Statistics 

TITLE REPORTS
detailed lending and borrowing statistics. Useful for collection development

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intials: tf
password: taskforce 

PROSPECTOR FULFILLMENTS

• 2024 Calendar Year Fulfillments (Microsoft Excel Document)
• Monthly Fulfillments
• Generate Custom Fulfillments
• Old Fulfillments

BIB & ITEM QUARTERLY STATS

• Nov 2023 (Microsoft Excel Document)
• Oct 2022 (Microsoft Excel Document)
• July 2022 (Microsoft Excel Document)
• Apr 2022 (Microsoft Excel Document)
• Jan 2022 (Microsoft Excel Document)
• Old Statistics

Catalog Reference Presentations and Meeting Notes

December 7, 2023

• Meeting Recording (MP4)

Presentations

• Prospector Update (PDF)
• SWIFT Update (PDF)
• FOLIO Update (Google Doc)

December 14, 2022

• December 2022 Update (MP4)- (Prospector update, FOLIO update, inclusive cataloging discussion)

Presenters: Rose Nelson-CO Alliance, Paul Moeller-CU Boulder, Nicole Becwar-CO School of Mines, Jawahir Javaid-DPL, Sara Werling-CU Boulder

Resources

• Prospector update (Microsoft Power Point)
• FOLIO update (Google Doc)
• The Cataloging Lab
• Critcatenate
• LGBTQ+ Subject Headings at DPL (Google Doc)
• Homosaurus

January 2022

Prospector Refresher (MP4)

October 22, 2021

How Prospector Works (MP4) (video does play audio, just muted at very beginning.) 

Presenter Slides: (Click on each name to download slides)

• Rose Nelson, CO Alliance of Research Libraries (Microsoft Power Point)
• Karen Neville, Red Rocks Community College (PDF)
• Philip Gaddis, Auraria Library (Microsoft Power Point)
• Sarah Vaughn, UNC (PDF)
• Paul Moeller, CU-Boulder (PDF)

PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS

Catalog Reference Committee Minutes Archives

• Feb 20, 2020 (Microsoft Word Document)
• Nov. 6, 2019 (Microsoft Word Document)
• Sept.11, 2019 (Microsoft Word Document)
• Oct 18, 2018 (PDF)
• Feb 15, 2018 (PDF)
• Oct 5, 2017 (PDF)
• Feb 16, 2017 (PDF)
• Oct 20, 2016 (PDF)
• July 21, 2016 (PDF)
• April 14, 2016 (PDF)
• Jan 21, 2016 (PDF)
• Oct 15, 2015 (PDF)
• March 19, 2015 (PDF)
• Oct 15, 2014 (PDF)
• Jan 2014 (PDF)
• Oct 2013 (PDF)
• July 2013 (PDF)
• Feb, 2013 (PDF)
• May 2012 (PDF)
• June 2011 (Microsoft Word Document)

Catalog Reference Committee

General Information

• Committee Charge (PDF)
• Committee Member List (Google Doc)
• Listserv
• Meeting Recordings
• Archived Meeting Minutes (before 2021)

Best Practices

• Best Practices for Multimedia and Multivolume Sets (PDF)
• Best Practices for Loading MARC Records for Electronic Resources (PDF)

Codes & Tags

• Circulation Status Codes (PDF)
• Overlay Priority Table (PDF)
• Prospector Contribution Codes (PDF)
• Library Load Priority Encoding Levels (PDF)
• Prospector and Mobius Ptypes & Itypes (PDF)
• Millenium Field Group Tags (PDF)
• Assigning MARC to Inn-Reach Fields (Microsoft Word Document)
• Public Display Labels (PDF)

Prospector Resource Sharing 

CONTACT  AND COMMUNICATION

• Prospector Contact List (Google Docs)
• Meeting Recordings/Minutes
• Prospector Resource Sharing Listserv
   

TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS

• Prospector Ptypes & Itypes (Google Docs)
• INN-Reach Circulation Status Codes (PDF)
• Prospector Contribution Codes (PDF)

POLICIES

• Prospector Lending Policy (Google Docs)
• Prospector Reconciliation Policy (Google Docs)
• Prospector Replacement Policy (Google Docs)
• Eric Microfiche Agreement (PDF)
• Visiting Patron List (PDF)

RECONCILIATION PROCESS

• Prospector Reconciliation Policy (PDF)
• 2023 Master Reconciliation List (Google Docs)
• Oct 2024 Reconciliation Instructions and Timeline for 2023 Institutional Overdues (Google Docs)

BEST PRACTICES

• It's All In The Details: Best Practices for Prospector Materials Handling (YouTube Video)
• Best Practices Document (PDF)
• Anythink's Prospector & Courier Best Practices (PDF)

PAGING SLIP TEMPLATES

Paging Slip Template Examples

• Example #1 (customized by Sarah Vaughn, UNC)
• Example #2 (customized by Brandon Cole, Marmot)

PROCEDURAL DOCUMENTS

• Processing Prospector Items (PDF)
• INN-Reach Reports Detailed with Screen Shots (PDF)
• INN-Reach Reports Description and Handling (PDF)
• Prospector & Courier Best Practices (PDF) (Anythink Libraries)
• Springer Ebooks-Lending Library Instructions (Google Docs)
• Springer Ebook Contacts (Google Docs) (See column "Q" on list)

DIGITAL LENDING

• Providers and Lending Libraries (Google Docs)
• Digital Lending FAQ
• SILLVR FAQ
• SILLVR Contacts (Google Docs) (Column "Q" on list)
• Springer Ebooks-Lending Library Instructions (Google Docs)
• Springer Ebook Contacts (Google Docs) (column "R" on list )

Prospector Training and Marketing Materials

• It's All In The Details: Best Practices for Prospector Materials Handling (YouTube Video)
• SILLVR logo (JPG Image)
• Prospector FLC Brochure (PDF)
• Prospector Logo (PNG Image) (horizontal banner)
• Prospector gold miner image (PNG Image)

Prospector is a union catalog of  nearly 200 academic, public and special libraries in Colorado and Wyoming. Prospector gives library patrons and staff access to more than 30 million books, journals, DVDs, CDs, videos and other materials held in the Prospector member libraries. With a single search, patrons can find materials and request free delivery to their local library via the Colorado Library Courier. 

