Serving the Lombard, Illinois community since 1927, Helen M. Plum Memorial Public Library District has a rich history of fostering learning, literacy, and connection. In 2023, the library opened a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility designed to meet the evolving needs of its patrons. With a strong commitment to innovation and service, the library offers a wide range of resources, programs, and technologies that support lifelong learning and community engagement. 

As libraries evolve to meet the changing needs of their communities, long-term partnerships like this one highlight the value of reliable, adaptable technology and shared vision.  

“Helen Plum Library has been an Innovative customer for over 30 years, using Sierra and its direct predecessors, Millennium and INNOPAC, since 1994. I’m pleased that we are able to continue our partnership, and we’re looking forward to many of the upcoming developments on Sierra’s product roadmap,” said Alex Vancina, Technology & Metadata Services Manager.    

Sierra helps public libraries deliver on their mission by providing a powerful, reliable platform for managing core services like circulation, cataloging, and acquisitions. Its flexibility and integration capabilities allow libraries to adapt to changing community needs, while its intuitive tools free staff to focus on patron engagement. With Sierra, libraries can operate more efficiently and continue to serve as essential hubs for learning, access, and connection. 

Ready to see how Sierra can support your library’s goals? Book a demo today  

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With a network of 13 libraries, two bookmobiles, and an active presence in remote communities, Thompson-Nicola Regional Library serves a population of over 143,000 across a vast region in British Columbia. TNRL is recognized for its community-first approach, offering innovative programs, digital literacy services, and access to a wide range of resources. Its commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and patron engagement makes it one of the most progressive regional library systems in Canada. 

As part of its continued investment in digital transformation, TNRL selected Vega Discover to modernize and streamline the patron discovery experience. With its dynamic, context-aware search, Vega Discover enables patrons to explore the library’s collections and digital resources through intuitive navigation and engaging content displays. The product’s ability to unify metadata from disparate sources and present it through accessible, mobile-friendly interfaces aligns perfectly with TNRL’s goal of eliminating friction in the discovery process and deepening community engagement. 

Sierra, known for its powerful workflows, scalability, and flexibility, provides the backbone for TNRL’s operations—from acquisitions and circulation to cataloging and reporting. With Vega Discover seamlessly integrated into Sierra, the library staff will have a more efficient, connected platform to serve their patrons. Vega Mobile further complements the ecosystem by offering patrons a library-branded mobile experience to manage accounts, discover content, and stay connected to their community. 

Vega Discover is a discovery platform designed to unify the patron experience across formats, services, and touchpoints. Through linked data, dynamic carousels, and personalized browsing, Vega Discover transforms the traditional catalog into a vibrant, user-centered portal. Together with Vega Mobile and other products in the Vega LX suite, libraries can offer a more engaging and inclusive service experience. 

To learn more about the Sierra ILS and Vega LX, request a demo here. 

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As a public library consortium serving 30 member libraries- including public, tribal, and school libraries – NWLS is dedicated to providing modern, seamless access to resources for its patrons across Northern Wisconsin. 

With Sierra as its robust foundation, NWLS benefits from a powerful, stable library services platform with deep reporting capabilities. By integrating Vega Discover and Vega Mobile, NWLS is enhancing its user experience with a unified, intuitive interface across web and mobile devices. 

“Northern Waters Library Service has a long-standing relationship using Sierra, which provides the stability we enjoy and the depth of reporting we require,” said Gina Rae, ILS & Database Support Specialist at NWLS.
“Adding Vega Discover, and Vega Mobile provides our patrons with a modern library experience and our library staff with continuity. Our libraries are committed to providing a robust search experience for our patrons, and Vega Discover, and Vega Mobile offers them a unified experience across web and mobile platforms. The implementation team has been fantastic, and our transition is going smoothly.” 

By embracing these new technologies, NWLS is ensuring that its libraries remain vital community hubs. Patrons now have a streamlined, intuitive way to explore collections, while library teams can focus more on engaging with their communities rather than managing complex systems. 

As NWLS enhances its library services, we’re proud to support their journey.
Learn how Sierra provides a trusted, flexible foundation for libraries. 

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During the opening keynote, Yariv Kursh, General Manager and Senior Vice President at Clarivate, outlined our strategy for 2025, highlighted new product launches, introduced new partnerships to complement our unique and fully integrated ecosystem of solutions for public libraries and he re-iterated our support of the community to help lobby for Federal funding. 

While IUG is an annual event, our collaboration doesn’t stop there. We stay connected and engaged throughout the year!

The keynote was followed by 82 separate sessions during the next three days presented by users and by Clarivate staff covering everything from roadmap updates to “quick hits” to “how to’s” and brainstorming sessions. The level of energy and collaboration was extraordinary. 

A highlight of Clarivate announcements was the unveiling of AI-driven innovation, including the Vega Search Assistant and Metadata Assistant, designed to streamline library workflows and enhance discovery. These tools reflect our commitment to responsible AI that supports libraries in adapting to evolving librarian and patron needs. 

A Summary of New Products Unveiled at IUG 2025 

• Account Portal for Vega Discover, which streamlines account management, enables seamless navigation between linked accounts, and offers guardians control over minors’ library access.
• Vega Donate is a donation and online shop plug-in that empowers libraries to boost fundraising, manage donations, and create branded, user-friendly giving experiences.
• Vega Mobile Worklists, now available for both Polaris and Sierra, bring faster, more efficient workflows to library staff, enabling on-the-go check-ins, holds management, and inventory tasks—all from a mobile device.
• Partnership with Recollect, a powerful digital asset management and storytelling platform that helps libraries, archives, and cultural institutions preserve, organize, and showcase rare materials through interactive and engaging experiences.
• Rapido Consortial Borrowing redefines resource sharing by ensuring equitable access to knowledge while preserving each library’s workflows, reducing costs, and streamlining borrowing across consortia. Launching in 2026!
• Vega Reports provides a modern, interconnected interface for Polaris, Sierra and Vega LX reports.
• Innovative Phone Alerts and SMS are now part of Vega Interact, a cloud-based VoIP patron collaboration solution for Polaris and Sierra libraries, streamlining notifications and renewals, with more communication channels coming soon. 

Make sure to sign up for the Early Adopters program here!

Connecting with our Community 

Director’s Day Summit An invitation-only meeting of the minds, where Library Directors from across the country gathered to exchange ideas, explore innovation, and brainstorm the future of public libraries and their community impact.

Executive leadership panel The discussion reinforced our commitment to libraries, innovation, and the continuous evolution of both Sierra and Polaris. During the session, an audience member highlighted their appreciation of us joining COSLA in Washington DC to help lobby for library funding, recognizing the courage it takes to advocate for the industry.

Hackathon Congratulations to Jason Bedsaul (Online Dakota Information Network – ODIN-NDUS), Jason Tenter (Saskatchewan Information & Library Services Consortium), Somalia Jamall (Jacksonville Public Library), and Andrew McDonald (Saskatchewan Information & Library Services Consortium) for their winning projects at the IUG 2025 Hackathon & Lightning Round Presentations.

Crystal Awards Yariv Kursh, SVP, GM, Clarivate and Jeff Campbell, Chair of IUG Steering Committee 2025 took the stage at IUG to present the Crystal Awards to attendees who have participated for 15 consecutive years. Congratulations to all the recipients!

John Pierre, author of the book Pillars of Health delivered his most popular class, Pillars of Motion. Grounded in his holistic philosophy, the class emphasized balance, coordination, and skill-building to enhance stability and prevent falls. Participants engaged in mindful movements to strengthen posture, core strength, and agility, key foundations for lifelong wellness.

Dessert Reception The annual dessert reception brought back the dance floor, inviting attendees to let loose with great music, a photo booth, a chocolate fountain, and refreshing drinks. The energy was contagious and the partnership spirit of this community was evident! 

Innovative, from Clarivate – it’s worth the trust 

Your account manager and customer support teams are always available to assist you with any questions or support you need. Don’t hesitate to reach out! Stay connected and keep an eye out for all the great things we have planned for the rest of 2025 on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

IUG 

You can learn more about membership on the Innovative Users Group website. 

The IUG is an independent organization, fostering an incredible community connection for thousands of Innovative users around the world. Clarivate is a sponsor of this annual conference and an enthusiastic supporter of the IUG community. 

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Lester Owencroft, Vice President, Product Marketing opened the session by saying: “You can rest assured that we’re 100% committed to the development and support of both Polaris and Sierra.” 

Tom Jacobson, Vice President, Product Management added to that: “We are committed to further developing Sierra and Polaris—you can see our commitment in Mobile Worklists, for example.” 

During the session, an audience member highlighted the importance of standing up for libraries, recognizing the courage it takes to advocate for the industry. 

Yariv Kursh, Senior Vice President, General Manager: “Thank you for that comment. In times like these, when we see what is happening, we simply care too much about the industry to stay silent. A third of our company is made up of librarians, and it was clear to us that we needed to take action.” 

When Kursh asked attendees why they come to IUG, their responses highlighted the value of this community: 

“You guys listen to us, take our feedback to the back office, and develop exactly what we need.” 

“One of the biggest advantages of this conference is hearing directly from Innovative staff. You listen, people share what they’re doing, and we can ask questions to tailor solutions to our library’s needs.” 

“I hear a great idea, and I figure out how to scale it with your staff in one-on-one connections. This is why I keep coming to IUG.” 

This engagement is what makes IUG so impactful. Thank you to all who shared their voices! Kursh emphasized Vega as the answer and left attendees with a simple but powerful message: “Let us help you.” 

Beyond technology, IUG 2025 was about community—a space for sharing insights, learning from peers, and shaping the next chapter of library services together. The energy and passion of library professionals continue to inspire, and we are grateful for the meaningful conversations and feedback that will help drive future innovations. 

As we move forward, the ideas and discussions from IUG 2025 will continue to shape the roadmap ahead. Thank you to all who attended, contributed, and engaged. Until next year! 

Want to stay updated on what’s next? Follow us on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn as we continue building solutions that empower libraries and their communities. 

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Over the past year, Innovative has implemented significant enhancements aimed at modernizing library workflows, improving accessibility, and introducing advanced tools designed to empower both library staff and patrons.

The year 2024 marked a pivotal moment for both Sierra and Polaris. With the release of Sierra 6.3, as well as Polaris 7.6 and 7.7, Innovative introduced powerful new features, expanded web-based administration capabilities, and made strategic improvements informed by user feedback. These advancements include enhancements to Leap’s usability, refinements to authentication processes, and improved record management—furthering the evolution of both platforms.

The expansion of web-based functionality and SMS integration in Innovative’s roadmap are among the top developments:

• Web-Based System Administration in Polaris & Sierra: Administrators can now manage settings, permissions, and workflows directly through a web browser, reducing reliance on installed applications.
• Advanced SMS & Voice Alerts: Patrons can now be engaged more effectively with customizable text and voice notifications for holds, due dates, renewals, and more.
• Improved Security & Accessibility: Web-based access enhances the flexibility, security, and convenience of system management.

A commitment to customer-driven development remains at the forefront of continued updates. With upcoming releases such as Polaris 7.8 and more enhancements to Sierra, Innovative will introduce new integrations, expanded web-based features, and further automation to libraries globally.

Innovative encourages partnership and engagement from libraries through the Idea Exchange, where feedback directly influences the future of Polaris and Sierra. For further information on platform updates, explore the public roadmaps for Sierra and Polaris.

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Designed to streamline everyday operations, Mobile Worklists eliminates the back-and-forth between stacks and circulation desks to update records, manage holds, and conduct inventory. It enables staff to complete these tasks directly from their mobile devices, saving valuable time and effort.

Unlike third-party mobile apps that require manual syncing, Mobile Worklists is natively integrated with Sierra ensuring real-time data accuracy and eliminating the risk of outdated records.  Mobile Worklists will also integrate with Polaris in 2025. This Integration with both systems will offer extraordinary accuracy and flexibility, enhancing library operations across the board.

Mobile Worklists enables users to:

• Make Real-Time Inventory & Catalog Updates – Make instant changes to item records without needing to return to a workstation.
• Enhance Mobility & Efficiency – Perform circulation and collection management tasks on the go, reducing time spent at fixed workstations.
• Simplify List Management – Create and manage custom lists for weeding, inventory, and hold fulfillment with ease.
• Scan Barcodes & Track In-House Use– Scan barcodes using a mobile device to streamline material handling.

As expansion continues for Mobile Worklists, updates will also include support for patron registration, event check-ins, staff alerts, and deeper integrations with Vega.

Sierra and Polaris libraries can be the first to test out and provide feedback as product enhancements continue for Mobile Worklists. Sign up today to become an early adopter.

IUG attendees can visit the Innovative booth for a live demo or request an online demo.

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Key Enhancements and Improved Library Operations 

In 2024, we released Sierra 6.2 and Sierra 6.3. With input from our users, we’ve introduced batch cancelation of order records, placing holds on multiple volumes, and a new Scoping Rules function to simplify catalog management.

Building on this foundation, Sierra 6.3 introduced updated SMS integrations, a new Load Table editing platform, and additional user-requested features. Enhancements also included support for home pickup logic via API, improved tools for managing review files, and certified compatibility with RedHat and Oracle Linux 9.

These updates streamline library operations, introduce new staff permissions, and enhance security, showing our commitment to continuous improvement. Additionally, Innovative Phone Alerts for SMS allow libraries to send text notifications to patrons about overdue items, available holds, and canceled holds, improving communication and engagement.

To explore these updates in greater detail, join our upcoming webinar on Sierra 6.3

In addition, we launched a free, self-paced Sierra Load Profile Training on the Innovative Training and Learning Center. This online course includes more than eight hours of video content — but don’t worry, there’s a checklist to help you keep track of your progress. We know managing your Sierra system well is important to you and this is a great opportunity to improve your knowledge of the system and optimize data workflows.

Unlimited number of Sierra Web users

To expand Sierra Web access for more staff users, we’ve enhanced its scalability by setting up and load-balancing multiple instances.

So far, we’ve upgraded 15 customers to unlimited Sierra Web capacity, demonstrating our commitment to providing flexible, high-performance solutions that support libraries in maximizing productivity and user accessibility.

Libraries can now make full use of Sierra Web without restrictions, as there is no longer a limit on the number of users.

If you’d like to learn more, feel free to reach out to us.

