Discover more with Library’s new catalogue system

March 21, 2017

The University Library and Health Sciences Library will have a new library services platform in place starting in September.

A library services platform, or LSP, supports the Libraries’ catalogue, circulation, user accounts, and the acquisition and management of library collections.

The decision to move from the current system to Innovative Interfaces’ Sierra and Encore Duet platform was made following a competitive search process. Work to migrate the Libraries to the new system is underway and will be completed in August.

Sierra and Encore will provide a number of advantages to the McMaster community, chief among them an integrated search that makes access to full-text journal content easier and more direct. You can also expect faster response times and streamlined access to your library account from the new interface.

There are a few steps that members of the McMaster community will need to take to prepare:

  • Any lists that you have created in your user account must be exported and saved outside of the current system if you wish to keep them. Unfortunately, these will not migrate to the new system.
  • Links to the library catalogue that you may have bookmarked or embedded in Avenue2Learn will need to be updated after the new catalogue is in place. Links directly to online content (e.g., journal articles, e-books, databases) will not be affected.
  • Any screenshots or video of the library catalogue that may be included in your instructional materials will need to be updated.

Checkouts, holds, and requests for items to be recalled will migrate to the new system as part of the Libraries’ work with the vendor.

We will share more details on how to prepare as the transition date gets closer. If you have questions in the meantime, please feel free to contact us and we will provide the best answer that we can with our current understanding of the new system; we’re learning too, and our own knowledge of specific details is still evolving. Finally, we appreciate your patience and support as we work through these changes.