Category: Case Studies

In 2011, libraries in the state of Illinois were at a crossroads. Four regional library systems, representing four sets of consortia, were experiencing financial constraints despite the growing needs of member libraries and their patrons. After discussing how the four independent organizations could work together, their initial strategy focused on sharing resources at the administrative … Continued

The University of Essex has been an Innovative library partner since 1995, to help fulfill their founding vision of “a new kind of university… where students could live and learn… and research really mattered.” With an effective library management system that was well-suited for their needs, the university excelled, providing over 13,000 undergraduate and postgraduate … Continued

The University of Warwick is globally recognised for the quality and impact of their research and commitment to student success.  The institution is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the United Kingdom and continues to demonstrate strong performance in the government’s Research Excellence Framework.  Matching academic excellence with relevance is a … Continued

Children’s early encounters with the library are critical first steps to lifelong learning and often influential in keeping them coming back as adults. By playing games, going to story time, or taking that first try at finding information in a library context, children can learn that libraries are fun and full of exciting knowledge. When … Continued

Marmot Library Network, with 24 member libraries, hosts Innovative’s Sierra Library Services Platform (LSP) for its members, maintains a union catalog of 1.9 million titles, and provides related services for public, academic, and school libraries in Colorado. With a diverse constituency of professors and college students, teachers and grade school students, and public library staff … Continued

Smart Selection The many adventures of Wild West Sheriff Walt Longmire, as created by author Craig Allen Johnson, are in particular demand at some of Tulsa City-County Library’s 24 branches. The challenge for library staff is to make enough copies – and no more – available at locations that serve communities, each with their own … Continued

Where Events Are A Smash Hit Today’s libraries are about more than just trusted information; they are dynamic places that attract community members and the general public inside their doors. As Kathryn Baldock, Supervisor of Lending Services at London Public Library, states, “Programs are a core delivery stream, right up there with books. To promote … Continued

The success of a library can be measured via traditional output tracking such as circulation statistics, program attendance, reference questions, or even mentions in local media. Although the Saratoga Branch of Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) in New York excels in these areas, where does success begin? Often little interactions with patrons, over time, yield results … Continued

The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) in Philadelphia dedicates its energies to educating the public about the history of the chemical and molecular sciences. Library staff at CHF’s Othmer Library are in the midst of a three-year project to digitize and make available thousands of pages of rare scientific and alchemical books and manuscripts. Of an … Continued

Librarians at the Law Library at the University of California Hastings College of the Law (UC Hastings Law Library) faced a huge upcoming weeding and relocation project; they knew that creating and accessing item lists on a mobile device using Sierra Mobile Worklists would increase efficiency and simplify the largely manual process. The Library became … Continued

MOBIUS, a Missouri-based library consortium that includes 75 academic, public, and special libraries, is dedicated to providing equal access to library materials for all users in the state.  Founded in 1998, MOBIUS continually adds libraries to the consortium and implements new programs that empower library users through improved access to an expanding union catalog of … Continued

Davenport Public Library (DPL) in Iowa serves a population of over 100,000 and its librarians make every effort to reach community members both inside and outside the library. Their dynamic and numerous outreach events demonstrate the opportunity for fun and learning with the library and increase the size of their patron base. Outreach is an … Continued

Elihu Burritt Library at Central Connecticut State University has a 680,000-volume collection and serves over 12,000 students. In 1989, library staff began a search for a more reliable, complete automation system than what was in place. “We wanted a fully functional library system that would work in our particular context,” says Jeanne Sohn, Director of … Continued