They don't, actually. My mistake.

How are you imagining the check-in/check-out working when there aren't
volunteers - a sign out sheet?

If all you want is essentially a sign-out sheet attached to a database of
your collection, it wouldn't be hard to whip something up, or use an
existing solution - but if you want something that you don't have to host
yourself, I'm not sure there's anything that's going to get you all the way
there.

I'm looking now to see if I can find another cataloging site that does some
level of circulation.

One other thing you could do is use something like
http://alexandria.rubyforge.org/features.html, and pass the datafile
manually to anyone who needs to have it.  Not a great solution, but the best
my brain is coming up with right now.

- Dave Mayo

On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 11:58 PM, David Mayo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> If I recall correctly, Librarything has a some kind of check-in/check-out
> functionality, intended for people who use their personal collection as a
> lending library.
>
> I'm signing into my account to check right now.
>
> - Dave
>
>
> On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 11:51 PM, rowan eisner <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
>
>> Hi Dave
>>
>> It's an honesty system, card based, the way most community libraries used
>> to
>> work before computers. Because it's unstaffed about 15% of books aren't
>> returned but we get a similar amount of donations. So we have that
>> constant
>> churn to take in and out of a card catalog manually.
>>
>> We need borrowers to be able to check out books. I was thinking maybe with
>> a
>> scanner attached to an iphone running an app. I didn't think librarything
>> could do circulation. I thought it was just a catalog.
>>
>> What do you reckon?
>>
>> Cheers
>> Rowan
>>
>> On 23 September 2011 21:34, David Mayo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> > I think it's going to be difficult to find a solution that's entirely
>> cloud
>> > based.
>> >
>> > What functionality do you need? If you have a very limited subset of
>> > ILS/OPAC functions in mind, theoretically a LibraryThing paid account or
>> > similar quasi-library service might suffice.
>> >
>> > I'm having trouble understanding how circulation works/is expected to
>> work
>> > when librarians aren't present.  Is there a sign-out sheet?  How do you
>> > monitor for lossage?
>> >
>> > - Dave Mayo
>> >
>> > On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 10:42 PM, rowan eisner <[log in to unmask]
>> > >wrote:
>> >
>> > > Thanks Esme
>> > >
>> > > No, the library is open all hours but volunteers just come in 2 hrs a
>> > week.
>> > > I'm not sure how it could work but if we leave anything plugged in it
>> > will
>> > > get stolen or struck by lightning. We're in cloud forest.
>> > >
>> > > With koha and open-ils do we have to run the software on a server or
>> do
>> > we
>> > > just get an account on an existing system? Running a system ourselves
>> > might
>> > > take a lot for us to figure out.
>> > >
>> > > Cheers
>> > > Rowan
>> > >
>> > > On 23 September 2011 16:38, Cowles, Esme <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > Rowan-
>> > > >
>> > > > Having a hosted catalog and circ system seems very easy to do.
>>  There
>> > are
>> > > > several open source library systems such as Koha and Evergreen that
>> > might
>> > > > suit your needs:
>> > > >
>> > > > http://www.koha.org/
>> > > >
>> > > > http://open-ils.org/
>> > > >
>> > > > Are there volunteers present the entire time the library is open to
>> > > > borrowers?  Or are you counting on borrowers having smartphones to
>> > > complete
>> > > > self-checkout?
>> > > >
>> > > > -Esme
>> > > > --
>> > > > Esme Cowles <[log in to unmask]>
>> > > >
>> > > > "I don't need to be forgiven." -- The Who, Baba O'Reilly
>> > > >
>> > > > On Sep 23, 2011, at 3:27 PM, rowan eisner wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > > Apologies if this is the wrong forum, but if anyone can point me
>> in
>> > the
>> > > > > right direction...
>> > > > >
>> > > > > We have an unstaffed library and can't leave a computer in it. Is
>> > there
>> > > a
>> > > > > way to automate
>> > > > >
>> > > > > 1) with no computer - do circulation and catalog in the cloud.
>> > > Volunteers
>> > > > > bring in laptops to do circulation and clients access catalog with
>> > > > iphones
>> > > > > 2) that doesn't cost a fortune
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Thanks so much
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Rowan
>> > > >
>> > >
>> >
>>
>
>