EBSCO User Group
Omaha, NE
I am grateful to the Central NY Library Resources Council (CLRC) for the Professional Development Grant that enabled me to attend this year’s EBSCO User Group Conference. As the Noreen Reale Falcone Library prepares for our most significant technical transition in three decades, migrating from a 30-year legacy ILS to EBSCO FOLIO, this conference provided invaluable information and resources for our final stages of implementation and helped prepare us for the post-migration phase.
The sessions I attended provided a wonderful balance of technical information from the vendor as well as first-hand experience from other libraries that have already migrated to FOLIO. A major highlight was the session “Lessons Learned: How Open Collaboration and Innovation Drive Change,” where librarians from three different institutions shared their experiences. From this session, I gathered helpful tips as we approach our final month of implementation, as well as strategies to keep in mind as we progress into the post-implementation phase.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the conference was the opportunity to contribute to the profession. Alongside Pauline Shostack (Le Moyne’s Systems Librarian) and Kristin Whitehair (EBSCO Library Services Engineer), I co-presented the session “Strategic Adoption: Library Innovation through Staged Implementation.” We shared Le Moyne’s unique journey through the phased rollout of OpenAthens, EBSCO Discovery Service, and eventually FOLIO. Sharing our experience with change management and workload balancing was a highlight of the conference, and the Q&A portion was particularly engaging as we spoke with several librarians who were in the early stages of their own migrations.
Beyond the formal sessions, the networking opportunities were a wonderful reminder of the importance of in-person conferences. I had the chance to speak directly with EBSCO developers and trainers, as well as colleagues from other institutions at various stages of the FOLIO transition, from those considering migration to those who have been on the system for years. These informal conversations allowed me to ask specific questions and hear about both successes and struggles. These connections have provided me with a group of individuals I can reach out to for guidance as we enter our final few weeks.
Lisa Chaudhuri, Director of the Library
Le Moyne College
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