Infor Library and Information Solutions

Scottish Borders Council Selects Vubis Smart

Bristol, UK, January 15, 2008. Infor announced today that Scottish Borders Council has selected Vubis Smart as its new library automation system. Scottish Borders decision to upgrade from their existing Library Management System capabilities was driven by the need to take advantage of changes in technology and provide solutions compatible with Scottish Executive initiatives such as the Modernising Government strategy and to provide an improved service to the community of which over 41,000 are registered members.

The Vubis Smart project will include data migration from the council's existing Sirsi Dynix library system, which will include conversions required for Marc21 cataloguing.  Following installation of the system, and the initial test conversion, training of key staff will enable a team of Library and Information Services staff to train their colleagues in public and secondary school libraries across the Scottish Borders.  Once staff have been trained, a final live conversion of data, including over 300,000 holdings, will be run ready for the launch of Vubis Smart to the council's residents.

Margaret Menzies, Library & Information Services Manager says:
 “Having had a very clear idea of what we wanted from a new library management system, we felt that VubisSmart was the system which best matched our specification. We also felt that it offered good value for money, and a degree of flexibility which allows us to tailor the system set-up to meet the needs of the service, now and in the future. 

Because VubisSmart is a Windows based system, it has a built-in familiarity in its screen layouts and operating system that will make it much more accessible to users and staff.  The secondary school libraries are also being included in the project roll out, which will allow wider access to all the collections across public libraries and schools, and encouraged better use of the stock.

Staff reaction to VubisSmart has been extremely positive, and the prospect of using the new system has fired their imaginations and enthusiasm, as they can see possibilities for service delivery, stock management and marketing that would not have been possible before.    Thanks to the system's intelligent infrastructure and the reporting mechanisms, we will have access to a wealth of management information, which will help us to develop and improve our services further. Because it is Smartcard compliant, VubisSmart also allows us to play a key role in delivering the Council's “Customer First” programme, and its modernisation agendas. 

Having gone through the whole tendering process, I am happy that VubisSmart is a 21st Century system for a 21st Century library service, and that has to be a “win-win” situation for library users, the library staff and the Council. “ 

Steve Barker, General Manager of Infor UK Libraries Division was delighted with the successful selection of Vubis Smart. “We were very pleased when Scottish Borders selected Vubis Smart as their new Library and Information system.  Our selection further reflects the success Vubis Smart is enjoying since its introduction into the UK as our new generation product.  It shows that libraries can see the benefits to their services from our system, plus the benefits to their customers of new OPAC and search portal capabilities within Vubis Smart and Aquabrowser.  By adding enriched content services as well, customers searching for materials and use of the library services will be greatly enhanced and will reflect the type of experience expected when using the system via the Web for remote access or from within the services branches."

About Scottish Borders Council

Scottish Borders covers an area of 1,800 square miles in the south east of Scotland and has a resident population of approximately 109,000, making it a predominantly rural area.
Libraries and Information Services form part of the Cultural Services Division which also includes the Museums and Galleries Service, and the Heritage Hub family history and archive centre. Public Library services are delivered across the Scottish Borders through a network of 12 libraries, in the main centres of population, and 6 mobile libraries. The service also provides a School Library Service, which supplies project collections to local primary schools, literacy collections, collections of foreign language materials for migrant workers as part of the Council's support services for migrant and incoming workers, and supports volunteers who run the Patients Library at Borders General Hospital, and provide a housebound delivery service in Selkirk and Galashiels.  Professional support is also provided to the 9 secondary school libraries.

There are 6 mobile libraries providing library services to the rural villages and farms in the Borders on a two or three week rotation.  They also provide a housebound service, taking books to readers in their own home, for those who are unable to visit their local library. Covering over 900 stops every 2-3 weeks, mobile library business accounts for almost one fifth of the total library business.

The Scottish Borders Library Service serves every member of the public living and working in the Scottish Borders, and together the libraries and mobile libraries provide a full range of lending and reference services including free public access to the Internet, story and rhyme times, local studies and tourist information.

 Library headquarters

Galashiels

About Infor Library and Information Solutions

Infor Library and Information Solutions offers libraries and information centers a suite of automation products, including an information portal and federated search application (V-spaces), an Open URL solution (V-link), and Integrated Library System (Vubis Smart), and an Electronic Resources Management System (V-sources).  Our organization has been at the forefront of library technology for three decades and has a rich history of providing innovative solutions to information centers and libraries worldwide.  For more information about our products, visit www.vubis-smart.com