Project ReShare is pleased to announce that the MNLINK resource-sharing service has successfully transitioned to the ReShare platform. This change makes it easy for libraries in Minnesota to discover and share library resources. The new MNLINK, powered by ReShare and VuFind®, and hosted by Index Data, allows users to easily access physical and digital materials across many public and academic libraries in Minnesota.
Gerri Moeller from Minitex celebrated the successful migration, led by Index Data, saying, “I’ve been through a few migrations in my time, and this one went about as smooth as it could go. The system scaled beautifully – I don’t think we’ve heard a whisper of a problem with response time. Overall, I couldn’t be more pleased.”
The migration to the ReShare platform sets MNLINK up for a successful future, poised to benefit from the significant development activities surrounding the software, including cross-consortial borrowing and various digital resource-sharing capabilities. The platform’s roadmap is governed by its community of members. Minitex has actively stepped into the community, joining an international group of consortia and libraries who work together to shape the future of collaborative infrastructure for libraries.
Looking ahead, Minitex remains committed to promoting collaboration and equitable access to knowledge across Minnesota. The partnership with Project ReShare and Index Data aligns with these aims and illustrates the power of community-owned technologies in enhancing library services.
This development marks the fifth installation of ReShare by Index Data, following successful rollouts with PALCI (2021), ConnectNY (2021), IPLC (2022), and TRLN (2023). The National Library of Australia has announced the implementation of ReShare as part of the national library infrastructure in 2025 in partnership with CAVAL and Index Data.
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About Minitex
Minitex is an information and resource sharing program of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the University of Minnesota Libraries, located on the campus of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Our mission is to strengthen libraries, cultural institutions, and the communities they serve. We connect libraries and individuals with information, ideas, and experiences to enrich lives and strengthen communities.
About Project ReShare
The ReShare Community is a group of libraries, consortia, information organizations, and developers who came together in 2018 to create Project ReShare – a new and open approach to library resource sharing. The ReShare Community has a bold vision for building a user-centered, app-based, community-owned resource sharing platform for libraries to set a new standard for how we connect library patrons to the resources and information they require. For more information, contact info@projectreshare.org.
About Index Data
For 30 years, Index Data has been building market-leading open-source software that libraries and service providers rely on. We are a founding member of Project ReShare, a community-owned open platform for resource sharing, and the original architects and developers of the FOLIO library management system. We are also a key stakeholder in the Library Data Platform, an open-source reporting and analytics platform. We specialize in development, systems integration, hosting and implementation services, and bibliographic metadata management. To learn more about Index Data, please visit www.indexdata.com.
June 5, 2024 — Project ReShare is pleased to announce the launch of the ReShare Digital software development initiative and its accompanying pledge drive. This endeavor is aimed at revolutionizing the way libraries share and access digital collections, with an initial emphasis on eBook lending and book chapter delivery functionalities.
ReShare Digital, an extension of the widely embraced open source ReShare platform, will provide users with a comprehensive set of tools for borrowing and lending digital materials such as eBooks, articles, book chapters, and special collections.
ReShare Digital, an extension of the widely embraced open source ReShare platform, will provide users with a comprehensive set of tools for borrowing and lending digital materials such as eBooks, articles, book chapters, and special collections. The platform is envisioned to facilitate collaborative sharing among libraries, consortia, and even across groups using disparate software systems by adhering to industry standards. Initial development efforts will concentrate on establishing support for eBook lending and book chapter document storage and delivery.
The development roadmap for ReShare Digital is guided by input from Project ReShare members, facilitated through a community prioritization process overseen by the ReShare Subject Matter Experts, Product Committee, and Steering Committee. In a recent vote held in March 2024, ReShare members identified eBook lending and book chapter document delivery as key priorities for development, signaling a significant milestone in the evolution of the community-driven software. Work on these features will commence once fundraising objectives are met.
Building upon the foundation laid by previous initiatives, project leaders anticipate completing major development milestones within the next 24-36 months, contingent upon funding availability. Contributions from the ReShare community are essential to expedite progress.
