RUG and SIG Survey Seeking Input

A RUG survey has been created to gain a better understanding of the various SIRSI and Dynix regional user groups - their current viability, and future goals.  Please take a moments to answer a few questions. The survey will close December 31.

As for our SIGS, even if you have already provided info for our Orlando conference, please send contact name and email info, and website URL to this link, if available by December 31.

Many thanks for helping COSUGI learn how best to serve the needs of our RUGS and SIGS.

COSUGI Conference [10/13/09]

The 2010 COSUGI First Annual Conference will be held on March 3-5 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. We're looking for presenters. Conference program proposals are currently being accepted. Submit your proposal through the form found at: http://tinyurl.com/yestdte.

Hotel reservations can now be made.

Please visit the Conference section for all conference related information.

COSUGI-L Announcement [9-16-09]

[COSUGI-L] On the way is live (09/16/09)- COSUGI has launched a new e-mail list service. This service, proposed by members for members, is intended to best serve COSUGI member to member communications. This list service is not a replacement or alternative to any current SirsiDynix or COSUGI list service. COSUGI-L is intended to provide a common forum for all COSUGI members to discuss and share user group issues and ideas. This list service is also anticipated to be the primary list forum for COSUGI business. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE

Website Updates [08/10/09]

• Official COSUGI Business E-Mail running: See the Contact Link button from the top navigation bar.
• COSUGI.ORG is now ours... for real: The COSUGI web site now resolves to COSUGI.ORG. The COSUGI website will continue to resolve to COSUGI.NET for the time being. WWW.COSUGI.ORG will remain as the official online address for COSUGI.
• UUGI.ORG & CODI.ORG are now archived within COSUGI.ORG: The complete web sites for CODI and UUGI are housed within COSUGI.ORG. See the Quick Links menu on the right. Both sites were copied in entirety.

COSUGI Needs A LOGO [06/14/09]

Do you have a graphical talent or idea for a COSUGI Logo? Would you like to design it? If so, send your GIF or JPEG sample to the COSUGI webmaster! Submitted samples should be no larger than 275 pixels wide by 125 pixels high. All submissions will be displayed and voted upon by the membership.

Submission samples so far:

Oak Leaf - Created by Chris Hauser - Inspired by the symbol of strength from the Oak tree... each user of SirsiDynix being an individual and unique leaf which makes up the whole of the trees canopy. In absence of leaves, the tree would wither and die. The tree's components: leaves, branches, and roots, must all complement each other for the system to survive. - other corny stuff like that. I thought about using acorns but then everyone would think we were just nuts. - Chris

Generic - Created by Chris Hauser - Inspired in the interest of time and need.

ALA July 2009 COSUGI Meeting [07/07/09]

A general COSUGI users meeting will be held at the 2009 ALA meeting in Chicago.

DATE: Saturday, July 11th.

TIME: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

PLACE: Hyatt McCormic

This meeting will be an general overview of the COSUGI transition progress to date. The COSUGI 2009/10 Chair, Chris Hauser, will introduce the new COSUGI Website, discuss new and planned services of the site, answer questions and/or concerns about the archival of the CODI and UUGI websites, and seek input from members on ways we might further strengthen membership value to current and future COSUGI members. See you at ALA!

-07/29/09 Update- Thank you all who attended!! It was nice to put some faces to names. - Chris H.

2009 Joint Conference Presentations now available [04/08/09]

UPDATE 09/24/09 - The company and user presentations are currently being relocated from the old (and now expired) joint conference website to the COSUGI Website. Password access to the files will be established once the files are compiled onto the COSUGI site.

The user and Sirsidynix presentations and downloadable materials are now available from the 2009 CODI/UUGI Joint Conference Website. Access does require a password which can be obtained by accessing the SirsiDynix Client Care Portal, entering your Client Care Username and Password. There will be a link to the bottom left which will lead you to the 2009 Joint Conference Archive username and password.

2009/2010 Cosugi Officers announced at the 2009 Joint Conference in Dallas Texas [04/08/09]

The current boards of CODI and UUGI are pleased to announce the new officers for the COSUGI board. CODI and UUGI officers will continue in office until May 31, 2009 completing the merger and working with the COSUGI officers to facilitate a smooth transition.

COSUGI Chair: Chris Hauser, Information Technology Librarian, Stewart Library at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, has been the database administrator of the library's Horizon ILS system for 13 years and has attended all annual Horizon user group conferences that have taken place since his hire at Weber State. Chris holds a B.S Degree in Telecommunications from Weber State University and earned his Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas. Chris is a strong advocate for bridging technology to library service, serves on Weber State University's Library Council as-well-as many other faculty/staff technology related committees. Chris oversees the operations of the Stewart Library's Bibliographic Services and Systems Departments. Having been a long time member of the Horizon and CODI user groups and having had served the CODI Board in past years, (Local Arrangements Chair, Programming Chair, Vice President/President Elect) Chris possesses insight to the historical and current operations and duties of the user's group board. Chris would be honored to serve as the COSUGI Executive Chairperson and looks forward to continued relationships with long time colleagues and the new relationships to come with the merge of CODI and UUGI into COSUGI.