Evolving Sierra: Roadmap Shaped by IUG and Idea Exchange

The Idea Exchange is a collaborative space where any and all Innovative customers can share feedback and ideas that inform the development of our solutions. 
By visiting the Idea Exchange community page or submitting ideas directly through Innovative’s Idea Portal, users can comment on and upvote suggestions that matter most to their libraries. 
 
Join us at the IUG conference in Denver from March 13–15!  
Visit Clarivate’s booth to explore new features, connect with our team, and get insights into the product roadmap. 

Strengthening Our Commitment to Sierra’s Growth 

Additionally, we’ve increased our engineering and development resources for Sierra and have additional staff in our Denver office.
By doing this, we reaffirm our commitment to building upon this year’s successes and continuing our partnership with libraries worldwide in the years to come.

Dial-a-Story 

Libraries can now enhance community engagement with Dial-a-Story, an easy-to-use service powered by Innovative Phone Alerts (IPA) that allows patrons to access library content by phone anytime, anywhere.  
 
Dial-a-Story integrates seamlessly with IPA’s automated phone messaging, ensuring reliable and personalized access to library content.  
 
Whether serving young readers, seniors, visually impaired, or homebound patrons, this feature provides a consistent and branded way for libraries to reach their communities. Library staff can easily upload, manage, and refresh content each month, keeping offerings engaging and up to date. 

Celebrating our community 

It’s exciting to see what our Sierra libraries have accomplished this year! From prestigious recognitions to major system upgrades, our community continues to innovate and enhance library services. Libraries across the country have embraced new technologies, improved discovery and management tools, and strengthened their systems with Sierra’s functionality and security.  
 
Here are some of the inspiring stories from our library partners: 

• Congratulations to these Innovative libraries named 2024 ULC Top Innovators! 

• Weber County Library in Utah launches Vega Program 

• Kitchener Public Library Upgrades Discovery and Event Management with Vega LX 

• The New York Public Library launches LX Starter 

• Minuteman Library Networks Selects Sierra for its Shared Integrated Library System Based on Functionality and Security 

• Mid-Hudson Library System launches modern patron email notices through LX Starter for consortia 

• Chester County Library System uses Vega Promote to connect with their community 

• Fauquier County Public Library launches Vega WebBuilder 

• Sullivan County Public Library Launches New Website with Vega WebBuilder

As we celebrate these accomplishments, we remain committed to delivering powerful and flexible solutions that empower libraries to serve their communities effectively.  

To learn more about Sierra, you can visit the website.  

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As we look back at 2024, it was an exciting year for Innovative and our library community. We’re celebrating the standout moments of the year by showcasing the most-read articles and resources that had everyone talking. Here’s a look at the topics that were most popular across our website:

LX STARTER  

Since LX Starter’s launch less than 2 years ago, 174 Sierra and Polaris libraries have implemented this groundbreaking, integrative solution to automate and personalize patron email notifications. More than 25 million emails have been sent to library users through the Library Experience (LX) Starter suite since January 2024. Impressive! 

LX Starter also added support for library consortia in 2024, providing member libraries with tools to create branded email notices while allowing central offices to manage them seamlessly. Developed in collaboration with eight consortia, this solution reflects real-world testing and feedback.  

If you are thinking of adding LX Starter to your library and expanding community reach, remember that it comes at no additional cost for Sierra and Polaris libraries and has an easy web-based design interface. You can download the LX Starter Fact sheet here or watch our LX Starter Webinar on best practices. With over 29,000 searches for LX Starter, improving patron communications is our most popular topic of the year. 

POLARIS 

Our customers report spending 70% less time on catalog management and maintenance after implementing Polaris – an incredible testament to Polaris’s ease of use and efficiency. Talk about saving time while delivering excellence! Polaris is powerful, but combined with our Vega LX suite, you get access to a wide range of tools all within one single, secure ecosystem. 

We understand how essential it is for libraries to stay current, which is why we always make it a priority to showcase and explain every enhancement made to our award-winning ILS. With biannual rollouts, Polaris keeps your library equipped with the latest features, and you can explore what’s new by watching our latest webinar here or reading the release notes.  

To learn more about Polaris and how it integrates with the Vega LX engagement suite, download our portfolio overview. 

SIERRA  

“Better than any other ILS I have used,” said one Associate Director in our customer survey, so it’s no wonder that our customers have searched for Sierra updates 19,256 times on our website this year. The latest Sierra version 6.3 brings us an exciting array of updated features that can be found on our Roadmap. 

Sierra is used by many of the largest libraries in the world including New York Public Library (New York), Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (Ohio), Tulsa City-County Library System (Oklahoma), San Francisco Public Library (California), Montreal Public Library (Canada), Auckland Libraries (New Zealand), and Malmo Stadsbibliotek (Sweden).   

With active development and user-driven enhancements, each Sierra release brings to life new features inspired by your ideas through Idea Exchange, alongside user experience improvements, API extensions, and workflow efficiencies. Your voice drives these updates, making Sierra a platform that evolves with your needs and visions. 

Want to find out how Sierra can help you increase staff efficiency? Check out our brochure here.  

LIBRARY IQ 

In early 2024, we proudly announced our partnership with Library IQ, and since then, we’ve heard from many libraries interested in this game-changing solution. Library IQ leverages real-time data to deliver actionable insights, empowering libraries to excel in collection management, service development, patron engagement, and strategic planning. 

Customers love that Library IQ: 

• Integrates seamlessly with Innovative’s Sierra and Polaris library systems and  

• Allows libraries to maintain relevant collections 

• Helps them visualize patron engagement in real time   

Want to learn more? Download the Fact sheet here and watch our in-depth webinar here where we show how this incredible tool can elevate your library’s performance and impact. 

VEGA LX SUITE 

We started with a vision to help libraries around the globe engage their local communities and personalize how they interact with their patrons. Now it’s an active and integrated ecosystem that includes Vega Discover, Promote, WebBuilder, and Program. These products all focus on improving your patron relationships and expanding community impact.  Our customers say that Vega LX tools help their patrons find resources easier and contribute to seamless workflows across platforms for library staff. 

These tools enable your library to connect with patrons more easily and attract both younger and older generations alike. If you are looking for the best strategy on how to utilize social media in today’s ever-evolving library world, find out more here. 

WRAPPING UP… 

Get ready for another exciting year with us! Innovative maintains close collaboration with its customer community to ensure our products deliver the most effective library services platform, empowering libraries to achieve greater efficiency. 

We are looking forward to seeing some of you at our annual Innovative User Group Conference in Denver March 13-15,  2025. Customers play a key role in driving enhancements, supported by a consistent development process and dependable release schedule. Find out more about the IUG 2025 here. 

If you’d like to get involved with product development cycles, you can view our product roadmaps online, sign up for Idea Exchange, or become a member of the IUG for additional product development conversations. 

Contact us to find out why our products are the perfect choice to prepare your library for the future. 

Cheers to 2025 – and a happy new year!

The post Innovative Wrapped 2024: Top searches and topics  appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Innovative, Part of Clarivate

Sierra 6.3

Sierra, trusted by some of the world’s largest libraries, such as the New York Public Library and Auckland Council Libraries in New Zealand, continues to set the standard for powerful and flexible library management platforms. 

 
With the release of version 6.3, Sierra builds upon this solid foundation by incorporating user-requested features that were developed collaboratively with the vibrant IUG (Innovative Users Group) community alongside streamlined processes and certified support for RedHat and Oracle Linux 9.  
Idea Exchange a tool leveraged by the IUG community for feature voting, continues to play an integral role in shaping Sierra’s ongoing evolution.

Sierra 6.3 introduces several notable updates including: 

• Sierra SMS Integration – New integration for Sierra libraries to enable the SMS notification service of Innovative Phone Alerts to send patrons text messages about overdue items, available holds, and cancelled holds. IPA SMS for Sierra is currently in beta testing. To utilize this service, an additional subscription is required. For more information, contact your Account Manager.  

• New Load Table Editing Platform – The Sierra staff client now features a new Load Tables function, allowing authorized users to view and edit load tables, export and import files, and modify existing files.  

• Support for Home Pickup Logic via Sierra API – The Sierra API now employs the same home pickup rules as Vega Discover, WebPAC and Encore. As a result, patrons are prevented from selecting invalid pickup locations when requesting items from a local library.  

• Add Record to List Functionality – Staff users can now add any open record in Sierra to a review file, provided the review file’s status is marked ‘complete’ and the user has access to it.  

• Clear JAR Cache Files – Users now have the ability to clear JAR cache files within the Sierra Desktop App (SDA). This ensures new JAR cache files are downloaded upon the next launch.  

• Navigate from Create Lists to Global Update/Rapid Update – A new “Send To” option on the Tools menu makes it easier to open the review file in either Global Update or Rapid Update.  

• Reduce Time for Patron Record Payment Lock – When attempting to access a patron record locked due to a fine payment process, staff members now have the option to clear the lock or wait for it to expire automatically. 
   

• Certified RedHat and Oracle Linux 9 Support – Sierra 6.3 is certified to run on RedHat and Oracle Linux 9, ensuring robust and reliable performance.  

Additionally, Sierra integrates seamlessly with tools such as LX Starter for email notices, Innovative Phone Alerts, Vega Discover, Summon, Vega Promote, and LibraryIQ.
Sierra APIs are continually developed and extended, supporting additional integrations with many third-party solutions.
 

For a comprehensive feature list, read the full Sierra 6.3 release notes (login required) on Supportal. If your library uses a hosted Sierra system and is ready to upgrade, complete the Sierra Upgrade Request form on Supportal. Please note that starting from Sierra 6.1, Sierra releases are certified to run on Oracle Linux 8, which may require an operating system upgrade.  
Read the full Sierra supported technology matrix on the Supportal. 
 

To explore these updates in greater detail, join our upcoming webinar on Sierra 6.3:

Whats New In Sierra 6.3

February 20 | 1pm ET 

Save Your Spot Now 

Finally, to learn more about Sierra, you can visit the website.  

Support Note: Hosted users can find information about their server status by clicking here.  

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Here are just some of the features introduced in Sierra 5.5:

• Simplify FTP login — Sierra now allows FTP connection information to be added to the vendor account records, enabling Sierra to automatically log the user in to download vendor status reports or print/send orders. If a user selects files that belong to multiple vendors, the connection information for each vendor will be retrieved and used as necessary.
• Highlight numbers across all columns in Funds displays — Staff can now highlight the entire row selected in the funds display, so it is easier follow one fund across the page, including the Appropriation, Expenditure, Encumbrance, Free Balance, and Cash Balance columns (as well as the % column when viewing the Accounting Report Table).
• Switch between fund code and fund name display — Acquisitions users can now right-click to toggle the fund code/fund name column to show either value in the funds display.
• Export funds/fund codes from Sierra — There is a new Export option in the toolbar of the Funds function to allow acquisitions users to export columns from the funds display as a csv file. When users click the Export button, a window pops-up to select the column/columns to be exported. After selecting the columns to be exported, a csv file is saved with the exported information.
• Send additional courtesy notices — Libraries can now send patrons an additional courtesy notice on the day before an item is due. Staff users will need to be assigned the Additional Courtesy Notices permission (402) and the Additional Courtesy Notices will need to be enabled in the library’s loan rules. Additional courtesy notices can be run manually or as autonotices.
• Display the location of the holdshelf — In libraries with multiple pickup locations, Sierra will now display the location of the holdshelf as part of the status information for an item that is either currently on the holdshelf or was recently cancelled and the clear holdshelf process has not been run. Depending on the library’s configuration, the status message will include either the display name from the hold pickup locations table or the branch name. The status message will appear on the View item record screen and in the status bar of the Manage Holds display.
• New workflow for Mark Damaged Items — There is a new option in the Mark Damaged workflow labelled Mark Damaged and Add Bill and it will be used to mark the item as “Billed” and bill the patron for replacement of the item, so when the item is marked damaged, the item will be checked in and a bill will be added. Based on library policies, a processing fee and billing fee will be added automatically, and the damage charge will be linked to the item and the patron. When the fee is paid, the item status automatically updates to damaged. This allows the library to distinguish “damaged and billed” from “lost and billed” in reports.
  • *Libraries that are not using the Mark Damaged functionality will need to ask Innovative to enable this functionality in Sierra.
• Update RFID “Resensitized” color in preferences — Libraries can now set the color preference for the Sensitization Indicator in the user’s Sierra preference settings. Sensitization indicator is active only when the library uses RFID tags on library materials.
• Link to Public Display in Vega Discover from Sierra clients — You can now configure the Public Display feature in Sierra to show the record in Vega Discover by linking to the resource through the ILS record ID. The link works for records that are published in Discover. Vega Discover handles incorrect IDs, unpublished records, and suppresses records by returning an error message.
  • *Contact Innovative Support if you wish to enable this option in Sierra.
• BookNet Canada Sales Data Analysis program — Sierra libraries in Canada can now set up a job and tasks in Scheduler to export the library’s branch and circulation data weekly and send the exported data files to BookNet Canada.
  • *Libraries who wish to use this feature must coordinate directly with BookNet Canada before configuring this feature in Sierra.
• OCLC ILL changes — In December 2022, OCLC is planning to retire the current ILL Direct Request service. Sierra 5.5 has support for OCLC’s new Request Transfer service. To transition to the new service, please complete the following form electronically, then print, sign, and send it to OCLC as indicated on the form. Once your institution has been configured for the new service, OCLC will send you an email with instructions for retrieving your API key. Once you have your API key, contact III support.
  • OCLC Request Transfer form (login required)
• Improved upload of Inventory data — There is a new feature in Data Exchange to help users upload .rdi files and convert them to rdi* files. To be uploaded in Data Exchange, the .rdi file must have 1 or more lines where each line is like “n:barcode”.
• Encore OverDrive Checkout API changes — The OverDrive Checkouts API changed in January 2022. When downloading e-content, Encore 5.5 offers a new OverDrive-hosted fulfillment experience where patrons can select a format and open the content, as well as download any necessary software. These changes have also been delivered as hotfixes for 5.4, 5.3, and 5.2.
• Support for SDA installer on MacOS Monterey — The Sierra Desktop Application (SDA) installer can now run on MacOS Monterey.
• Support the SDA installer on Windows 11 — The Sierra Desktop Application (SDA) installer can now run on Windows 11.

You can read the full release notes for Sierra 5.5 on the Innovative Supportal (login required).

