Libdata vs [anything else?] for Chrome OS Session Management

[Reinhard Engels]

Hi All,

Is Libdata the only game in town in terms of session management for chrome devices? (allowing users to login with their library card, putting a ceiling on daily usage, etc.)

If so, are they any good?

We have roughly 110 windows PCs right now in 6 locations that I'd love to switch largely/entirely to chromebases. Is anyone using Libdata for that many or more devices?

We've been very happy with the chromebases we've rolled out as catalog machines and lender chromebooks that don't need a reservation system.

I'm also curious if anyone has used Libdata in a mixed (windows + mac + chrome os) environment since that might be necessary. 

Reinhard

[Matt Amory]

My limited and possibly out of date understanding is that Libdata is the only session manager for ChromeOS and that Libdata does not work in mixed OS environments.

Matt Amory

(917) 771-4157

matt....@gmail.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChromeOS in Libraries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to chromebooks_l...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to chromeb...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/chromebooks_lib/ceab6e3b-228b-4dda-bba2-7d1b97b05cc3%40googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Michelle Mears]

You need to check out their web site http://www.libdata.com/ , LibData does work in mixed OS installations, although we only use it for ChromeOS at our library.  I have 20 PACs, 7 OPACs, 7 digital displays, and 4 ChromeBooks at two different locations all running through the Admin Console, with only the PACs being managed by LibData.

There is a product in the UK for managing ChromeOS stations in libraries called Ancoris https://www.ancoris.com/applications/ancoris-chromebook-access-management-system/ but I actually talked to them on the phone a couple years ago and at that time they did not have any compatible print management piece.

I thought I had heard that one of the other "biggies" like SAM or PC Reservation was developing a product for ChromeOS but I haven't seen anything.

When we switched we went from Userful to ChomeOS, so we were not a Windows environment for the public. We do keep at least one Windows laptop at our locations for those people who need a Microsoft application or for test proctoring.  I am thinking about making a few staff stations ChomeOS, because we moved to Google for email services for staff and are finding less and less need for a full suite of productivity software.

Michelle Mears

Rolling Hills Library, MO

[Reinhard Engels]

Thanks, Matt, Michelle!

I spoke with Ancoris and they said they don't do the USA. Pity because if nothing else they have a great marketing department -- their site is shiny and modern and makes the product look great.

I spoke with someone at libdata and it sounds like it can do everything we need -- I'd just love a little more reassurance from other libraries that have taken the plunge. We've been very unhappy with our existing windows PC management system (SAM) and I don't want to relive that on another platform.

I have some installation instructions, and am about to ask for libdata's help to do a chrome-only pilot (sounds relatively easy vs. the windows and mac versions that involved server setup). One thing that concerns me at least in the only docs and  videos is how goofy everything looks. Not necessarily a deal breaker, but it makes me worry that other, not purely aesthetic corners might have been cut.  

The SAM people I spoke with thought they might have a chrome product in the project pipeline. I'm not aware that Pharos or envisionware do.I got an unconvincing "maybe" from a sales guy at Pharos and haven't talked to envisionware yet.

Reinhard

[Michelle Mears]

Georgia public libraries have been using ChromeOS for public stations for almost 5 years http://galibtech.org/?page_id=816 

I think a pilot test is a good idea, Charles let us try it out a long time before we had to commit to Libdata.  We had switched to ChromeOS for about 4 months without any management software, and quickly learned that users would not police themselves with reasonable time on the machines.  We also wanted a print management piece to move to self-service printing (which does require a Windows computer to act as the release station).

The "raw" quality of the interface is disappointing in the year 2018, but it works and that is what I am most concerned about.  Not to say there are no speedbumps, they do happen and it is mostly because Google changes things in the OS without informing developers like Libdata who only find out after an update is released.

My favorite management platform is CASSIE by Librarica, but they do not do ChromeOS either.

Overall, for the price and the ease of management, Libdata is a great product and we have saved a ton of money by switching to Chrome, both in hardware costs, staff support, and annual fees.

