Since 1996, AIT has been crafting innovative, secure, and adaptive library management solutions for public and special libraries. And now, as part of Softlink Information Centers (IC), the innovation continues with August’s Astria release, joining other products you know and trust, like Liberty Digital and illumin.
Aurora Astria, the web-based administration portal for Aurora Montage, has been in development since 2020. Although the application was originally called Concierge to reflect its service-oriented design, Aurora Information Technology’s (AIT) owner and founder Doug Coulson renamed the application Astria in 2023.
Astria is set to replace the existing Aurora Desktop product to ensure a faster, smarter, and sleeker web-based administration portal.
Angeliki Liakopoulou, the original lead developer of Astria, collaborated with two additional developers to achieve a major milestone: making the app fully responsive – perfect for librarians who need flexibility on the go.
What to Expect in Astria
Set to be released in August this year, here are the exciting design, modules, and features you can expect:
- Fully Web-Based: Say goodbye to installs and downloads. Just log in and go.
- Faster, & Platform Agnostic: Built for speed and performance across any device.
- Mobile-First & Responsive: Especially designed for iPads. Ideal for staff on the go.
- Beautiful Dashboard: A refreshed design focused on clarity, efficiency, and ease of use.
- Modern, Customizable Interface: Make changes to the look and feel with zero coding skills required.
Core Modules Completed
Here’s a list of the core modules that have already been built:
- Search: Modern discovery interface with fast, intuitive results
- Users: User profiles, permissions, and authentication
- Loan: Core loan functionality, including due dates and renewals
- Return: Efficient item returns and check-in processes
- Items: Item records, barcoding, and metadata management
- Circulation: Loan rules, statuses, blocks, and activity logs
- Tech Services: Acquisitions, cataloging, and MARC management
- Reports: Core reporting dashboard and customizable templates
- Admin: System settings, integrations, and module management
And here’s what’s in the final stages:
- Serials: Manage journals, issues, and holdings
- Acquisitions: Ordering, budgeting, and invoicing tools
- Along with a few extra touches
We look forward to providing more updates closer to the release in August 2025 and are open to feedback once it’s in your hands. Because the future of our library systems is shaped by our customers.