [Full Announcement].

Oregon Private Academic Library Link (OPALL) Libraries go live on Koha with ByWater Support. ByWater Solutions announced that Oregon Private Academic Library Link is now live on Koha ILS with ByWater Support. ByWater Solutions completed the migration of 280,000 plus bibliographic records. [Full Announcement].

PALNI awarded additional funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support PA. Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) a $275,000 grant to support PALSave, the consortium's affordable learning initiative. [Full Announcement].