The ReShare Digital Pledge Drive has been launched to support the initial phase of development, with a fundraising goal of $300,000. This phase will focus on project planning, requirements gathering, design, and prototyping of eBook lending. Financial and software development contributions from the community are critical for the success of this initiative. Libraries and organizations interested in shaping the future of digital resource sharing are invited to pledge their support. More information on how to pledge can be found here: https://projectreshare.org/contact/pledge-digital.
Contact Information:
Project ReShare Steering Committee
Charlie Barlow, Co-Chair, ReShare Steering Committee, info@projectreshare.org
About Project ReShare
Project ReShare’s vision is to serve as libraries’ competitive advantage in developing the most compelling innovation and agency in support of collections and resource sharing, while maintaining an inclusive and sustainable ecosystem that is fully accountable to its community of co-investors. In service to this vision, ReShare’s mission is to set the standard for how libraries collaborate, partner, share resources, and connect patrons to the information they require by developing user-centered, standards-based, community-driven, and community-owned library technologies and tools.
The Orbis Cascade Alliance is proud to join Project ReShare as a Champion Consortium and contribute to Project ReShare’s goal of creating an open source, community-owned, library resource sharing platform.
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
[Portland, Oregon, May 7, 2024] – The Orbis Cascade Alliance is proud to join Project ReShare as a Champion Consortium and contribute to Project ReShare’s goal of creating an open source, community-owned, library resource sharing platform. The ReShare community’s emphasis on collaborative development of tools that meet the functional needs of both library workers and library users aligns with the Alliance’s values and vision for the future.
The Alliance’s robust resource sharing program, exemplified by its Summit resource sharing initiative and courier service, has long been instrumental in facilitating the seamless exchange of physical library materials across the Pacific Northwest. Now, with a strategic focus on digital resource sharing models, the Alliance is poised to leverage Project ReShare’s innovative solutions to enhance access to digital content.
“The Orbis Cascade Alliance is thrilled to join the Project ReShare community, which embodies our mission of pushing the boundaries of library collaboration,” said Isaac Gilman, Executive Director of the Alliance. “The Alliance’s ability to deliver on our commitment to advancing equity in higher education is dependent on the extent to which we make strategic choices about where we invest our time and financial resources. By investing in ReShare, we are shaping a future that will better allow us, and our members, to provide equitable access to library resources and services for the students, staff, and faculty we serve.”
In support of its consortium-level commitment to the Project ReShare community, the Alliance’s central staff and member library staff will engage directly with ReShare initiatives, building on a long history of working collectively and collaboratively across consortia and libraries to advance technology and workflows beneficial to the library community as a whole.
“We are excited to welcome the Orbis Cascade Alliance to the Project ReShare community,” said Charlie Barlow, Executive Director of the Boston Library Consortium and Co-Chair of the Project ReShare Steering Committee. “Their extensive experience and dedication to advancing library resource sharing will undoubtedly enrich our collaborative efforts and contribute to the continued success of our shared initiatives.”
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*About Orbis Cascade Alliance:*
The Orbis Cascade Alliance is a library consortium of 38 academic libraries in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, with members including community colleges, private colleges and universities, and public regional and research universities. In service of our mission to “create and deliver innovative, sustainable, and essential library programs and resources” that advance our member institutions, the Alliance runs a shared library management system and discovery interface; works on collective purchasing; facilitates access to unique and local collections; and coordinates resource sharing for our members. The Alliance also serves dozens of affiliate members across our region, further connecting government, special, public, and academic libraries in the Northwest through shared licensing, physical courier service, and archival collections discovery.
*About Project ReShare:*
Project ReShare is a dynamic community-driven initiative dedicated to empowering libraries and consortia worldwide through innovative, user-centered, and community-owned library technologies and tools. With a vision to serve as libraries’ competitive advantage in fostering innovation and agency in support of collections and resource sharing, Project ReShare maintains an inclusive and sustainable ecosystem that prioritizes accountability to its community of co-investors.
At the heart of Project ReShare’s mission is the commitment to set the standard for library collaboration, partnership, resource sharing, and patron connectivity. By developing standards-based, community-driven solutions, Project ReShare aims to revolutionize how libraries share, ensuring equitable access to information resources for all patrons.
For more information about Project ReShare and its community of co-investors, visit projectreshare.org.