Michelle

[Patrick-Austin (MN) Public Library]

What the others have said about Ancoris and about their experience with LibData is what we have discovered, too.

We switched from Pharos to LibData.  The two control center's are similar.  We like how LibData only shows print jobs tied to a patron and not all print jobs as Pharos did.  We have had very minor bumps along the way, including one due to Google changing things and not letting LibData know.  Charles at LibData has been awesome to address these bumps very quickly and he can remote in.  Setup can take some work, especially if you are not tech savvy.  They provide a manual with organized instructions.  Charles says they are working with Google to make the setup process much more smoother.  We are using the updated version of LibData pushed out last November. 

We DO use LibData in a mixed OS environment for both session management and print management.  This was a motivating factor for going with LibData.  We have 23 Chromeboxes, 9 mini PCs, and 1 Mac mini all on LibData and because LibData uses Google Cloud Print, our circulating Chromebooks can print while in the library using Libdata but have to be released by the Librarian at the Control Center.  We have a staff and a public network so had to setup a dedicated PC server for LibData on the public side; however the Librarian station is on the staff network and can access the Control Center via the browser.  The Print Release station is a pocket PC attached to a touchscreen and the Reservation station is a Chromebit attached to a touchscreen and both are on the public network.  We will be phasing out the number of PCs and migrating them to  Chrome devices going forward.  It has been a process more of teaching our patrons how to use Chrome devices when they may be used to PCs.  The majority of our youth patrons are coming from having used Chrome devices and Google Docs in school so for them it is not a big deal.  We cut our technology expenses by two-thirds, but we have IT services in-house and we were already using circulating Chromebooks, so it made sense for us.

Patrick

Austin (MN) Public Library

[Reinhard Engels]

Thanks, Michelle!

This is encouraging... love the digital signage information as well.

About how many devices do you have running under Libdata?

Also, about how frequent are these unannounced changes that google makes that cause problems for Libdata?

Reinhard

[Reinhard Engels]

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for this!

Sounds like switching to Libdata was a huge win -- but is there anything you miss about Pharos, that Libdata can't do, or can do but not as well?

Reinhard

[Michelle Mears]

Our library has 14 stations at one branch and 6 stations at another branch using Libdata to manage authentication and printing, but I don't see any reason why it would not be able to grow exponentially.  We use a Jamex coin op connected to an HP color laser printer at each branch, and all prints are 15 cents, regardless of color content.  We have a Windows 8/10 computer connected to the network and used as the release station and we added a barcode scanner so patrons can scan their barcode to get to their print jobs.  You can also release print jobs from the admin interface and keep a printer behind a desk and take money that way.  Each location has to have its own Control Center installed, so you can connect to your local Cloud printer, etc.  I can still see and interact with both Control Centers from any computer on the network from the IP address.

As far as issues, maybe once a year a problem might develop from a Chrome update, but Charles at Libdata usually has it fixed within a day or two, and you aren't necessarily down during that time there might be a feature missing or something.  There are some ongoing issues, like the default oif A4 paper, which is not a problem if you are in Canada or something, LOL.  There are pluses and minuses in using a computer already in use for Control Center, and if things get wonky a quick restart of a background service usually sets things right no need to restart the whole machine, but if you do the currently logged in people are still working it does not boot them off.

It's not perfect but it works most of the time, which is not easy to say in libraries about everything else.  The hardest part was learning the Google Admin console and figuring out licenses and settings to make all the different parts work, like OPACs and promo screens.  Our OPACs just would not stay "on" and the monitors would sleep so quickly, but nothing done locally would fix it, until I saw a setting while configuring the promo screens that looked like it would keep the OPACs awake, and it worked!  

I tried to do a presentation at our state conference but no one seemed really interested.  I should have done the math for them, it is cheaper and uses less energy, plus I love the Chromebase that uses only one plug, and looks a whole lot cleaner in the carrels.  Maybe I'll try again.

Michelle