DUBLIN, Ohio, 15 November 2018—Anythink, the public library system for Adams County, Colorado, just north of Denver, has signed on to implement OCLC Wise, the first community engagement system for U.S. public libraries.
Anythink joins Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as an early adopter for Wise. The Wise system transforms traditional library management with a holistic people-centric approach. It combines the power of customer relationship management, marketing, and analytics with integrated library system (ILS) functions such as circulation, acquisitions, and discovery. Wise is designed around people and driven by data, empowering library staff to better understand and meet community needs.
"Anythink is continuing to break new ground in the public library community," said Skip Prichard, OCLC President and CEO. "We're inspired by their work as a respected leader for a new generation of transformative libraries. We look forward to working with them to provide valuable insight in the evolution of Wise."
"We are honored to be one of the first U.S. public libraries to participate in this project," says Anythink Director Pam Sandlian Smith. "Our community is already engaging with the library in ways we couldn't have imagined a few years ago. This product will help us expand our role as the connector for our community and give us tools to enhance the customer's library experience."
"Our first group of early adopters must be visionaries, leaders who strive to help transform library engagement. They have to be eager to help us fine-tune the tools needed to connect staff priorities with community needs, build stronger relationships in the community, and engage in new ways," said Mary Sauer-Games, OCLC Vice President, Global Product Management. "Anythink meets all those high standards, and then some. We know they will challenge us, and we can't wait."
OCLC will continue to partner with more early adopters to support development of key priorities and shape future library innovation. This special group of libraries will work closely with OCLC's product team whose strategy and road map are designed with flexibility to support this important collaboration.
Wise is a customizable and proven service that is currently used by more than 75 percent of public libraries in the Netherlands. Wise is being tailored to address the specific needs of U.S. public libraries. OCLC will work with early adopters, other public libraries, and the library community at large to help inform Wise development efforts.
Learn more about OCLC Wise at oc.lc/wise.
About Anythink
Anythink is a new style of library – a place of unlimited imagination, where play inspires creativity and lifelong learning. Anythink serves the residents of Adams County, Colo., with seven libraries and a bookmobile. With a focus on innovation, Anythink's award-winning approach to library service is recognized by industry leaders and organizations across the globe. For more information, visit anythinklibraries.org.
About OCLC
OCLC is a nonprofit global library cooperative providing shared technology services, original research and community programs so that libraries can better fuel learning, research and innovation. Through OCLC, member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the most comprehensive global network of data about library collections and services. Libraries gain efficiencies through OCLC's WorldShare, a complete set of library management applications and services built on an open, cloud-based platform. It is through collaboration and sharing of the world's collected knowledge that libraries can help people find answers they need to solve problems. Together as OCLC, member libraries, staff and partners make breakthroughs possible.
