Library Software Recommendations

[jamoritch]

Hi all,

The head has asked me to look into getting some library software. We currently use Junior Librarian but it is locally installed on a laptop and is very very old. I have looked at renewing this and getting the more modern version but I cant actually find who I renew with as it seems to be intertwined with Capita.

 

What do your Schools use for this? We use Accelerated Reader so any ways it can tie in to that would be great.

Cheers

Edited January 9, 2020 by jamoritch

[Rob_D]

We use Oliver (https://www.softlinkint.com/product/oliver/) which apparently has "full integration" with accelerated reader.

Although if you're a smaller primary it might be overkill.

[LeMarchand]

Libresoft.

 

If ditching JL and still paying for it, they want a ridiculously long notice period.

[Ditto]

There are a fair few threads already covering this. Search for 'librarian' and most will show. There are two or three regularly identified as popular and one outstanding as the one NOT to go for.

[mrbios]

Switching to AccessIT in April ourselves. Moving away from MLS.

[eddyc]

Switching to AccessIT in April ourselves. Moving away from MLS.

 

We’ve did this last January (2019) and it’s been a breath of fresh air.

 

Great product, great company, great support and a million times better than MLS

[Sylv3r]

Another very very happy Libresoft customer here. Just setup the Wonde integration recently too so that's another admin task sorted and taken off my hands.

[mikeprice]

I think the first think to do is to identify the feature that your school NEEDS

 

so - do you need parents to be able to log in and find out what books their kids have taken out

will they use is

are you prepared to pay for it

 

 

and the same for other stuff

 

my last school ended up with a cheap and cheerful Handy Library (or something like that) from Prima Soft that worked brilliantly - totally local and total cost was about £300

and database could be accessed by Access with the use of a drivery thing - which allowed me to pump data (e.g. class lists) from SIMS to Library when needed

 

also easily accessed book details from barcode which was a problem with other systems we tried

 

if you need all the bells and whistles - then fine - but it costs

 

also there is a free thing called Koha - couldn;t get it to work through our county firewall but could be good!

[imran_r]

The first thing I'd do is hand in your notice period. I'm in the same predicament as you and they want a 1 year notice to leave. So I sent them the notice and thought to myself that its given me a year to find a replacement, and worse case scenario (which I know won't happen), i'll just stick with them for another year.

 

You're right that the software is extremely outdated and their promise of updating just is an expensive overkill with nothing to show for.

 

I'm looking down the route of some of the other companies mentioned here, and integration with Wonde would be amazing to reduce admin time.

 

Good luck and it would be interesting how some of the others have done with the newer systems they've adopted.

[AJWhite1970]

There is a new player in the schools library market announcing at BETT next week.

 

Seamless migration from MLS and automated user creation. I'm currently running the only UK installation and it's fab, we went fully live last week

 

As soon as it's launched and stops being under a NDA I'll link it to this thread....

[imran_r]

There is a new player in the schools library market announcing at BETT next week.

 

Seamless migration from MLS and automated user creation. I'm currently running the only UK installation and it's fab, we went fully live last week

 

As soon as it's launched and stops being under a NDA I'll link it to this thread....

 

Any chance you can give more information about this new software? I met with Libresoft at the BETT show and it would be good to know what else is on the market.

[Edu-IT]

Can’t see anything new standing out on the exhibitors list.

[AJWhite1970]

I can now, yes. TASC software are entering the UK library market with a tried and trusted library system based on mol.net

 

Takes a.bak file from, say for example, MLS and seamlessly migrates over, supports sso, opac, parent portal integrations etc

 

Be about another week before the marketing website is live but watch this space as something else connected to this I was told today will also be public in a week or two....

[Edu-IT]

That’s interesting! [emoji106]

[ticktock]

We had quite a difficult time with AccessIT (although it has settled down now). The support was sporadic at first only being available at certain times as it was based in Australia. We also went through a lot of pain setting up the data transfers from our MIS. They wanted to do it in a very unsecure way which I wouldn't accept. But again this is now sorted. The English Department hated it at first but this was more due to the support and lack of onsite training than the system itself. It has settled down now and I don't get many grumbles.

[tech-man]

Hi all,

The head has asked me to look into getting some library software. We currently use Junior Librarian but it is locally installed on a laptop and is very very old. I have looked at renewing this and getting the more modern version but I cant actually find who I renew with as it seems to be intertwined with Capita.

 

What do your Schools use for this? We use Accelerated Reader so any ways it can tie in to that would be great.

Cheers

 

Heritage here

[Edu-IT]

I can now, yes. TASC software are entering the UK library market with a tried and trusted library system based on mol.net

 

Takes a.bak file from, say for example, MLS and seamlessly migrates over, supports sso, opac, parent portal integrations etc

 

Be about another week before the marketing website is live but watch this space as something else connected to this I was told today will also be public in a week or two....

Do you know what it costs?

[AJWhite1970]

Hot off the digital press

 

https://www.tascsoftware.co.uk/software-titles/school-library-system/

 

PM me for the direct TASC email address for any enquiries