FEATURE
Library Management Systems
Jane Webber, customer relationship director, Softlink
Society has immersed itself in digital technology. Library users are now digital citizens, engaged in accessing the internet and social media through computers, mobile phones and web-activated devices 24/7. Students share books, post and blog reviews using social media. Today’s libraries are more than sources of scholarly works. They are thriving centres of knowledge, integral to an organisation’s success.
It is evitable that libraries adopt digital technologies, including e-books and social- media integration, to provide anywhere, anytime access to resources. The 21st century librarian is focused on strategies for servicing the patron-driven digital demand and integrating electronic resources including online databases, e-books, federated searches and discovery layers. Many libraries have piloted or are now supplying e-books to their patrons. With numerous online and free resources
now available, librarians are changing the way they develop their collection from just- in-case to real-time resourcing. Challenges include the management of ‘one collection’ as a combination of digital and traditional resources and managing a seamless interface for user services. Key to the librarian’s success is their ability to discern quality knowledge from the cascade of constant, real-time and often irrelevant information users are exposed to.
Other challenging trends for library staff include: managing users’ expectations, especially where student fees have seen major increases; juggling declining budgets; and a trend in low levels of end-user information literacy and research skills that requires additional time commitment from librarians to assist users with information searches. With depleted budgets and digital resource ownership in question, libraries need more objective guidance on the best ways forward with content and management of digital resources. They also need help with the management of online and electronic resources. Technology, such as the widespread adoption of cloud technology, will continue to drive change across academic and research libraries.
Librarians are excited about the potential of emerging technologies that will enable
26 Research Information DEC 2012/JAN 2013
them to develop innovative ways to continue to discover the right knowledge and deliver it to their users.
Library management systems assist librarians to manage the physical and electronic resources they have, regardless of what or where they are held. Technological advances in library systems enable libraries to create new services that were previously not possible, such as
virtual interfaces, cataloguing
and referencing, personalised and seamless OPAC
automated current
awareness (information alert of topics of interest) and downloadable media accessible from mobile devices on the way to work or in the comfort of the user’s home. Softlink’s knowledge, content and integrated library management solution, Liberty V5 was one of the first systems to adopt cloud technologies to enable these
resources available from other sources. These may not be reliable, but librarians need to be current and relevant to their end users’ needs and so understand, for example, the Google search effect.
As libraries become more digitally- oriented
the online catalogue may no
longer be the sole catalogue/index within an organisation and certainly not the sole repository. However,
it needs to provide
access to resources whatever format they may be in, and wherever they may be located. In a digital world this moves the integrated library system into the realm of digital rights management, catering not just for access management but for a plethora of different formats of documents and sources of content. Library funding is static and in some areas decreasing. Yet, expectations to deliver user-driven services and meet user digital
‘In the future, library users will want to manage research enquiries and have the transparency and repeat navigation to be able to revert quickly back to valuable information’
changes. Softlink has also released a Library Link App that provides library users with the ability to connect to Liberty integrated library management with Apple or Android mobile devices
In the future, library users will want to manage research enquiries and have the transparency and repeat navigation to be able to revert quickly back to valuable information. Softlink has recently released illumin to help manage requests more effectively.
There are also an increased amount of
technology demands are increasing. The numerous interfaces, sign-ons and volume of passwords library staff have to remember to access their diverse range of systems and information portals are also a challenge, as is the expansion of free information sources. Librarians who are not IT-focused, and don’t invest in an intuitive library management solution will suffer in the digital world because information is changing so rapidly with technological innovation, the influence of social media and the growing expectations of digital generation.
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