Prospector Lending Policy

There are some exceptions, but most items in Prospector follow these lending policies:

• 21 day loan period (1 week for most DVDs, CDs, and videotapes)
• 1 renewal (No renewal for most DVDs, CDs, and videotapes)
• Up to 70 requests/check-outs per person. However, local library limits may be more restrictive and take precedence over Prospector limits. 
• Overdue fines and fees will be determined by your local library (the library whose card you used to check-out the item) 
• If all copies of materials are checked-out a hold may be placed although books may not be recalled
• Springer and Elsevier ebooks are requestable through Prospector and have the same checkout period as print books.  They are downloadable as PDF files. Other ebooks from publishers or vendors are not available through Prospector.
• Some streaming videos may also be available through Prospector.  Lending policies for these items are dictated by license agreements and may be shorter than 21 days and don't allow renewals.

Technical Information

Prospector runs on the Innovative Interfaces, Inc. (III) software module called INN-Reach, which is administered through III but maintained locally by Alliance staff. Libraries who use a non-III system can still join Prospector. For more information, please send an email to help@coalliance.org.

History

Prospector was originally developed with funds awarded through a state technology grant in 1999. Prospector went live with 19 libraries and has more than doubled in members over the last several years.

Governance

The Prospector Directors Group consists of Alliance and non-Alliance deans and directors of Prospector member libraries. There is an Annual Prospector Director's meeting held in November. There is also a Prospector preconference each year at the Colorado Interlibrary Loan Conference .

There are two standing Prospector committees: Catalog Reference Committee and Document Delivery Committee that meet regularly to discuss policies and procedures.  Committees are chaired by staff from member libraries.  A representative from the Alliance sits on both committees helping to oversee activities and organize meetings. 

A Brief History

The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries is a non-profit organization that began in 1973 and was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 1981 by Ward Shaw, the founding executive director. From the beginning, the consortium was designed to help research and educational institutions share information resources and reduce operating costs by working together.

In 1982, the organization began development of the CARL integrated library system (ILS) to replace the traditional card catalogs at the Alliance member libraries. In 1988, CARL formed “CARL Systems Incorporated,” a for-profit subsidiary whose purpose was to market the CARL ILS. The organization also launched an article request and delivery system called “UnCover” in 1988.

In 1995, the consortium sold CARL Systems, Inc. and UnCover, plus the “CARL” name, to Knight-Ridder Information, Inc. With that sale, the consortium legally became the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries which is often shortened to "the Alliance.” There is no current affiliation between the Alliance and these historical products, and the Alliance no longer uses the "CARL" acronym.

With the advent of the Web, the Alliance began locally loading databases from vendors such as SilverPlatter and Ovid in the mid-1990s. This program evolved into a robust consortial licensing program for databases, journal packages, ebooks, and other resources used by member libraries.  The Alliance was a founding member of ICOLC (the International Coalition of Library Consortia) in 1999. This group represents library consortia around the world.

In 1999, the Alliance launched the Prospector union catalog and resource sharing system using the INN-Reach software from Innovative Interfaces Inc.  The system grew from a modest 8 libraries in 1999 to almost 200 libraries in 2025.  The system supports academic and public libraries throughout Colorado plus the University of Wyoming. 

The Gold Rush system was launched in the early 2000s as a link resolver and electronic resource management system.  In 2016 the focus of Gold Rush changed to support library collection analytics where libraries could load their entire catalog of holdings to support collection analytics, shared print programs, deselection of library materials, and other use cases. This change of focus was due to the establishment of the Alliance Shared Print Trust where libraries have made long-term retention commitments to portions of their collection to ensure long-term access to unique materials in the region.

An early history of CARL was published by Steve Fisher, the former University Historian at the University of Denver, in a 2009 article in Collaborative Librarianship.  Alan Charnes became the second executive director in 1991 until his retirement in 2011 (a tribute to Alan was published in Collaborative Librarianship in 2011).  Alan was succeeded by George Machovec who remains as the current executive director.

Our Mission

The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (The Alliance) increases, enhances, and facilitates cooperation among libraries. The Alliance achieves its mission in the following four strategic areas:

Library Services
Facilitate, develop, and improve library services to students, faculty, and the general public.

Library Resources
Share, leverage, and expand library resources.

Access to Information
Promote information creation, collection, access, preservation, storage, and distribution.

Collaboration
Engage in cost-effective collaboration among participating libraries.

Governance

The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries is managed by its Board of Directors and Member Council. The Board focuses on fiscal matters related to the consortium. Member Council (library deans/directors) provide guidance and direction related to the projects and activities offered by the consortium.

Board of Directors

The business affairs of the Alliance are managed by the Board of Directors, according to the provisions of the Alliance Bylaws. The Board meets on a quarterly basis to manage the financial interests of the organization and provide broad oversight of the consortium's activities. 

Member Council

Operating within the general policies established by the Board of Directors, the Alliance Member Council meets every two months to discuss the mission-related activities of the Alliance. The Alliance Member Council is composed of the Dean or Director of each Alliance member institution library (or their representatives). From time to time, the Council will establish task forces or committees to examine topics of interest to the members.