Common Questions and Answers

Q: Will I lose control over my collection if we centralize with Centriva?

A: No.  Centriva provides maximum flexibility for local library options, settings, and configuration.  While it's true that in any centralized system the goal is to have a single, unique MARC record for each unique book title, Centriva uses local holdings fields to allow for library-specific needs.  For example, individual libraries may choose their own call numbers, category codes (material types), and circulation rules to apply to their copy of an item.  The individual library can also customize the look and feel of the catalog for their patrons (such as available and default levels of material detail views) and choose many setting that are library-specific.  Even circulation rules for the exact same material type circulating to the exact same patron type/grade can be different between two libraries.  This means that even schools of the same type, such as two elementary schools, do not need to agree on a common set of rules for circulation, fines, and so on.

Q: One leading vendor whose centralized system we are considering only trains a few district-level people in our district and only provides support to those few people.  What about training and support with Surpass?

A: At Surpass, we don't believe that having a centralized automation system means you should be forced into "centralized support."  Our training is provided to all librarians and their staff, and our support is also offered to all users at all libraries.  Centralized support might be best for the vendor but certainly is not best for the customer.  When you need an answer to a question or an expert to hold your hand through a new procedure or process you may be doing for the first time, Surpass Support will be there for you.  We'll never refer you to someone else in your district or system.  For more on Surpass Support, visit our Support page.

Q: Is Centriva new?

A: No.  In most cases our competitors have either built a brand new (first generation) centralized system from the ground up, or have licensed technology originally designed for large public library systems (where centralization has been more common) from other companies and renamed it to sell to the school market.  Surpass took a different approach.

Surpass used an "evolutionary" approach with Centriva.  That is, we built Centriva on the core technologies that have been successfully automating libraries for years: Surpass Central and Surpass Web Safari. Centriva is simply a new name that was coined to designate the packaging of these products into a suite that best suits centralized customer needs.  In fact, we've been automating libraries with a centralized solutions for years. 

Products mature with each "generation" and often take a few versions to become feature-rich and refined for user needs.  Think of other major applications you run.  Are any of them first generation products (i.e. "version 1.0")?  Library automation is the same way, and we wanted to be sure Centriva included all the improvements and refinements of our non-centralized offerings and more!   

What does this mean to you?  Well, it means you're buying a mature product that's already "tried and true."  Centriva is stable and offers an advanced feature set.  It's a fifth generation product, with each component built on years of customer feedback and suggestions.  Just try our free trial (available for installation to your stand-alone PC) and compare to our competition.  You might be surprised to learn that some of our competitors won't want to let you get your hands into their product (especially circulation, cataloging, and reporting).  Maybe they know the difference too! 

Q: Why is Centriva better than the new breed of 100% browser-based systems available?

A: Centriva is better then browser-based systems because Centriva uses the appropriate tool (technology) for each job. 

An automation system can be divided into two segments: the patron catalog and the circulation and administration (such as cataloging) area.  These two areas vary vastly in their primary function: the patron catalog is primarily "search and retrieval" in nature whereas circulation and cataloging are primarily "transaction processing" in nature. 

A browser makes an excellent tool for search and retrieval.  In fact, that's what it's designed for!  But a browser is not ideal for transaction processing oriented tasks.  Think of other transaction processing jobs such as retail point of sale or banking.  Can you imagine seeing the grocery store clerk or your bank teller scrolling around in a web browser window and moving back and forth from keyboard to mouse in order to try to serve you and process a line of customers?  Of course not!  That's because vendors of software in these areas have properly identified those functions as "transaction processing" where speed and efficiency are of key concern, and have selected tools and interfaces other than the web browser to deliver those services. 

Likewise, circulation and cataloging should also be performed with the tool that best suits the job -- the desktop client interface.

Surpass Centriva perfectly blends the use of the browser-based interface and the desktop client interface to best suit the needs of each function of your automation system.  Spend just ten minutes in the circulation of Surpass Centriva (a free trial that can be installed to your stand-alone PC is available), then do the same with a browser-based circulation program and you'll quickly see the difference! 

Q: Will Centriva be difficult for our technology department to set up or support?

A: No.  Because Centriva is a true centralized system, the applications and data are all located in a single central location.  So there's no need to maintain separate copies of the software and databases scattered on servers at each location.  Also, because Centriva uses a web-based catalog, Web Safari, technicians do not need to visit stations throughout each location to install and maintain a catalog client.  This is significant because the catalog is typically installed on the vast majority of the computers that need to access an automation system.  Only the circulation and administration computers need a simple client installed, which only accounts for a few computers (perhaps even just one) at each library.  And our client software utilizes auto-update technology to eliminate future maintenance needs after installation.  Your technology department will be amazed at how "hands-free" Surpass is!

Q: We know we need to centralize, but we're not quite ready to do that now.  Can we keep our databases separate with Surpass and "grow into" the centralized installation?

A: Yes!  In fact, that's a key benefit of switching to Surpass.  With other centralized systems on the market, it's an "all or none" choice.  That's because other companies have one offering for site-based, distributed system, and a completely different product for their centralized offering.  To start with their distributed system would require a complete system change-over to switch to their centralized product.

Surpass Centriva however, is a system that's built on the same core components and shares the same database structure as our distributed offering, Surpass Select.  The difference is simply in the way you install the product.  It's easy to move from Surpass Select to Centriva by simply merging your databases into the centralized installation at your own pace, and changing your configuration to enable the multi-location centralized features!

Perhaps the biggest benefit of selecting Surpass now even if you're not ready to centralize immediately is that the components of Surpass Select and Centriva share the exact same interface.  This means that there will be no new software to learn when you consolidate and merge into the centralized database.  You'll just keep doing what you already do but with the added features and benefits of the centralized environment!

Q: Will we have to re-barcode when we combine collections?

A: Probably not.  Centriva will allow special modes of operation that will allow for duplicate barcode labels to exist at different libraries.  Our representatives can collect information about each of your libraries to build a district-wide barcode information profile, then discuss the profile with you.  In some cases, it may be beneficial to re-barcode a portion of your collections in order to facilitate easier procedures if your libraries wish to utilize advanced features for inter-library loan.  If this option is chosen, only the overlapping portions of some collections would require new barcodes, and the process is made fairly simple by having the labels printed in shelf-list order.

Q: Is Centriva a union catalog?  What's the difference between a centralized system and a union catalog?

A: Surpass is not a union catalog, but a true centralized system. 

A union catalog is simply an additional database that a district or library system maintains in addition to the individual library databases.  It contains the combined holdings of all of the individual locations.  A union catalog is a static, non-circulating collection, so circulation data (if available at all) is not live.  Each location still maintains and operates their own system and periodically updates the union.  Adding a union catalog to your district increases cost and complexity because it introduces a new, additional database to be maintained.  For example, a district with 20 libraries running a union catalog would have 21 systems and databases (usually on 20 or 21 servers) to maintain.

A centralized system like Centriva, on the other hand, replaces the individual databases and systems that would otherwise be running at each individual location with a single system and database operating from a central location.  All locations access the central system for all functions including circulation.  Item availability is "live".   Location codes are used to identify which patrons and items belong to each location.  Maintenance is greatly reduced because now a district with, say, 20 libraries, only has a single system and database to maintain at a single central location.  The ability to share resources increases while maintenance decreases.  In addition, using a Web-based catalog with a centralized system eliminates the need for the vast majority of workstation installations because there's nothing to install at catalog stations throughout the district.