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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I attended my first Innovative Users Group (IUG) conference in 2018 in Orlando, Florida. I was a brand-new systems administrator and knew almost nothing about administration for an integrated library system and even less about the IUG. At the conference, meeting a whole community of people in similar roles and attending sessions that illustrated the range of systems work was wonderful and inspiring.

During my time on the Polaris-Innovative Advisory Council (PIAC), I really began to feel the sense of community among Polaris and Innovative users and to develop a relationship with members of the Innovative, now Clarivate, staff. Because of this support, I felt confident enough to put my name forward for the IUG Steering Committee. Learning about and contributing to the development of IUG through the informal mentorship that is built into the Steering Committee is already having a profound impact on me and on my career.

I will never forget the excitement of IUG 2023 in Phoenix (the first in-person conference after the pandemic), and the pleasure of gathering together with the IUG and Clarivate community continues to increase as I deepen existing friendships and make new ones.

IUG offers so many points of connection among libraries and with Clarivate. Resources like the Discord chat (invite link here), the IUG Forum, the monthly Zoom Forums, and the MEEP process are all opportunities to learn, to share knowledge, and to have a sense of community. I look forward to seeing everyone in Denver!

Be part of the IUG community – register now and join us in Denver!

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Their passion for this unique organization is palpable, rooted not only in its facilitation of communication with Innovative but in the myriad other benefits it offers to its members. 

The Innovative Users Group was founded in 1991 as an international organization of member libraries who used the Innovative library software. It is an independent organization, with the mission to: 

• Serve as a forum to influence the development and improvement of Innovative, Part of Clarivate, products for the benefit of IUG members. 

• Foster and improve relationships and communication among members by maintaining an electronic forum and through other networking opportunities. 

• Foster and improve relationships and communication between members and Innovative. 

• Gather and disseminate information on the use of Innovative products among the users of the systems. 

Networking and Inspiration: Fueling Growth and Innovation 

One of the standout features of IUG highlighted by Wes and Jeff is the in-person annual conference, which offers unparalleled capacity for fostering networking and inspiration.  

For Wes, who initially held reservations about the number of open forum sessions regularly featured in the conference schedule, these short, informal assemblies have proved to be a transformative space where discussions spark profound insights.  

“It’s a place where public librarians, often hesitant to take center stage, can lead discussions that resonate deeply with peers,” Wes emphasized. This organic exchange of ideas is invaluable, often leading to unexpected collaborations and innovations. 

The 2024 IUG Annual Conference was held May 25-27 in Detroit, MI with more than 400 IUG members and Innovative staff in attendance, including executive leadership, product experts, User Experience (UX) specialists, customer support and others.  

Participants took advantage of the opportunity to share knowledge and expertise, learn from each other, collaborate and network, and come away inspired to deliver patron-centered library experiences for their communities. 

Professional Development: Going Beyond Requirements 

For academic librarian Jeff, fulfilling professional development requirements could be a checkbox exercise elsewhere.  

However, his involvement in IUG goes beyond compliance; it’s a choice driven by a genuine desire to contribute and learn. “This is where I want to be to fulfill this requirement,” Jeff remarked, highlighting how IUG’s leadership roles and committee engagements offer substantial growth opportunities that align with personal and professional aspirations. 

“Professionally, it’s the best organization I’ve ever been involved with,” Jeff affirmed. “The community here not only meets my professional development needs but also satisfies my desire for meaningful connections with like-minded individuals.” 

Making an Impact: From Ideas to Implementation 

Beyond personal growth, IUG members also relish the chance to influence the direction of Innovative’s solutions through initiatives like the Member-Exclusive Enhancements Process (MEEP).  

This structured approach allows members to propose and vote on enhancements, ensuring that user needs directly shape product development.  

“Seeing changes implemented can inspire people to actively participate,” Wes noted, emphasizing how these tangible outcomes reinforce commitment and enthusiasm within the community. 

Embracing Diversity and Collaboration 

A hallmark of IUG is its inclusivity, bridging gaps between different library types and operational focuses. Jeff highlighted the enriching exchange between public and academic libraries, where insights on electronic resources management from one sector complement customer service excellence from another.  

This diversity of voices not only broadens perspectives but also accelerates innovation across the board. 

Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities 

As library staff face growing demands, IUG reminds members that they are here to help. Despite significant changes post-COVID, IUG has found new ways uphold its values of community, collaboration, and innovation. 

Effective communication of both tangible benefits and intangible rewards will be crucial in sustaining engagement and relevance in a dynamic library environment. 

Get Involved 

While the annual IUG conference is an incredible opportunity to meet, collaborate, and celebrate in person, the real work of the Innovative community happens all year round. Here are some of the ways to keep up the momentum from this successful event: 

• Monthly virtual discussion: The IUG holds a monthly virtual discussion group with a different topic each month. Topics range from Sierra cataloging to Polaris Technical Services to library marketing tips. It’s a great way to get connected and learn from other Innovative libraries. 

• Online user forums: The IUG hosts independent online forums where users can submit questions and get answers from other libraries. For example, two of the most viewed posts are a custom Polaris database query and a post on how to use with Sierra SIP2 self-check machines. This is a great place to consult other users. 

• Product Enhancements:  The Idea Exchange is a platform where any Innovative user can submit enhancement ideas for Innovative products. IUG Members can also get involved with the Member Exclusive Enhancement Process (MEEP). 

• Free Newsletter: IUG has a free monthly newsletter available to everyone. You can sign-up on their website using this link: https://innovativeusers.org/newsletter 

• IUG Conference Presentations: The IUG posts all user presentations from the conference on their membership website. Even if you didn’t attend the conference in person, you can still benefit from the great presentations and best practices shared at the conference. 

IUG 2025 Conference will be held March 13-15 (pre-conference sessions held March 12), 2025 in Denver, Colorado. Registration is open now.  

Interested in learning more or getting involved? Check out the Innovative Users Group website.  

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Here are some of last year’s most popular user-led sessions: 

• Reporting with a Twist 

• Tales from the Dark Side: What Our ILSes Can Learn from Shadow Libraries 

• Drawing Down the Data – An Introduction to the Polaris Transactions Database 

• Better Together: Sys Admin & Marketing 

• Applied SQL: How one library is using Sierra 

• Borrowing Brilliance: Tech tips from other sectors 

If those don’t resonate with you, here are some other popular topics for this year’s presentations: 

• Large projects at your library and how you managed them in your ILS: Fine-free rules, pop-up branches, preferred name fields and training for staff, re-naming a collection 

• Enabling work from home options 

• Marketing and communication tips 

• Project leadership and change management tips 

• Taking the library off-site to special events 

• Your experience implementing a new Innovative product or feature 

And … Lightning Rounds. Do you have an interesting topic that you’d love to talk about but you only have 10 minutes of content? Then submit for a lightning round presentation! These are fast-paced presentations that take place back-to-back in 10-minute intervals. 

Innovative, part of Clarivate, is pleased to collaborate with the Innovative Users Group and to participate in the IUG 2025 conference. We encourage all libraries using an Innovative product to join the users group. There are multiple ways you can get involved and help make the IUG a success: 

Join. The IUG is a user-led group, independent of Innovative, and member fees go directly to the user group. If your library is not a member of the IUG, then everyone at your library can join for $220 or less. The benefits of IUG membership include access to the annual conference, including attending meetings and downloading program materials. For those who can’t attend the in-person conference, there are still a wealth of benefits of membership including participation in monthly online forums; access to locally developed resources by other users; membership to regional IUG groups and events, and the ability to chat with other users when you need to get help or share best practices. 

Attend. If you’ve never been to an IUG annual conference before, then mark your calendar for March 15-17, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. The Innovative User Group (IUG) annual conference is a three-day event where you can learn best practices from colleagues, engage with Innovative staff on product development, and network with Innovative users like you. 

Submit. Propose a presentation for the IUG 2025 Conference. Innovative User Group members can use the instructions on the IUG Announcements forum on the member website to submit session proposals. The deadline for submissions is November 8, 2024. (Hint: You can take the opportunity to have some fun and get creative with session titles for your presentations!) 

Still not sure? See what librarians have to say about the value of the IUG in these guest posts: 

• How The IUG Helped Me: Colleague Connections, Job Support, and Career Changes 

• Making Connections and Finding Community at IUG 

• I Found New Skills and a New Career through the IUG 

• From Unsure to Confident: The Value of the IUG 

The post What presentations do you want to see at IUG 2025? appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

The event was attended by more than 400 IUG members and Innovative staff, including executive leadership, product experts, User Experience (UX) specialists, customer support and others. Participants took advantage of the opportunity to share knowledge and expertise, learn from each other, collaborate and network, and come away inspired to deliver patron-centered library experiences for their communities.

Innovative product announcements

An AI-assisted future for patron discovery

During the opening presentation, Yariv Kursh, Innovative General Manager and Senior Vice President, discussed what an online catalog might look like with an AI-powered online assistant. Users could engage in more conversational interactions, asking the AI assistant to help them find a certain type of book or get help with homework projects.

“We are always focused on our different user personas, asking ourselves ‘How can we help libraries personalize services for patrons? How can we help libraries offer a seamless library experience across all platforms and channels?’ And we think AI will play a part in those answers,” said Kursh. Read more.

Vision for Vega Library Experience Comes Full Circle with New Solutions

During this next development phase, Innovative announced continued focus on key tenets of library experience that make the existing Vega LX modules so appealing: personalized, accessible, and effortless.  Major developments on the roadmap include a unified staff interface for Vega LX modules, a membership portal for library cardholders, and more multi-channel communication options for libraries with advanced email journeys.

Innovative proactively solicits library feedback on product development through a wide variety of channels like the development partner program, beta testers, the Idea Exchange, and regular customer meetings. In 2023, the product management team spent over 2,000 hours with libraries listening to their feedback. Read more.

Vega Library Experience Platform Expands Support for Consortia

“Every consortium I speak with is completely unique from the next, each one has a custom way of handling administration, shared resources, policies and procedures, branding and more,” said Kat Cuff, Director of Product Management. “We’ve been listening closely to their needs and have taken our time to build a strong foundation that can support the complex and individualized needs of consortia.”

To provide consortia with more options for managing their organization, members, and community engagement activities, Innovative is developing a layer of features and functions specifically to serve consortia in these efforts. Read more.

Congratulations to all the IUG Award Winners!

Beacon Award

Winner Daniel Messer was honored for exceptional service to the Innovative Users community. He hosts the Cyberpunk Librarian podcast and literally wrote the book on the Polaris Transactions database.

Crystal Awards

The Crystal Awards honor members who have participated in 15 IUG conferences. This year we celebrated:

• Terri Barton, Manhattan Public Library
• Sarah Frieldsmith, University of San Diego
• Xuemei Ge, Tennessee State University
• Shad Harder, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
• Ryan Gessner, Middle Country Public Library
• Donna Spychala, Toledo Lucas County Public Library

Hackathon

“Best of Show” was awarded to Scott Murray at the Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium (SILS) for his idea “Spotify ‘Wrapped’ but for your patrons.”

Honorable mention was given to the Hackathon project “Appless Checkouts – It’s a big deal.” Read more about this creative preconference event.

Keynote speaker Greg Schwem brought the laughs

To add levity between technical presentations and roadmap conversations, the IUG featured corporate comedian Greg Schwem as the keynote. He had conference attendees in stitches with his presentation and even spent time digging into the IUG online chat forum trying to understand what inspires librarians and system administrators.

Banned books poll

Conference attendees were invited to review the Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022 and use green stickers to indicate which books are available at their libraries, and blue stickers to indicate which titles they have read.

DJ, dancing, and donuts!

The annual dessert reception brought back the dance floor, giving everyone a chance to stretch their legs. Attendees enjoyed a photobooth, smores and sundae bars, dancing, and drinks. The tunes were so good, even Yariv Kursh was spotted on the dance floor!

Opportunities to keep the momentum going

While the annual IUG conference is an incredible opportunity to meet, collaborate, and celebrate in person, the real work of the Innovative community happens all year round. Here are some of the ways to keep up the momentum from this successful event:

• Monthly virtual discussion. The IUG holds a monthly virtual discussion group with a different topic each month. Topics range from Sierra cataloging to Polaris Technical Services to library marketing tips. It’s a great way to get connected and learn from other Innovative libraries.
• Online user forums. The IUG hosts independent online forums where users can submit questions and get answers from other libraries. For example, two of the most viewed posts are a custom Polaris database query and a post on how to use with Sierra SIP2 self-check machines. This is a great place to consult other users.
• Product Enhancements. The Idea Exchange is a platform where any Innovative user can submit enhancement ideas for Innovative products. IUG Members can also get involved with the Member Exclusive Enhancement Process (MEEP).
• IUG Conference Presentations. The IUG posts all user presentations from the conference on their membership website. Even if you didn’t attend the conference in person, you can still benefit from the great presentations and best practices shared at the conference.

You can learn more about membership on the Innovative Users Group website: https://www.innovativeusers.org/how_to_join.php

The IUG is an organization independent from Innovative that fosters incredible community and connections for Innovative users. Innovative is a sponsor of the annual conference and an enthusiastic support of the IUG organization.

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Innovative, part of Clarivate,

The IUG Hackathon, sponsored by Innovative, was part of the pre-conference activities at the IUG 2024 annual conference. A total of 11 participants worked across four projects to use Sierra and Polaris APIs for homegrown development projects. A panel of three judges, Yariv Kursh, General Manager of Innovative, Wes Osborn, IUG 2024 Chair, and Jeff Campbell, IUG 2024 Co-chair, reviewed each project for design, functionality, and ease of use. 

“I was honored to serve as a judge and I was inspired by the creative thinking demonstrated by each team,” said Kursh. “The fact that participants were able to create tools to serve the real needs of their libraries in such a short amount of time was an incredible accomplishment.” 

Each team presented their project and progress updates to the crowd and the panel of judges on Monday night, the day after the Hackathon. The winner received an official trophy and many oohs and ahs from the crowd. In addition, Innovative donated $2,500 to the Innovative Users Group scholarship fund to expand access to next year’s IUG annual conference and Hackathon. 