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For media inquiries or further information, please contact:
Clara Fehrenbach spoke with Sebastian Hammer, Co-founder and President of Index Data, to learn more about Reservoir.
ReShare Shared Inventory
A shared inventory and consortial discovery has been a foundational piece of the Project ReShare vision since the beginning. The 2021 ReShare Returnables launches at PALCI and ConnectNY went live with FOLIO’s Inventory module (dubbed “mod-inventory” in FOLIO-speak) as the basis for ReShare’s Shared Inventory storage, which in turn feeds into discovery layers, such as VuFind. Mod-inventory worked for its purpose, but it became clear that the way ReShare needs to ingest and use bibliographic data calls for a more flexible shared inventory infrastructure that is designed to ingest data from many different sources (i.e. individual member libraries in a consortium.)
Because ReShare was intended to be modular from the start, it was possible for Project ReShare and Index Data to be responsive to the needs of the community and update the infrastructure behind the Shared Inventory.
What is Reservoir?
Originally coined mod-meta-storage, Reservoir is the new underlying infrastructure of ReShare Shared Inventory. Based primarily on PostgreSQL, Reservoir was envisioned and realized due to community need, both to address inefficiencies discovered in the live environments at PALCI and ConnectNY and to support the onboarding of IPLC onto ReShare Returnables using their Platform for Open Data (POD) infrastructure. Reservoir is designed to be both fast (quickly handling a very large number of records) and flexible (poised to reuse its contents for future purposes.)
In order to accomplish speed and flexibility, Reservoir does not merge records as they’re imported in the same way that mod-inventory was designed to do. According to Sebastian, Reservoir works instead by “storing incoming bibliographic records separately and ‘clustering’ them using a match algorithm.” Then the records can be “merged” later for use in a consortial discovery layer or for other purposes. This method of clustering now, merging later was designed to allow much easier experimentation with different matching algorithms, since clusters can be reconfigured or rebuilt without needing a full data reload. It’s even possible to use more than one different matching algorithm at the same time with Reservoir.
Want to know how much faster Reservoir is? Consider this: Using Reservoir, it takes less than a week to ingest, merge, and process a collection of about 80 million bibliographic records. Before Reservoir, it would have taken approximately five months to complete the same process.
Why “reservoir”?
A reservoir is “a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.”
Taking inspiration from “data lake” terminology and imagery, Reservoir was named because it is envisioned as a data lake that ingests data from sources “upstream” and provides a supply of “clean” data to any service positioned “downstream.” Currently, the primary use of this data is in consortial discovery using VuFind, but it could be adapted for many different purposes, including consortial collection analysis.
ConnectNY, a consortium of independent academic institutions in New York State, launched ReShare Returnables on September 1, 2021. ConnectNY follows closely on the heels of the PALCI consortium, which implemented ReShare Returnables in August.
The Board of Directors of ConnectNY was looking for a different product to support resource sharing when ConnectNY joined the ReShare community in 2019. Pamela Jones, ConnectNY’s Executive Director, remarked, “We are excited and proud to have implemented ReShare already. Our consortium is small, but our membership is willing to take risks to improve services and programs. Choosing to work with Index Data made the move to ReShare possible for us.”
Jones also commented on the appeal of supporting an open source project like ReShare. “It is exciting to be a part of an open source community where our ConnectNY members have a say in the ongoing development of a product.”
Tim McGeary, chair of the Project Reshare Steering Committee, congratulated ConnectNY on its successful launch. “The ConnectNY team worked closely with Index Data to ensure a smooth transition to Project ReShare,” McGeary said. “On behalf of the Steering Committee, I’d like to express my congratulations and gratitude to ConnectNY for being a pioneering implementer of ReShare Returnables.”
ReShare Returnables supports interlibrary loan of physical materials between members of a consortium. The software, built using the open source FOLIO platform, uses an app-based approach to resource sharing workflows. Index Data and Knowledge Integration are lead developers on the project, with numerous members of the ReShare community also contributing to development. The apps include a member directory, queues to manage requesting and supplying workflows, and a bulk update tool. A shared inventory app allows ReShare libraries to pool their bibliographic metadata for discovery and fulfillment purposes.
