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It’s Time to Change Your Integrated Library System to Liberty Digital (If You Haven’t Already)

Deciding to change your Integrated Library System (ILS) is a significant decision and many library professionals often wrestle with the question, “Is it time to move on from our current ILS?” If you're dealing with inflexible legacy systems, limited support, or rising hidden costs, it might be. Here are some of the warning signs:

Lack of Mobile Support and Automated Features

 

If your current LMS lacks mobile accessibility / convenience or automated features like email alerts, interest notifications and smart search, it may be hindering user engagement and efficiency.

 

Slow or Generic Support

 

Experiencing delayed responses or generic solutions from your ILS provider can impede your library’s operations and user satisfaction.

 

High Costs and Inflexibility

 

Legacy systems often come with hidden costs and lack the flexibility to adapt to your library’s evolving needs, leaving you locked into a costly, monolithic platform.

 

Manual, Repetitive Tasks

 

An ILS that doesn’t automate manual, repetitive tasks can lead to inefficiencies and increased workload for staff, whilst decreasing their productivity.

 

The Business Case for Change

 

According to Marshall Breeding of Library Technology Guides, Government libraries face critical decisions when investing in long-term resource management technologies such as library services platforms and discovery tools1.

These systems often remain in place for up to 20 years, and Marshall emphasizes the importance to select a solution that not only meets current operational needs but also evolves alongside the changing landscape of library services.

The cost of inaction due to the sunk cost fallacy includes missed efficiency gains, security risks, not to mention frustrated users2. Transitioning to a modern library management system like Liberty Digital directly addresses these costs with AI integrations to aid with cataloging, a document submissions tool, faceted searching, SharePoint integration and other APIs.

 

1 Breeding, M. (2018). Strategic library technologies: current realities and future possibilities. (https://librarytechnology.org/document/23126).

2 Pultorak, S. (2025). Legacy IT Systems and The Sunk Cost Fallacy: Overspending on Underperforming IT Solutions. (https://www.canidium.com/blog/legacy-it-systems-sunk-cost-fallacy-overspending-underperforming-it-solutions).

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