Honorable mention was given to the Hackathon project “Appless Checkouts – It’s a big deal,” which focused on making the most out of a library’s investment in RFID tags to empower patrons to handle self-checkout without the need to download any specific app. Patrons would be able to check out materials using the web browser on their mobile device. After logging in with their library card information, they would either use the camera to read item barcodes, or patrons with Android phones could scan the barcode from an RFID tag. After a successful checkout, the due date for the items would display in the browser.  

The other hackathon projects also received great feedback from the judges and the crowd: 

The “Detect Changes to Sierra Code Tables” team created a report to run regularly and detect any changes to the Sierra code tables and then automatically notify users if any new codes have been added or changed. This could work for location codes, material types, item types, statistic groups, patron types, and loan rules. 

The “IMDB ‘Lunk’” project – with an accidental turned intentional misspelling of ‘link’ – sought to add a link out to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) in the online catalog for DVDs. Making creative use of easy-to-access resources, the project team worked with the Open Movie Database (OMDB) APIs, which include IMDB codes. The team shared a working demo and ideas for their next version of the integration. 

The hackathon project summary presentations are available on the Innovative Users Group member website: https://www.innovativeusers.org/ . 

Innovative has over 40 years of experience providing advanced technology solutions and services that empower libraries and enrich their users worldwide. With more than 2,400 library systems installed in 9,500 libraries around the world, Innovative is dedicated to serving libraries of all types across their unique needs. To learn more about Innovative solutions for your library, visit www.iii.com.  

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For the next four days, library professionals from across the US and around the world will be participating in over 80 sessions led by their peer library professionals and Innovative staff. Some attendees will start early today with pre-conference sessions, including learning about Marketing Best Practices with Cordelia Anderson, DIY sessions for Sierra and Polaris users who like getting under the hood of their ILS, and the IUG Hackathon, returning for the first time since 2019. 

On Monday, the first official day of the conference, Innovative has the opportunity to showcase the latest in library solutions and what’s coming around the bend. Vice President of Product Management Toni Minick will be joined by Vice President of Engineering Yaniv Shmuel and Product Management Director Kat Cuff to discuss how the Vega Library Experience (LX) suite of solutions is coming full circle with the implementation of a unified interface for staff members, easier management of family accounts for patrons, and real-time, easy-to-navigate analytics to help libraries best decide where to allocate resources.  

While the first day of the conference features some keynote presentation, the conference is full of sessions from libraries on transitioning from using Windows Server file storage to using a Google Workspace environment, and another session discussed their experience navigating between MARCXML and MARC21. 

In addition to the structured sessions delivering information, there is another essential part of the IUG conference: forums hosted by members of the IUG, which IUG Steering Committee Chair Wes Osborn is looking forward to, “In the past I was a little skeptical of the open forum format, but as the steering committee learned from last year’s survey responses, these conversations are really valuable to the membership as an informal place where we can be inspired by each other. This might be especially true for those who work in public libraries and might be less comfortable giving a traditional presentation.”  

Watch our socials for highlights from the conference! 

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Innovative, part of Clarivate, is pleased to share that Innovative and the Innovative Users Group (IUG) have agreed on a process for voting on enhancements to Innovative solutions: the IUG

The IUG, is a library-led community that has active online forums and famously hosts a large annual conference. The IUG also has several smaller regional and special interest groups, many of which host their own conferences. Crucially, the IUG also works closely with Innovative to ensure that library-requested features are added to Innovative solutions. 

The IUG recently took the opportunity to come up with a new process for voting on features and fixes that would be incorporated into Innovative products. The IUG worked closely with the Innovative Product team to ensure that the process was folded into the Innovative product planning and development procedures.  

Ideas for new features originate in Idea Exchange, where all Innovative users—not just members of the IUG—can submit, comment on, and vote on ideas for Innovative solutions. (Read more about Idea Exchange here.) The MEEP process then starts when IUG Working Groups look at the ideas on Idea Exchange that got the most votes, and works with Innovative to estimate the amount of time and effort needed to implement each feature. The IUG member institutions then get to vote on the ideas they would most like to see. Innovative has committed to implementing the features selected using the MEEP process within specific timeframes.  

The IUG explains the process in more detail on their website. 

You must be a member of the IUG to participate in the MEEP process. If you are not yet a member of the IUG, you should know that the annual membership fees are very reasonable, and you can join any time. Click here to learn about joining the IUG. 

Going to IUG2024? Be sure to catch Innovative’s VP of Product Management Toni Minick and IUG’s Idea Exchange Co-Coordinator Sarah Frieldsmith of the University of San Diego at their talk on Monday March 25th about understanding the MEEP enhancement process! 

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Innovative, part of Clarivate, is pleased to be participating in the Innovative Users Group 2024 conference in Detroit, Michigan. The main goal of the annual IUG conference is for attendees to make connections and learn new tips and processes to take home to their library. 

The annual independent Innovative users group conference has been successful for over 30 years thanks to users like you who present at the conference. Are there tips you learned at a previous IUG that you’re still using at the library? Consider giving back to the IUG community by submitting a proposal for IUG 2024. 

Here are some of last year’s most popular user-led sessions: 

• Better than I found it: preparing for your successor 
• Polaris Leap for technical services 
• Tips and tricks for using the Create Lists function in Sierra 
• Mapping our patrons 
• Leap into service: maximizing Leap at your public service desks 
• Sierra newbie onboarding: dos & don’ts 
• Updating indigenous subject headings: applying and maintaining customized terms 
• Happily managing floating collections 

Inspiration for this year’s presentations include: 

• Large projects at your library and how you managed them in your ILS: Fine-free rules, pop-up branches, preferred name fields and training for staff, re-naming a collection 
• Project leadership and change management tips 
• Your experience implementing a new Innovative product or feature 
• Marketing and communication tips 
• Taking the library off-site to special events 

 There are multiple ways you can get involved and help make the IUG a success: 

Join. The IUG is a user-led group, independent of Innovative, and member fees go directly to the user group. If your library is not a member of the IUG, then everyone at your library can join for $220 or less. The benefits of IUG membership include access to the annual conference, including attending meetings and downloading program materials; participation in IUG forums; access to the Clearinghouse Forum, a repository of locally developed resources; access to regional IUG groups and events, and more. 

Attend. If you’ve never been to an IUG annual conference before, then mark your calendar for March 25-27, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. The Innovative User Group (IUG) annual conference is a three-day event where you can learn best practices from colleagues, engage with Innovative staff on product development, and network with Innovative users like you. 

Submit. Program proposal submissions are now open for the IUG 2024 Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Innovative User Group members can use the instructions on the IUG Announcements forum on the member website to submit session proposals. The deadline for submissions is November 30, 2023.  (Hint: You can take the opportunity to have some fun and get creative with session titles for your presentations!) 

Still not sure? See what librarians have to say about the value of the IUG in these guest posts: 

• Making Connections and Finding Community at IUG 
• I Found New Skills and a New Career through the IUG 
• From Unsure to Confident: The Value of the IUG 

The post What presentations do you want to see at IUG 2024? appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

This will be the first in-person conference for the group since 2019. For the next four days, library professionals from across the US and around the world will be participating in 71 sessions led by their peer library professionals and Innovative staff. 