The ReShare Community is a group of libraries, consortia, information organizations and developers, with both commercial and non-commercial interests, who came together in 2018 to create Project ReShare – a new and open approach to library resource sharing. The ReShare Community has a bold vision for building a user-centered, app-based, community-owned resource sharing platform for libraries to set a new standard for how we connect library patrons to the resources and information they require.
For more information, contact info@projectreshare.org.
Lisa Croucher Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN): trln.org, Executive Director Project ReShare: projectreshare.org, Communication Team, Chair info@projectreshare.org
On August 12, 2021, the ReShare Returnables software went into full production, actively supporting the resource sharing needs of the PALCI consortium, including more than 50 diverse academic libraries located in PA, NY, NJ, and WV. This inaugural launch of ReShare Returnables marks almost exactly three years since a group of visionary open source software developers and consortial leaders met at Swarthmore College near Philadelphia, PA to chart the path of this innovative and inspirational project.
“We are thrilled to be the first library consortium to launch what is now the world’s first community-owned open source consortial borrowing system. ReShare will transform our ability to share our libraries’ collections and innovate in ways that will serve our patrons for years to come,” says PALCI Executive Director Jill Morris.
Morris has been a strong advocate for and leader of Project ReShare since its inception, having served as the inaugural chair of the Project ReShare Steering Committee.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the hard work of so many people over the past three years coming to fruition. It’s been a great honor to participate in this project with so many of my colleagues, and I’m proud of what it represents, especially as it offers a sustainable model for successful open source software collaborations across sectors and organizations.”
ReShare Returnables is the first production software to come out of the open source, collaborative community. The Returnables software represents the first step in ReShare’s goal of creating a consortial resource sharing system that will enable sharing of the collective collection in all formats, regardless of integrated library system, and empowering library-driven and user centered workflows.
In an average year, PALCI libraries borrow and lend more than 150,000 physical items from their collections to each other through PALCI’s well-regarded EZBorrow consortial borrowing program. EZBorrow, powered by the ReShare software, allows patrons to send borrowing requests to lending libraries automatically without involving library staff, saving staff time and giving patrons efficient, world-class access to more than 10 million unique items across the consortium’s shared collections.
ReShare Returnables supports interlibrary loan of physical materials between members of a consortium. The software, built using the open source FOLIO platform, uses an app-based approach to resource sharing workflows. The apps include a member directory, queues to manage requesting and supplying workflows, and a bulk update tool. A shared inventory app allows ReShare libraries to pool their bibliographic metadata for discovery and fulfillment purposes.
“ReShare is the result of a deep, open collaboration between a group of libraries, consortia, and companies, based on the notion that infrastructure should be owned by communities, not by individual organizations,” said Lynn Bailey, Chief Executive Officer of Index Data, the first certified service provider for Project ReShare. “This project has inspired and motivated us at Index Data in ways we could not have imagined, and it’s been a privilege to be part of it. We’ve developed a complete set of services that enable consortia and other resource sharing groups to offer ReShare to their membership in a reliable, cost-effective way. Today we celebrate the PALCI launch and the hard work of our team and partners on this momentous occasion!”
ConnectNY, a consortium of independent academic institutions in New York State, will launch ReShare Returnables later this month.
The ReShare Community is a group of libraries, consortia, information organizations and developers, with both commercial and non-commercial interests, who came together in 2018 to create Project ReShare – a new and open approach to library resource sharing. The ReShare Community has a bold vision for building a user-centered, app-based, community-owned resource sharing platform for libraries to set a new standard for how we connect library patrons to the resources and information they require.
Lisa Croucher Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN): trln.org, Executive Director Project ReShare: projectreshare.org, Communication Team, Chair info@projectreshare.org
Project ReShare Welcomes
Seven New Founding Members
For Immediate Release
November 15, 2019
Project ReShare
is pleased to announce seven new members, including the ConnectNY library
consortium, and libraries including Louisiana State University Libraries,
Michigan State University Libraries, Millersville University of Pennsylvania
McNairy Library and Learning Forum, Texas A&M University Libraries, The
University of Alabama Libraries, and the University of Chicago Library as the
newest participants in the community’s Founding Members Program.
