A leap into the future – migrating to FOLIO: A cataloguer’s perspective

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to share the journey of the Durban University of Technology (DUT) Library experience as one of the first African libraries to adopt an open-source integrated library management system. It is hoped that other libraries may benefit from this migration experience. The main aim of an Integrated Library System (ILS) is to improve productivity for both users and librarians. The migration from the old library management system to the new system encountered many challenges which included limited time, data corruption and quality issues. The cataloguing section is usually the main focus area that deals with the bulk of the migration data corruption issues. This paper highlights and focuses on a cataloguer’s perception of the new ILS Future of Libraries is Open (FOLIO) and the way the cataloguers adjusted to the new system. Evidence of the migration process was obtained from reports and active participation in the implementation process.