Despite being unable to attend the conference due to a conflict with a community fundraiser, Wes Osborn, the Executive Director of the Central Library Consortium in Ohio and Chair of the Innovative User’s Group Steering Committee, expressed his enthusiasm for the start of IUG in Phoenix, Arizona and its significance for the IUG community. 

“Many IUG members have eagerly awaited the return of in-person conferences, and it’s finally here!” said Osborn. “An in-person IUG conference offers a unique opportunity to network, collaborate, and learn from each other, inspiring attendees to better serve their communities when they return to their organizations. I extend my sincere gratitude to all those who made this event possible.” 

Pre-conference activities take place on Wednesday, May 10, and the conference opening session begins on Thursday morning. From Quick Hits talks to program presentations, conference sessions will offer a variety of forums, workshops, and discussions to get the most out of using Innovative solutions and to share tips on working in libraries in today’s challenging landscape. 

As part of the conference opening session, keynote speaker Anat Baron, best known for helping to make Mike’s Hard Lemonade a household name, will present on “The Next Great Transformation.” 

Find more details on the IUG 2023 conference on the IUG website, or head to the Google Play or Apple App stores to download the “IUG 2023 Conference App.” 

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About IUG 

The Innovative Users Group (IUG) was formally organized in 1991 as an international organization of member libraries that use Innovative’s integrated library software products. The organization is independent from Innovative, and is led by the Steering Committee whose members are elected by the general membership. All members of the Steering Committee volunteer their services to the organization. In addition to archiving all conference presentation materials, the IUG maintains a website (www.innovativeusers.org) that includes an Online Clearinghouse of member-developed resources including tutorials, scripts, training documents, and promotional materials. These resources represent a level of customer involvement and support unmatched in the library technology arena. 

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Since 1991, The Innovative Users Group has met annually to share interests, ideas, and fellowship with international member libraries who use integrated library software from Innovative, part of Clarivate. This year’s IUG conference will be held at the Downtown Phoenix Sheraton and will feature over 140 sessions presented by IUG members and Innovative staff.  

Program sessions will vary in topic and approach; covering technical training, open forum discussions, soft skills training, case studies, best practices, product highlights and demonstrations, and more. If you’re interested in learning more about IUG 2023, you can join us for an informative session to learn more about the conference on April 5, 2023, at 1 p.m. EDT. Click here to register for this Zoom event.

You can get involved in the following ways: 

Attend. If you’ve never been to an IUG annual conference before, then mark your calendar for May 10-13, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. More details are available on the IUG website, and you can register for the event here: https://www.innovativeusers.org/iug-conference-2023/.

Join. The IUG is a user-led group, independent of Innovative, and member fees go directly to the user group. If your library is not a member of the IUG, then you can join for the cost of only $110 per year. The benefits of IUG membership include access to the annual conference, program materials from the annual meeting, participation in the IUG forums, access to the Clearinghouse, and more. 

Participate. Once you’re logged in to the Innovative Users Group website, they have very active user forums where you can find Innovative users in your area, learn tips and tricks, and share process ideas. 

 Click here to register for IUG 2023 

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Trevor Diamond, 2021-2022 IUG Chair, started the festivities by sharing a few important stats about IUG 2022. Over 1,700 library professionals from 16 countries registered for the conference, with over 360 first time attendees.

Diamond also took a moment to honor the recipient of the 2022 Beacon Award— Beth Juhl from the University of Arkansas. The Beacon Award honors exceptional service to the Innovative user community through presentations, collaboration, and selfless dedication to libraries as a whole. Juhl was described by her peers as “quick witted and wise,” with several members acknowledging that her presence alone made them better librarians.

Hilary Newman (Senior Vice President of Library Services, Innovative, part of Clarivate) celebrated this year’s recipients of The Crystal Award. The Crystal Award celebrates IUG members who have reached 15 years of dedication to the community. The 2022 Crystal Award recipients are:

• Susanna Aakko, Helsinki City Library (Finland)
• Lynn Baird, Clermont County Public Library
• Eileen Chandler, CLAMS
• Rhonda Glazier, Univ. of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Kramer Family Library
• Laurinda Gruber, Columbus State Community College
• Heather Hillaker, Saginaw Valley State University
• Christina Mattisson, Malmo City Library (Sweden)
• Marian McCollum, LS&S
• Eeva Stierwalt, London Public Library (Canada)
• Victor Zuniga, Poudre River Public Library District

Yariv Kursh, Innovative General Manager, followed Newman with brief remarks about the importance of this anniversary.

“This is a very special event for us,” Kursh said, “Thirty years of us coming together, spending time learning, listening, exchanging ideas, and coming out of this even smarter. With a broader vision of libraries in general, and what we want to do together to make the IUG [even more] successful.”

While celebrating 30 years of community, Kursh looked toward the future by introducing IUG members to Clarivate Chief Product Officer Gordon Samson. Samson graciously shared his fondest library memory and offered his take on the importance of sustainability in every sector.

This year’s hotly anticipated keynote speaker was New York Times bestselling author David Epstein, author of Range, who spoke of the benefits of being a generalist in a sea of specialists. Epstein also addressed at length how libraries can help support community members in their learning.

Innovative executives held presentations on the latest library software solutions, including Vega Guide for Discover, Vega Program, and Vega Promote, and the new Library Experience Starter package—which will be available to all Sierra and Polaris libraries as part of their standard ILS maintenance or subscription.

The rest of the week was filled with sessions where librarians shared tips on SQL, DIY DEI, inventory options, sysadmin tips and more.

Archival recordings from IUG 2022 will remain available online to attendees via the conference platform, linked at innovativeusers.org through September 30, 2022.

We look forward to seeing everyone again next year at IUG 2023!

The post Celebrating 30 years of community at IUG 2022 appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Beyond grunge music and flannel shirts, the 1990s was an era of technological shifts that fundamentally changed the ways in which libraries worked on both sides of the counter. Just a year prior, industry analyst Marshall Breeding shared his thoughts about the pending paradigm shift within libraries thanks to the popularity of CD-ROMs, calling them a state-of-the-art tool with “a friendlier user interface” than traditional search methodologies.

CD-ROMs posed both opportunity and an interesting challenge for librarians: their intuitive interfaces meant more searching independence for the user, but also required the library to invest in new technology and workstation configurations. Both the challenges and the opportunities were addressed by librarians with help from their peers in the IUG.

This spring, the IUG will meet for their 30th annual conference on April 5-8, 2022. With the unexpected paradigm shifts experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this virtual gathering will serve as a useful tool for industry professionals as libraries work to anticipate the ever evolving wants and needs of library patrons.

This online conference will include both live and on-demand presentations, plus user forums, Quick Hits (brief instructional product presentations), and a virtual exhibit hall. In addition to the many sessions led by IUG members, Innovative leadership will also give several key presentations, including sessions on disaster preparedness, enhancing the customer experience, measuring patron engagement, library marketing trends and practices, getting the most out of your data, and more.

And while the customary gift for a 30th anniversary is pearls, we hope that you are all excited to receive your very own IUG 2022 conference notebook!

Registration for IUG 2022 is now open at innovativeusers.org.