ReShare’s
Founding Members Program allows libraries and consortia to contribute to
Project ReShare and have a clear voice in the project’s direction. By becoming
Founding Members, these organizations have expressed enthusiasm for the
development of this community-owned interlibrary loan infrastructure, as well
as a demonstrated commitment to ensuring Project ReShare remains a user-centered,
innovative force for resource sharing in libraries. Project ReShare, together
with these new members, will continue in its mission to work directly with
libraries to improve the value and impact of resource sharing networks and the
tools used to support them.
Donald L.
Gilstrap, Dean of University Libraries at The University of Alabama, expressed
his excitement about Project ReShare and its potential to positively impact
library services. “Ever since our discussions on ReShare took place at WOLFCon,
the energy for this project has continued to increase in very positive ways.
Having an ecosystem for distributed resource sharing that draws on the
strengths of the library community both in its development and use can help us
greatly improve the effectiveness of how we provide services for our users in
years to come.”
Pam Jones,
Executive Director at ConnectNY (CNY), added “The flexibility to adapt
components of ReShare to create specific workflows makes ReShare very different
from current platforms. CNY is looking for a new approach to resource sharing
and ReShare provides the opportunity to be part of a library-developed, owned,
and managed product, which is something new in the resource sharing
environment. I am very pleased that CNY will be part of the ReShare community
and look forward to seeing the strategic collaborations that come out of its
development.”
“Interest from
the library community is indicative of the need for change in this space, and
we’re thrilled to welcome these libraries to the project as Founding Members,”
said Jill Morris, ReShare Steering Committee Chair. “ReShare represents a
unique opportunity to shift the paradigm in how libraries and consortia work
with commercial organizations as partners, and how we gain agency in improving
services to our users. These new members are lending their expertise and
financial contributions to the project, and by doing so, they are giving a
voice to their library staff and patrons that is simply not possible in typical
pay-for-service models.”
ReShare plans an
alpha release of the software later this Fall, with additional releases planned
in Spring and Summer of 2020. ReShare announced its Founding Member Program in
June 2019 and is currently accepting applications. For more information on how
to get involved and support the project, please visit: https://projectreshare.org.
About ReShare
The ReShare
Community is a group of libraries, consortia, information organizations and
developers, with both commercial and non-commercial interests, who came
together in 2018 to create Project ReShare–a new and open approach to library
resource sharing. The ReShare Community has a bold vision for building a
user-centered, app-based, community-owned resource sharing platform for
libraries that will set the standard for how we connect library patrons to the
resources and information they require. Contact info@projectreshare.org for more information.
About The University of Alabama Libraries
The University of Alabama, the state’s
oldest and largest public institution of higher education, is a student-centered
research university that draws the best and brightest to an academic community
committed to providing a premier undergraduate and graduate education. UA is
dedicated to achieving excellence in scholarship, collaboration and
intellectual engagement; providing public outreach and service to the state of
Alabama and the nation; and nurturing a campus environment that fosters
collegiality, respect and inclusivity.
The
University of Alabama Libraries is essential in advancing the educational
mission of the University. The libraries provide innovative instruction,
services, and resources to facilitate teaching, research, and learning. The
system is comprised of five branch libraries and is committed to be
student-centered and research-focused in order to support discovery, learning,
and creativity at The Capstone. The University Libraries is an EBSCO FOLIO beta
partner. As the oldest academic library
serving as a U.S. Government Documents Regional Depository, the University
Libraries serve the academic community and the public. The University Libraries
maintain memberships in the Association of Research Libraries, the Center for
Research Libraries, the Coalition for Networked Information, centerNet,
LYRASIS, the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, the HathiTrust,
Scholars Trust, the Rosemont Alliance, the Network of Alabama Academic
Libraries, and the Alabama Digital Preservation Network. The University
Libraries homepage may be accessed athttp://www.libraries.ua.edu .
About ConnectNY
CNY (ConnectNY), Inc. is a
consortium of independent academic institutions in New York State. The mission
of CNY is to share collections, leverage resources, and enhance services
through cooperative initiatives and coordinated activities. CNY focuses on the
community, empowering members to provide vital resources to their patrons when
and where they are most needed. Since its inception in 2001, CNY has expanded
its services and programs to include a robust e-book program, a shared print
trust, and most recently, an OER program. Proudly membership-driven, the
organization strives to be adaptable, future-facing, and dedicated to the user
experience.
