Turkey Takeover

When turkeys aren’t just hanging out in the oven/sauna for 2 to 5 hours at 325 degrees, they’re looking for a bargain. Because turkeys are notoriously thrifty.Happy Thanksgiving Day! (Turkey waving)

CLiC’s money-saving deals are all the rage among the entire poultry community. We see turkeys subscribing to EBSCO databases, chickens licensing Pebble Go Next, and pheasants doing research through Infobase products.

Take from us — e-resource products really are for the birds.

By the way, CLiC will be closed on Thursday and Friday this week.

CMS System – Lights Out!

We’ve reached the end of an era, in terms of courier services.

Courier Management System interface screenshot

The Courier Management System

For nearly two decades, CLiC has operated what it calls the Courier Management System, a fancy name for a combined database and website containing information about every library, academic institution or school participating in the statewide courier service. For years, our organization utilized this specialized, custom tool developed by Quipu Group (a fantastic library software development company well known in the Colorado library community).

For years, libraries used the CMS to look up courier codes and information about other libraries, to generate courier slips, and to review their courier cost estimates.

As we all know, technology has marched steadily forward. Custom coding and system updates are required to develop and maintain the CMS, so we’ve reached that predictable point when other web-based systems offer similar or improved functionality at a fraction of the cost and maintenance headaches. Quietly, steadily, CLiC has developed internal tools or has licensed off-the-shelf software or website plugins that replace the functions built into the CMS. My oh my, how this system served all of us well, and lasted soooo long.

But it’s finally time to turn off the lights on the CMS. On Thursday, August 8, this system will go dark.


WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?!

In case you’re one of those few individuals who still use on the CMS, we can assure you, nothing has been lost. We still have your tools.

Looking for our Courier Code Lookup tool? Courier Code Lookup

Looking for our Routing Slip Generator? Print Courier Slips

Both of these are easily accessible from CLiC’s In State Courier page. You also will find on the page COST tables for libraries’ participation — this is where we have annually published the rates for this statewide service, subsidized by funding received from the State of Colorado.

 

FY23-24 Courier Estimates

Man unloading bins from truck

The Courier Team soon will be initiating the annual process of sending out courier cost estimates for the coming service year (October 2023 – September 2024). Those should be showing up in your email inboxes starting after September 20. If you have an urgent need for your library’s estimate, please email courierhelp@clicweb.org and we’ll work to expedite that document.

Pause for a moment and think about the impact of statewide resource sharing. Here’s a quote from a Western Slope library patron about why statewide resource sharing is so important, “I am an avid reader, usually having at least 2 books on my reading table, as well as one audio book in my car for commuting and another audio book in my house for distraction during housework and exercising. I always have several materials on my Hold list (today I have 8). I am so grateful for the courier service that brings me materials from our District, as well as outside it. In fact, my life would be so much drearier without it!

That right there is why we do all the work that makes statewide resource sharing happen!

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays - wintry scene with cartoon trees and falling snow

CLiC Offices will be closed December 26 & 27 and January 2 in observance of holiday dates.

Courier ILL Data

This post/page previously featured a brief form, used by a handful of libraries to report their ILL data. It has since been retired, since a majority of libraries in Colorado participate in the three major resource-sharing networks: Prospector, Marmot and AspenCat.

Please direct any questions to courierhelp@clicweb.org

Thanks!