The post IUG 2022: 30 years of library connections appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Setter has a long history of education and leadership in the IUG community, serving for many years as IUG Secretary, two terms as IUG Chair, and on the IUG Enhancements Committee and Idea Lab Leadership Team.

“Many of us have been waiting for the year she is eligible for this award and now it’s finally arrived,” said Renee Brumett, Electronic Resources Librarian for Springfield-Greene County Library District. “She exudes the principles of the Beacon Award and is exactly the kind of individual it was created to recognize.”

“Attending her IUG sessions is like Technical Services University,” said Beth Juhl, Web Services Librarian for University of Arkansas.

In addition to her extensive service with the IUG, Kathy has also served as chair of the Wisconsin Illinois Innovative Users Group, and has “even traveled to Canada to present at the Eastern Canada IUG several years in a row!”

Kathy has presented at IUG dozens of times, giving presentations on the ins and outs of managing serials and acquisitions, cataloging and authority control, reporting, and consortia concerns, and has a history of providing expert help to IUG members on discussion lists and in person.

Initiated in 2007, the Beacon Award is presented each year to honor an IUG member “who shows exceptional service to the Innovative Users Community through presentations, collaborations, selfless dedication to libraries as a whole, and sage advice to others via the IUG List.”

Award recipients are nominated by colleagues and peers in the IUG community and selected by the Beacon Award Selection Committee, headed by the current IUG Past-Chair. Any librarian or staff member at an IUG member library is eligible for the award.

For more information about the Innovative Users Group, visit the IUG website.

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• Syndetics Unbound is now included in every purchase of Vega Discover
• Vega Connect will be included with any Vega module
• The Vega Universal Messaging Service

The Vega LX platform offers libraries a unified solution for building ongoing relationships with their community and communicating with users across multiple channels, all while keeping patron data, communication history, and analytics in one place for library staff. The Vega LX platform includes six products: Connect, Discover, Interact, Promote, Program, and Analyze.

Built from the ground up using cloud computing, Vega employs the latest technologies and services that allow for speed, scale, and longevity. With extensive user testing and library input, Vega is designed to provide a better experience for all users: library staff, patrons, donors, and citizens.

“Experiencing the library digitally and virtually – through the web, an app, or any modern communication channel – should be as thrilling as walking in the library’s front door and taking in all the possibilities,” said Yariv Kursh, General Manager of Innovative. “The full library experience is made up of all these moments where the community experiences the library in-person and online and builds an impression of the library over time.”

Within the Vega platform, three modules (Interact, Promote, and Program) are highlighted as the Vega Engagement Suite. The suite allows library staff to easily communicate and manage the full range of materials, programs, and services available to their community and personalized for their patrons. The suite will include individualized communication channels such as SMS, voice, chat, chatbots, social media and messaging apps as well as broad communications such as newsletters, campaigns, and event management tools.

Vega Discover is available today and additional Vega modules will be available in July 2021.

Syndetics Unbound is included in every purchase of Vega Discover

Syndetics Unbound will now be included in every purchase of Vega Discover. Libraries will receive Syndetics Unbound’s wealth of enrichment content and metadata from the Syndetics service will be integrated into the Vega Context Engine, providing richer opportunities to organize, display and explore the library’s holdings and services.

Libraries often have to weave together provider content and complicated integrations to try to provide a quality patron experience. With Vega Discover, every library has visually appealing, compelling content that is synced with the library’s catalog data through the Vega Context Engine. Vega Discover delivers a discovery solution with enrichment content from day one of implementation, enabling libraries to focus more on patron services and less on discovery maintenance.

Libraries who purchase Vega Interact, Promote, or Program will be able to use available images from Syndetics Unbound in their email communications. Syndetics Unbound content is available now for Sierra libraries and in July for Polaris libraries.

Vega Connect included with any Vega module

During 2021, new Vega customers will receive Connect at no charge with the first purchase of any Vega module. This includes Connect’s easy-to-use email designer and automated email service that covers registration and welcome emails, courtesy notices, renewal reminders, and anniversary emails. Also included with Connect is an initial set of statistics to understand user engagement with the communications.

“We believe these types of communication tools with enrichment content should become standard functionality for libraries, the same way we all expect the ILS to have cataloging and acquisition capabilities,” said Toni Minick, Vice President of Product Management. “Libraries are now competing with big technology companies who focus their resources on improving user experiences and journeys to match what we have all come to expect. Our goal is to give libraries scalable tools that better help them offer patrons the same personalized and effortless experience as other consumer companies.”

Vega Universal Messaging Service

Vega’s new modern messaging service will allow libraries to manage all of their communications, messaging and conversational channels in one place. In addition to email and SMS, options will include Facebook Messenger and other social media messaging channels, chat and voice channels such as Alexa or Google Voice, push messaging to Discover and mobile, and messaging services such as WhatsApp.

The service integrates messaging performance and channels with other information from Vega to provide a full picture of library and patron interactions and identify trends and opportunities. The services that exist in Sierra and Polaris today will begin to utilize VUMS in 2021.

To learn more about the Vega Library Experience platform, 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 Innovative Announces Vega Library Experience Platform for Better Patron Relationships appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

The conference is traditionally held in person but this year it’s being held online across four days. More than 1,500 library professionals from 14 countries around the world will attend online and participate in over 60 sessions presented by their colleagues and Innovative staff. The same types of presentations and forums from previous conferences are available this year but adjusted to better fit the online experience.

The conference begins with opening remarks by Rhonda Glazier, IUG Chair and Director of Collections Management & Co-Interim Dean at Kraemer Family Library, University of Colorado; Matti Shem Tov, CEO of ProQuest; and Yariv Kursh, General Manager of Innovative. Shem Tov and Kursh will share Innovative’s vision for the company and Innovative’s commitment to customers and continued development of current products. They will be followed by updates from the Innovative product team on Vega, Polaris, and Sierra.

The IUG 2021 conference offers attendees a wide variety of program sessions covering technical training, open forum discussions, soft skills training, case studies, best practices, product highlights and demonstrations, and more.

“This is a unique year for the IUG conference, but we are excited the online approach has made the conference more accessible for so many members,” said Glazier. “Over 700 participants are attending for the first time and we look forward to seeing more participants getting involved with the Innovative Users Group after the conference.”

An important tradition of the IUG conference is the Crystal Awards ceremony, which celebrates those who have attended 15 IUG conferences. The 2021 honorees are: Gayla McHenry, Truman State University, and Joan Wu, Bloomfield Township Public Library.

Innovative and the Innovative Users Group are the title sponsors for IUG 2021. In addition to Innovative, nine other vendors are sponsoring sessions at the conference and a total of 16 exhibitors are hosting virtual booths at the conference.

For more information about the Innovative Users Group, visit the IUG website.

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ABOUT INNOVATIVE INTERFACES INC. 

Innovative (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.

ABOUT INNOVATIVE USERS GROUP

The Innovative Users Group (IUG) was formally organized in 1991 as an international organization of member libraries that use Innovative’s integrated library software products. The organization is independent from Innovative, and is led by the Steering Committee whose members are elected by the general membership. All members of the Steering Committee volunteer their services to the organization. In addition to archiving all conference presentation materials, the IUG maintains a website (www.innovativeusers.org) that also includes an Online Clearinghouse of member-developed resources including tutorials, scripts, training documents, and promotional materials. These resources represent a level of customer involvement and support unmatched in the library technology arena.