Come to our webinar on October 20, 2022, for a look at these new features: https://go.iii.com/WBN-2022-10-20-2022_LP-Registration.html

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This challenge is for ideas that will improve functionality and introduce new features to support academic libraries and, more broadly, workflows in all types of libraries. Submit ideas about link checking, course reserves, system integrations, or anything else that would help library staff provide exceptional service to library users.

Submit your ideas for how Innovative can help academic libraries. This challenge starts on September 19, 2022.

Do you have something in mind that would make workflows easier in Sierra? Access the Academically Speaking Challenge in Idea Lab and submit your idea today! Submissions are open until October 2, 2022.

Getting input can make good ideas great. Voting and commenting will continue through October 9, 2022.

Pairwise voting begins October 31, 2022. When you enter the challenge and click on the Pairwise tab, you’ll be prompted to choose your favorite idea from a series of several pairs of ideas until you’ve seen every possible combination. Vote on as few or as many pairs of ideas as you’d like, and invite your colleagues to vote, too!

We look forward to seeing your ideas and appreciate your effort!

What is Idea Lab?
Idea Lab is the website hub for our customer-driven innovation process that informs Innovative product roadmaps. To participate, simply go to Idea Lab, and enter your username and password. If you don’t have an account yet, it’s not too late – simply follow the instructions on the Idea Lab FAQ and join in!

Happy Innovating!

The post Announcing the Sierra “Academically Speaking” Idea Lab challenge appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Sierra libraries that use Innovative Phone Alerts will be able to offer patrons a personalized library experience through branded, automated phone messaging for circulation pick up and due date reminders, inbound customer inquiries through an interactive voice response (IVR) system, and oversight for library staff through a web-based analytics portal. IPA Analytics gives staff statistics on the frequency and success rates for call campaigns, including call logs for customer service issues.

This cloud-based solution offers bi-directional communications that eliminates the need for third-party integrators or phone companies. Sierra libraries will no longer need to manage in-library hardware, maintenance, or phone lines—offering a cost-effective approach to a critical patron service.

To learn more about Innovative Phone Alerts, contact an Innovative sales rep today!

The post Innovative Phone Alerts Delivers VoIP, Cloud-Based Telephone Notifications to Sierra Customers appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

The LX Starter email communication suite provides an intuitive, web-based interface that empowers library staff to design and send automated email circulation notices via a visual email editor.

Additional tools come in the form of configuring patron journeys which is an automated sequence of emails activated by a patron’s actions or patron record data. Patron journeys will be available later this year and include welcome emails, anniversary “thank you” emails, and a library card renewal reminder. Future releases will include an online patron registration process and automated online renewal.

Current approaches to circulation notices tend to provide patrons with a generic, text-based email. Often libraries turn to third-party vendors to design branded communications, which not only costs both time and money, but also means exporting patron data across various platforms. With LX Starter, Innovative brings the capability for branded, visually appealing emails to Polaris and Sierra libraries at no additional cost while keeping patron data within your ILS ecosystem.

Once launched, LX Starter will be included in all Polaris and Sierra ILS maintenance and subscription agreements. Existing customers will receive more information on how to request, implement, and utilize the LX Starter in the coming weeks, with the first release focusing on patron notifications.

For more information about LX Starter, contact an Innovative sales rep today.

If you’re ready to sign up for LX Starter, fill out the form.

The post Modernize your circulation notices with LX Starter appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Reviewing these topics can provide a firm understanding of where libraries are coming from as we approach the challenges and opportunities in the year ahead. Without further ado, here are our most accessed resources from 2021.

1. eBook: Re-imagining the Library Experience LX
2. Research Report: Impact of COVID Lockdowns on Public Libraries
3. 3 Ways Sierra Will Help You Deliver a Better Library Experience
4. Polaris ILS: Do more with less and deliver better patron experiences
5. White Paper: Are Library Late Fees a Barrier to Equity?
6. 2 Ways Sierra Will Reduce Your Library Overhead
7. eBook: What is Bibframe
8. Resource Sharing reduces library services overhead
9. Fact Sheet: Polaris Leap
10. Fact Sheet: Polaris ILS

To learn more about thought-provoking communications and free tools from Innovative, now part of Clarivate, you can find more on our Resource page.

Looking for more ways to get involved with Innovative in 2022? Later this month, Tom Jacobson, Executive Library Advocate & Strategist, will be presenting at the 2022 American Library Association Midwinter Conference LibLearnX. You can register now for this online event at alaliblearnx.org.

We also encourage you to visit the Idea Lab. Idea Lab is the website hub for our library-driven innovation process that informs Innovative product roadmaps. To participate, simply go to Idea Lab, and enter your username and password. If you don’t have an account yet, simply follow the instructions on the Idea Lab FAQ and join in!

The post 2021 Most Read Resources appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Mobile Worklists 4.2 provides library staff users with the following new features: 

• Count use of library materials – A quick way for staff to count materials used within the library before they are reshelved 
• Backdate check in of items – Check in items from book drops and remote return locations and manually adjust the check-in date 
• Update message, internal note, item message, OPAC message, item type, and item code 2 fields in item records – Expanded item details can now be changed quickly using the app, beyond item location, status, and inventory date 
• Item Matcher updated to include new item detail fields – Staff users have more options for which item fields to match against when creating rules for item matching. 

Mobile Worklists 4.2 is available through Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iii.mobileworklists and through the Apple App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mobile-worklists/id945537908. Mobile Worklists is supported on Android devices running Android 6.0 and newer and on iOS devices running iOS 12.0 or newer. 

Mobile Worklists is available in English, Catalan, Spanish, French, Canadian French, Finnish, Polish, Estonian, and Swedish. 

Prerequisites: Sierra 3.0 or higher. Mobile Worklists Priority Paging, Shelf List functionality, and updating item record fields require Sierra 5.2 or higher. Count Use and Backdate Check In require Sierra 5.4 or higher. 

The post Mobile Worklists 4.2 Brings Improvements for Keeping Metrics; Managing Items appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

The Idea Lab Meta-Challenge is where you can define future Idea Lab challenges! Help us focus challenges on the areas of the products most important to you.

If you’ve ever wished that the Idea Lab challenges were about topics that YOU wanted to see improved, now is your chance!

For this challenge, we’d like to see what you would like to see in Sierra or Polaris Idea Lab challenges. This challenge starts on August 2.

Access the Meta-Challenge challenge in Idea Lab and submit your ideas there. Idea submissions are open until August 15.

Pairwise voting begins August 16. When you enter the challenge and click on the Pairwise tab, you’ll be prompted to choose your favorite challenge from a series of several pairs of challenges until you’ve seen every possible combination. Vote on as few or as many pairs of challenges as you’d like, and invite your colleagues to vote, too!

We look forward to seeing your challenge ideas and appreciate your effort!

Note: Winning themes will be considered for ILS specific and general challenges. Themes for general challenges may be narrowed/broadened as needed to accommodate both product lines.

What is Idea Lab?
Idea Lab is the website hub for our customer-driven innovation process that informs Innovative product roadmaps. To participate, simply go to Idea Lab, and enter in your username and password. If you don’t have an account yet, it’s not too late – simply follow the instructions on the Idea Lab FAQ and join in!

Happy Innovating!

The post The “Meta-Challenge” New Idea Lab Challenge appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

This is the first major update to Mobile Worklists since the initial Android release of the mobile app that lets library staff work in the stacks. Mobile Worklists 4.1 contains enhancements to Title Paging Lists, worklist management, and inventory workflows. This release also introduces item matcher functionality to alert staff when items on a list meet specified criteria.

Mobile Worklists 4.1 provides library staff users with the following new features:

• Show item status in the list display for shelflists – See the item statuses on the list without the need to tap through to Item Details
• Tap to verify an item on a shelflist – You can choose to verify an item is found on a list without scanning or typing in the item barcode
• Create an item worklist from a shelflist – Save your shelflist as an item worklist
• Display pick-up location on the Title Paging List – The Title Paging List now displays the pick-up location for each entry on the list
• Preview number of items paged in each location – When accessing the location filter for the Title Paging List, the list shows the number of items on the Title Paging List at each of the listed locations. This idea comes from Idea Lab, where libraries submit ideas for product features.
• Location limit available on My Lists – Filter the items on a worklist according to the item’s location
• Alert users when items on a list, Title Paging List or shelflist meet user-specified criteria – Create rules for the app to alert you when an item is found that meet circulation or cataloging criteria, such as a specific item status or check-in date range.

Mobile Worklists is available for library partners using Sierra. Current Mobile Worklists users can download the Android version of Mobile Worklists through the Google Play store at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.iii.mobileworklists and through the Apple App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mobile-worklists/id945537908. Mobile Worklists is supported on Android devices running Android 6.0 and newer and on iOS devices running iOS 12.0 or newer.

Mobile Worklists is available in English, Catalan, Spanish, French, Canadian French, Finnish, Polish, Estonian, and Swedish.

For more information about getting Mobile Worklists for your library, contact your account manager or reach out to the Customer Relationship Center (CRC) at (510) 619-3566 or via email at sales@iii.com.

The post Mobile Worklists 4.1 Introduces Item Match Alerts, Multiple Workflow Improvements appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Pairwise voting has concluded for the Sierra “It Bugs Me” Idea Lab challenge, and we have our winners!

Designed to gather small changes that could have a big impact, this challenge included 90 ideas and 528 pairs for voting.

The Winners 

Submission:  Status Date Field in Item Records

Inspired by: Idea submitted by Phil Shirley

Submission:  View Patron Record from Holds Screen

Inspired by: Idea submitted by Eliza Richards

Submission:  Place Holds on Multiple Volumes in a Bib Record at the Same Time

Inspired by: Idea submitted by Tara Major

Submission:  Export a Table of User Permissions

Inspired by: Idea submitted by April Coulter

Submission:  Hidden Review File Management and Bulk Delete

Inspired by: Idea submitted by Mark James Strang

Proposed For: Sierra 2022 (TBD)

“Library staff members submitted a lot of great ideas as part of this challenge,” said Mike Dicus, Sierra Product Manager. “I’m glad to see the ‘It Bugs Me’ challenge theme gave customers a way to let us know about small changes that we can make in Sierra that will have a big impact on workflows and make the system easier to use.”

Remember, submissions live on in Idea Lab and our Always Open Space never closes. If you submitted an enhancement that is still important to you or you’ve just discovered a development opportunity, the Always Open space provides a place to post that idea for any Sierra product.

Visit the Innovative Idea Lab: https://idealab.iii.com/

Thanks again to our wonderful Idea Lab Leadership team:

• Jeremy Goldstein, Minuteman Library Network
• Eleanor Crumblehulme, Saskatchewan Information Library Services Consortium
• Cecilia Smiley, Lee County Library System
• Maisam Nouh, The Ferguson Library
• Kathy Setter, IFLS Library System

And special thanks to our moderators and expert reviewers:

• Stephanie Kaceli
• Laurie Shedrick
• Sheryl VanderWagen
• Sarah Frieldsmith
• Kimberly Allen
• Brandon Walker

WHAT IS IDEA LAB?

Idea Lab is the website hub for our customer-driven innovation process that informs Innovative product roadmaps. To participate, simply go to Idea Lab, and enter in your username and password. If you don’t have an account yet, it’s not too late – simply follow the instructions on the Idea Lab FAQ and join in!

Please spread the word to colleagues at your own institutions and beyond about joining Idea Lab. At Innovative, we are committed to user-driven innovation that will benefit all our library partners, and we look forward to the next Challenge with you.

Happy Innovating!

The post Announcing the Winners of the Sierra “It Bugs Me” Idea Lab Challenge! appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Innovative Mobile is a full-featured library patron app with support for full search, account management, and consortia plus additional features for implementing social-distancing processes such as electronic checkouts, library self-checkout via barcode and RFID, and curbside pickup.

“The app has everything we have been looking for: smooth integration with our catalog, a strong focus on account management, linked barcode storage for families, website content that opens within the app, translation capabilities, and a clean interface that we can customize to match our library’s branding. The curbside pickup function, ISBN search, and book cover slider are icing on the cake,” said Cecelia Lefurgy, UX & Access Services Librarian at Danbury Public Library.

With 55% of the global market now preferring mobile over desktop or tablet, Innovative Mobile meets a clear user preference. It recognizes the depth of diversity that exists in library communities by offering 20 languages from which to choose, supporting library efforts toward inclusivity across their patrons.

Innovative Mobile is available for Sierra and Polaris libraries, on Android and Apple iOS, and can accommodate consortia.

To learn more about Innovative Mobile, watch our recent webinar or visit the Innovative website.

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ABOUT INNOVATIVE INTERFACES INC.

Innovative, a ProQuest company, provides leading technology solutions and services that empower libraries and enrich their users worldwide. Innovative offers one of the most comprehensive portfolios of library automation products on the market today, serving academic, public, national, corporate and special libraries and consortia. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, Innovative has a global presence—serving thousands of libraries in 66 countries and offices worldwide.

The post Three Libraries Launch Innovative Mobile Patron App appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Please note that Sierra 5.3 and Encore 5.3 have the new requirement that the hosting server be running CentOS 7 or RedHat 7 and above.

Manage Holds Improvements

“View Outstanding Holds” will now be called “Manage Holds” in the function drop-down list. Additional changes include:

• Manage Holds update – Manage outstanding holds information in real-time, as well as revise the limits available to include limits for item location, hold status, and “special limits.” The “Holds placed before” limit will be changed to “Holds placed between” two dates.
• Modify individual holds – Transfer, cancel, or otherwise manipulate holds in the new Manage Holds list.
• Display “Frozen” hold status in Sierra hold queues – Frozen holds will display a “Frozen” status in Check Out mode, Search/Holds mode (and similar), and Manage Holds.
• Additional holds improvements – Export the outstanding holds table to a csv file, automatically page title-level holds, and more.

Create Lists Improvements:

• Create Lists User Interface Changes – Seven ideas suggested through Idea Lab to make Create Lists easier to navigate for users.
• Create a review file by importing a file of barcodes – Users can now upload a file containing item or patron barcodes and populate a review file with the records corresponding to those barcodes.
• Volume records in Create Lists and Delete Records – The volume (j) record type is now available in the Store Record Type drop-down in Create Lists, and users can now create a review file of volume records and use that file in Delete Records.

