The best of what’s around for our students

and staffKraig Rieger Kaitrin SalankyLydia Perry

Marcia Herman Amber Lynch Amber Pedersen

SummaryThe Uniqueness of the

Alexandria Library Automation System

CatalogingCirculationReportingInventory

Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)Cost

Technical SupportTestimonialsConclusion Works Cited

Cataloging

Adding material to the catalog is quick and easy

Alexandria uses title assistant which performs a MARC Search

MARC Search locates copies of the new add currently used in other libraries

Vendors give the librarian the MARC record, and the librarian adds the record to the system

Circulation

Easy navigation through system

All actions, from charging late fees to accessing student accounts, can be done from basically the same screen

Librarians have access to a student photograph and can see what homeroom each student comes from

Checkouts can be customized based on grade level

Reporting

Barcode Labels Overdue Reports

These can be edited and changed based on the tastes and preferences of the library media specialist (Alexandria 2010)

Some of the best features of the reports are the fact that a Library media specialist can:

• schedule reports to run automatically

• send reports of overdue items to homeroom teachers (Alexandria 2010)

Inventory

Inventory Helper the tool that makes inventory simple!

A process that goes through five easy steps to make inventory less difficult

Library media specialists select a section of call numbers and the system sends out reports that are pertinent for that section (Alexandria 2010)

Cost

The company charges by how many users can access the program at one time.

10 users = $1500 for program, $600 annual fee for updates and tech support

15 users = $2000 for program, $700 annual fee for updates and tech support

Unlimited Users = $2500 for program, $800 annual fee for updates and tech support

The company charges $600 to convert our files from our current program to Alexandria. (personal communication, March 22, 2010)

Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)Possibly the greatest aspect of Alexandria is its ease of use for students and staff concerning OPAC.

The program allows for:

quick keyword search sounds-like searches for students

locating resources searches for readers of varied skill

levels

Searching capabilities include:

basic search advanced search which lets a user

utilize Boolean language browsing explorer which is ideal for

younger students (Alexandria 2010)

Additional features include:

netTrekker option allows students to search for online sources that are relevant for a task

Sneak Peek allows students to read overviews and reviews of a book and view the cover art to see if a resource or a novel is one he or she needs (Alexandria 2010)

Teachers can also use the netTrekker feature to:

find resources relevant to their state standards

create lists of resources relevant to a project or assignment in class (Alexandria 2010)

These key features allow for increased collaboration between the library media specialist and teachers.

Technical Support

Impeccable Service Customer service

representatives standing by 24 hours a day, seven days a week by phone or e-mail (Alexandria 2010)

Open to suggestions and requests

They have added several new options for collection reports to meet the specific needs of library media specialists (Burkhalter

2001)

Testimonials

The following comments were posted on LM_Net:

“We are previous Spectrum users and have also used InfoCentre and Athena. We made our most recent choice between Alexandria and Destiny and chose Alexandria. Some of the reasons were that the reports were better, we weren't limited to just the web version, and it was easier to understand.”

“I have used Alexandria for over 10 years and have nothing but wonderful things to say about them.”

“. . . we looked around at the other programs and settled on Alexandria. We have been very pleased with the program. We began with 2 schools to see how it worked, then over the course of a couple of years moved the others to Alex. We now have 52 schools on Alexandria.”

“. . . for the remaining five years that I was in that position we were all extremely happy with the training and support that we received.”

Conclusion

Alexandria Automation System is far superior to the program we are currently working with.

After weighing the pros and cons of Alexandria and other systems on the market, we know that this is the system we want to invest in for our future to improve the quality of education for the students and staff in our district.

Works Cited

Alexandria. (2010). Retrieved April 5, 2010, from, http://www.goalexandria.com/.

Burkhalter, J. (2001). Shopping for the Perfect Automation System. Media and Methods, 37(5), 43.

Porier, A. (2009, Dec. 11). Destiny v. Alexandria. Message posted to http://www.eduref.org/plweb-cgi/fastweb?getdoc+listservs+LM_NET+344758+1+wAAA+alexandria