COSUGI Chair-Elect: Coleen Neary, Information/Technical Analyst, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond is the Systems Administrator for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and 4 other FRB
libraries. They have been a Unicorn site since 2001. Coleen has been active with UUGI as part of the Nominating Committee, a volunteer position, since 2005. She hopes to fill the shoes of many of the
wonderful UUGI representatives that she has worked with and met over the years.

COSUGI Past Chair position will be co-held by UUGI's final chair, Carla Clark of Louisiana State University - Shreveport, and CODI's final chair, Colleen Medling of Salt Lake County Library Services.

COSUGI Secretary: Janet Young, Library Manager: Technical Services/System Administrator, Hurst Public Library, has been an active participant in the users’ group since 1995 when she joined the staff at the Hurst Public Library in Hurst, Texas as System Administrator/Tech Services Librarian. She has served as Chair of the Public Library SIG and has been active in the Enhancement process since it was established, serving as initially as coordinator for OPAC enhancements, and is currently coordinator for the iBistro/iLink Enhancement Forum. In addition to a MSLS from the University of North Texas, she holds a BA in Music from Washington State University. In her free time, she is a member of the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving (Texas). As a member of the COSUGI Executive Board, she is committed to improving communication.

COSUGI Treasurer: Sharolynn Pyeatt, Catalog Department, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, has 28 years of library experience, primarily in Acquisitions and Cataloging. She has earned an MLS from University of North Texas as well as an MBA from Marriott School of Management, BYU and a BA in International Relations from BYU. Sharolynn is eager to serve and has a desire to facilitate positive and effective relationships between COSUGI members and between COSUGI members and Sirsi/Dynix.

COSUGI Enhancements Coordinator: Joel Hahn, Lead Cataloger, Niles Public Library District (a member of the CCS consortium), with nearly 15 years at his current insitution and 7 years with Unicorn/Symphony, he has been very active on the enhancement forums for most of that time, including as moderator of the Consortia forum for the last 3 years. Joel is familiar with the Enhancement Coordinator's job and will be an asset in the position.

COSUGI RUG/SIG Liaison: Andy Gulati, Systems Librarian, Franklin and Marshall College, has managed and facilitated SirsiDynix products and services at Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, PA) since 2001 and currently beta-testing GL3.3 product. Andy has been active in SNRG (SirsiDynix Northeast Regional Group), providing sessions at our regional conference. He currently serves as co-chair of the SirsiDynix/SIG at our local consortia, ACLCP (Associated College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania). Almost half of ACLCP libraries are SirsiDynix customers. Wherever possible, he plans to extend the work of his predecessors, and attempt to get the most out of SirsiDynix products and services at the regional levels.

COSUGI Conference Chair: Brian Sherman, Head Collection Management, McNeese State University, started his career in libraries as a student worker in the circulation and ILL department at the Noel Memorial Library at LSU in Shreveport. After graduating with a bachelor’s, he became a full-time staff member in the circulation/ILL department and over the next several years also held paraprofessional positions in cataloging, reference, and the microforms department. Concurrently as he worked at LSUS, Brian earned a master’s in history and also worked in the genealogy department at the Shreve Memorial Public Library system. After graduating with an M.L.I.S. from the University of North Texas, Brian became the Head of Collection Management at McNeese State University. Having served last year as Chair-Elect of UUGI, is eager to serve again on the COSUGI board and to take advantage of the great opportunity to meet other library professionals and develop relationships and ideas that allow me to better perform and enhance the services that he brings to his library users, as well as other SirsiDynix users.

COSUGI Conference Chair-Elect: Liz Rowe-Rawlinson, Information Technology Director, Rocky River Public Library, has worked in three interrelated disciplines: education, information technology, and LRR and information science. She began her career as a teacher and tutor of children with learning disabilities. After returning to college to obtain a degree in computer science, Liz worked as a programmer, consultant, and manager of Information Technology. Now in her 8th year at Rocky River Public Library, Liz holds the position of Information Technology Director. Concurrently, she is completing a Masters of Library and Information Science degree along with a Graduate Academic Certificate in Advanced Management in Libraries and Information Agencies from the University of North Texas.

COSUGI Membership and Communications Chair: Ann Hutton, Executive Director, SELCO (Southeastern Libraries Cooperating) Ann's skills center on organizational management rather than system administration as SELCO strives with the Horizon software to meet the unique needs of the online libraries. SELCO's membership includes one academic, two special, and 37 public libraries, and 42 school media centers. SELCO migrated from DRA Classic to Horizon in 2003 and immediately joined CODI for the support and advice from its members. Having benefited from the camaraderie and knowledge provided by the User Group, Ann welcomes the opportunity to participate in COSUGI’s evolving future.

2010/2011 COSUGI Board Members Announced at 2010 COSUGI Conference in Orlando FL [03/05/2010]

Brian Sherman, Head of Collection Management
McNeese State University
Chair-Elect

Laura England, Assistant Director / System Librarian
Keene Memorial Library
Conference Chair-Elect

Sean Farrell, Assistant Director
Library of Hattiesburg, Petal & Forrest County
Secretary

Andy Gulati, Systems Librarian
Franklin & Marshall College Library

SIG / RUG Member-at-Large

Esther Blood, Circulation Unit Head
Louisiana State University Alexandria

Membership and Communications Chair

2010 COSUGI Conference Highlights [4/01/2010]

The 2010 COSUGI Conference Highlights video is now available on YouTube.