About the University of Chicago Library
The University of Chicago Library is the ninth largest academic library
in North America, with 12.3 million volumes in print and electronic form. The
Library empowers intellectual discovery, rigorous learning, and global
engagement through its deep and rich collections, extensive expertise,
innovative programs, and diverse spaces.
The Library’s strategic directions include cultivating an inclusive
community; empowering faculty and staff with Library services, collections, and
spaces; advancing digital scholarship; enhancing access to scholarly resources;
extending the University of Chicago’s impact through local and global
engagement; and excelling in a changing environment.
About McNairy Library & Learning Forum, Millersville University of Pennsylvania
The McNairy
Library & Learning Forum is a learner-centered hub for the Millersville
University community, dedicated to educating, inspiring, and connecting people
with ideas, information, and each other. Millersville University of
Pennsylvania is a top-ranked, public university located in the northeast region
of the United States. It is committed to offering students a high quality,
comprehensive university experience of exceptional value. Dedicated to
providing nationally recognized programs that embrace the liberal arts,
Millersville offers academic opportunities that are supported by outstanding
faculty who are accomplished scholars and practitioners. Founded in 1855 as the
first Normal School in Pennsylvania, Millersville University is one of 14
universities within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
About Louisiana State University Libraries
LSU is the
flagship institution of Louisiana and is one of only 22 prestigious
universities nationwide holding land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant status.
LSU’s roots run deep, shaping contributions to the state, the nation and the
world for nearly 160 years.
The LSU Libraries supports the academic
mission of the university by fostering teaching, learning, and research.
Through its commitment to excellence in collections, services, and spaces, the
Libraries serves as an indispensable intellectual resource for the state of
Louisiana, and to communities worldwide. The LSU Libraries is a member of the
Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the top research libraries in the U.S.
and Canada, with holdings of 4.3 million volumes. The main library is an active and energetic
part of academic life at LSU. Students and faculty find a great variety of
academic support and resources for research available through the library.
Subject specialists are available to students and faculty in person and online
for personalized research consultations, copyright support, and help navigating
our world-class collections and resources.
About Michigan State University Libraries
The Michigan
State University Libraries are at the center of academic life at MSU and
provide expertise, collections, and infrastructure for discovery and creation.
The Libraries facilitate connections that support research, teaching, and
learning in local and global communities. This investment in making connections
includes a commitment to providing equal access to Library collections,
services, and facilities for all library users. The Libraries employ an Open
Educational Resources (OER) and Student Success Librarian and recently launched
a faculty incentive program for course affordability. Earlier this year, the
Libraries joined the Open Textbook Network, a diverse community of higher
education institutions that promote access, affordability, and student success
through the use of open textbooks. The MSU Libraries have nearly eight million
unique titles. Last year, MSU Librarians conducted 646 instruction sessions and
workshops, reaching a total of 27,167 people. The reference staff handled
14,331 questions in person, by phone, and online. The Library borrowed 16,163
items from other libraries for MSU users and loaned 63,939 items from our
collections to other libraries.
About Texas A&M University
About Texas A&M University Libraries
Texas A&M,
established in 1876 as the first public university in Texas, is one of the
nation’s largest universities with more than 66,000 students and more than
440,000 living alumni residing in over 150 countries around the world. A
tier-one university, Texas A&M holds the rare triple land-, sea- and
space-grant designation. Research conducted at Texas A&M represented annual
expenditures of more than $905.4 million in fiscal year 2017. Texas A&M’s
research creates new knowledge that provides basic, fundamental and applied
contributions resulting, in many cases, in economic benefits to the state,
nation and world. The school’s Lead by Example campaign is a comprehensive
effort to raise $4 billion by the year 2020, making it the largest higher
education campaign in Texas history and the second largest conducted nationally
by a public university. Aggies are known for their deep commitment to the
success of each other and their strong desire to serve.
Project ReShare is pleased to announce The Alberta Library (TAL), a multi-type library consortium based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS), a multi-type consortium serving over 650 member libraries in Indiana and Michigan, as the first two consortial participants in its new Founding Consortial Partner Program. Both consortia have made substantial contributions and have joined the project’s Steering Committee.
