Who are we?
The Union of Bibliovation Users is a collection of library professionals operating the same integrated system, LibLime's Bibliovation application.
Why is this important?
Owing to its roots in open development, Bibliovation has a lot of cooperative aspects. For example, new system releases go to experimental sandboxes, and it's incumbent that users review the enhancements and fixes before they go live. That can be a lot of work for any one institution, but spreading the responsibilities of testing is benefit enjoyed through partnership.
And since product development is driven by user requests, there are lots of opportunities to cooperate on enhancement ideas and funding.
What's in it for me?
Or, restated, What can I contribute?
Just like every other aspect of life, you get back what you put in. We recognize that nearly every institution is understaffed these days, but every contribution helps. Reading and responding to announcements, answering questions, and sharing your expertise and experience benefits others in ways you might not appreciate -- at least until someone repays the favor for you.
Need help with an SQL question? Want to learn about other places' best practices? Interested in learning how to reconfigure your discovery layer? Need tips or training on a module? There are peers who can help, and UBU is the place to them.
Likewise, if there's a feature you'd like added to Bibliovation and you don't have the funding to support the development work alone, this is the place to start. Chances are that someone else is thinking the same thing.
Are you sure? I don't have a lot to offer...
Think your library is too small? Think that because your budget or staff size isn't huge you have nothing to offer? Think you haven't been using Bibliovation long enough to be able to contribute anything of use?
You're wrong.
There are lots of Bibliovation sites that are managed by one person, and it's important to hear from them. Those insights are valuable, and the tips and tricks those managers have learned are exactly what everyone else -- large and small site users alike -- need to hear.
Being the new kid is also a valuable asset. How did your last system work? What feature did you have that you miss? How did that experience shape your expectations for Bibliovation, and are you using Bibliovation differently because of it? We'd really like to know.
How do I get started?
Ready to join the UBU? Reach out to our coordinator, Ben Ide, for more information.
What if I'm not a Bibliovation user?
Talking to peers is a great way to learn if a new integrated library system is a good fit for you. You can get honest opinions and recommendations from the people who use it everyday, so consider contacting us.
If you are a vendor who'd like to promote an associate product or alternative library system, sorry, this isn't the place for you.