INN-Reach, Usability, And More

Sierra 5.3 includes almost a dozen more features, such as:

• A new INN-Reach “Borrowed” report – This report will provide customers with a list of what they have borrowed from partner libraries and is intended to be run at the borrowing library.
• Automated INN-Reach transit slips at non-checkin locations – Materials borrowed from an INN-Reach partner library will trigger the option to print a transit slip if it is checked in at a location that is not the pickup location. This will help to route materials to their intended destinations more quickly and easily.
• Enhanced error log for Data Exchange Output MARC Records – When outputting MARC records using Data Exchange, some records will be output with errors, but the log file doesn’t identify which records had errors. Starting in Sierra 5.3, the Output MARC Records error log will include the details of the records that generated errors. The user will be able to download the error log if necessary to check the records with errors.
• Capacity for up to 5,000 Sierra logins – Libraries will be able to create up to 5,000 Sierra user logins and see those logins in the Sierra Admin App.
• Float Determiner Table limit expanded – The Float Determiner Table limit is increased from 1,500 to 2,500 lines

Encore Improvements

Encore 5.3 also contains many fixes. A few highlights:

• Fixed an issue where logging out of SSO-proxied Encore in Firefox does not successfully redirect back to the Encore home page and displays an error.
• Fixed an issue where selecting Encore facets refreshes the Encore results screen, contravening Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• Fixed an issue in Encore Duet searches, where the last catalog record in a result set disappears if any facet is selected while the patron has selected the Plus tab.
• Fixed an issue with OverDrive outages causing Encore to become unresponsive if the OverDrive integration in Encore is enabled at the time of the outage.
• Fixed an issue with Syndetics cover images not displaying correctly when an ISSN is used to retrieve the image
• Fixed an issue with some authority records not returning results (as Established Terms in Encore) unless a space and wildcard is added to the search term.

You can read the detailed release notes on the Innovative Supportal (login required).

The post Sierra 5.3 Brings Improvements to Holds, Expanded Limits appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Sometimes a little thing can make a big difference in your day—and improving that little thing can make your work so much easier.

For this challenge, we’d like to see what small changes in Sierra or Polaris would make a big difference to you. This challenge starts on April 19.

Do you have something in mind that’s bugging you? Access the It Bugs Me challenge in Idea Lab and submit your ideas there. Idea submissions are open until April 28.

Getting community input on ideas is what makes a good idea great. Voting and commenting will continue through May 3.

Pairwise voting begins May 24. When you enter the challenge and click on the Pairwise tab, you’ll be prompted to choose your favorite idea from a series of several pairs of ideas until you’ve seen every possible combination. Vote on as few or as many pairs of ideas as you’d like, and invite your colleagues to vote, too!

We look forward to seeing your ideas and appreciate your effort!

What is Idea Lab?
Idea Lab is the website hub for our customer-driven innovation process that informs Innovative product roadmaps. To participate, simply go to Idea Lab, and enter in your username and password. If you don’t have an account yet, it’s not too late – simply follow the instructions on the Idea Lab FAQ and join in!

Happy Innovating!

The post “It Bugs Me” New Sierra and Polaris Idea Lab challenge appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

The Sorbonne library is an academic library specialized in human sciences, with a focus on sciences of Antiquity, history, philosophy and geography, and an important collection of manuscripts and rare books. It offers its patrons rich research services. Like 80% of our customers, Sorbonne chose an Innovative product to continue our long-term relationship.¹

Ms. Laurence Bobis (Phd), Directrice de la Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire de la Sorbonne / Director of the Interuniversity Library of the Sorbonne said, “Sierra offers new possibilities that meet our immediate and future needs. In particular, we look forward to better exposure of data and services and better interoperability within Sierra system and with third-party external applications.”

Innovative recently shared the latest product roadmaps with customers on a series of webinars discussing both near-term and future plans to enhance the staff and patron experiences, with the ultimate goal of accelerating libraries’ impact on the world.

Yariv Kursh, the General Manager of Innovative shared that “Innovative is committed to the success of libraries, now and in the future. A flagship institution like Sorbonne choosing to remain and upgrade with Innovative shows that they are as excited about our mission as we are.”

¹Source: TechValidate Survey of 684 Sierra customers

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About Innovative

Innovative, a ProQuest company, provides leading technology solutions and services that empower libraries and enrich their users worldwide. Innovative offers one of the most comprehensive portfolios of library automation products on the market today, serving academic, public, national, consortia, and corporate and special libraries. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, Innovative has a global presence—serving thousands of libraries in 66 countries and offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.iii.com.

The post Bibliotheque interuniversitaire de la Sorbonne selects Innovative Sierra appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Please register for the session that best fits your system and region.

SIERRA NA & EMEA WEBINAR
Tue, March 24, 2020
9:00 a.m. EDT | 1:00 p.m. GMT
Register: https://go.iii.com/Customer-Support-Sierra-NA-EMEA-Register.html

POLARIS WEBINAR
Tue, March 24, 2020
11:00 a.m. PDT | 2:00 p.m. EDT
Register: https://go.iii.com/Customer-Support-Polaris-Register.html

SIERRA APAC WEBINAR
Wed, March 25, 2020
8 a.m. HKT (Hong Kong) | 11 a.m. AEDT (Sydney)
Register: https://go.iii.com/Customer-Support-Sierra-APAC-Register.html

If you did not get an email invite to the webinar, please check your spam folder. We used a new sending email for these invitations: Webinars [at] iii.com

If you are not subscribed to Innovative emails, you can sign up here: https://go.iii.com/subscription-center.html

Before you attend the webinar, please review the relevant Supportal solution for your system, titled “Resources to Close Physical Locations Due to COVID-19:”

Sierra & Millennium: https://iii.rightanswers.com/portal/app/portlets/results/viewsolution.jsp?page=1&&solutionid=200313172324571#

Polaris: https://iii.rightanswers.com/portal/app/portlets/results/viewsolution.jsp?page=1&&solutionid=200313161506782#

For more updates on our business operations at this time, please check our blog post at https://www.iii.com/blog/coronavirus/

If there is anything that we can do to support you and your institution, or if you have questions or concerns, please contact your account team.

The post Innovative Webinar Series: Resources to Close Physical Locations appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Each challenge was pre-seeded with ideas previously submitted by IUG members via Idea Lab or had been past IUG Ballot winners. Each idea has been reviewed by a Product Owner and is an approved candidate for the product roadmap. The challenges will be evaluated during the month of April and the winners will be announced at the Innovative Users Group annual conference in May.

Pairwise voting is open through March 27: When you enter the Challenge and click on the Pairwise tab, you will be prompted to choose your favorite idea from each of several pairs until you have seen every possible combination. Vote on as few or as many pairs as you like, and spread the word to your colleagues so they can vote, too!

We hope you will take this opportunity to vote for the features you would most like to see on the product roadmap. We look forward to and very much appreciate your input!

What is Idea Lab?
Idea Lab is the website hub for our customer-driven innovation process that informs Innovative product roadmaps. To participate, simply go to Idea Lab, and enter in your username and password. If you don’t have an account yet, it’s not too late – simply follow the instructions on the Idea Lab FAQ and join in!

Happy Innovating!

The post Innovative Users Invited to Vote on New Features for Polaris, Sierra appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

New Features in 4.1:

• License expansions. Concurrent Sierra Web licenses have been expanded to 30
• Facet customization. Libraries can now customize which facets they want to appear in the SDA. This is a universal setting, not per login.
  • Facets can be changed through SDA under Admin > Settings or through Admin App > Sierra Facets
• New permissions are available to allow for customization: Customize Sierra Facet Display (1255)
• System limit expansions. Removed the limit of 125 paid fields attached to one order record.
• View Cancelled Holds. From the View Cancelled Holds table, staff can right-click on a cancelled hold to view the record and place a new hold. The table also includes Date Placed.

For a comprehensive look at all new features offered in Sierra 4.1, library partners can review the announcements in the Innovative Supportal.

The post Sierra 4.1 Expands License Limits, Customizes Facets appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

EMERYVILLE, Calif.— Innovative, a leading global provider of library automation software, today announced Charleston Library Society has selected the Sierra Integrated Library System (ILS) for the next five years along with Vital as its digital repository; Innovative is hosting both systems to offer the library a complete solution.

Charleston Library Society was founded in 1748 and is the third oldest circulating library in the United States and the oldest library in the US South. With such a robust history, it had special considerations when selecting its next ILS.

An Innovative library partner and Millennium ILS user for six years, Charleston recognized the need to expand its functionality and patron offerings with the robust Sierra system. Library leaders also took the opportunity to add Vital for digital asset management of its historic collections. Leaders also chose to host the systems with Innovative to ensure backup and high availability and reduce their risk being in a storm-prone region. Innovative was the only solution provider the library approached.

“Our library staff and patrons have become very comfortable with using our Innovative system,” Laura Mina, acquisitions librarian, explained. “We knew it was time for an upgrade and we appreciated how seamless the transition would be. With Sierra, there will be little to no training involved and no need to learn an entirely new system.”

Charleston is looking forward to the improved operational efficiency of Sierra. Sierra requires only one login, allowing staff to access cataloging and other essential functions at the same time. The Sierra web application also enables more convenient and efficient work processes via mobile devices. The library said Sierra’s reporting capabilities were another important consideration. Decision Center gives staff the enhanced ability to quickly and efficiently analyze data and identify trends for circulation, collection demand and usage, and budgeting.

Implementing Sierra will have a significant impact on the patron experience as well, according to Anna Smith, special collections librarian. “Our patrons have been very comfortable with the Millennium interface. Sierra will offer them more expansive options without disrupting the user experience they are accustomed to.”

Smith, who oversees a vast collection of carefully curated rare books and manuscripts, said the library chose Vital to more effectively manage metadata and provide a simple, seamless online search experience. The library’s archival holdings and special collections house more than 14,500 rare books and 5,000 semi-rare pamphlets. This includes correspondence from people of historical significance such as George Washington, John Marshall, Robert E. Lee, and John C. Calhoun.

The decision to host the systems gives Charleston reliability, flexibility, and peace of mind knowing that hardware failure will no longer be a risk. They will also save time and overhead by outsourcing server management and updates to Innovative. Innovative is the only library technology company that is an Amazon Web Services Advanced Technology Partner, offering global reach, scale of infrastructure, and market-leading tools and support.

“We are so pleased to partner with libraries like Charleston Library Society–organizations who truly understand and support the mission to innovate, thrive, and transform the business of today’s library,” said Innovative CEO Jim Tallman. “This is one more excellent example of how Innovative solutions are being used to fulfill staff needs and patron demands in compelling new ways.”

To learn more about Sierra, Vital, and Hosting, visit the Innovative website.

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About Innovative

Innovative (www.iii.com) provides leading technology solutions and services that empower libraries and enrich their users worldwide. Innovative offers one of the most comprehensive portfolios of library automation products on the market today, serving academic, public, national, corporate, special libraries, and consortia. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, Innovative has a global presence—serving thousands of libraries in 66 countries and offices worldwide.

 About Innovative Hosting

An AWS Advanced Technology Partner, Innovative Cloud Hosted Services provide software, hardware, and network services through Amazon Web Services data centers across multiple regions. Cloud Hosted Services include configuration, maintenance, proactive performance monitoring, automatic software updates, immediate technical support assistance, and daily and weekly full backups.

The post Charleston Library Society Renews Commitment to Innovative appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

EMERYVILLE, Calif. — Innovative Interfaces, a leading global provider of library automation software, has launched MyLibrary! Release 3.1, which now includes full app functionality for Polaris library partners in addition to Sierra library partners.

The MyLibrary! mobile app, available on iOS and Android, offers patrons an easy-to-use mobile experience for navigating the library, making it as easy for patrons to borrow from the library as it is to text a friend or shop online. Once implemented, the app requires no additional work from library staff to manage, giving libraries the opportunity to improve the patron experience without increasing staff workload.

In the app, patrons can browse collections across multiple libraries in which they belong and instantly reserve or download resources, making it easier for patrons to turn to the library instead of choosing alternatives.

Popular features within MyLibrary! include:

• Perform a keyword search within the app
• Scan the ISBN number on any book to find out if it’s available
• Instantly check out eBooks and eAudiobooks via seamless integration with 3M and Overdrive
• Use the app in place of a missing library card when checking out items from your local library
• Review items on hold, fines owed, and patron profile information

“Since 2016, mobile use has exceeded computer use and continues to grow exponentially across the globe. In light of this trend and many others, we understand how imperative it is for libraries to meet the diverse and changing needs of their patrons,” said Kathryn Harnish, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy at Innovative. “Polaris library partners can now offer their patrons a modern mobile experience, underscoring our investment to deliver modern technology to the library community.”

“Innovative has offered its bundled solutions for over a year now, with the focus to provide customers easy and more economical packages to license Innovative’s software. Customers who have upgraded to the Polaris Success and Premium Bundles will automatically be granted a software subscription for MyLibrary!,” said Shaheen Javadizadeh, EVP, Sales and Marketing at Innovative.

For more detailed information, library partners can review the MyLibrary! 3.1 release notes on the Innovative Supportal.

The MyLibrary! app is listed in Google Play and the Apple App store, and available to subscribing Sierra & Polaris libraries.

Contact the Customer Relationship Center at sales@iii.com or 510-619-3566 to learn more, or visit the Innovative website.

The post MyLibrary! Patron Mobile App Now Available for Polaris Libraries appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

TIP: Evaluate your technical resources, data quality and training needs. Now.

Overcome migration fears.

It’s not so uncommon.  Libraries, particularly small ones, are often hesitant to migrate for fear there are not ample technical staff resources to support a migration project. After all, making a smooth transition is just the beginning. You also need people for ongoing support once the migration is complete.

If you are confident you have sufficient technical staff, then you can check that off your migration readiness list. If you don’t – there’s good news. Innovative not only does most of the heavy lifting during a migration, we offer services to support your team before and after the migration as well. Our Managed Services can help you cost-effectively administer Sierra through basic, standard or premier Services packages.

Then there’s the question of data. To proceed or not to proceed.

In our first Sierra Migration Tip Series post, we discussed the advantage of running Millennium and Sierra side-by-side so that the systems remain in sync in real time. With the exception of migration day, libraries can continue their work and record loading without interruption. But what about that data you are moving to Sierra. Is it clean enough for a migration?

If you have cleanup projects your staff has been putting off, migration time is a logical time to assess your system. Innovative offers Data Cleanup Services to improve your data organization.

