Library Technology Guides
provides comprehensive and objective
information surrounding the many different types of technology products and services used by libraries.
It covers the organizations that develop and support library-oriented software and systems.
The site offers extensive databases and document repositories to assist libraries as they consider new systems
and is an essential resource for professionals in the field to stay current with new developments and trends.
Relevant news items are posted daily on Twitter:
Participate in the 2021 International Library Automation Perceptions Survey
Please respond to this year's International Library Automation Survey conducted through Library Technology Guides. The survey measures the levels of satisfaction that libraries have in their strategic technology products and their perceptions of the quality of service and support that they receive. The results of this survey provide valuable information to libraries as they formulate technology strategies and to vendors as they refine their support services and product development.
The report based on the 2020 survey, with links to previous reports is available:
I am now collecting responses for the 2021 edition of the survey. Please take this opportunity to register the perceptions of the library automation system used in your library, its vendor, and the quality of support delivered. The survey also probes at considerations for migrating to new systems, involvement in discovery products, and the level of interest in open source ILS. While the numeric rating scales support the statistical results of the study, the comments offered also provide interesting insights into the current state of library automation satisfaction.
Note: If you have responded to previous editions of the survey, please give your responses again this year. By responding to the survey each year, you help identify long-term trends in the changing perceptions of these companies and products.
As with the previous versions of the survey, only one response per library is allowed and any individual can respond only for one library. These restrictions ensure that no single organization or individual can skew the statistics. While all the individuals that work in a library may have their own opinions, please respond to the extent that you can from the general experiences of your library.
How to participate
The survey links each response to the listing for a library in the libraries.org directory. This connection provides the ability to correlate responses with the extensive library demographic data in libraries.org.
Find your library in libraries.org:
Select and view the listing for your library
Press the
button
Complete the form and write in your comments!
When viewing the entry for your library in the libraries.org directory, please check for any incomplete or inaccurate information and let me know of any needed changes.
If your library isn't listed in libraries.org, please
submit its information.
Axiell acquires Infor Library and Information Solutions
In a move that further consolidates the global library technology industry, Axiell has entered into an agreement to acquire the Library and Information Solutions division of Infor. This deal will add the V-smart integrated library system and related products to Axiell's already extensive portfolio of library technology products. The scale of the transaction is modest but impacts libraries across many countries and regions. At the time of the announcement, Infor reported 180 library customers. V-smart is a well-established product in the Benelux region, with many customers in Belgium and The Netherlands as well as in Switzerland, France, and Greece. Beyond Europe, V-Smart has been implemented by libraries in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and in the United States.
Bibliotheca has launched a new streaming entertainment service for libraries under the brand biblio+. This service addresses the complications and complexities associated with many of the existing library-oriented video services. Libraries pay an “unlimited access fee” for unlimited access to a wide selection of content. This fee is not tied to the volume of use by their patrons either in terms of simultaneous use of a title or the total number of titles viewed.
(Smart Libraries Newsletter, December 2021)
New Ownership for Baker & Taylor
Baker & Taylor, a major distributor of print and ebooks to libraries has changed ownership. The company has separated from Follett Corporation and has been acquired by a group of private investors led by President and Chief Executive Officer Amandeep Kochar. The composition of the investment group has not been publicly disclosed.
(Smart Libraries Newsletter, December 2021)
Looking Back at the Main Events of the Library Technology Industry
The library technology industry has seen profound change during the time that I have been contributing to Smart Libraries Newsletter. This newsletter, like its predecessor Library Systems Newsletter, has chronicled the major and minor events that impact the technology products and services used by libraries. The many news stories published in the newsletter give readers important, current information, but they also help us understand the broad trends transpired over the decades. They give insight on future possibilities, as we project existing trends into the next phases of the industry.
(Smart Libraries Newsletter, November 2021)
Social Media Disconnect: Considering the Role of Social Media in Library Marketing Strategies
Libraries naturally want to improve their impact and outreach into the communities they serve. Library marketing strategies often include establishing a presence for the library on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. However, these platforms do not necessarily align well with many key library values (such as patron privacy, community service, and objective content). Libraries that include a social media component in their marketing strategies should carefully assess expected gains in patron engagement relative to the possible intrusions into patron privacy and other negative characteristics.
Francisco Partners, a private equity investment firm focused on technology-based businesses, has acquired Follett School Solutions, whose products include the Destiny Library Manager used by most K–12 school libraries in the United States and the Aspen Student Information System. The company is also a major distributor of print and digital content for educational institutions available through its Titlewave ecommerce platform. Follett School Solutions was previously part of Follett Corporation, a family-owned business tracing its roots to 1873 and owned by the descendants of its founder, Charles W. Follett.
(Smart Libraries Newsletter, October 2021)
Volaris Group acquires EnvisionWare
EnvisionWare, one of the major companies providing RFID, self-service, and related products and services to libraries has been acquired by Volaris Group, an operating company of Constellation Software, Inc (CSI). This acquisition is the fifth company involved in library technologies that has been acquired by CSI.
(Smart Libraries Newsletter, September 2021)
Clarivate to Acquire ProQuest
The commercial landscape that includes the scholarly communications sector and library systems and services will take new form with the proposed acquisition of ProQuest by Clarivate, a large publicly traded company with diverse products and services spanning the scientific research and intellectual property sectors. This $5.3 billion transaction is the largest by far in the library sector.
Private Equity Firm Francisco Partners to Acquire VitalSource Technologies
Ingram Content Group has entered into a definitive agreement to divest VitalSource Technologies LLC, its business dedicated to electronic textbooks and technologies for the creation of educational resources for academic institutions, corporations, and related organizations. Francisco Partners, a private equity investment firm focused on technology-based companies, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire VitalSource Technologies. The agreement was signed in April 2021 and is expected to close later in the year.
Library Technology Guides was created and is edited by
Marshall Breeding.
He is solely responsible for all content on this site, and for any errors it may contain.
Please
notify
him if you find any errors or omissions.
January 21, 2022. East Hampton Library goes live on TIND Digital Archive.
The East Hampton Library has successfully migrated its Digital Long Island Collection from CONTENTdm to TIND DA, highlighting improved user experience and getting material online faster among key impr ...
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January 20, 2022. TLC celebrates 2021 data migration accomplishments.
For over 45 years, The Library Corporation (TLC) has prided itself on the level of detail orientation and dedication performed by its data team for all new customers, current customer upgrade and migr ...
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January 19, 2022. Bellwood Public Library (IL) chooses Patron Point.
Patron Point announced that Bellwood Public Library, in Bellwood, Illinois, has selected its patron engagement platform to support the library's mission of encouraging and supporting the personal, edu ...
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January 19, 2022. Spokane (Washington) Public Library Adopts the FOLIO Platform.
Spokane (Washington) Public Library became the first public library in North America to use the FOLIO Library Services Platform. The library uses Index Data to host and support the open source platfo ...
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January 18, 2022. Elsevier appoints Laura Hassink as Managing Director, STM Journals.
Elsevier, a global leader in research publishing and information analytics, is pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Hassink as the new Managing Director for STM Journals, succeeding Philippe T ...
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