What is happening with LibAgent's service at the Technion?

At this point, we do not renew or check books for TEC (Technion library) subscribers.

How did it come to this?

Here is a timeline of the events (according to how we experienced them).

• November 30 - December 8 2004: The TEC server is taken offline to upgrade the server software to a new version (ALEPH-500).
• December 9 2004: LibAgent resumes renewal for TEC readers, through the new ALEPH-500 web interface.
• December 12 2004: The librarians ask us to stop renewals while they check if LibAgent causes their nightly backup process to take a very long time.
• December 15 2004: The Technion's old ALEPH-300 server, which LibAgent used as a gateway to many other libraries, is taken offline. This causes disruption in service to thousands of LibAgent users in many (non-Technion) libraries.
• January 10 2005: The librarians ask us to stop all renewal activity.

Wait, LibAgent is not part of the library?

No, and it never was. This is a volunteer-run project, not affiliated or supported by any library.

Can LibAgent check my books at TEC?

Technically speaking, yes. The Technion is running the same software version as in other libraries which we currently support. We tested this for TEC, and it definitely worked.

Is LibAgent even needed now? The library says they are now automatically renewing books for me and sending me mail?

That's one way of looking at it. If that works, we guess 99% of the readers would like to use this service as provided, and congratulate the Technion library for implementing it.

However, we feel some users may want more options. For example, we already have the system to let you choose which messages you would like to receive, how much of an advance notice you want to have for book return, and other features like SMS notifications, all from your LibAgent preferences page on the web.

In fact, LibAgent does not have to renew books for TEC users now. We added a feature to only check the return dates, and activated it for all TEC users. So, in fact, it was doing automatically exactly what you were supposed to do manually.

So even the version of LibAgent that only checks my book dates, is causing problems to the library server?

We were asked by the librarians to stop all access to their web service, including the version that only checks the dates.

What do I do to check my books now?

We are really not the people to ask here. Check on the library web site.

How many users are affected?

Somewhere in the order of 8800.

Can I do anything to change this?

We don't know. We are not the people to ask. You might want to talk to the librarians yourself, or maybe the AGUDAT STUDENTIM.

Is LibAgent closing down?

No. We still support plenty of other libraries in other universities. In fact, many of our Technion users have dual accounts so we could keep track of their (or their friends') books in other places.

Can I have the source code for your service?

No. If you would like to help the service as a volunteer, you are welcome.

Can I have some tips on how to renew my books automatically over the web?

It's quite simple, really - we're using mostly off-the-shelf technology and some common sense. But we don't mind sharing our experience. Look first in our mailing list archives, and if you get stuck, drop us an email.

Can I translate this page into Hebrew?

Yes! If you can compose Hebrew HTML and translate this page, please mail it to libagent and we will post it here.