While data cleanup is always a good idea, it’s important to note that it is not a requirement. Data cleanup can be done before or after a move to Sierra. Innovative tools have been refined to handle any type of data your library has and successfully migrate it, as-is, to Sierra. Data Cleanup Services can be done at any time — in as little as a month or an entire year after your migration.

Train staff for Sierra success.

A well-trained staff is key to a successful migration. It not only reduces your staff’s anxiety, but creates excitement around your new Sierra ILS. And when staff feels confident in your daily operations, so do your patrons and students.

In our experience, most partner libraries can benefit both from System Preparation services training as well as ongoing training that continues beyond the Sierra migration period.

Let us show you what your individual migration would look like, and the experience you can expect.

The post Setting Your Library Up for Success: A Sierra Migration Tip Series – Part 3 appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

TIP: Don’t wait until it’s too late for your server. Make the decision to migrate to Sierra with hosting.

 “It it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

We all know the old adage. When there’s no evidence of some real problem, there’s no need to waste time and energy to even think about it.  While this may work in some circumstances, for libraries, it can be devastating. By migrating to Sierra with hosting, you can avoid hardware failure, downtime, and Innovative can help safeguard you from the risks of a faulty server.

 Here’s why upgrading to hosting when you migrate to Sierra matters to you:

Migrating protects you from hardware failure and network attacks.
Unlike an outdated operating system that may be out of warranty, uses irreplaceable parts, or is no longer supported by a developer, moving to Sierra on new hardware or hosting protects you from network attacks.

Migrating will help you guard against peak time interruptions.
While your current system might be showing no signs of deterioration, it can all change in a moment. Now it the time to protect against a hardware failure would be very costly and stressful, particularly during back-to-school or finals time.

Innovative will devise a complete Sierra migration plan with you.
You don’t have to go it alone. An account manager and implementation expert will create a plan with you. The Innovative Services team has the demonstrated experience and technical knowledge you can rely on to migrate Millennium safely and efficiently.

Sierra with Innovative Hosting frees up resources to focus on new priorities.
Consider all the functions your team is covering now. Are you getting the most for your money in all areas? With Innovative Hosting, you’ll be able to put more resource power on community engagement and collection management while our team assumes responsibility for:

• Server maintenance
• OS patches and upgrades
• Sierra network firewall maintenance
• System backups
• Sierra software upgrades

Let us show you what your individual migration would look like, and the experience you can expect.

The post Setting Your Library Up for Success: A Sierra Migration Tip Series – Part 2 appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

 TIP: Expect a fast project. With little downtime. And no gap loading.

 When it comes to migration, we know the traditional thinking:

“We’ll have to implement new system on new hardware.”

“We’ll need to run two systems concurrently.”

“Migrating data manually from system A to load system B will take months with days of downtime before go-live”

But a Sierra migration is simpler than you think!

Millennium and Sierra work in sync.
We transform a Millennium system to a Sierra system “in place.” Sierra is installed side-by-side with Millennium. There is no gap loading because Millennium and Sierra run side-by-side and remain in sync in real time. Millennium remains available apart from the defined downtime, and libraries can continue regular work, including record loading.

Expert migration team supporting you.
After successfully performing 500+ migrations, Innovative has developed the team, the tools, and the methods to do the heavy lifting and get the job done well. Libraries say our migrations are comparably easier than implementing with a new vendor and six years of high satisfaction scores reflect that.

Sierra starts out system ready.
On go-live day, no network changes are needed and we are fully focused on software conversion and the staff and patron go-live event. Downtime interruptions are restricted to moving to the Sierra-ready server and final conversion..

Sierra migration makes a huge difference. Even to your bottom line.
We can’t overstate the positive difference Innovative migration features can make in staff time, calendar time, reduced stress, and, of course, your library’s bottom line. We can work to account for all these factors when comparing migration options. Let us show you what your individual migration would look like, and the experience you can expect.

The post Setting Your Library Up for Success: A Sierra Migration Tip Series appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

New Features in Sierra 4.0 include:

• System limit expansions to patron and item types, item status, and material type. Sierra can now manage up to 2,000 patron and item types, 200 item statuses, 500 material types. For our library partners with larger or more varied collections, and consortia who have been dividing codes, we know you’ve been looking forward to this update.
• Automatic renewal of checked-out items. This multi-purpose feature offers value to many libraries with different needs.
  • For libraries, it drives circulation statistics through increased renewals.
  • For our academic partners that renew faculty checkouts every semester, this is a big staff time-saver.
  • For patrons, it’s convenient as they don’t have to renew items manually and may have fewer overdue fines as a result.
• Expand All and Collapse All buttons. Now available for all phrase search compact browse results.
• Associate Catalog Load Templates with User. ERM templates are now associated with the user login rather than the accounting unit. Individual users can set their templates as they like without interfering with other staff coverage load settings.
• Performance improvements.
• New API endpoints.

For a comprehensive look at all new features offered in Sierra 4.0, library partners can review the announcements in the Innovative Supportal.

The post Sierra 4.0 Now Available with System Limit Expansion and Automatic Renewal appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

• City Colleges of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois
• Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho
• Prairie View A & M University in Prairie View, Texas
• Wingate University in Wingate, North Carolina

All four Sierra adopters previously used an Ex Libris ILS.

“Sierra is a market-leading product for the academic user community, and these libraries recognized the investments we’ve made over the last two years provide a better experience, and an opportunity to utilize unparalleled new features and differentiators,” said Innovative CEO Jim Tallman. “These library partners are now strategically positioned to transition to our next-generation platform this year, which will offer a broader range of library service platform options than previously offered by any vendor in the market.”

A forward-looking vision and evolving technology were key reasons libraries chose Sierra. Library partners also cited Sierra’s feature-rich offerings, the Encore Discovery solution’s capability to seamlessly integrate with the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS), and competitive solution pricing as important factors in the selection process.

“We are very pleased with the choice we made in Sierra,” said Karl Bridges, Dean University Librarian at Idaho State University’s Eli M. Oboler Library. “It enables us to make great enhancements. This is a solution that will allow us to grow and develop creative ways to build better experiences for our students, faculty and researchers.”

Amee H. Odom, Director of the Library at Wingate University agreed.

“We always consider the impact on our student experience in everything we do here at Wingate,” said Odom. “We not only needed a solution that would easily work well for all our campus constituents, but one that would enable us to deliver on that important end user goal. Sierra was clearly that system.”

For more information about Sierra and the value it brings to academic libraries, visit the Innovative website or contact us.

###

About Innovative

Innovative (www.iii.com) provides leading technology solutions and services that empower libraries and enrich their users worldwide. Innovative offers one of the most comprehensive portfolios of library automation products on the market today, serving academic, public, national, corporate and special libraries and consortia. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, Innovative has a global presence—serving thousands of libraries in 66 countries and offices worldwide.

The post Innovative Gains Momentum in Academic Market With Four New Library Partners appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

MyLibrary! Release 3.0 also includes integration capabilities for library partners using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) credentials across university systems. When enabled, patrons can sign in to the app using their university account or their Sierra native account. This provides a consistent user experience across Sierra discovery applications such as WebPAC, Encore, and MyLibrary!.

For more detailed information, library partners can review the MyLibrary! 3.0 release notes on the Innovative Supportal. To learn more about other recent changes in the MyLibrary! app, read our post, “MyLibrary! Release 2.1 Integrates WebPAC and Encore Labels on Sign In Screen.”

MyLibrary! is available for download in Google Play and the Apple App store, and currently available to subscribing Sierra libraries. Sierra 2.4 is required for the app, and the latest features are available with Sierra 3.2. Learn more about the MyLibrary! mobile app by visiting the Innovative website.

The post Keyword Search Now Available in MyLibrary! Release 3.0 appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

The Innovative Knowledge Base is a web-based application that serves as your central location to manage all content types across multiple systems. Our most recent release unveils new automation that makes it easier to manage your electronic resources and have all of the information you need in one place. New features in this release include:

Upload coverage changes to EBSCO in real time*

When you edit a title’s subscription status or coverage dates, your change will be immediately loaded to EBSCO. This means your library’s coverage data will always be up-to-date and in sync, whether you view it in Knowledge Base or in EBSCO. (EBSCO data updates will continue to be imported into Knowledge Base on a weekly basis.)

Export coverage data directly into Sierra*

With Sierra Release 3.4, you can export coverage data from Knowledge Base and load it directly into Sierra via the “Load coverage into Sierra” function. You can also schedule Knowledge Base to automatically export global coverage data into Sierra via the “Schedule Direct Export” feature.

View a history of coverage data exports

The Export screen now includes a History table that displays information and statistics about your past coverage exports.

View and manage license agreements

You can now view, store, and manage information about your library’s license agreements in Knowledge Base. You can view or edit license information for a package, including terms of use, contract start and end dates, and the number of allowed concurrent users. You can also attach a single file — for example, an electronic copy of your library’s license — to a license agreement.

Search for and view content providers

You can now search for, filter, and view content providers (publishers, aggregators, resellers, or other distributors). You can also add contact records containing names, account numbers, and contact information for the contacts you work with at each content provider organization.

New event log for Package Events

A new event log feature allows you to view the changes to your subscribed packages and titles. You can also filter the event log to display only packages that were modified during a specified time period. To access the event log, click on your user name in the upper-right corner of the screen and select the Package Events option.

Other features in this release include a new auto-suggest for title searches (in addition to package searches), and the option to add staff notes to titles. Staff notes appear under the Profile heading on the Title Details screen.

Innovative Knowledge Base users can use the “What’s New” feature in the user menu to view release notes and learn more about new functionality.

*Contact Innovative to enable these features

The post Innovative Knowledge Base Release 1.4 Offers Real-Time Sync with EBSCO appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

New features in Sierra Release 3.4:

• New Sierra Offline Circulation client. The new Sierra Offline Circulation client has a modern look and feel and a simplified installation process for Sierra libraries. The new client can be used with previous Sierra releases.
• Access to Fines Paid through Sierra SQL Access. Libraries can now use Sierra SQL Access to query all fines paid information from PostgreSQL. This gives library partners more freedom to search their data and report on it in custom ways.
• Improved Collection Agency settings. Collection Agency settings have been simplified to provide a more intuitive workflow for staff. Libraries can easily configure the settings to better fit their needs. New fields include Relative Start Date and End Date.
• New option to hold requests at pickup location before transferring. Libraries using Title Priority Paging can add a delay when the system is evaluating whether a newly available item should fulfill an existing hold. This delay provides staff at the pickup location with the time and choice to pull available items from their shelves.
• Fund Activity Report includes user information. Information logged with each voucher and encumbrance now includes the login name of the staff member performing the transaction. This login information is also available for export when the Fund Activity Report is exported to Excel format.
• New Invoices API. Returns invoice data for a specific invoice ID.
• New Funds API. Returns funds and can be filtered by internal fund name.

For more detailed information, library partners can review the Sierra 3.4 release notes on the Innovative Supportal.

To learn more about Encore features available with Sierra 3.4, read Encore Release 4.7 Now Available with Auto-Suggest and More Harvesting Options.

The post New Sierra Offline Circulation Client Now Available with Sierra Release 3.4 appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

With this release, libraries also have the ability to choose whether patrons can change their email and password within the app. Universities and libraries using login credentials integrated with another system can use this setting to ensure users go to the correct place to update login information.

MyLibrary! is available for download in Google Play and the Apple App store, and currently available to subscribing Sierra libraries. Sierra 2.4 is required for the app, and the latest features are available with Sierra 3.2. Learn more about the MyLibrary! mobile app by visiting the Innovative website.

The post MyLibrary! Release 2.1 Integrates WebPAC and Encore Labels on Sign In Screen appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

All Decision Center instances will be upgraded to the latest software within a few weeks of a new release. Library partners will be notified when their Decision Center system is upgraded. For more detailed information, library partners can review the Decision Center 1.2 SP3 release notes in the Innovative Supportal.

The post New Filter for Weeding Reports Released in Decision Center 1.2 SP3 appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

1. Makerspace Movement Takes Hold at University of La Verne
2. Innovative Selects Amazon Web Services as Cloud Provider
3. Innovative Expands Open Integrated Library System with New RESTful APIs in Sierra Release 3.3
4. The Power of APIs: Connecting tools with your ILS to unlock new opportunities
5. McMaster University Library System Selects Innovative for Next-Generation Solution
6. Innovative Appoints New Senior Vice President of Product Strategy
7. Orion Township Public Library Rides Into Events With New Bookbike
8. How the Sierra APIs Gave Us Seven Days Back
9. I Never Liked The Bumper Sticker: Question Authority
10. Chicago Public Library Selects Polaris, Joining the Growing List of Influential Urban Libraries to Become an Innovative Partner

Thank you to our library partners and strategic partners for an exciting and successful 2017. We’re looking forward to continued library partner engagement in 2018 through the Directors Symposium, IUG 2018, and Idea Lab.

The post Our Most Read Stories in 2017: Makerspace Movements, Bookbikes, and APIs appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

After the successful launch of Idea Lab, we’re excited to share the results of our first innovation challenge and announce what’s next!

Our initial challenge “Leveraging Data” was a huge success! We know Innovative users are the most engaged and creative in the library industry, but we did not anticipate they would exceed every established benchmark for activity during this first challenge. Here’s what we’re talking about:

• 683 Registered Users
• 584 Challenge Participants
• 316 Users Creating or Submitting Feedback on Ideas
• 83 Unique Ideas
• 453 Comments & Replies
• 1386 Likes or “Up Votes”
• 7833 Pairwise Votes to Prioritize Best Ideas

These counts reflect a representative cross-section of all types of Innovative libraries and consortia from more than 30 countries around the world.

Nine separate ideas about Leveraging Data were selected as “winners” – that’s more than 10% of the total ideas submitted during the challenge! And every single winning idea has been incorporated into Innovative’s roadmap for analytics development.

The initial release of our new analytics product is scheduled for the first half of 2018, so it won’t be long before you see some of these capabilities in production! Others are planned as part of the longer-term product direction.

Amanda Schukle, Product Manager for Analytics and Sponsor of our Leveraging Data Challenge, expressed how pleased she was with the feedback we received, “This was an ideal way to validate with a broad cross-section of users that we are on the right path with our Analytics initiative and to understand the priorities libraries place on various capabilities. I cannot overstate the value of this type of structured conversation among users in driving innovation for libraries.”

