Focus on the benefits
The people reading your case will need to see the benefits of an ILS immediately. Focus on the broader ones that apply to all workplaces first, for example:
- Efficient access to information is imperative for businesses. An ILS will do that.
- Library resources come in a range of formats. An ILS allows for access remotely from mobile devices or within the business offices.
- Electronic information is easier to search through than physical texts.
- Ability to provide additional services such as lists of curated information and interests notification.
- Easier reporting of usage and budget information
- Administration tasks are managed more efficiently and streamlined.
- It can facilitate continued professional development and self-lead training.
The list above isn’t exhaustive of course. To strengthen your case, you should also focus on specific benefits. To do this, consider how the current system is failing. From your perspective as a librarian, what makes it inefficient? Some niche examples could include:
- Legal staff struggling to find relevant case law.
- Healthcare staff being unable to access resources with a strong impact rating.
- The firm’s trainees also struggle to find the right material.
- Notification of new relevant or of interest difficult to disseminate.
- Accurate analytical usage and collection value information difficult to produce
With the multitude of benefits you can argue, move onto strengthening your case with data. It is always about finding data to back your case!
Find workplace data to support your argument
Do you know how many staff members use the library? To find out, create a simple survey asking the staff if they access the library, and for what; for those that do not, ask why not? Provide suggestions as to what they want from the firm’s library, making sure you frame the survey questions for Yes/No responses and room to for them to qualify when the question calls for it (include a comment section at the end). Some example survey questions could be:
- Do you use the library?
- If not, why not?
- Would providing an easier way to use library resources encourage you to do so?
- What sort of access to material do you need? In the library and remotely?
- Do you want to be notified when new or relevant information is acquired by the library?
- If so, what?
- Would self-help functionality be valuable – changing your details, renewing items etc.
- Would the ability to access curated lists of material be beneficial?
- What other services would you like provided?
With the right data, you can demonstrate to stakeholders that implementing an ILS will enable you to provide the services the organization’s staff need and want. If your data reflects that an ILS will:
- Make access and use of the library’s current resources and services
- More time efficient and
- Will ensure the firm’s staff will use it because of a sense of ownership
- Enable additional value added services that are currently unable to be implemented due to a lack of time or library staffing.
Those benefits in turn will benefit the business as a whole. Better managed information, better services, better use of resources, reportable data. Implementing an ILS has great benefit. It is a matter of providing a strong argument for how it will.