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St. Cloud State University
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Library adopts MnPALS
By Cathy Kropp
Published:
Thursday, October 9, 2003
Media Credit: Adam Masloski
The book search at the Miller Learning Resources Center was recently changed from WebPALS to MnPALS. MnPALS is more affordable and has been adopted by universities around the state.
On the first day of the fall semester, students and professors using the online catalog and other library services found themselves facing a brand new program.
The MnPALS program was chosen from dozens of possible replacements for the old WebPALS system. According to the Miller Learning Resource Center MnPALS Web page, the switch was initiated and funded by the state.
Keith Ewing, SCSU library systems coordinator said that possible replacement systems were analyzed for three years. A small committee made up of 10 to 12 statewide representatives, including Ewing, made the final choice based on the fact that MnPALS seemed to meet the needs of everyone involved.
A major reason behind the change was that the WebPALS program was 25-years-old and the man who created it was close to retirement. There were concerns about how its evolution would continue.
"We asked ourselves if we could afford redesigning it for the new library's expectations and capabilities," Ewing said.
Another reason for the change was the new program was thought to be more cost effective to implement.
Although an actual dollar amount of savings hasn't been assessed, given that it's hard to determine the cost of upgrading the old system over the years, the state decided that it would save a considerable amount of money simply because supporting one statewide program is cheaper than supporting a variety of different programs.
The MnPALS program will be required at the University of Minnesota, MnSCU schools and all state agency libraries. Other agencies may also choose to use the program.
The hope is that by having one system in many different places, patrons will be able to easily search systems across the state.
There are two main servers, with one located on and primarily serving the University of Minnesota campuses, and the other in Mankato that will serve everyone else. The U of M was the first to implement the new program, closely followed by SCSU, the College of St. Benedict, St. John's University and the Minnesota State Law Library.
Reaction to the program at SCSU has been largely positive. Junior Eric Mead sees the new program as a definite improvement over WebPALS.
"This (program) has a really convenient way to access prior documents and it seems to be a little more individualized," Mead said. "It's really easy to use."
Sandra Williams, government document librarian, thinks that students are more technologically advanced these days and are not overwhelmed by the new program.
"Students have taken (the change) in stride," Williams said. "There are little idiosyncrasies to get used to, but as you work with it, it's fairly intuitive."
Fred Hill, faculty member and reference librarian, also credits the technological knowledge of the students as making the change easier.
"Many students are computer savvy and can work their way through challenges," Hill said. "But for those who are not so savvy, we work really hard to extend an invitation to them to come to the reference desk for help."
However, there have been some complaints from users about certain aspects of the system. Kristi Tornquist, dean of Learning Resources and Technology Services, is not surprised that the system is not yet perfect.
"Any time you bring up something this massive, there will be problems," Tornquist said.
Ewing admitted that there are a few areas that still need some fixing, including the self-check and the interlibrary loan system. The reserve system has also been the cause of some frustration, as professors have to give students the exact display number for the readings. Ewing says that all but one bug has been worked out of that particular system.
Since U of M put the program into operation before SCSU, it has been assisting the Miller Library in working out the problems.
"Part of the implementation is the deal that statewide we would help each other out," Ewing said. "This also identifies problems for future users."
It is Ewing's hope that all of the system's problems will be worked out by the end of the semester.
"Overall, the number of problems have been less than anticipated," Ewing said. "We knew it would be hard work but we're anxious to get them all solved."
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