The Midwest Collaborative for Library Services has pledged up to $150,000 in funding to Project ReShare over the next three years. The Alberta Library has also pledged $10,000 in funding to the project. In addition to substantial monetary contributions which will speed along development of the open source code being developed, each consortium also commits time and expertise from its staff and member institutions that promises to uniquely benefit Project ReShare. Both MCLS and TAL are the first members to bring public library perspectives to the project’s leadership groups. With these new partnerships in place, Project ReShare will continue its mission to build a user-centered resource sharing platform for libraries of all types, in all places.
“MCLS and TAL are part of a growing number of libraries and consortia who are joining ReShare. The Steering Committee recognized both of these consortia as strategic partners and I’m thrilled to welcome them to the community. Each consortium represents the diverse needs of public and academic libraries, which is perhaps one of the most exciting elements of these partnerships. The addition of TAL and MCLS rounds out our ability to represent library resource sharing needs more broadly,” said Jill Morris, ReShare Steering Committee Chair. Previously ReShare Steering Committee members represented only college and university library interests.
MCLS Executive Director Scott Garrison and his staff are excited about the potential opportunities Project ReShare offers. “We hope that Project ReShare becomes a viable solution for hundreds of libraries in the two states we serve, as well as for the broader library community. MCLS believes in innovating for libraries and their users, and our Board of Directors, staff and I feel that Project ReShare is a fresh, innovative approach to resource sharing for users everywhere,” Garrison said.
Tim Janewski, CEO of TAL is eager to participate with ReShare: “We are excited to join Project ReShare as we see great potential for a community-developed resource sharing platform owned and managed by libraries. We look forward to working with ReShare partners on this scalable and cost-effective project. ReShare will be a great fit for The Alberta Library.”
ReShare announced its Founding Partner Program in June 2019 and is currently accepting applications. For more information on how to get involved and support the project, please visit: https://projectreshare.org.
About ReShare
The ReShare Community is a group of libraries, consortia, information organizations and developers, with both commercial and non-commercial interests, who came together in August 2018 to create Project ReShare – a new and open approach to library resource sharing. ReShare has a bold vision for building a user-centered, app-based, community-owned resource sharing platform for libraries to set the standard in how we connect library patrons to the resources and information they require. Contact info@projectreshare.org for more information.
About MCLS
MCLS is a non-profit, member-owned multitype library consortium serving libraries in Indiana and Michigan. MCLS dedicated to providing our member libraries with the tools and training they need to better serve their communities. To this end, MCLS provides a range of services including group purchasing, strategic planning consulting, meeting facilitation, library-specific and community engagement-related training, and, in Michigan, statewide materials delivery. Since 2004, MCLS has also provided implementation, training, and support services for MeLCat, Michigan’s statewide resource sharing system.
About The Alberta Library
The Alberta Library (TAL) is a multi-type resource-sharing library consortium serving more than 300 locations in Alberta, Canada. Created in 1997, TAL was a response to challenges that included the information explosion, the development of new technologies, the emergence of the Internet and a changing government philosophy. Today, TAL is internationally recognized for cooperation and collaboration and working with its members to take advantage of changing technologies, share resources, find creative solutions and seize new opportunities.
Project ReShare is pleased to announce its new ReShare Founding Members Program and Certified Service Provider Program, with opportunities for libraries, consortia, and service provider organizations to engage with the project and support its efforts to create a sustainable, open source, user-centered resource sharing platform for libraries.
For the past year, a cohort of academic, consortial, and commercial partners have engaged with Project ReShare, a groundbreaking effort to construct a new resource sharing platform for and by the library community. The platform is Open Source, and it is the outcome of a strategic collaboration between a host of industry partners. Initially focused on patron-initiated consortial borrowing, the ReShare partnership intends to develop the platform into all aspects of library resource sharing. ReShare software development is well underway after an extensive user experience design process, with a Minimum Viable Product due out later this year.
The ReShare Founding Members Program provides a direct path to project participation, offering a variety of benefits to those interested in advancing the Community’s goals. ReShare Membership includes a voice in project governance, recognition on the ReShare website, and discounts with ReShare service providers. Member fees start at $1,500 per year, with options for library consortium discounts and incentives for those joining the program before August 31.