The post Innovative Users Group Opens 29th Annual Conference Online appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

For four days, over 700 library professionals from 8 countries around the world will gather to participate in over 130 sessions presented by their colleagues and Innovative staff.

The conference begins with opening remarks by Renee Brumett, IUG Chair and Electronic Resources Librarian at Springfield-Greene County Library District. Heather Berlin, a professor of Psychiatry and co-host of the radio program StarTalk All-Stars, will deliver the keynote presentation. She will discuss how the human brain organizes information and how that organization should influence the way we design tools.

The IUG 2019 conference offers returning and new attendees a wide variety of program sessions covering technical training, open forum discussions, soft skills training, case studies, best practices, product highlights and demonstrations, and more. Attendees will also hear from Innovative leadership on the company strategic priorities and the recent launch of Inspire Discovery, a next generation discovery solution changing the library industry.

“One of the most practical and highly anticipated events available to library staff and faculty, the IUG conference provides unparalleled opportunities for networking, collaboration, and learning,” said Brumett. “IUG members assemble for a time of development and refreshment and we return to our libraries with ideas and information that will help us better serve our respective communities.”

A fundamental part of the IUG annual conference is the Crystal Awards ceremony, which celebrates those who have attended 15 IUG conferences. The 2019 honorees are: Jennifer Ferriss, Saratoga Springs Public Library; Dao Rong Gong, Michigan State University; Tom Ryan, Council Bluffs Public Library; Phil Shirley, Cuyahoga Falls Library; and Donald Todaro, Library of Michigan.

In addition to Innovative and the Innovative Users Group, IUG 2019 is sponsored by EnvisionWare and Marcive Inc.

For more information about the Innovative Users Group, visit the IUG website.

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About IUG

The Innovative Users Group (IUG) was formally organized in 1991 as an international organization of member libraries that use Innovative’s integrated library software products. The organization is independent from Innovative, and is led by the Steering Committee whose members are elected by the general membership. All members of the Steering Committee volunteer their services to the organization. In addition to archiving all conference presentation materials, the IUG maintains a website (www.innovativeusers.org) that also includes an Online Clearinghouse of member-developed resources including tutorials, scripts, training documents, and promotional materials. These resources represent a level of customer involvement and support unmatched in the library technology arena.

About Innovative

Innovative builds and delivers technology solutions that enable libraries to connect people with information all over the world. 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.

The post Innovative Users Group Opens 27th Annual Conference appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

For four days, over 700 library professionals from 8 countries around the world will gather to participate in over 130 sessions presented by their colleagues and Innovative staff.

The conference begins with opening remarks by Renee Brumett, IUG Chair and Electronic Resources Librarian at Springfield-Greene County Library District. Heather Berlin, a professor of Psychiatry and co-host of the radio program StarTalk All-Stars, will deliver the keynote presentation. She will discuss how the human brain organizes information and how that organization should influence the way we design tools.

The IUG 2019 conference offers returning and new attendees a wide variety of program sessions covering technical training, open forum discussions, soft skills training, case studies, best practices, product highlights and demonstrations, and more. Attendees will also hear from Innovative leadership on the company strategic priorities and the recent launch of Inspire Discovery, a next generation discovery solution changing the library industry.

“One of the most practical and highly anticipated events available to library staff and faculty, the IUG conference provides unparalleled opportunities for networking, collaboration, and learning,” said Brumett. “IUG members assemble for a time of development and refreshment and we return to our libraries with ideas and information that will help us better serve our respective communities.”

A fundamental part of the IUG annual conference is the Crystal Awards ceremony, which celebrates those who have attended 15 IUG conferences. The 2019 honorees are: Jennifer Ferriss, Saratoga Springs Public Library; Dao Rong Gong, Michigan State University; Tom Ryan, Council Bluffs Public Library; Phil Shirley, Cuyahoga Falls Library; and Donald Todaro, Library of Michigan.

In addition to Innovative and the Innovative Users Group, IUG 2019 is sponsored by EnvisionWare and Marcive Inc.

For more information about the Innovative Users Group, visit the IUG website.

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About IUG

The Innovative Users Group (IUG) was formally organized in 1991 as an international organization of member libraries that use Innovative’s integrated library software products. The organization is independent from Innovative, and is led by the Steering Committee whose members are elected by the general membership. All members of the Steering Committee volunteer their services to the organization. In addition to archiving all conference presentation materials, the IUG maintains a website (www.innovativeusers.org) that also includes an Online Clearinghouse of member-developed resources including tutorials, scripts, training documents, and promotional materials. These resources represent a level of customer involvement and support unmatched in the library technology arena.

About Innovative

Innovative builds and delivers technology solutions that enable libraries to connect people with information all over the world. 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.

The post Innovative Users Group Opens 27th Annual Conference appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

This guest blog post comes from Hilary Newman, Senior Vice President of Client Success and Support

This is an exciting year for Innovative Customer Support, starting off with the recent announcement of several department changes focused on building relationships with customers. The Customer Support leadership team is constantly evaluating how we can improve our service to deliver a consistent and superior experience and I’m thrilled to share some details of this change.

The biggest change in 2019 is for our Sierra and Millennium customers. Our staff has been re-organized into smaller, cross-functional teams of librarians and technical staff that share ownership of the libraries in one of five geographically-based regions. The regional team members are working together, and with a new Level 3 expert team, to broaden the product understanding of each team member as Innovative prepares to launch a series of new products, starting with Discovery.

The focus on building relationships means we will be more customer-centric. You can expect to see us move away from transaction-based, or ticket-based support, to a more holistic view of your issues and tickets. We are creating small teams who will work with a more limited number of customers to foster stronger relationships. A customer-centric support approach cultivates natural insights into what’s going on at your library and if open tickets are related to a single issue. As the relationship naturally develops, the regional teams will be able to help you identify training and consulting resources to make the most out of your investment.

As we settle into this new model of support, you will see improved communication and a support team with better understanding of what makes each libraries’ set-up unique. The goal is a customer support team who knows each library well and is fully trained to handle the support needs. If we are not meeting expectations, our customers will have a clear, consistent and known escalation path for feedback.

To learn more about these changes, you can view our recent webinar through your Supportal login. We will also be attending the IUG Annual Conference in May where you can meet your regional support manager or attend a presentation on the new Customer Support model.

We are very excited for this change as well as a continued effort to streamline processes in 2019. We understand it will take some time for everyone to adjust to the new structure. Please consult the rules of escalation before contacting a Support manager and be patient with our staff as they learn their new roles. We plan to share an update on the new process in Q3. We look forward to working with you!

The post Relationships Are More Important Than Ever appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Back in 2015, I had the chance to attend my first IUG conference. I had been around Innovative libraries for about a decade at that point and had attended a lot of conferences by then. If I’m being completely honest I was starting to burn out on the years of pitches from both vendors and other libraries to show ways in which we were still relevant.

