Project Title: SirsiDynix: Library Management System

The Challenge

SirsiDynix currently provides its automated library systems to more libraries than any other Integrated Library System (ILS) vendor. Most of its customers are using Dynix, created nearly 20 years ago for public libraries, but subsequently implemented by all sizes of public, school, academic, and special libraries.

Horizon, a product originally targeted for single-site special libraries with client/server environments, has become the upgrade path for Dynix customers and the primary product for all new Dynix ILS customers. Although Horizon represents newer technology than Dynix, some of its modules have not caught up with those represented in Dynix ILS, and system migrations from Dynix to Horizon have, in some cases, created lukewarm, if not hostile, responses from those customers making the move. Although many have been pleased with the move from Dynix to Horizon, this lack of overwhelming endorsement has been the cause of some customers looking elsewhere for ILS solutions and a loss of Dynix’s market share.

New system called HEAT will combine the power of two legacy products, Dynix and Horizon. The system will feature new architecture, greater interoperability, multiple language capability, and ease of localization for global adaptation.
From the implementation standpoint, there were certain challenges that put the project into a class of its own among Exigen Services projects:

Quick gathering of the project team Over 20 people are engaged in the project and the team had to be put together in under 2 months.

Team building 90% of the team are newcomers. The challenge was to assemble a team that would work together efficiently.

Quick learning SirsiDynix has been working on this project for 1.5 years. A lot of source code has been written, but technical documentation for the project is insufficient, so Exigen Services engineers had to learn quickly to start producing results from the very beginning.

A new methodology SirsiDynix is using an agile development methodology called SCRUM in this project. Our team had to understand it, cultivate it and adopt it to our needs.

We are a part of the whole Development is done on several sites in the U.S., Canada, and Russia. This implies strict and accurate approach to a team work.

The Solution

Collaboration with Exigen Services started in December 2004 when SirsiDynix contracted Exigen Services to work on the new library system, called HEAT which combines the power of two legacy products, Dynix and Horizon and takes advantage of the latest technological advances, providing cost effective ways of selling, delivering, and supporting a library system.

The system will feature new architecture, greater interoperability, multiple language capability, and ease of localization for global adaptation. The primary objective is to create a system which can quickly and easily be developed, adding new features which will catch up with and surpass competition.

The system becomes THE platform for library automation as Exigen Services creates the APIs and processes whereby we can enlist the help of 3rd party partners, distributors, customers, and global office staff to help improve the product. In order to accomplish this goal, HEAT will provide:

1. Open architecture (RDBMS, Linux support, Java-based multi-tier architecture)
   
2. Full compliance to library and computer standards (XML, MARC Holdings, EDI, etc.)
   
3. Well-written and documented APIs for 3rd party and customer-written features.

The scope of the current project includes:

1. Development of cataloging module for storing and cataloging bibliographic, authority, item records, importing and exporting those from/to external resources like publishers, local or national libraries.
   
   
2. Development of circulation module used for checking in and out all the materials which library can handle and for maintaining the whole workflow process of a library.
   
   
3. Development of serials module to control serial publications and subscriptions, which reduces the workload of the library by electronically loading invoices and pub-patterns, traditional labor-intensive processes.
   
   
4. Development (partly) of system web-part allowing users to gain access to Library management system resources via web: for example to search for a needed literature and to leave an order for a book.

"Dynix is collaborating with Exigen Services on a very large system software development project which is on schedule and moving quickly. We have been doing software development for over 30 years now at both large companies like IBM and startup companies like MobileWare, and have never experienced a smoother engagement. This development project was negotiated, signed and staffed with more than 20 qualified engineers in less than 60 days. Significant development milestones were completed in just a few weeks and all joint development projects are being efficiently tracked and are on schedule. I am extremely pleased with our partnership."

Tools and Technologies

• Development Environment: Sun Java 1.5, J2EE, Hibernate, Swing, Portlets
  
• Operating Systems: Sun Solaris, Red Hat Linux, SuSE Enterprise, Windows 2000/2003
  
• Application server: JBoss
  
• Hardware Platforms: Sun, SunFire, IBM RS6000, PC, HP AIX, HP Proliant ML, Dell PowerEdge, Blade
  
• RDBMS: Sybase, Oracle, DB2, MS SQL