What’s Next for Idea Lab?

The next Idea Lab challenge opens on Tuesday, November 28! This time, it’s a product-specific challenge concentrated on Sierra.  The challenge question is:

“How might we simplify public services workflows by enhancing Sierra?”

With just a few weeks between holidays for many of our users, we are counting on intense focus from everyone to help us select and announce winning ideas before the end of the year. Start thinking about the possibilities now, so you’ll be ready to submit your ideas when the challenge opens!

Our Polaris users should get ready, too, as we have a Polaris-specific challenge planned for January 2018.

We’ve also been working with the IUG Enhancements Committee on how users might share ideas that are outside the scope of an active challenge. We plan to open an Always Open space in Idea Lab for this purpose. Unlike timed challenges that are designed to solicit ideas for a specific development initiative or product release, the Always Open space will be a place in Idea Lab where you can share any ideas at any time, even if they are not related to an area that we are prepared to act on right away.

The Always Open space is scheduled to open in February 2018.

In the meantime, please look for communications on November 28 to kick off our next challenge.

Thanks again to every one of our users for your part in a successful launch!  Please spread the word to colleagues and other Innovative users about how to get involved in the Idea Lab collaboration.  At Innovative, we are committed to user-driven innovation that will benefit all our library clients, and we can’t wait to dive into the next Challenge with you.

Happy Innovating!

View other articles about Idea Lab here: https://www.iii.com/tag/idea-lab/ 

The post Innovative Users Drive Product Innovation in Idea Lab Challenge appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Sierra                                               

• Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas
• Urbana University, a branch campus of Franklin University, in Urbana, Ohio

Innovative provides leading technology solutions and services that empower libraries and enrich their users worldwide. We’re excited to see these libraries prioritize the patron experience and efficient workflows for staff with their selections.

The post Innovative Libraries Go Live in October appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Encore Release 4.6 SP3 Features:

• Automatically displays only facets with results. The facet menu on search results will now automatically display only facets with results and will automatically hide any facet that has zero related results. As users select multiple facets to refine their search, the menu will continually update to show only facets with related items.
• Red Hat 7 Support. Encore is proud to announce support for Red Hat 7.

Available with Sierra Release 3.3 or Millennium Release 2014 SP5 (planned for later this year):

• Encore Stability and Responsiveness. Improved Encore stability and responsiveness, and streamlined performance for facets, as part of continual developments focused on these areas.

For more detailed release notes, library partners can review the Encore Release 4.6 SP3 announcement in the Innovative Supportal.

The post Encore Release 4.6 SP3 Now Available with Improved Facets appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Polaris

• Poplar Creek Public Library District in Streamwood, IL
• Palmdale City Library in Riverside, CA

Sierra

• La Sierra University in Riverside, CA
• Hanoi University of Science and Technology in Hanoi, Vietnam

Innovative provides leading technology solutions and services that empower libraries and enrich their users worldwide. We’re excited to see these libraries prioritize the patron experience and efficient workflows for staff with their selections.

The post Innovative Libraries Go Live in September appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Mobile Worklists Release 2.6 is intuitive and easy to use. Here are some of the reviews we received from our beta testers:

• “We like being able to navigate from one item detail to the next. We found how to navigate this fairly easily and it works well. We like the enhancements. Thank you!”
• “We love this!”
• “The swipe up/down to move between item detail screens is very helpful.”

After navigating to an Item Detail screen in Mobile Worklists, you can swipe up or down to go directly to the Item Detail screen for the previous or next item on the list, without returning to the main list view.

Mobile Worklists is currently available for library partners using Sierra. Mobile Worklists users can download the new version of the mobile app from the Apple App Store. Devices configured for automatic downloads (most common) will receive the update automatically. Compatible devices include Apple devices running iOS 9.0 or above. Sierra Release 2.1 or higher is also required. You can read more about previous updates to Mobile Worklists on our blog.

The post Save Time Swiping Item to Item in Mobile Worklists 2.6 appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Polaris

• Eastern Shore Regional Library, Inc. in Salisbury, MD

Sierra

• University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA
• University of Mary Hardin Baylor in Belton, TX
• Cameron University in Lawton, OK
• Asian Development Bank in Mandaluyong, Philippines
• Rowan Partnership in Inverness, Scotland
• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Beijing, China
• McMaster University Library in Ontario, Canada
• Chung Yuan Christian University in Taoyuan City, Taiwan
• Wingate University in Wingate, NC
• City Colleges of Chicago in Chicago, IL
• Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH
• Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, PA

Resource Sharing

• SPLASH consortium joined the Link+ INN-Reach Network for Resource Sharing
• Colorado State University rejoined the Prospector INN-Reach network for Resource Sharing
• Salem Public Library in Salem, OH joined the SearchOhio INN-Reach system for Resource Sharing
• University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA joined the LINK+ INN-Reach Network for Resource Sharing

The post Innovative Libraries Go Live in August appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Sierra

• Belmont College in St. Clairsville, OH
• Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, OH
• Kent State University in Kent, OH
• Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA
• Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH
• Canada Department of Justice in Ontario, Canada
• Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, OH

Resource Sharing

• City College of San Francisco joined the Link+ INN-Reach Network for Resource Sharing
• Springfield-Greene County Library District in Springfield, MO joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Tulsa City-County Library in Tulsa, OK joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College in St. Louis, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing

The post Innovative Libraries Go Live in July appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Load Profile Training

Dates/Locations:

October 10 – 12, Nassau Library System, 900 Jerusalem Ave. Uniondale, N.Y. 11553

November 8 – 10, Burlington Public Library, 2331 New St, Burlington, ON L7R 1J4, Canada

Description: Upon completion of this three-day course, the user will be able to understand the structure of the Innovative database, how to update existing profiles, what to consider when creating new ones, and how to test them before putting them in production.

Register for this workshop

Online Load Profile Refresher Workshop

Dates:

October 24, 9am-12pm, PST

November 7, 9am-12-pm, EST

Description: This online workshop is intended as a refresher course for those with previous experience working with load profiles at their library and who wish to bring their knowledge up to date.

It will review the most important elements of the load profiling tables.

Prerequisites: Participants must have taken the full three-day Load Profile workshop.

Audience: System Administrators

Duration: This is a one-day workshop.

Price: $700

Register for this workshop

The post Load Profile Training & Refresher Workshops appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Encore Release 4.6 SP2 Features:

• Updated Endnote Integration. Endnote integration was updated for smoother imports and accurate citation transfers.

Available with Sierra Release 3.2 or Millennium Release 2014 SP5 (both planned for later this year):

• Author Sort. Based on feedback from the Innovative Users Group, Encore now offers sorting by author in addition to date and relevance in the browse display.
• Harvesting Administration. Library partners using Encore Harvester will now be able to add repositories and profiles, and set up targets through the Sierra Admin App.
• Patron Account Holds Status Sort. Based on feedback from library partners, the holds display in the Encore patron account can now be sorted by holds status.

For more detailed release notes, library partners can review the Encore Release 4.6 SP2 announcement in the Innovative Supportal. Libraries using Encore Release 4.2 or higher can self-upgrade.

The post Encore Release 4.6 SP2 Now Available with Updated Endnote Integration appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Decision Center Release 1.2 SP2 Features:

• Improved Encore Locations. Users will now see more locations in the results for “Searches by Network Location” and “Unique Visits by Network Location.”
• Postal Code by Patron Activity Date Filter. The date filter has been fixed in the Postal Code by Patron Activity report so users can now successfully apply the date filter using the values “Year-to-Date” or “Last 12 Months.”

All Decision Center instances are upgraded to the latest release, typically within several weeks of a new release of the software. If you have questions about your release version, please contact Customer Support. For more detailed release notes, library partners can review the Decision Center Release 1.2 SP2 announcement in the Innovative Supportal.

The post Decision Center Release 1.2 SP2 Now Available with Expanded Encore Locations appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Polaris ILS

• Vaughan Public Libraries in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

Sierra ILS

• Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire
• Terra Community College in Fremont, Ohio
• Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont
• Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee
• Southern State Community College in Hillsboro, Ohio
• Eastern Gateway Community College in Steubenville, Ohio
• Flagler College in St Augustine, Florida
• Institute of Social Sciences Information Vietnam in Ha Noi, Vietnam
• Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio
• Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Louisiana

Vital for digital asset management

• Sno-Isle Libraries in Marysville, Washington

Innovative Resource Sharing

• Calaveras County Library in San Andreas, California joined the Link+ Inn-Reach Network for Resource Sharing
• Douglas County Libraries in Castle Rock, Colorado joined the Prospector INN-Reach network for Resource Sharing
• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Logan University in Chesterfield, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Kenrick-Glennon Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing
• Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri joined ArticleReach Direct for Resource Sharing

The post Innovative Libraries Go Live in June appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Polaris

• Utah State Library Division in Salt Lake City, Utah
• Dekalb County Public Library in Decatur, GA

Sierra

• Rio Grande Community College in Rio Grande, Ohio
• Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio
• Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe, Ohio
• Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA
• Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY

Vital

• Namibia University of Science and Technology in Namibia, Africa

Resource Sharing

• East Central College in Union, Missouri joined the ArticleReach Direct network for Resource Sharing
• Charles Community College in Cottleville, Missouri joined the ArticleReach Direct network for Resource Sharing
• Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Giradeau, Missouri joined the ArticleReach Direct network for Resource Sharing
• U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY joined the ConnectNY INN-Reach network for Resource Sharing

The post Innovative Libraries Go Live in May appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Released in May, Mobile Worklists 2.5 development continues the focus on simplifying the user experience by adding easy-to-use new features. Being able to jump back to a place in a list will be helpful for any user working between two lists or staff who share a login for projects and hand-off duties between shifts. The automatic jump is so quick and seamless that you may not have even noticed it the first time it happened.

When you open a list for the first time, you start at the top of the list. If you work you way through part of a list and then return to the My Lists screen, you will be automatically returned to your last place in the list when you re-open it.

Mobile Worklists is currently available for library partners using Sierra. Mobile Worklists users can download the new version of the mobile app from the Apple App Store. Devices configured for automatic download will receive the update automatically. Compatible devices include Apple devices running iOS 9.0 or above. Sierra Release 2.1 or higher is also required. You can read more about our previous update to Mobile Worklists on our blog.

The post Mobile Worklists 2.5 Automatically Saves Your Place in a List appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

This blog post comes from Brad Rogers, Director, Installation & Data Services at Innovative

You did it. You took that important next step and invested in a new Innovative integrated library system. Now how do you ensure that your Innovative ILS will integrate with all those other technology platforms you rely on every day? Especially if you don’t have staff software development resources to take on the task. Or maybe you do have the staff, but they could use some assistance using APIs, or even augmenting that in-house staff with a few more library data and services experts.

These are precisely the reasons why we offer Innovative API Success Services.

We understand how important it is for your library information systems to form an integrated technology infrastructure. Here at Innovative, we give you access to robust APIs, and the expertise to leverage them, to ensure you are can make the most of all your technology investments.

Sierra, Millennium, Polaris, and Virtua all have APIs that allow other disparate systems to access data and services.  This means our solutions and our consultants are equipped to support you through most any third party product integration for:

• Discovery tools
• Student information systems
• External acquisitions, purchasing or accounting systems
• Electronic Resource Management
• Courseware
• Digital asset management
• Marketing automation
• Storage and retrieval

Looking to customize an app or design a user interface or database? Our team can work to help you deliver those unique experiences, too. And we’ll support the language and platform you currently use, including PHP, Java, Objective-C, HTML5 and Python.

Sound like the kind of service your library could use to form an integrated technology infrastructure and offer better user experiences? Let’s talk. Send us an email at info@iii.com and we’ll determine the best services plan for your library’s success.

The post The Power of APIs appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

The actions to star and unstar can be completed by:

• Swiping right on an item in the list view
• Tapping the star icon in the toolbar on the Item Detail screen
• Tapping the star icon in the toolbar on the Edit List screen

The new feature was designed with simplicity and flexibility in mind. It can be used to bookmark a spot within a large list, or to flag multiple items in a list for a specific reason. The uses are endless, and it has been great to see the different ways library staff found to use the new feature.

To add a star to an item in a list, swipe right on the item, then tap the star. Swipe right again to unstar.

If you’re looking for ideas on how you can use the new feature, here are some examples:

Bookmark. When working through a large list, users can star an item to indicate when they pause to take a break or end their current session. The star remains on the item between app sessions, when moved between lists, and when using one login across multiple devices.

Missing Items. When searching for items on a missing items lists, staff can use the star feature to mark “found” items. They can then easily move all the found items to a new list.

Weeding. A user working from a shelf list can star any item that needs to be weeded (pulling it from the shelf at the same time). Then he or she can quickly select each of the items not starred and delete them as a group. What remains (the starred list) can then be uploaded to Sierra for staff to delete the records and update the library catalogue.

Use the Edit action on a list to select multiple items. Add a star to each item by tapping the star icon in the bottom left of the toolbar.

The feature is intuitive and easy to use. Here are some of the reviews we received from our beta testers:

• “We really like the swiping right to star an item. You hit ‘star’ and it stars.”
• “Starring items from the detail screen is working perfectly. We love it!”
• “It works great. I also installed on both devices and it works seamlessly between the two with the same login.”
• “We are very delighted that your team expanded the capability of the star feature to marking multiple items! It opens up other potential uses.”

Mobile Worklists is currently available for library partners using Sierra. Mobile Worklists customers can download the new version of the mobile app from the Apple App Store immediately. Devices configured for automatic download will receive the update automatically. Compatible devices include Apple devices running iOS 9.0 or above. Sierra Release 2.1 or higher is also required.

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When the head librarian retired after 35 years, the university decided the time was right to evaluate all aspects of the library: from its physical building, to the library management system and how it interacts with other systems on campus. The University of Essex determined Innovative’s next-generation solution, based in the cloud with open systems architecture, was the best solution to support their strategic plans, and they began the upgrade process to Sierra.

Challenge: To raise the library’s profile on campus and embrace modern workflows, amid library staff restructuring

When staff began evaluating all aspects of the library, they quickly recognised the disconnect between the library and other buildings on campus. To break the silo mentality and raise the library’s profile, it was critical for the University of Essex to integrate its library management system with other administrative departments and their registration and finance systems. This led to a conversation about procedures, how to streamline workflows, and increase efficiencies.

