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Working with LOUIS

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Laurie Blandino
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What is LOUIS?

LOUIS is a consortium of public and private college and university libraries in the state of Louisiana. This partnership was formed in 1992 by the library deans and directors at these institutions, in order to create a cost-effective collaboration among the institutions for the procurement of library technology and resources.

Meet the Team

https://louislibraries.org/about/louis/team

Support from LOUIS

LOUIS TASK Portal

Through the TASK Portal you have access to the Knowledge Base which has lots of useful articles on troubleshooting and some webinars and how-to videos.  You can also use the TASK Portal to submit a ticket for help from LOUIS if you run into roadblocks with any LOUIS provided resources.  The link is https://task.louislibraries.org.

The LOUIS Community

LOUIS Member Libraries

Our members include all libraries at public and private colleges and universities, as well as some special libraries, in the state of Louisiana. We cooperate to maximize cost-savings for resource and technology that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive. We therefore effectively level the playing field for all students and faculty by ensuring equitable access to these critical resources and technology.

Explore all member libraries and check out the resources your library receives through LOUIS here: https://louislibraries.org/member-resources/member-libraries

Discussion Lists

We communicate through various discussion lists. These lists are provided to facilitate discussion among consortium members, ranging from general news & announcements to specific questions about current library technologies, services, & trends. Active participation on a list is encouraged for all LOUIS members, as list participants often have a great deal of experience to share with their peers.

LOUIS manages a number of discussion lists for the LOUIS Community.  Learn all about them here: https://louislibraries.org/member-resources/listservs

Then request a subscription to those you are interested in here: https://louis.libwizard.com/f/subscribe

Working Groups

Working groups are commissioned by the LOUIS Board to address emerging needs and concerns within the consortium. Each working group is given a specific charge - area to investigate - and deadline to work toward. This framework provides the consortium a formal network for exchanging ideas and problem-solving, while increasing efficiency.

There is one standing group, the Electronic Resources Working Group who is charged with reviewing the LOUIS core collection.

Call for nominations are sent out to the Deans and Directors list and to the LOUIS listserv.

  • LOUIS Executive Board will review nominations and make the final appointments in order that broad and diverse membership needs and perspectives are represented.
  • Chair nominations can be self-nominations from the Dean or Director or nominations for a Dean or Director at another institution.
  • Working Group member nominations should come from the Dean and Director on behalf of their staff, or as a self-nomination.
  • Submit as many or few nominations as you desire. 

Learn about the working groups here: https://louislibraries.org/member-resources/working-groups

LOUIS Provided Resources and Services

Library Management System

Symphony, a product developed by SirsiDynix, is the library management system implemented and supported by LOUIS. It provides next-generation, browser-based tools, as well as a desktop client.

Learn more here: https://louislibraries.org/services/lsp

Electronic Resources

LOUIS negotiates the cost of library technology and resources. We maximize the purchasing power of our members to ensure we provide the best possible return on the State's and our members' investments. LOUIS uses the Consortia Manager electronic resources management system. LOUIS members can access to license agreements, subscription renewals and offers, prices, and invoices through Consortia Manager.

Resource Sharing

We have implemented ILLiad, to enable our members' inter-library loan service.  Reciprocal borrowing further enhances our libraries' collections by giving their user community borrowing privileges at other member libraries. Libraries issue a Reciprocal Borrowing Card to authorized users, who can then travel to any participating library within the state to borrow eligible resources.

Learn more here:  https://louislibraries.org/services/resource-sharing

Affordable Learning LOUISiana

Through our Affordable Learning LOUISiana initiative, LOUIS partners libraries and faculty to save students money on education by reducing the costs of instructional materials through the use of Affordable Education Resources (AERs), Open Educational Resources (OERs), and other open-access materials. This also ensures that students have equitable access to course materials on the first day of class.

Learn more here: https://louislibraries.org/initiatives/affordable-learning 

Digital Inclusion

Since 2020 LOUIS has supported a Digital Inclusion initiative with the Louisiana Board of Regents. This effort made Northstar Digital Literacy available to all member libraries, brought professional development opportunities, and a community of higher education practitioners together to address the digital divide. 

Learn more here: https://louislibraries.org/initiatives/digital-inclusion/overview

Assessment

LOUIS provides raw statistics as well as visual dashboards to aid member library assessment projects. We share individualized statistics at key points of the year directly with members, and we also regularly update consortia-wide assessment tools on our website.

Learn more here: https://louislibraries.org/services/assessment 

 

 

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