RE: Library Elf

["Norman, Melora" <Melora dot Norman at maine dot gov>]

I have to wonder--how is Jandi supporting the service? Are libraries paying?
Otherwise, seems the company is into philanthropy (unlikely), or they are
selling market research, or they are supported by advertising, or they are
planning to start charging for the service eventually. 

At any rate, I have to question the stability of a privacy policy that
reserves the right to be changed at any time.  Libraries may publish
disclaimers, but if we publicize the service on our web sites, then IMO we
are promoting it.


Melora Ranney Norman, outreach coordinator
Maine State Library
LMA Cultural Bldg., SHS 64
Augusta, ME 04333
melora dot norman at maine dot gov
(207) 287-5653
www.maine.gov/msl/outreach
You CAN get there from here . . . @your library

-----Original Message-----
From: innopac-bounces at innopacusers dot org
[mailto:innopac-bounces at innopacusers dot org] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Thomsen
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2005 8:50 AM
To: IUG INNOPAC List
Subject: Re: Library Elf

> However, our consortium bylaws do require libraries to obtain permission
> to install or provide access to any third party hardware or application
> by way of our system, and the library providing access to Elf for its
> patrons has not done that, so we may have a violation of our own bylaws
> on our hands.

We have all the same issues with third party software, etc., and when I 
learned about Library Elf, my immediate concerns were the same as yours.  
I expected that we'd have discussions and then make a decision on whether 
we should register for this service or not.  Then I noticed that we were 
already listed and that it worked just fine with our system.  

I signed up for this for my own personal account, which is at a 
neighboring non-III consortium where I live, and I have to say that as 
user I like the flexibility of determining my own notice schedule.  I also 
like the way they summarize activity.  (Here's what the e-mail notice 
looks like: http://www.libraryelf.com/Demo.aspx)  My library doesn't offer 
courtesy notices, but now I have them.  

I really think this is a good example of how much the world has changed, 
and how decentralized automation has become on the web.  Here we are, 
running our systems and setting up notice schedules and looking into 
notices by RSS, etc., and then we realized that patrons have all these 
alternatives that we don't even know about.

-- 
Elizabeth Thomsen, Member Services Manager
NOBLE: North of Boston Library Exchange
Danvers MA 01923
et at noblenet dot org

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