“Because of our long-standing relationship with Innovative, and the value they bring as a forward-thinking library vendor, we knew we wanted to upgrade to Sierra. With Innovative’s extensive knowledge of library workflows and the details they put into their solutions, Sierra has enabled our staff to truly excel and better serve our university.”

– Clare French, Assistant Director (Information and User Services), The University of Essex

The Cloud-Based Solution

It’s no surprise that IT staff are busy—especially at a large university. For Essex, the decision to move to a cloud-based solution came easily, as it meant their IT department would no longer need to support the library’s hardware or maintain their server. With a Sierra cloud-based solution, staff also gained additional space in the building, moving the equipment to an Innovative private cloud located in Dublin. Caroline Checkley, Digital Systems and Services at the University describes even greater value, “the technical support we’ve experienced with Innovative over the years has never faltered, and we trust them to manage our upgrades and ensure our applications are performing well.”

 Open Systems Architecture

The open architecture of Sierra meets the growing demands of libraries, offering optimal user experiences that are personalised, collaborative, and sustainable. Utilising cloud infrastructure enables Essex staff to access their data in a shared location, and review analytics for data-driven decisions around acquisitions and collection deployment. With the robust RESTful APIs of Sierra, the Essex library now has the ability to integrate with other systems throughout the university, becoming an integral part of the faculty and user experience. With more time to focus on the services they provide, and less on manual tasks, library staff are more attentive to faculty and students in need of resources, fulfilling their university’s mission to remain committed to excellence in teaching and excellence in research.

Localised Software Support

Based in the United Kingdom, having localised support is extremely important to the University of Essex, especially since moving to a cloud-based Sierra solution. With an Innovative office in Dublin, the library has peace of mind knowing they can speak with the support team in their same time zone. This is particularly important, as Sierra is hosted in a Tier4 security collocation facility in Dublin.

Result: New Workflow Efficiencies

For the University of Essex, a key characteristic of a next-generation solution is the ability to create new workflow efficiencies for staff. Every person within the library plays a different role in the sustainability of the institution and the success of its students. This is demonstrated in the way Sierra was built, with functionality geared towards specific roles to enable better workflows across all departments in the library.

For the Essex circulation staff, they craved a mobile solution that would allow them to get out from behind the desk and assist students anywhere in the library. With the Sierra web application, now they can. The library has even implemented a roving help desk, where “rovers” patrol the library to see if anyone needs help, using tablets to access the web version of their catalogue to answer questions and issue books from the stacks. In addition to expanded web access, Sierra also offers enhanced Create Lists reporting capabilities. This allows Essex staff to quickly generate lists based on complex search strategies.

The Sierra interface is personalised for each staff role, with functions organised in a single screen to be as efficient as possible. Requiring one login, each system displays the key information necessary to support that staff person’s responsibilities, and when updates are made, the entire system reflects those changes. With all systems in one place, this saves library staff at the University of Essex a significant amount of time throughout the day. And with an intuitive interface that came naturally to the library’s staff, training was a breeze.

Innovative also brings greater efficiencies to the Essex library catalogue with the Encore Duet discovery layer. Sierra provides deep indexing and real-time collection data to power a truly comprehensive discovery experience for faculty and staff. With Encore Duet, users experience a more efficient way of searching for available resources, with an integrated results set that includes scholarly articles, books, local digital collections, and more in real time. And without having to manage record loads, library staff are even more efficient, gaining back valuable time in the day. Caroline Checkley, Digital Systems and Services at the University shares that she thought everyone had the same experience when it comes to their discovery layer, but quickly found out that wasn’t the case. “As a long-time Innovative partner, we were under the impression this functionality was standard for all discovery layers, until we heard other libraries who were not using Innovative’s integrated discovery solution were struggling. Innovative set the expectation for real-time discovery, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Just as Encore Duet enhances the end-user experience by displaying local collections and key discovery resources in one interface, so too do the RESTful APIs of Sierra to integrate library functions within the University-wide mobile application. Now, students can renew loans, search the catalogue, and reserve books right from their mobile device!

Overall, the cloud-based Sierra solution allows the University of Essex to better communicate with faculty, students, and other systems, all while becoming a more efficient, effective resource on campus.

The post Case Study: University of Essex Turns to Open, Cloud-based Sierra to Streamline Workflows appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

The University of Warwick performed a market scan to evaluate modern library discovery solutions, with an eye toward improving user experience and access to articles, while maintaining real-time availability and visibility of local collections.  The university’s library staff determined Innovative’s Encore Duet offering, based in the cloud and customised to reflect the university brand and unique library services, was the best solution to meet their needs.

Challenge: Provide users with a modern discovery solution that offers comprehensive coverage and easy access to relevant articles to support world-class research and student success.

The University of Warwick recognised the benefits of a discovery layer and suspected there were opportunities to make finding relevant articles easier for their students.  Focused on providing all their users with the best experience technology could offer, the search began for a discovery solution that could deliver advanced usability features and a high percentage of coverage for journal and electronic collections – without increasing effort required to train students or maintain the system.

“We needed a solution that made it easy for users to find what they were looking for, regardless of source.  A clear interface with fast, relevant search results and fully integrated access to the user account were important for usability, and visibility of local collections with real-time availability was a big factor, too.  We were focused on the ease of getting all that working, and Encore Duet made that possible.”

– Ed Kirkland, Data Services & Digital Production Manager, The Library at University of Warwick

The Solution That Ticks All The Boxes

For Warwick, making it easier to find articles required a combination of intuitive interface and broad coverage.  Known for its clear display and familiar interaction model, Encore Duet was a logical choice.  After confirming that the central index used for article discovery included comprehensive results over the majority of the university’s collection, as well as a high percentage of journals and databases, the library was confident users would find top quality content that was relevant for their studies.

In addition to subscribed resources, access to local collections and digital assets was critical.  Harvesting via OAI/PMH meant Encore Duet would integrate discovery of Warwick’s archival materials, digital objects, and articles from their institutional repository alongside electronic resource records and bibliographic results from the library catalogue. This brings collections together from multiple different systems into a single search.

Real-time integration between Encore Duet and Sierra meant users would have completely accurate information about catalogued materials, as well as integrated access to their library account (requests, checked-out items, personal history, etc).  Also, staff would not have to worry about maintaining record loads or establishing system connections.  Finally, integration with the library’s existing link resolver, knowledgebase, and authentication method meant they didn’t have to change anything behind the scenes.

Reliable Performance And Localised Support

Having identified a solution with all the functionality they required, the next step was confirming it could satisfy the university’s volume of users.  Located in the United Kingdom, Warwick was pleased to see that when Encore Duet was hosted in a Tier4 security collocation facility in Dublin, they experienced quick response times and reliable performance, even during peak usage hours.   With Innovative taking responsibility for system maintenance of the cloud-based discovery solution, the library has additional peace of mind knowing they can speak with a support team from Innovative’s Dublin office, in Warwick’s same time zone.

Result: Better Experience And Increased Usage

The University of Warwick was satisfied that Encore Duet could truly take over as their primary search tool.  The library felt very confident about promoting the new discovery solution and positioned it as the only search box on their home page.  Having won over the academic librarians, students see Encore Duet in all the induction teaching materials now.

Library staff have been very pleased with the localisation options offered by Encore Duet.  Ed Kirkland, Data Services & Digital Production Manager notes, “With a customised header and background image that includes the university branding, the interface matches the main website and feels like a natural continuation for users.  It’s quite nice that it looks like ours – really makes Encore Duet stand apart from other discovery solutions.”  The library is also able to customize text and material type icons.  Beyond cosmetic adjustment, they have added JavaScript to include additional features and to power integration with local systems, such as the ability to request external store items.  Users benefit from a single click on the results browse, which automatically populates request forms with title and author information from the bibliographic record, served up by Encore Duet.  The best part is the library can control everything within a web-based administration interface, so there is no need to open service tickets.

Since promoting Encore Duet as their primary search interface, the library has experienced a significant increase in usage.  During the first academic year after implementation, they were pleased to see that discovery sessions were up by 73%, the number of unique users was up by 202%, and the number of page views was up by 37%.  Anecdotally, they have gotten positive responses from their users.  The launch was marked by complimentary comments on Twitter, and students and academics from the university’s Business school in particular really appreciate the improved experience and have become very heavy users.  Best of all, the library doesn’t get any complaints – Encore Duet is always available and working well for students and faculty.

Overall, Innovative’s Encore Duet discovery solution allows the University of Warwick to better serve faculty and students, satisfy library staff, and guarantee ongoing excellence in research and teaching in accordance with their mission.

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Sierra

• Universita degli Studi di Catania in Catania, Italy
• University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City in Hanoi, Vietnam
• St. Louis County Library in St. Louis, Missouri
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Rhode Island State Law Library joined Roger Williams University Law Library on a shared system
• Mayo Clinic Libraries serving Mayo Clinic & Mayo Clinic Health System across the U.S.

Polaris

• West Baton Rouge Parish Library in Port Allen, Louisiana

Resource Sharing

• West Des Moines Public Library joined the ArticleReach Direct network
• Fresno Pacific University library joined the ArticleReach Direct network
• Baptist Bible College, Cottey College, Crowder College, Evangel University, Ozark Christian College, and Southwest Baptist University, members of the Swan cluster in the MOBIUS Resource Sharing network, joined ArticleReach Direct

The post Innovative Libraries Go Live in March appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

One of the strategic goals at The Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut is to constantly add new patrons to active participation and to keep the patrons who already hold library cards. A Sierra library since 2014, Ferguson’s leadership team works actively to make the library a vibrant part of the city’s learning and cultural life; with frequent events by nationally-known authors and compelling program content like citizenship and new technology. Their goal is to provide a library experience that engages their community of more than 120,000 people in southwestern Connecticut.

With a focus on keeping existing patrons, we worked with the library to develop a Renewal Happiness program. Renewal Happiness is an email-driven program that features a compelling message for why patrons should renew their library cards. Our experience is that effective programs of this type require well-timed and frequent reminders, so we designed a program that would gently, and at the right moment, remind patrons of their pending card expiration date.

As we built our plan we agreed we should notify a patron when they were about a month away from their card expiration date, then remind them again when they were a week away and then two gentle reminders a week and month after their cards expired. The goal was to have politely worded, but frequent messages with increasing urgency around the expiration date. We do all of this through a marketing automation system that gets a regular batch feed of key patron data including name, email, address and current expiration date from the Sierra system.

For most applications, a periodic update of data would suffice, but for Renewal Happiness we knew this wouldn’t be enough. We knew we could send the 30-day message with high confidence, but not the message seven days before card expiration—those patrons might have renewed their card since they got the 30-day message. So, we needed a more frequent update to eliminate the risk of sending a patron a reminder after they renewed.

In our discussions with Alice Knapp, the President of The Ferguson Library, Alice was very clear that she wanted only the best customer experience for her patrons. We needed a system that had zero risk of sending a patron a reminder after they had already renewed. Alice told us “We have no tolerance for a bad customer experience—we need to solve this problem.” Her standards for customer service are high so we knew we needed a sophisticated solution. None of us wanted to give up on an accurate seven-day reminder so somehow we had to get our seven days back.

We discussed this problem with Maisam Nouh, Ferguson’s Technology and Cataloging Librarian, and she suggested that the Sierra APIs were the perfect technology for our challenge. The Sierra Patron API provided exactly the expiration data we needed so we could send emails only to patrons whose cards were truly expiring. The Sierra Patron API was going to give us our seven day message back!

We discovered quickly that the Sierra APIs use up-to-date API methodologies so the development time was kept to a minimum. The thorough documentation provided all the technical specifications we needed. We are now in the final steps of implementing this workflow – all built around the API interaction between the Sierra Patron API and the Ferguson marketing automation system.

What’s next?  As soon as we saw how efficient the use of the APIs is we started talking to another library who had a need for a regular update from the marketing automation system to their Sierra system. So we’re now brainstorming on how we can do two-way synchronization using the Sierra APIs.

In the meantime, the Ferguson synchronization goes live this week and we are all grateful that we have our seven days back.

Ted Fons is Principal Consultant at Third Chapter Partners – a consulting and technology company that helps libraries reach their strategic goals through improved marketing and workflows.  Ted can be reached at ted@thirdchapter.com.

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When staff members at Sweden’s Malmö Public Library found out they would be moving their children’s area to a different part of the building, they saw an opportunity to reshape the experience of their young users and ensure their continued success in serving their audience in future years. Instead of a “books-first” philosophy, staff thought about an “experience-first” approach to the library. How do children roam around the space and find new materials? How do they think about topics that interest them? 

“Our aim with the children’s library was to meet our vision of providing library services that are creative, innovative and collaborative,” says Malin Gillberg, Children’s Library Project Manager.  “We wanted the children to have a voice planning what the library would be. We wanted a new classification system because, in our experience and now supported by our research, children find it difficult to understand the classification systems used in most libraries. We wanted to collaborate on a system with children that would be more intuitive and make it easier for children to find what they wanted so that they feel a sense of ownership with their library.”

“Our aim with the children’s library was to meet our vision of providing
library services that are creative, innovative and collaborative.”
—Malin Gillberg, Children’s Library Project Manager. 

Adding Magic and Imagination!

The staff already knew about the children’s favorite books—such as the popular Swedish series about a child called Alfons Åberg and his dad—but they wanted to learn about their passions and ways of thinking. To achieve this goal, the staff conducted four workshops.

In the first, children were asked to sort 20 books into 5 crates and give each crate a name. The staff also told the children to look for books and observed how they found their way around. It became clear that the children didn’t come “pre-wired” to think in a more traditional classification system! Most of them didn’t understand the current system and failed to see where one section ended and another started. For example, the children often looked at books displayed at eye- or hand-level and mostly scanned the book covers. The second workshop asked children to draw pictures about their favorite book and hobby and what words they would use to describe them. Additionally, the children were asked to decorate bookshelves to match their hobbies so the staff could get a feel for how categories were visualized.

Next, the staff prepared thirty-two pieces of paper, some with words and some with pictures. The children were asked to match the words with the pictures. When all of the papers had one word on it, they were asked to add new words. These became the new classification and sub-classification categories.

At the final workshop, the staff presented the new system to the children and asked them to vote on a few subjects that staff found difficult to place. The staff asked them to vote with their eyes closed to make sure they did not influence each other. In all, forty-five new categories emerged. For example, Vampire Words (pictured) fell in to the category and subcategory of Imagination – Crazy and Funny Things category.

