Case Study: Integrated Library System

In an era of increasing consolidation in the library industry, and uncertainty on the part of many libraries about which ILS to choose, the relationship between VTLS and Upper Arlington Public Library is an example of consistency, great customer service, and trust. It is a relationship that has endured for more than a quarter century, an impressive span of time in today’s library automation world.

A Little Bit About UAPL

December 2007 marks the 27th anniversary of Upper Arlington Public Library’s use of VTLS library automation software. UAPL has been with VTLS almost since the company’s inception, seeing such changes as the incorporation of VTLS, growth of the company, and transition from VTLS Classic to Virtua. VTLS has seen changes at UAPL as well—increases in size, staff and circulation; the complete redesign of the library’s website; and most recently, the expansion and remodeling of the Miller Park branch.

Located in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, the three-branch Upper Arlington Public Library serves approximately 34,000 residents in a community of only 9.6 square miles. It serves patrons from other communities as well. UAPL is located near the Ohio State University, so students and faculty also find the library to be an important resource. In all, there are about 55,000 UAPL library cardholders, and in 2006 the library boasted over 1 million visitors to all three of its locations. UAPL is known not only for its neighborhood feel, but also for the breadth of its collections. Many patrons say that things can be found there that can’t be found even at the Ohio State University library.

UAPL consists of three locations: the main library on Tremont Road, the Lane Road branch, and the newly renovated Miller Park branch. With the help of the Virtua ILS, 135 staff members keep things running smoothly. In 2006, circulation staff oversaw the circulation of 1.6 million items from a collection of 472,000 item records and 298,000 bibliographic records. For the past three years UAPL has been ranked in the top five (for libraries in its population size) in the Hennen rankings.

UAPL and VTLS

UAPL’s relationship with VTLS has been a success from the beginning. VTLS Classic was implemented in 1980, and the library used that ILS until they switched to Virtua in February 2002. The library uses Circulation, Cataloging, Serials, and OPAC. Assistant Library Director Kate Porter said, “The switch from Classic to Virtua—in effect, the switch to a different method of computing and to new technology— was a bit of a challenge, but because of VTLS’ constant support and effort, it was a success. Since then our upgrades have only gotten easier.”

UAPL has put VTLS software through its paces. Because the library is closed only 10 days a year and is open more hours than any other public library in the area, the software is in near-constant use. Porter admits that there is one downside to that: “It can be challenging to pick a time to do a software upgrade because there is not a lot of downtime; but because upgrades have gotten shorter and easier over time, it’s not a problem, and the impact on public services has been minimal.”

So what is it about VTLS that UAPL appreciates so much? What is it that has kept them using VTLS’ ILS for so many years? According to Porter, these are the main reasons:

* The ILS is very stable. There’s very little downtime for patrons and staff members. And the company itself is also very stable…no changing hands or unpredictably changing products.

* VTLS puts a lot of research into their product. VTLS investigates trends in the industry, adheres to technology standards, and offers a quality product that is thoroughly researched and developed.

* Virtua is compatible with other products on the market. For example, UAPL likes the fact that Virtua can be used for authentication to access online digital resources so patrons can use the library 24/7.

* The stability of VTLS as a company. There is a great deal of consolidation going on in the library industry right now, which can cause uncertainty. But VTLS’ stability is one of the reasons that UAPL has been with VTLS all of these years.