Multi-Data Station Technology

Alexandria offers central union, distributed union, and single-site systems for libraries; however, there are times when even this variety of library system models has not met the needs of everyone involved in the process. Now, a new Alexandria model, Multi-Data Station Technology (MDS), provides yet another solution making Alexandria the perfect system to fit everyone's needs!

The Technology Headache

Multi-Data Station Technology provides an answer to the problem of growing hardware and software requirements that have faced district technical staff, school district administrators, and librarians.

District technical staff are faced with increasing demands on their technicians as more computers and programs are acquired. In order to more efficiently use the technical support staff they have, these departments are constantly looking for ways to cut back on time issues—cutting travel time, consolidating servers and/or programs, etc. Technicians prefer central union library systems because maintaining a program with a single database housed on one server is preferable to having a separate server and database for each library.

School district administrators are constantly faced with budgetary shortages. Therefore, they must make the best use of the funds available for staffing and resources. Increased technological demands means increased need for servers, computers, and technical staff for maintenance.

School librarians want to provide what is best for the students and staff that they serve. Within a district, the needs of elementary and secondary schools vary greatly. The needs of students in an affluent area of a district will differ from those in recognized lower-income areas. In addition, librarians feel the autonomy that they have in setting policies and purchasing materials to fit the needs of their school population is crucial in providing the best service possible. While the librarians can appreciate the benefits of sharing materials, being part of one central library system, where policies and resources are standardized, may be perceived as a far inferior method of servicing the needs of their schools.

The Technological Solution

Now, with Multi Data-Station Technology, the technical staff, district, and librarians can have a system that meets their needs.

Running numerous data stations on the same server saves technicians time.

Instead of having to go from school to school to maintain individual library systems, all Alexandria data stations can be housed on a single server. This server may be located in a district location rather than a school. This enables the technical staff to have easy access to the server and to save travel time as well as the maintenance time that is required when multiple servers are needed.

Purchasing fewer servers saves the district money.

Purchasing fewer servers will save the district money and provide a more cost-effective use of staff; circumventing the need to hire additional technical support.

Librarians retain the autonomy they desire.

Librarians will be able to customize their library systems and services to best serve the needs of their students and staff. Policies, purchases, etcetera will be made on the local level for a better, more customized service.

System Hardware Requirements

System hardware requirements will vary based upon the number of data stations that will be run on the server. Please contact our sales staff to find out the hardware requirements that will fit your needs.