New Categories and Location Codes Invented by Children

Fantasi (imagination)
Förr i tiden (in former days)
Kultur (culture)
Vilda djur (wild animals)
Husdjur (pets)
Min kropp (my body)
Livet (life)
Hur funkar det? (how does it work?)
Teknik (technique)
Sport (sport)

Saving Time Equaled Success

Moving a children’s collection with over 40,000 items is a big job, as Malmö Public Library well knew. Location codes need to be changed and updated in their library system, and the activities of several staff members would need to be carefully coordinated.

The ambition of reclassifying the books would make the project even more time consuming, especially if the materials needed to be physically moved to a processing area. However, to stay on

schedule, it was clear that the staff needed an alternative approach. That’s when they decided to utilize Innovative’s Mobile Worklists product.

To get started, twenty staff members simply downloaded Mobile Worklists, an iOS app available at the Apple App Store, and got to work. Using the app with iPhones they already had, the staff created about forty-five item lists with new categories, subcategories, and locations. Then they used their iPhones to quickly scan the barcodes on the materials into their item lists in Mobile Worklists. Some of the staff worked on the same list simultaneously to speed up the process when multiple staff members were available. Later, the lists were updated in Sierra in batch.

Displaying the lists for Imagination (Fantasi) and Life (Livet) categories
and subcategories in Mobile Worklists.

Mobile Worklists Product Manager Elizabeth Henry made the journey from Innovative headquarters in Emeryville, California, to Malmö to visit the staff. She was able to see firsthand how the product works in practice and what library staff need to succeed. As a development partner for Mobile Worklists 1.1, Malmö Public Library staff provided substantive feedback to Elizabeth and Innovative’s development team based on their real-world use of the app.

“Mobile Worklists has a beautiful interface,” says Christina Mattisson, Systems Librarian. “Staff scanned 20,000 books over three months. Our reclassification and moving project was so huge that I cannot even estimate how long it would have taken without Mobile Worklists. I don’t even know how we would have managed without it.”

Innovative looks forward to partnering with Malmö Public Library in the future as they work on implementing RFID throughout the library system.

The post Case Study: Malmo City Library (Sweden) – Giving Children a Voice appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Challenge

What happens when your catalog discovery layer isn’t easily synchronized with information from your LSP and time-consuming work-arounds by the technical staff are needed to keep the two systems aligned?

That was the challenge facing Marmot Executive Director Jimmy Thomas and Senior Developer Mark Noble in 2013 as they looked for ways to streamline the record updating process and ensure that library users and staff had up-to-date availability information for Marmot’s 1.9 million titles.

”From the user point of view, the functionality of our VuFind discovery layer was complete, thanks to the great behind the scenes work by Marmot staff,” says Jimmy. “But we knew from a technical point of view that we could improve response time for users and streamline the system so that it was more efficient and reliable, which is where the Sierra APIs came in.”

Mark had been doing an extraordinary job keeping Sierra and VuFind in sync, but the solution wasn’t as reliable or sustainable as the Marmot team wanted it to be. Exporting nearly two million records from Sierra using the Scheduler tool was a time-consuming process that meant availability facets for search results could only be loaded every four hours. Displaying availability information also required “screen scraping” or parsing HTML for each title that was displayed to patrons, an inefficient process that caused slow page load times.

Solution

“We’d been hearing about the new APIs since we installed Sierra in September of 2013, and we were anxious to see what they could do in conjunction with Sierra’s open SQL database,” says Mark. By nature, APIs are designed to allow systems to talk to each other and to share data in a seamless manner, without long delays or hassle.

“The Sierra Bibliographic and Item APIs were designed to enable library systems like Marmot to move data efficiently from Sierra to their discovery layer to better serve their users,” says Steve Schoen, Innovative’s API Product Manager. “We were very pleased to have Marmot sign on as an early adopter and appreciated Mark’s input into API development.”

The solution Mark developed for Marmot starts with a twice-daily full export of bibliographic and item records from Sierra that accounts for all adds, deletes, and updates. This is obviously not frequent enough when it comes to providing real-time availability information.

Marmot then supplements the full downloads with Sierra’s direct SQL access to load availability and location information every fifteen minutes, eliminating the need for time-consuming parsing of HTML. To complete the picture, Marmot uses the APIs to determine which items have changed every fifteen minutes so the system can update those titles specifically without touching anything that hasn’t been changed.

“It was really a straightforward process to implement the APIs, which were very well documented,” says Mark. “They all worked as advertised the first time so we didn’t have to have an iterative process with the Innovative development team.”

Mark was pleased to find that the Sierra APIs are based on the popular REST protocol, very much in line with industry standards. “Actually, it’s about the easiest set of APIs that I’ve integrated with,” he adds. “The overall structure is very much the same as other vendors, so once you’ve implemented one, it’s not hard to understand how things are set up technically.”

Results

By utilizing Sierra APIs, Marmot now powers its discovery layer directly with LSP data. Sierra APIs and open database provide libraries the flexibility to implement the most appropriate systems for their staff and patrons by supporting open data access and exchange. These techniques mean the data in the Availability facet is close to real-time, which is a huge achievement for a discovery layer and an improvement felt by staff and patrons alike.

“It’s great to see what Marmot has been able to accomplish with the Sierra APIs so far, but we know we’re just getting started in terms of unlocking the potential of Sierra’s open data structure,” says Steve. “We’ve received great input from Marmot and other customers about their priorities for the next set of APIs, which will be incorporated into future rollouts.

The post Case Study: Marmot – Utilizing Sierra APIs to Speed and Streamline Discovery appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

The many adventures of Wild West Sheriff Walt Longmire, as created by author Craig Allen Johnson, are in particular demand at some of Tulsa City-County Library’s 24 branches. The challenge for library staff is to make enough copies – and no more – available at locations that serve communities, each with their own character. In fact, collection management at today’s public libraries can be a bit like the Wild West. Libraries are into new territory where collection spending has to be as targeted and efficient as possible. Meanwhile, the landscape keeps changing, as new materials become available and patron tastes change from month-to-month, year to year.

Amanda Owens, Materials Selector at TCCL, takes the utmost care in her role at the Library: “I want to send certain genres and specific titles to locations with the highest demand. For example, I send zero new Westerns to some locations because the demand doesn’t justify the purchase and customers at those locations can request them from other ones. Recently, I ordered a couple of Craig Johnson books on CD because there were holds on them and all the copies were missing or overdue.”

“We get  most of the quantitative data we need from Decision Center and combine it with knowledge of the communities, feedback from branch staff and ongoing discussions between all stakeholders.”

–Amanda Owens, Materials Selector
Tulsa City-County Library (OK)

Strategic Decisions

Staff at TCCL are working with a smaller budget than in previous years and are constantly looking for ways to make smarter and more strategic purchasing decisions.  As a user and development partner for Decision Center, Innovative’s collection management tool, staff at TCCL have the strategy to succeed in this environment.  For effective collection development, simple reporting or ‘circ numbers’ may not be enough to make service and budgeting as good as they can be. Libraries need to track demand through time, get items into patron hands more quickly; and optimize what they collect, and where, to make service and budgeting more effective.

With Decision Center, library staff can implement their strategy of buying fewer copies initially and then add copies for titles in high demand. Decision Center goes beyond a snapshot of ‘inventory’ and shows how customer needs meet library budget through time. “Our goals with the branch profiles we create  with Decision Center are to reduce wasteful spending on items that will not perform well, maximize use of the existing collection and make smarter, more strategic purchasing decisions in the future.”

Applicable to Buying

Collection management data provided by library technology needs to be “directly applicable to buying,” says Owens, rather than a generic system or branch circulation number. “From traditional reports we see that a certain location has a high demand for Western books. But maybe a couple of years down the road, the demand for the Western genre has declined significantly,” she says. “If we don’t take the time to look at the reports we would continue buying lots of Western books for a given location indefinitely. I think this is a good example of the intelligent reporting Decision center gives us.”

By Popular Demand

Decision Center gives new insight into the traditional aim to get popular titles into the hands of users as quickly as possible. TCCL staff use the Popular Authors display in Decision Center, which provides a ranking of the most popular authors at a specific location in recent months. Popular Titles also gives staff a purchase recommendation based on the performance of that author’s previous titles. This allows staff to tailor purchasing decisions more precisely than ever before.

Owens says: “We get  most of the quantitative data we need from Decision Center and combine it with knowledge of the communities, feedback from branch staff and ongoing discussions between all stakeholders. Decision Center provides the statistical foundation and recommendations, and the staff fill in the rest.”

The post Case Study: Tulsa City-County Library – Smart Selection appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Today’s libraries are about more than just trusted information; they are dynamic places that attract community members and the general public inside their doors.

As Kathryn Baldock, Supervisor of Lending Services at London Public Library, states, “Programs are a core delivery stream, right up there with books. To promote them and make them accessible is good for us and the public. It’s an experience the community wants to keep coming back to.”

Each year, LPL staff manage and publicize over 500 programs. From Books for Babies to the Francophone Seniors Group, as well as other essential library programs such as literacy, author readings, and education courses, many LPL offerings are common to libraries worldwide. Additionally, LPL is home to the 360-seat Wolf Performance Hall where the library hosts special events.

“Programs are a core delivery stream right up there with books. To promote them
and make them accessible is good for us and the public.”
—Kathryn Baldock, Supervisor of Lending Services

One recent program at Wolf Hall, Murder City, featured Dr. Michael Arntfield, who is a leading Canadian authority on cold case murders and serial homicide.

Eeva Stierwalt, whose role is Integrated Library System Solutions Specialist, reports that the lecture was a huge success:  “We’ve never had a program this size with registration and a price per seat, AND we SOLD OUT!  Everything worked smoothly, and we had 100 registrations in the first hour.” Many patrons registered for the program through Encore using program registration capabilities of Sierra, and payment was accepted via integrated eCommerce.

LPL continues to offer a busy schedule of events for the community. Check out the LPL website to see what programs the library will deliver next: http://www.londonpubliclibrary.ca/programs.

The post Case Study: London Public Library – Where Events Are A Smash Hit appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Challenge

UC Hastings Law Library is known for its extensive collection of print resources, government documents, archives, and electronic materials, housed on three floors of a six-story academic building. The library’s holdings, managed using Innovative’s Sierra Library Services Platform, include federal, international, and California documents. While the collection is sizable, space in the library is at a premium, and print resources were housed in areas needed for classrooms, common areas, and study rooms for student and faculty use.

In the summer of 2014, the College determined that the top floor of the library would be repurposed for new classrooms, an Educational Technology Center, and space for research centers and clinics. It was quickly calculated that about 40% of the library’s print resources would need to be withdrawn, transferred, or moved to a designated storage area.

Stephanie Schmitt, the Assistant Technical Services and Systems Librarian, says, “At the Innovative Users Group Annual Conference in April 2014, we heard about a great new product in development, Mobile Worklists, and we just knew it would be a perfect fit for our project.”

Library staff contacted Elizabeth Henry, Innovative Product Manager for Sierra Mobile Worklists, and asked to be one of the first users of the product. Elizabeth happily signed up the UC Hastings Law Library as beta testers. “The UC Hastings Law Library was an ideal candidate for Mobile Worklists because they had this big project with very specific goals that was prime for mobile intervention – we all recognized this right off the bat,” Elizabeth says. “Their project validated that Mobile Worklists would be successful across high-volume deadline-driven projects, while our other beta partners were proving success with standard operational workflows in all sizes and types of libraries.”

“Our goal was to maintain the integrity of the collection and to ensure that faculty and students retained access to the content they need,” says Provost and Interim Director of the Law Library, Elizabeth Hillman.

As one of the project’s leads, Stephanie facilitated faculty involvement in the collection analysis. An ad hoc committee of faculty and librarians was formed, and workflows to assist with collection review were established.

The Pre-Mobile Process

Mobile Worklists was not yet ready when the project began, but “we planned for a year-long project,” says Stephanie. Each month, they generated lists from Sierra of physical items, and librarians reviewed the lists for items to discard, which included items with an electronic counterpart or duplicate or multiple copies. Throughout the process, the librarians and faculty on the collection development committee ensured that curriculum needs would continue to be met with the remaining resources. The bibliographic and item records for the selected titles were updated manually to reflect their new withdrawal status in Sierra.

Next, library staff worked to pull the items that were marked for removal from the collection. Before Mobile Worklists, they used printed lists and moved the items into a staging area. The entirety of the remaining collections would be moved to one of the remaining two floors. Each record would need updated location codes. About halfway through the process, the library staff received the anxiously-awaited news that Mobile Worklists was ready for beta testing.

Solution

With Mobile Worklists, the library staff no longer needed to manually update the records for withdrawn items. Staff now could move quickly through the stacks to identify materials selected for withdrawal using the Mobile Worklists app.

The real savings was seen in time and manual effort, especially when it came to emptying the top floor. With Mobile Worklists, barcodes of pulled items were scanned into a new list showing items that had been pulled and moved. Items in the staging area were quickly scanned and moved on as well. The lists generated on the devices could be immediately loaded into a review file in Sierra, where the Global Update tool would annotate the record with the final details of the withdrawal status and location.

Stephanie reports that “staff was pleased with the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of Mobile Worklists.” Eliminating the extra steps of printing lists, moving stacks of books, and relying on marked-up printouts to update item records in the database saved them enough time that they were able to finalize the project before their deadline.

Result

The UC Hastings Law Library was able to meet the needs of the College and have the new library configuration completed by the start of the 2015-2016 academic year, thanks to the speed and efficiency of Mobile Worklists. The results will be felt by everyone on campus. Elizabeth explains, “More study rooms and the new College resources will help draw patrons to the library building and will contribute to the concept of the library as a central place for our students and faculty.”
Meanwhile, library staff in Technical Services and Public Services continues to use Mobile Worklists, now out of beta and in general release, as a relevant part of ongoing operations. For example, the team has already completed a project to move materials from permanent storage back into the stacks. Mobile Worklists allowed them to make those location code changes quickly and easily.

ABOUT MOBILE WORKLISTS

Sierra Mobile Worklists is a native iOS app that is fully cloud-based and integrated with the Sierra desktop application. Traditional library tasks such as inventory management, weeding, relocation projects, and list generation are simplified, and paper reports are rendered unnecessary, thanks to the app’s intuitive and easy-to-use interface that can be utilized right in the library stacks.

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