In the current issue of Scan (Volume 35, Issue 1), Sonya Engelen outlines some benefits that OLIVER has bought to the students at Thirroul Public School.
OLIVER has become the standard for library catalogues in schools in NSW. Not only is it used in Department of Education Schools, but also through schools managed by the Catholic Education Office, Sydney and independent schools.
I have used or being exposed to other systems over the years and OLIVER is by far the best. Sonya has raised those benefits well like the Web 2.0 interface and ability to create lists containing resources for a topic. It simplifies the work in locating and selecting resources. As a teacher, I actually like creating and maintaining resource lists because it guide me in which resources to use in the classroom but also share it with students, so that they can actively use resources. This can be easily updated and changed as resources come and go.
Also the students can take ownership through providing book reviews, particularly if one is struggling to pick a book of their choice. This can also be tied into library feature reports in school newsletters
She does point one challenge in terms of educating students in how to login and access the catalogue, which is one challenge I'll have to set myself to do. At Waverley College, I introduced students to the basics of OLIVER, like how to do a search, locate lists and identify the format of resources, but need to focus on the more advanced features like accessing the lists, advanced search features and even how to actually reserve a book without one having to go to the information desk.
