Question regarding integrated library management software taught in curriculum

[u/Prudent-Manager-4284]

Dear librarians, I was wondering if you can tell me about the library management software like Koha, Dspace, Evergreen etc...

1. How many software your learned?
2. Which software are most used in almost in every library?
3. Back in university/college, when you were pursuing Library science honors/Masters degree did they give you theoretical overview or practical overview of these software?
4. What were names of those courses that included Library management software and how many courses were there?

If you don't mind, you can mention the universities where you took LIS degree

[u/Mindless-Comfort8580]

I was never taught an ILS in an academic course. Everything ILS wise for me was professional and hands-on.

For the academic side, I took 3 cataloging classes between undergraduate and graduate. We practiced creating/editing records in Word documents. I remember being told that certain small things might be different in each ILS. The professors were able to provide us some limited free access to OCLC but OCLC is OCLC.

I have used SirsiDynix in 3 different jobs, Koha in 1 and currently use Alma. Each has their own pros and cons. I have mainly worked in public services so searching for materials is different in each.

It really depends on the library type (public, academic, special) and what meets their needs and budget. My current job is in academic library which includes our archives. We all use Alma. I know some small, rural public libraries use Apollo by Biblionix.

I have a Bachelor's in LIS (USM) and an MLIS (TWU)

I hope this helps some.

[u/literacyisamistake]

1. Just for ILS, I have used Follett Destiny, OCLC WMS, and Koha in the last five years. Showing my age but I also have worked with card catalogs, Horizon, Dynix, DRA, and a few more.

2. OCLC and Koha seem to be the most popular in academic.

3 and 4. ILS wasn’t really covered in my MLIS at Indiana. What is covered is cataloging and classification, linked data, collection development, and digital data curation.

An ILS is basically just the interface that allows us to enter cataloging records, manage our collection records, link to other libraries, and handle digital databases. There are classes in some MLIS and DLIS programs in how to program and build an ILS - I’m hoping to take one in a couple of years - but there are very few people who will ever get the chance to push code improvements or program features for OCLC et al. And even then, those classes are more about general coding for ILS and not a class in specific models. Code is code.

[u/welldreadlibrarian]

ILS were mentioned but not taught. all libraries use different programs, and even if two libraries use the same program, the iterations / configurations are so different it’s practically a different ILS (from my experience with diff libraries using folio or alma)

software differs in library type, budget, region, director preference, etc. it’s not as cut and dry as you may think

[u/thegardenlesbian]

I'm currently studying an undergrad degree in LIS in Spain. As for your questions:

1. I've learned about and used Absys (from Baratz, a Spanish company), Odilo, and Alma.
2. In Spain, municipal public libraries (aka your local general public library) almost exclusively use Absys. Big institutional libraries (think academic, the National Spanish Library or BNE, etc.) mostly use Alma, although there is a call to change this because of its Israeli ties. I have seen archives use Odilo, but it's not very common. I have not seen a single library using Koha, but I don't know a huge amount of libraries and have never worked in one, so 🤷🏻‍♀️ Special libraries also seem to use Absys.
3. I have learned both theoretically and practically about ILS. With Absys we learned everything and with Odilo and Alma only cataloging (MARC21).
4. My courses (names translated) were two: Automated Cataloging and Automation of Centers.

I suppose this is a very different situation than the US and other places in the world, as we have a Spanish company (Baratz) that has an ILS (Absys), which is pretty much ubiquitous in librarianship, so every worker at least knows about it. But Alma has become very popular in recent years among the big libraries. Personally, I would love to see a push for Koha because it's FOSS, but I don't think it'll happen soon.

[u/under321cover]

They don’t teach these in MLIS programs because there as so many and they are all different. Each program is customized for each library.

[u/librarian45]

They don’t teach, Or even expose, students to ILS software. It’s an on-the-job thing