In addition, the ReShare Steering Committee announces its Certified Service Provider Program, aimed at supporting and elevating those service providers who offer ReShare services while adhering to community standards, and giving back to the Community. ReShare takes a radically open and transparent approach to collaboration between non-profit and commercial interests. With that approach in mind, Certified Service Providers commit to open and transparent pricing, caps on annual increases, use of open standards and protocols, participation in leadership roles, contributions of ReShare code, and excellent service to ReShare customers.
Kurt Munson, Head of Access Services, Northwestern University, and, ReShare Steering Committee Member and Product Management Team Chair says, “ReShare Members play a critical role in defining and developing a patron-based vision for resource sharing. This project represents a practical application of the next generation resource sharing vision statements made by the Big Ten Academic Alliance by moving our software away from siloed proprietary solutions toward standards-based, user-centered approaches. ReShare provides us an opportunity to improve service to our users. I hope these new membership options will inspire libraries to join us, get involved, and be a part of the solution.”
The ReShare development team expects the platform to be ready for production-ready use by Summer 2020.
About ReShare
The ReShare Community is a group of libraries, consortia, information organizations, and developers, with both commercial and non-commercial interests, who came together in 2018 to create Project ReShare – a new and open approach to library resource sharing. The ReShare Community has a bold vision for building a user-centered, app-based, community-owned resource sharing platform for libraries to set the standard for how we connect library patrons to the resources and information they require.
Boston, MA and Copenhagen, Denmark – June 20, 2019
Project ReShare and Index Data are pleased to announce that Index Data will become the first Certified Service Provider for the ReShare consortial resource sharing platform. A software company specializing in creating innovative products and tools for the library ecosystem, Index Data will offer hosting, implementation, and support services for consortia that adopt the ReShare platform
For the past year, Index Data along with academic, consortial, and commercial partners has engaged with Project ReShare, a groundbreaking effort to build a new, Open Source resource sharing platform for and by the library community. Initially focused on patron-initiated consortial borrowing, the ReShare partnership intends to develop the platform into all aspects of library resource sharing.
Sebastian Hammer, President of Index Data says, “Project ReShare is a strategic collaboration between important organizations in the library space, but more importantly, it is an unparalleled gathering of passionate and talented individuals. ReShare is a powerful example of what can be accomplished through open collaboration. At Index Data, we believe that open technology infrastructure is the essential substrate of a vibrant service ecosystem; one that fosters innovation and puts the patron in the center by eliminating roadblocks to interoperability. We participate in Project ReShare because collaboration is in our DNA as a team and because we firmly believe that we are at our best when we work together.”
As a ReShare Service Provider, Index Data will contribute technical and community resources to the project, as well as contributing financially to community activities. In the coming months, Index Data will work closely with the ReShare Steering Committee to develop open and transparent pricing models, negotiate caps on annual increases, and offer discounts to ReShare community members.
This partnership exemplifies the benefits of ReShare’s community-ownership approach, which brings together libraries, consortia, software developers, and open source advocates to collaborate on a shared vision for library resource sharing. As a leading development partner for ReShare, Index Data has already made significant contributions of staff time and resources to the project and cultivated a deep expertise in its software, workflows, and user needs.
Index Data expects to go live with initial ReShare consortial customers in 2020.
Background
Index Data has built solutions based on open source software since it was founded in 1994 and has created and released dozens of open source tools over the years. Its recent experience as lead development partner for the FOLIO project has led the company to develop a very strong perspective on the use of open source software as a means of building communities of intent, and for genuinely sharing ownership of technology across different kinds of organizations. Contact info@indexdata.com for more information, or visit us at booth #2941 at the American Library Association Conference in Washington, DC.
About ReShare
The ReShare Community is a group of libraries, consortia, information organizations and developers, with both commercial and non-commercial interests, who came together in 2018 to create Project ReShare – a new and open approach to library resource sharing. The ReShare Community has a bold vision for building a user-centered, app-based, community-owned resource sharing platform for libraries to set the standard for how we connect library patrons to the resources and information they require.