That conference changed everything for me. Instead of the standard conference fare, I found a program full of presentations that all made me better at my job, a bit more excited for its future, and gave me tons of new contacts that I rely on regularly to this day. As soon as I got back, I volunteered to join a pair of new task forces that were forming (one each from III and IUG) as well as the functional experts, and I’ve been a dedicated member ever since.

Since then, IUG has continued to be a driving force in my professional life. At the 2017 conference, I attended a program on automating reports with Python given by Gem Stone-Logan (which is still available on her website and is utterly brilliant) that ultimately led me down an entirely different career path. I had always wanted to learn some coding and start taking advantage of the SQL features in the system, but I had never quite found an entry point that made learning that seem worth the effort. In the course of an hour at that conference that changed.

Fast forward two years (and many MANY messages providing help from the community) and I’m now in a new role, in which I get to support the data needs of our 41 member libraries and truly get to learn something new every day. I haven’t been so excited to be a librarian since I first started out and I have IUG to thank for that. And at this year’s conference in Phoenix, I now get to be one of the people on stage helping to pass along what I’ve learned from this group to others.

Hopefully, I’ll see you there.

Will we see you there? Register for #IUG2019

Read more: Articles about IUG

The post I Found New Skills and a New Career through the IUG 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..

Every year, the Innovative Users Group annual conference offers over 100 unique sessions for attendees, made up of Innovative presentations and user-submitted presentations. This year, Innovative users submitted over 70 presentation ideas with some very clever titles. Register today for IUG 2019 so that you too can find out where we keep the chocolate, how to use catnip at work, and what to do when a wizard invites you on an epic quest.

Here are some of our favorite presentation titles submitted by IUG members this year:

• Cache and Release: Capturing and Using Sierra’s Temporary SQL Data
• “There has to be chocolate around here somewhere”: Dealing with stress and burnout in a small academic library
• How Do You Roll?
• You Should Know This By Now: Getting your staff tech skills on the same page
• How I went from a zero to managing Polaris successfully. If I can do it anyone can!
• Weeding or rightsizing? Why not call it collection adjustment?
• Wipe Out!!
• Making Your Cat(alog) Purr: Optimizing Your Sierra or Millennium System
• How dare she RETIRE? Training and Issues for Polaris Administration
• A wizard has turned you into a Sierra Admin. What do you do?

To find out more about the presentations behind these titles, log in to the IUG website and register to attend IUG 2019 from May 5-8 in Phoenix, Arizona. The IUG annual conference is a three-day event where you can learn best practices from colleagues, engage with Innovative staff on product development, and network with Innovative users like you.

If your library is not a member, you can join for only $100 per year. Member fees help with conference costs and IUG administration. The benefits of IUG membership include access to the annual conference, program materials from the annual meeting, participation in the IUG forums, access to the Clearinghouse, and more.

About IUG:

The Innovative Users Group was founded in 1991 as an international organization of member libraries who used the Innovative Interfaces, Inc integrated library software. It is an independent organization from Innovative Interfaces, Inc. The IUG is led by the Steering Committee whose members are elected by the general membership. It consists of a Chair, Vice Chair/Chair Elect, Past Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and five Members at Large. All members of the Steering Committee volunteer their services to the organization.

The post “A Wizard has turned you into a Sierra Admin. What do you do?” appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

Last year’s most popular user-led sessions were:

• Data Gone Bad—Finding inaccurate data and cleaning it up before it becomes a problem
• Using Custom Reports in Circulation and Technical Services
• A Gentle Introduction to Sierra SQL
• Patron Privacy in Polaris, Sierra, and Millennium
• Automating Reports with Python

*Program proposal submissions are now closed but there are still ways to get involved with IUG:

Attend. If you’ve never been to an IUG annual conference before, then mark your calendar for May 5-8, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Innovative User Group (IUG) annual conference is a three-day event where you can learn best practices from colleagues, engage with Innovative staff on product development, and network with Innovative users like you.

Join. The IUG is a user-led group, independent of Innovative, and member fees go directly to the user group. If your library is not a member, you can join for only $100 per year (that fee covers all library staff). The benefits of IUG membership include access to the annual conference, program materials from the annual meeting, participation in the Idea Lab product innovation site, access to the Clearinghouse, participation in the IUG forums, and more.

The post What Sessions Do You Want to See at IUG 2019? appeared first on Innovative Interfaces Inc..

As a Polaris ILS user and former member of the Polaris Users Group Steering Committee, Osborn has shown exceptional service to the IUG community. Always willing to share his knowledge through conference presentations, SQL statements, and library documentation, he has been instrumental in advancing the mission of the IUG.

During his tenure with the Steering Committee, Osborn made a number of significant improvements. He authored a monthly email newsletter, requested upgraded financial reporting, and advocated for by-laws review and updates. He is highly regarded as an excellent communicator and problem solver among Polaris users.

“IUG wouldn’t be the organization it is today without participants like Wes,” said Kathy Setter,  MORE Project Manager withIndianhead Federated Library System, and Chair of IUG Steering Committee. “We are very fortunate to have members so willing to share their knowledge year after year.”

Osborn currently serves as a moderator and subject matter expert for two Innovative Idea Lab Challenges and has contributed several inspiring ideas for product enhancement and development.

“His knowledge of Polaris shines through and that makes him a very valuable member of our IUG community,” said Kathie Brown,  Coordinator of Automation Services with Farmington Community Library, and IUG Steering Committee member focused on Enhancements Special Projects. “Wes is not afraid to think creatively and challenge ideas to make things better for everyone.”

Initiated in 2007, the Beacon Award is presented each year to honor an IUG member who shows exceptional service to the IUG through presentations, collaborations, sage advice to others, and selfless dedication to libraries as a whole.

Award recipients are nominated by colleagues and peers in the IUG community and selected by the Beacon Award Selection Committee, headed by the current IUG Past-Chair. Any librarian or staff member at an IUG member library is eligible for the award.

For more information about the Innovative Users Group, visit the IUG website.

About IUG

The Innovative Users Group (IUG) was formally organized in 1991 as an international organization of member libraries that use Innovative’s integrated library software products. The organization is independent from Innovative, and is led by the Steering Committee whose members are elected by the general membership. All members of the Steering Committee volunteer their services to the organization. In addition to archiving all conference presentation materials, the IUG maintains a website (www.innovativeusers.org) that also includes an Online Clearinghouse of member-developed resources including tutorials, scripts, training documents, and promotional materials. These resources represent a level of customer involvement and support unmatched in the library technology arena.

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.

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For four days, 650 library professionals from 10 countries around the world will gather to participate in more than 100 sessions presented by colleagues and Innovative staff.

Mark Strang, IUG chair and manager, Library Information Technology Services for University Libraries, Bowling Green State University will begin the conference with opening remarks. R. David Lankes, director of the University of South Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science, will deliver the keynote presentation. A passionate advocate for librarians, Lankes will discuss the essential role that libraries play through facilitating knowledge creation in the community.

Returning and new attendees welcome the opportunities IUG 2018 provides to network with fellow IUG members, connect with Innovative staff, and take away valuable tips and best practices from conference sessions. This year’s sessions will include: metadata transformation, the future of discovery applications, report automation, hosting, resource sharing, mobile apps and API integrations. Attendees will also hear Innovative CEO Jim Tallman present on the company’s strategic priorities, including its next-generation discovery solution launching later this year and how it will empower libraries to create greater impact.

