According to the National Library, online library services can change the way your school community accesses resources. “They make these things available beyond the school walls and the school day.”
Key to a welcoming and efficiently-managed school library, apart from its treasured staff of course, is a robust integrated library system (ILS). These can help schools to unearth data to encourage and assist even their most reluctant readers. And their user-friendly search options help students gain independent research skills. Rather than depending on staff to find books for them, they search using key words or topics. The results that appear, in words and pictures, often lead them to new discoveries of related items, thus driving engagement.
In most cases, an ILS has separate software functions called modules, for example acquisitions (for ordering, receiving and invoicing), cataloguing (classifying and indexing), circulation (borrowing and returns), and OPAC (the public interface for users).
A good ILS will be valuable to all school staff and students. Principals can stay informed about how their library and learning resources are being used and therefore budget accordingly.
Schools can use the system to manage and deliver teaching resources and textbook collections. In this way, teachers can access resources from any place, at any time.
Students can enjoy the same ease of access, and the access to documents and multi-media items will encourage them to explore more deeply. A visual search option is helpful for younger readers.
An ILS usually manages:
It will also include an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), an online database of your library’s resources. Ideally, your school community will be able to access the OPAC from the homepage of your school’s website.
Your library’s OPAC gives online access to physical and digital resources, such as:
Your school’s ILS should connect to online systems. For example, if you have a library website there should be a link from the website to your OPAC and vice versa. Ideally, students will be able to search the OPAC directly from the LMS using an embedded search box.
The OPAC is so much more valuable when users have had a little training. This should include how to:
Your ILS provides statistics that can support teaching and learning. Each patron and item has a unique ID in the database that allows the ILS to track its activity. Statistics can be provided to teachers to let them know about students’ reading profiles, and information from borrower history reports are useful to find out who isn’t using the library.
Search reports can also be helpful in identifying gaps in the library collection, and provide insight into which learners need guidance with searching.
Your ILS can generate reports including collection usage, subject reports and missing items. Use these to help select new material by, for example, identifying:
You can also use your ILS to compare borrowing patterns and find out what titles students are interested in.
The system you select needs to meet your users’ needs and provide fast, efficient and user-friendly access to information. This includes appropriately managed access to physical, multimedia and online resources.
Ask your ILS supplier what the system can do, how it integrates with other systems, and what sort of training and support you can expect.
Set up your system to meet your requirements, for example:
Use your supplier’s help desk to get set up. Note answers in the school library manual.
A good ILS will be valuable to all school staff and students.
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