August 19, 1998. Innovative Interfaces, and St Mary's University College have signed a contract to install the INNOPAC Millennium library management system. The new system is due to go live at the College Library in early 1999 and will be implemented and supported by SLS Information Systems in Bristol, the European Division of Innovative.
Catherine O'Sullivan, Information Resources Centre Systems Co-ordinator at St Mary's College, said: "This purchase will revolutionize staff and student access to our information resources by the system's fully integrated seamless approach and comprehensive facilities. Particular benefits to our users will include automated inter-library loans and serials tracking functions not implemented within our current system. IRC staff are eagerly awaiting self-renewal facilities, the provision of the Reserve Book Room and the simplification of the OPAC interface. Ease of use and full web functionality were prime requisites of our system choice".
St Mary's University College's quality approach to education fits very well with the ethos of Innovative. INNOPAC is the premier system for academic libraries and has a very high reputation for quality and reliability. This is combined with some of the most exciting state-of-the-art technology available in the industry. St Mary's will be taking advantage of INNOPAC Millennium's Java™ and Web-based technology for more than just the OPAC, extending it in the first instance to Web-based Management Reports and then to all the staff modules.
St Mary's University College is the oldest Catholic College in the England, founded in 1850. The College moved to its current historic site at Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in 1925. Horace Walpole's association with Strawberry Hill began in 1747 when he became a tenant of the then 'Chopp'd Straw Hall' which he bought and began renovating and extending in 1749. St Mary's is now a university college within the University of Surrey offering a wide range of BA and BSc degree courses with around 35% of students studying to become qualified teachers. The Information Resources Centre has around 96,000 titles (146,000 volumes) in the collection, and subscribes to approximately 500 current periodical titles. There are around 3,000 registered readers.