Summer Migration to FOLIO

• Use interlibrary loan to request books from outside of the Five Colleges Libraries, journal articles, book chapters, and videos.
• Use Databases A-Z list to access specific databases.
• Use the Journal Locator to find online access to specific journal articles and newspapers.
• If you already have a link to an electronic resource, like a link to an ebook in your Moodle course, it will remain accessible throughout the transition. Additionally, you will be able to access electronic resources if you are searching directly on, for example, JSTOR's platform.
• Consult with Research Services via email at researchservices-g@mtholyoke.edu or make an appointment.
• Check the LITS website for the most up-to-date information about the status of the transition and services available during this period.

Request items

The last date you can request items from MHC or one of the other Five College Libraries is June 21. This will ensure that information about your request is properly captured and maintained when we move circulation and user data into FOLIO the following week.

Check things out

The last date LITS can lend physical library resources using our legacy system is June 26. This will ensure that information about your active loans is properly captured and maintained when we move circulation and user data into FOLIO between June 30th and July 1st.

LITS will continue to hold your requested items through the migration period. If you anticipate that you will not be able to pick up your items by July 19 and would like them held longer, please contact libcirc@mtholyoke.edu for assistance.

LITS staff will be unable to lend equipment and other items in our legacy system after June 26 and into early July. We encourage you to plan for your needs in advance of June 26 whenever possible. 

If you have an urgent need for Circulation or Media Services equipment during the transition, contact libcirc@mtholyoke.edu for assistance and we will do our best to help. Please note that staff will be largely focused on migration tasks during the transition, and response times may be delayed.

Interlibrary loan (ILL) services will not be impacted by the system migration. Through interlibrary loan you can request books from outside of the Five Colleges Libraries, journal articles, book chapters, and videos. If you have an urgent need for a book, please log in to your ILL account and place a request. Contact libill@mtholyoke.edu if you need assistance.

If you already have a link to an electronic resource, such as a link to an ebook in your Moodle course, it will remain accessible throughout the transition.

The Five Colleges Libraries are implementing FOLIO all together as a consortium, and share the same dates for service pauses as we prepare for migration. 

Specific services and access to spaces will vary by institution. Visit individual library websites to see what is available at each campus:

• Amherst
• Hampshire
• Smith
• UMass

LITS will continue to accept material returns during the transition. These returns will be processed after FOLIO implementation, so please be aware that you may see them listed in your account for a brief time before they are processed.

Due dates will be extended before migration to ensure that no items are due while we are between systems.

LITS’ purchase request form will continue to gather requests throughout the transition. However, staff will not place new orders between May 25th and July 18th. This pause will allow time for orders from a variety of vendors to arrive and be processed at MHC prior to migration, and for remaining open order data to be properly captured and maintained as we move library acquisitions data into FOLIO.

LITS’ online reserve system will not be impacted by the system migration. You can continue to use the online system to request materials for reserves throughout the transition, including items that need to be purchased for your fall courses. LITS will begin processing these requests mid-July, when ordering resumes.

Check the LITS website for the most up-to-date information about the status of the transition and services available during this period. LITS will send a community message when migration work is complete and services are fully restored.

Email mhcfolio-g@mtholyoke.edu and we can help answer any questions or route you in the right direction.

Existing library systems (like ALEPH) are based on a decades-old, pre-digital model meant for physical items that use a single metadata standard. In order to best serve the needs of our communities, the Five Colleges Libraries need a system that is flexible, extensible (easily modified by changing or adding features), and highly interoperable.

A summer migration allows the Five Colleges Libraries to complete this work outside of the core academic schedule, at a time that is least disruptive to our collective users. 

Visit the Using Discover Guide for additional context and rationale.

When the migration from ALEPH to FOLIO is complete, circulation services will be fully restored and improved user account functions will be incorporated into our primary search system, Discover. Things will look different, but the services you know and use will continue to be available. 

The FOLIO implementation will help us consolidate and streamline our systems, both in the short and long term. And as part of our preparations, the Five Colleges Libraries have worked together to review and revise policies across the consortium. In addition to using Discover as your primary search and account management tool, you will immediately notice longer loan periods, an increased number of renewals, more flexible fee and fine policies, and automated notices that are more responsive to your due dates and times.

As with all major transitions there will be a period of adjustment. FOLIO is a young system being actively developed by the library community, and as the system evolves and becomes more robust we will continue to refine and improve our processes. Your feedback and patience are appreciated. Please do reach out if you need assistance before, during, or after the transition to FOLIO. We are here to help!