CLEVNET has two “E’s,” 47 member libraries and no app. Patrons of the many libraries in the system covering 12 Northeast Ohio counties have not been able to use the mobile app since late November.
CLEVNET director Jamie Mason said its functionality has been switched off due to a dispute between the app’s developer and the company which handles the library system’s catalog software.
“I don't know the specifics of the two companies, what their exact dispute is, but unfortunately we’re caught in the middle,” he said.
In the meantime, staff is directing people to search.clevnet.org, the browser-based search engine which will also work on mobile devices. Users can find and check out items from CLEVNET’s collection of 10 million items, manage holds and access their account info. CLEVNET members include Cleveland Public Library, Geauga County Public Library, Hudson Library and a few dozen other libraries in the region.
For digital offerings, Mason said many of their member libraries were already using services such as Hoopla and Freegal. Users will now need to download those individual apps. Digital materials in the collection, such as e-books, audiobooks and magazines, can be accessed through the Libby app. Of CLEVNET’s 1.5 million users, about 26,000 were on the former CLEVNET app.
Glasgow-based Solus developed the software while Utah-based SirsiDynix handles the catalog. While Solus do not respond to a request for comment, SirsiDynix send a statement the company is working "to resolve, and then to mitigate the effects of, the outage."
“There wasn’t any warning with us,” Mason said. “We did learn that there might be some issue back in April, but we were assured this whole time that functionality would remain the same. We took their word. Now, we’re just putting other solutions in place.”
Mason estimated that a new app will cost about $50,000.
“There are other companies in the market that have various apps for libraries," Mason said. "We're talking... trying to make sure that we have something that's sustainable long term. We don't want to just jump to the quickest solution.”
CLEVNET member libraries span from Sandusky County to the Pennsylvania border to Wayne County. Mason said one of the most popular aspects of their app was to use it as a library card. Users will now have to use a physical card or present a photo ID in person.
