Moreland City Council successfully achieved fully-integrated, web-based library management across five library branches with LIBERO last month. It is pleased with the continuity achieved moving to LIBERO and excited about the new system.
Victorian-based Moreland City Libraries selected LIBERO from Insight Informatics in September last year following a tender process for an integrated library management system. Moreland’s estimation of the strength of experience and commitment to customer services at Insight Informatics was confirmed during the LIBERO go-live last month. Moreland library staff believed that there was good support throughout the entire process which was critical to the success of the implementation.
Developed and supported in Australia by Insight Informatics, LIBERO is a web-based library management solution currently deployed across more than 140 Australian public libraries and 450 sites world-wide. Over thirty years, the LIBERO product range and client base has grown to offer industry-leading management solutions to organisations of all size and industry.
More than 90 staff across Moreland’s five branches will use LIBERO to facilitate integrated, end-to-end management of the library – from financial management and acquisitions, to cataloguing items of all format – including digital resources, electronic databases, periodicals, and books.
LIBERO also facilitates all search and access functions for library visitors, online customer services, and resource sharing with other libraries via a user-friendly, web-based interface.
Moreland found one of the potential benefits of LIBERO was capability to configure the system to suit local needs, including configuration for community languages. Library staff found Libero to have good flexibility – they can adjust the system to meet the particular needs of the library – and Moreland can build an identity within the core product.
The library staff reported that the incorporation of visual elements such as the ‘shelf view’ and tag clouds are fun for library users and stimulate the readers’ interest in other materials the library has to offer.
Moreland will work with Insight Informatics to develop local history and virtual art gallery projects. Moreland may also introduce a federated search service with LIBERO’s brand new, fully-integrated discovery platform, LIBERO UNO.
The LIBERO development process is one of collaboration with existing users and industry specialists to provide libraries’ functionality that is relevant in the Web 2.0 Environment and supports productivity and service goals.
A strong focus upon developments in library and information management practice, trends in social media and advances in technology makes LIBERO a very functional, user friendly solution available to libraries and organisations.
With a web-services API and multi-level client server, LIBERO is highly flexible, customisable and interoperable with systems and resources commonly used at libraries to facilitate services such as self-check and streamlined purchasing.
In preparation for the transition to LIBERO, Moreland was provided access to a test system for a number of weeks, allowing library staff to familiarise themselves with LIBERO using their own data and processes. Training was also carried out online and onsite, maximising user confidence once ‘live’.
Moreland library staff found the change process was very well handled. Throughout the project, Insight Informatics were very collaborative and responsive, working as a team with Moreland. The staff indicated that attention to detail was a critical factor in the successful transition of all records and data into the new LIBERO system and having an Insight staff member on site the day the system went live was prudent to the success of the project.
“We are very pleased to have been selected by Moreland City Libraries and the initial success of this new partnership,” said Insight Informatics’ CEO and founder, Sam Patane.
“We encourage Victoria’s public libraries to watch the results of further initiatives facilitated by LIBERO at Moreland City Libraries, to see what we can help to achieve for their organisation,” he said.
The successful transition to LIBERO will be celebrated with an official launch at Moreland City Libraries on August 24th. The event, open to library staff across the state will include Moreland City Council CEO and Mayor, Insight Informatics executive management and staff involved in the project at Moreland Library.
For more on LIBERO software, Version 6 and Hosted and Managed Services, contact Ben Cronin, LIBERO Consultant: e: sales@libero.com.au, ph: 07 3356 3631, web: libero.com.au.