“IUG members look forward to this conference every year,” said Strang. “It’s their time to reunite with friends, foster new relationships, and share ideas that not only help libraries grow, but contribute valuable input to the development of the very solutions they use.”

Another highlight of the conference, The Crystal Awards ceremony will acknowledge and celebrate those who have attended 15 IUG annual conferences. The 2018 award honorees are: Stephen Boss, University of Wyoming; Rex Helwig, Finger Lakes Library System; Sean Hill, Henderson District Public Libraries; Sarah Houk, Fayetteville Public Library; Stephanie Kaceli, Masland Library of Cairn University; Cindy LaCount, St. Paul Public Library; Laurie Shedrick, Mid-Hudson Library System; Mark Strang, University Libraries, Bowling Green State University and Nicole Turzillo, Suffolk Cooperative Library System.

In addition to Innovative and the Innovative Users Group, IUG 2018 is sponsored by EnvisionWare and Marcive Inc.

For more information about the Innovative Users Group, visit the IUG website.

About IUG

The Innovative Users Group (IUG) was formally organized in 1991 as an international organization of member libraries that use Innovative’s integrated library software products. The organization is independent from Innovative, and is led by the Steering Committee whose members are elected by the general membership. All members of the Steering Committee volunteer their services to the organization. In addition to archiving all conference presentation materials, the IUG maintains a website (www.innovativeusers.org) that also includes an Online Clearinghouse of member-developed resources including tutorials, scripts, training documents, and promotional materials. These resources represent a level of customer involvement and support unmatched in the library technology arena.

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.

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Overwhelmed and unsure.

That described me at my first Innovative Users Group conference in 2010. System administrator at my library for a whopping 7 months, I didn’t know the difference between the SCAT table and a load profile. I regularly took the scenic route in the character-based system. I was comfortable freeing locked records and opening service commitments for broken holds, but most other problems sent me scurrying to the documentation to first learn how things were supposed to work. I cringed at the words “software engineering,” and I lived in fear of discovering the Millennium transaction file had backed up and brought the system to a halt.

I was aware of the Innovative Users Group, but had little idea of the depth of resources available. I would read questions and comments on the listserv and feel in over my head. I arrived at the conference intimidated by even the session titles. I knew exactly one other person, and I feared opening my mouth and having someone immediately recognize I was New. And hopelessly ignorant.

Fast forward 8 years.

I now have the privilege of serving as the Vice Chair of this amazing users group. I’ve coordinated the enhancements process, spent years as a Functional Expert (try explaining that title to someone outside IUG), presented programs, and contributed to the listserv and forums. I now consider the IUG conference one of the highlights of my year.

I am not only comfortable with my daily duties as system administrator, I am confident in them. I still have much to learn, but there isn’t much that terrifies me anymore. I’ve managed a migration to Sierra, a migration from turnkey to hosted, scores of new product implementations, and countless beta updates. I’ve debated with the Help Desk, griped at product managers, and tormented account managers.

And IUG has made the difference.

The individuals that make up the membership of this organization are some of the most supportive, intelligent, and creative people I’ve known. So my challenge to you is to get involved. New or Not-so-new, there’s a place for you. Come to the conference. Volunteer your time. Ask questions. Offer answers. Contribute to the forums. Participate in Idea Lab. IUG will grow stronger because of it, and you won’t regret it.

Because of IUG, I’m not overwhelmed and unsure anymore. I’m confident and grateful.

Want to get involved? Save the date for IUG 2019.

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Idea Lab has seen tremendous success using the Challenge model to engage customers in the enhancement and innovation process.  Beginning with the Innovation Challenge focused on Leveraging Data, and continuing through two Product-specific Challenges, focused on Polaris Web Application and Sierra Public Services, respectively, we’ve seen engagement grow to include more than 1,100 individual customers from Innovative libraries across the globe discussing more than 350 unique ideas. Thanks to a dedicated team of almost two dozen IUG volunteers serving as Moderators and Experts, each challenge has produced actionable ideas and clear priorities.  Innovative is incorporating the input into the development planning process immediately.

We also want a way to capture ideas from our customers that might not match an open challenge.  The new Always Open Space ensures that ideas always have a place to land. “We want to focus development resources on the areas that will deliver the greatest value to our customers,” says Kathryn Harnish, SVP of Product Strategy at Innovative. “Idea Lab gives us an opportunity to hear directly from our customers about their priorities, and to quantify the impact of proceeding with a new development or enhancement. Challenges are one way to ask for that input, and the new Always Open Space is another way we can always be listening for what our libraries need.”

With the addition of the Always Open Space, customers can enter ideas about any current product at any time into Idea Lab.  Even better, the Always Open Space is organized so customers can submit ideas for new solutions completely unrelated to current ILS offerings, opening the door to some truly Innovative ideas.

You can learn more about how ideas graduate in the Always Open Space.  We invite all Innovative customers to create an account on Idea Lab and join the discussion.  Please spread the word to colleagues at your own institutions and beyond to get involved.

Happy Innovating!

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

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• 160 New Users Added
• 291 Challenge Participants
• 113 Separate Ideas
• 437 Comments & Replies
• 1,244 Likes or “Up Votes”
• 7,485 Pairwise Votes to Prioritize Best Ideas

Participants emphasized how ideas could be implemented to streamline processes and improve patron services, and Innovative is pleased to have specific examples of opportunities where we can deliver additional value for our library partners.

“The input we received during this challenge enables us to focus current development resources on the items that matter most to our users,” said Kellie Conner, challenge sponsor and Innovative product owner. “With the addition of these winning ideas, we look forward to seeing even more public services staff adopt the Polaris Web Application to achieve greater efficiencies and deliver better service at their libraries.”

The top winning idea focuses on enabling bulk changes within the Polaris Web Application. Additional winning ideas center on improved print options and fines payment integration. Development of all three ideas is planned for an upcoming Polaris release in 2018.

What’s Next for Idea Lab?

We launched a new Always Open space in Idea Lab on February 28! Unlike previous Idea Lab challenges, this new space will remain open indefinitely, and users are invited to submit ideas across a broad spectrum of categories. If you’ve been holding on to a great idea, waiting for a way to share it with your colleagues and with Innovative, this is the space for you! Stay tuned for more details as our Always Open team ramps up.

Please spread the word to colleagues at your own institutions and beyond about joining the Idea Lab community. At Innovative, we are committed to delivering value that benefits all our library partners, and we look forward to the next Challenge with you.

Happy Innovating!

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

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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/ 

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The Leveraging Data Challenge is about how we might use data to improve library operations and services, and the results will inform the product roadmap for our Analytics initiative. With 83 ideas submitted, 452 comments added, and 1386 votes cast so far, there are some exciting options to consider.

We’re grateful to our Subject Matter Experts–a team of library customers and Innovative staff–for the work they are doing now to review the leading ideas against key criteria. Based on those evaluations, the strongest ideas will progress to the Prioritization phase, where any user from any Innovative customer library or consortium can use the Pairwise head-to-head voting process to help us where to focus our attention first. We will follow up with a formal Selection process and share results with participating users by the end of July.

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

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