Library Solutions
Currently, I do not work in a library. Therefore, I looked through the various
systems listed in Library Journal. The
ILS system I decided to investigate is Library Solutions from The Library
Corporation (TLC). TLC is a well-established
company; it has been in existence for thirty-seven years. TLC provides two ILS products: Library.Solutions and Carl.X . Library.Solutions is focused on services for
all libraries except the very largest ones.
Carl.X was created to cover the large city libraries and county
libraries.
Library.Solutions for schools is a software tool that makes
daily library activities easier. Essential
library functions like cataloging, circulation, magazine and newspaper tracking,
and online tools for borrowing are all combined onto one software tool. It has pre-formatted reports, a directory,
and can be used for textbook management, also.
Maintenance is made easy with its great customer service that is
available 24-7 with a real person to talk to.
Training is also provided, which is very important when providing a
well-run program. Both of these accommodations are important to me as a
beginning librarian. Library.Solutions
has two separate programs for online school catalogs: LS2Kids and LS2PAC. LS2Kids has an interactive display on the
home page for the card catalog. The
interactive feature is great for beginning readers. Different icons represent various categories
of interest for young students to click onto. Once inside a category, the student
can choose a book. After they click onto
a book it has various icons to investigate. One icon shows if the book is
available or not and another icon shows if it is a book or a different
resource. Other information is also available with the click of a mouse. For the students who can read and write, there
is a search box provided to type words into.
LS2PAC is the software for middle and high school libraries.
LS2PAC has a lot of great features like
an RSS newsfeed and information feed that reviews current events and library
books that pertain to those events.
LS2PAC uses Book River, which produces very attractive library titles
for display in the systems’ catalog. It
can even create a map of the library to help students find various items within
the library. It even has a lot of fun extras like: organizing student or staff
reviews and ratings and providing reading lists. You can customize a display of
your search results and rank them by relevancy and make search tags This
system offers a lot of useful tools for a library and it is nice that it all
comes in one package and you do not have to buy several different software
programs to fill all of these essential library needs.
LS2Circ is a
web-based circulation program for school libraries. It allows the librarian to send text
messages to students with overdue and fine information. Updates within the system occur automatically
because it is linked to the web.
Students can use the self-checkout feature. If the student has any fines or blocks the
system wont allow the transaction. Students are also able to access electronic
resources offered through the school library system at home. LS2Circ even keeps track of the little
details, like a student’s homeroom teacher. Because all of the school libraries
are interconnected through this system, LS2Circ has the ability to track down
multiple copies of a certain book from other school libraries that have been
requested and it will automatically send a request to borrow them from the
various schools.
Library.Solutions has one more exceptional tool. LS2 Mobile lets anyone with a smart-phone
access the library’s catalog on line and even reserve any type of material
(book, CD, DVD, etc.) to be picked up later. A student or staff member can check their account
when it’s convenient for them. The LS2
Mobile can be used to search any library catalog that uses LS2PAC. With the growth of smart-phone use, I
believe that the LS2 Mobile will be a very popular product.
Library.Solutions offers a direct link to several vendors
such as Baker & Taylor, Brodart, BWI, Ingram, Midwest Tape, and Permabound
to provide a single source for shopping for your library’s collection. This
would save a lot of time and be more convenient. Because it is all Web-based,
the selection lists are updated weekly with the top sellers lists and award
winning books. All business can be kept paperless with the Web-based orders and
payments online.
Library.Solutions seems to have a lot of useful features. It
is definitely a system worth considering when choosing an ILS for a K-12 school
library.
I haven't used library solutions, so I was glad to read your report. You picked out one feature that the automation systems can't afford to ignore and that is usability on mobile devices. There is a lot of competition amongst the automation systems which is good because it makes them stay up-to-date with what librarians and library patrons want and right now they want everything on their phones!
ReplyDeleteI, too, took note of the feature that allows patrons to access the collection via mobile device. It seems to me that competing automated systems are smart to offer something that other systems don't, thereby making themselves stand out. This might be an aspect of the Library Solutions service that tips the balance for someone torn between it and another option.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that stands out for me is the 24/7 service with a live human. I am so daunted when I can't reach a human and need help. Offering training is a huge plus as well. So, LS gets a big plus from me on these services.
I also am drawn to the fact that it's web-based, making it easy to generate popular book lists for patrons, up-to-date RSS news feeds, and paperless ordering and payment.
Nice review! Not familiar with it at all so was glad to read about it. It seems to me the competition in this area has grown drastically in the last decade or two so it's interesting to see what each company can do to "one up" the other. I hope it makes for continually improving these systems and making them work with/for the customer.
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued by the interactive display for younger students. Destiny has a visual display, but it does not get used that much. I also love the text message feature – although most elementary students don’t have cell phones yet . For middle and high school it would be great to send overdue notices through a text message. Like others, I think the mobile feature will be big. I am sure other vendors are already figuring out how to do this. I am not sure, but any web based system should allow access through a smart phone – you would just need to sign in to the library catalog, and as long as you have your library account number you could do your library transactions. The direct link to multiple vendors is nice – and I like that the top sellers lists and award lists are updated weekly. It sounds like this system is worth a look. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDelete