The functions and features most commonly offered by library services platforms (Ex Libris Alma, OCLC WorldShare, FOLIO and Innovative Sierra), and the HERM business capability each one supports. The library platform covers finding, managing and lending the collection: discovery and link resolution, cataloging and electronic resources, circulation and holds, course reserves, interlibrary loan and consortial borrowing, acquisitions and funds, patron records, and analytics, security and operations. The SIS and HR system stay the systems of record for patrons and the ERP for payment; reading lists come from the LMS. The institutional repository and research data management are out of scope except as a link.
Shows which parts of the institution the library platform supports, where it overlaps other systems, and where it stops.
A function's main HERM home vs others it touches. Features narrow to one capability.
16 HERM capabilities touched, centred on collection access, library collection management, procurement and data management.
Wheel to explore, tree to scan every mapping, CSV or JSON to reuse it.
How this was compiled: three AI assistants (Claude, Perplexity and Grok) were each asked to identify the core functions and features of the major higher education library services platforms. Their lists were reconciled into this single set, using the Claude draft’s structure; source letters on each feature show which drafts named it. Treat it as a starting point, not a vendor-verified specification.
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The full hierarchy: areas, functional areas, functions and features, each with its HERM mapping and definition. Select any HERM capability or feature to see its full definition.
A library is rarely one system. Here the same functions and features are mapped to the applications a fictional Example State University actually runs: a vendor core, add-on modules, third-party products, homegrown tools and spreadsheets. Each link records how well the application covers the feature and its role. HERM coverage is then calculated from those links, not mapped by hand.
Also see this ecosystem as a capability × application matrix or a HERM-to-application flow.
Inner rings: area and functional area. Outer ring: one slice per feature, split into bands when more than one application provides it. Marks outside the ring flag gaps (red) and competing systems of record (violet).
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The executive view. Each bar is the capability’s features, coloured by the best coverage any application gives them. Select a capability for its HERM definition, or an application to see its footprint.
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