Your library management system is at the core of everything that you and the staff do to provide services to your users. But is your old system fit for purpose now?

Have you reached the stage where continuing to use a system, which does the basics (for now), limits your service opportunities? Is the likelihood of being forced to act, due to technical issues, very high? If so, the time has come to plan the phase-out your outdated solution.

Softlink identifies four significant signs that it’s time to plan your move to a fully integrated library system like Liberty.

1. Your Library Software is Not Cloud-based

The most significant risk is the potential for your hardware to give up suddenly – and at the worst possible time. Inevitably the day will come when your old server is a dodo. Your backed-up data (you have a good, recent backup, right?) is unlikely to run on the new equipment. Where will that leave your library?

The new integrated library management systems are cloud-based. Cloud-hosted means your users can access the library’s home page and search the catalog anywhere, anytime, on any mobile device.

Many LMS vendors offer the choice between hosting on your servers or using their cloud-hosting service. Opting to “go hosted” means that your vendor will monitor, maintain, update, and manage data backups, on your behalf.

2. Still Getting Upgrades?

Has development ceased on your legacy library management system? Without continued enhancements, you are less able to deliver the services now expected of libraries. If you and your staff cannot meet the expectations of your organization and your users, what then?

The risk that your vendor will eventually switch off support is also a concern. While many reputable LMS vendors, like Softlink, continue to provide support for legacy systems, not all of them do.

But, perhaps the most significant concern is your vulnerability to breaches if security patches are no longer applied. If this is the case, it can leave your system vulnerable to threats such as malware.

It is tempting to think that cyber-security isn’t an issue for you. However, libraries and their organizations have been subject to breaches. The legal sector, even the Library of Congress, have been victims. While advice and assistance, is available from valid organizations, prevention is better than the alternative!

Data security issues can occur whether your LMS is a new-generation one or not. However, the older the system, the more vulnerable your data is.

Information in danger of compromise includes:

• The personal details and loan history of your users.
• Any sensitive corporate documents you have catalogued.
• Financial information.

The financial or reputational risk to your library, or organization could be significant.

3. No Anywhere, Anytime Access to the Catalog

Can your users access the library catalog online, using their mobile devices? If not, your value to the organization’s users is increasingly compromised.

People are accustomed to doing everything online. It makes no sense to users that they can’t look up the library catalogue. They’ll use Google as they do to search for everything else!

And don’t assume this trend applies only to “digital-natives”. In today’s workplace, users range from Gen Z to Baby Boomers, and Baby Boomers are very used to adapting to and adopting changing technology!

No matter what the generation your organization’s library users fit into, their common expectation is access to information online. If the library isn’t available to them anywhere, anytime on their mobile devices, then Google it is! It reinforces a view that the library is not where they go to find the information they need.

4. Can it Do What You or Your Users Need it to Do

User frustration and diminishing library usage are clear signs your library is not meeting expectations, but they are not the only ones. Does one or more of the following points describe the problems you try to manage?

• You regularly need vendor assistance to manage your tasks.
• You cannot provide anytime, anywhere access to your users.
• You cannot customize the system yourself.
• It is not easy for your users to help themselves.
• It does not manage a wide variety of resource types including digital ones
• Marketing your library’s services is labor intensive or non-existent.
• You cannot run analytical reports.
• Access to help guides, videos, and updated training opportunities is limited or non-existent.

“We’re Used to Doing it this Way” is Not a Good Reason

Humans are very adaptable. They often find ways to get results even under the most difficult circumstances. Library staff using library management systems no longer fit-for-purpose are a prime example. They are “used to” completing tasks in a particular way, even if it is inefficient. That is never a good reason to stick with an old legacy system. When any, or all, of the points listed earlier apply, you know it’s time to manage it out. No matter how inexpensive your old system may be, it is a low-value tool no matter what the price.

At Softlink, our priority is to ensure Liberty, our library management system, continues to deliver as expectations change. We are continually adding the enhancements and new features demanded by librarians and knowledge managers. Our eye is always on what’s trending. Just contact us. We would love to show off how Liberty can transform your library for you and your organization!