Follett Destiny Library Management System

I am in my eighth year of work as a Teacher Librarian at an elementary school. For the past five or so years the Juneau School District has used the Follett Library System “Destiny Resource Management Solution” program, which is web-based. Though there have been many issues with the interface between Destiny and the “Power School” student ID system, Destiny is a system with which, I believe , all of the (ten) district librarians have been happy. Here’s why.

The big plus with this system is its customer service. It is easy to reach a human who is knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. The three hour time difference between Juneau and Illinois can be challenging but time differences with the lower 48 are something every Alaskan gets used to negotiating.

The very first page of the training manual on the back side of the cover lists three ways to reach support: a website with “how to” articles (available 24/7), phone, email. The fact that help options are displayed “front and center” (and that I have had many chances over the years to evaluate Follett’s help service) tells me this company is serious about customer support.

The Destiny system offers options for managing one’s collection and patrons that are too numerous to list, so suffice it to say cataloging, ordering, managing patron accounts, setting system preferences, setting policies, using a multitude of search choices, and using statistics generated by use, are thorough, well organized, and detailed. Some subscription services that stand out and are offered through Destiny are: State Standards, WebPath Express, Alliance A/V, TitlePeek, One Search, Accelerated Reader and Reader Counts! Reading programs, and Follett Falcon.

State Standards is a service the JSD does not currently use, perhaps because it is an online subscription service, and until this assignment, I was unaware it was an option. With the increased emphasis on standardized testing (certainly becoming front and center in our district), this is something that warrants pursuing. This service helps educators in implementing their state standards for their curriculum. Users are able to do a search for the standard they are addressing, and the related websites and library materials. I’m excited to have found this and plan on discussing it at our next elementary librarian meeting. As our school district is facing a huge budget deficit for next year, I’ll first contact my rep to learn the cost of adding this feature to our Destiny program.

WebPath Express, another subscription service, allows students instant access to thousands of grade-appropriate, relevant Internet sites directly from Destiny. I know one elementary librarian is using this service currently and I believe the subscription price is high. Still, this sounds like an excellent research tool. Just yesterday I inadvertently pulled up a site for my 4th graders that talked about someone on a drunken rampage (oops).

Another subscription service, Alliance A/V gives catalogers instant access to quality MARC 21 (not sure exactly what the “21” references to) records (over 500,000), for AV materials and non-print directly from Destiny. I’m unclear about what this actually does so will be asking some questions.

TitlePeek is a service we do have, though I’m unsure about the cost (will be asking). TitlePeek gives more bibliographic information to patrons and assists the SLMS with the assessment of readability and interest levels, curriculum support, and collection development. It also provides a cover image with each item. I noticed long ago that elementary students are more interested when an image is provided (we have a mix of with and without, not sure why). It would be interesting to take some data on which books are checked out more frequently; those with cover image provided when patron is searching, or those without.

One Search appears not to be something that it is necessary to subscribe to, but it does need to be set up within one’s Destiny system. One Search allows students to search the catalog, as well as free and paid-subscription databases from one interface, with the results provided on a single list. One Search gives access to the best information in the least amount of time.

Accelerated Reader and Reading Counts! match reading program quizzes with books in one”s collection, so students can match books with their reading level. We do not use this service in the JSD.

Follett Falcon PDA is a small hand-held computer that allows the user to perform real-time transactions. Cataloging, inventory, and circulation activities can all be done with Follett Falcon PDA. My guess is this service has been updated since my present manual, published in ’05, was written.

The Job Manager under the Back Office tab allows the administrator to download MARC records and to do other things such as run a collection analysis. I do this once per year and use the plethora of information to inform many aspects of my librarianship. Some helpful information pieces this analysis provides are: number of holdings, number of records, average age of the collection, and the number of books per student. It also analysis each 100s division, providing the average age of that section, number of items, and percent of the total collection. This information is beautifully laid out in the form of a graph and a pie chart, making it very easy to determine what makes up the bulk of the collection and which section is lacking. The report also breaks down each section into tens, thereby further detailing where the library is top heavy or deficient. Another section, “Balanced Dewey Comparisons: FLR” compares the percentages for each section with what a balanced library offers, making it easy to see deficiencies and to set goals when ordering new materials. A fun (and helpful) piece of data is a list of how many books were in the library at the start of each of the last 11 decades. There were two books in the Gastineau Library in the 1900s, and 22,267 on April 5, 2011 when I last did an analysis. Age sensitivity is also analyzed, letting me know what is out of date for such categories as systems Data/Computer Programs, Political Science, Astronomy and Allied Sciences, Medical Sciences, and maps/atlases. This information helps me to watch these categories that go out of date quickly, and to act accordingly. I find this very challenging.

We at JSD are currently waiting for “The Shelf”, an ebook Follett item that allows us to purchase and share ebooks (and is free!). We are hopeful that our IT department will install (next week, our spring break) the new version of Destiny that allows the books to be shared by all and to be integrated into the OPAC search so ebooks pop up when doing searches. We have had a lot of trouble getting this going given some rules from Follett, such as only one librarian in the district being allowed to do ebook ordering, and the fact that the password is automatically changed without our knowledge if a certain amount of time has elapsed since use. This always then requires a flurry of emails that take time and add frustration. We’re hopeful that this new version of Destiny will allow the shelf to run smoothly and that we can get past the ordering constraints. I think our trouble reflects the current ambiguity nationwide with how to handle ebooks in our collections. We are looking at other providers in case the update doesn’t give us what we need. Our rep has been more than congenial about this process, yet it has been fraught with frustration for we librarians. We want there to be a cost-saving component, e.g. any district patron (elementary shelf separate from High School shelf) able to access and use materials from The Shelf. We’d also like to partner with the public libraries on ebooks to save us all money, but that is fairly far down the pike, most likely.

There is certainly a lot more to be said for the Follett Destiny system, but for the purpose of this assignment, I think I’ve provided plenty to contemplate.