Case Study

Technological Diversity Creates Efficiency in Libraries

CRS Advanced Technology

In a world where we are all asked to do more with less, libraries are no different. In fact, during the most recent economic recession, libraries have seen impressive increases in circulation and visitations. Despite this upturn for libraries, most operate under very stringent budgets which don’t allow for increases in staff. Libraries depend largely on volunteers and part-time staff to help during holidays and vacation times when increased traffic mostly occurs.

It’s become necessary for libraries to be highly efficient and librarians and staff must be able to wear many hats and multi-task at a moment’s notice. That means working in a variety of locations, collections, or even being able to quickly locate and notify specialized staff when they are needed.

SubFinder, an automated substitute placement and employee absence management system, is a highly useful tool for libraries in managing their staff and volunteers. The software solution saves libraries valuable time and resources by completely automating the process of finding substitutes to fill in for absent employees, as well as filling open shifts in the schedule; reducing or eliminating the need for manual calling. Extensive reporting options provide valuable data for tracking trends and budget planning. SubFinder simplifies branch management, making it easier for staff to focus other more important duties, such as serving patrons.

Fort Vancouver Regional Library District in Vancouver, Washington is composed of thirteen libraries and serves a population of 436,605. Additionally, the district offers a variety of services and three bookmobiles. During high-peak times (around holidays and summer vacation times), manual calls were made to cover up to 40 absences a week. This was a time-consuming task that took staff away from serving the needs of their patrons.

Sherry Braga, Volunteer and Substitute Coordinator for the library district, comments on their use of the SubFinder system, “We mainly use SubFinder to schedule subs and track sub hours, including part-time staff who want to work extra hours. We use skill levels and preference lists to meet union contract requirements and limit what staff sees as available hours. Additionally, we utilize several of the reports for a variety of reasons. Many help us in tracking costs of projects, budgeting, and so much more.”

Yet another library, Contra Costa County Library, serves a population of 1,024,319 near San Francisco Bay through its 25 branches. Due to budget cuts, they are unable to hire additional staff to meet the needs of this busy library system with an annual circulation of over six million materials. The library system needs to fill an average of 28 absences a day, 201 a week. A SubFinder customer for over 17 years, the library system has seen the product grow and advance to continue to meet their needs. They especially like the ability to “job shop” and report absences online—in fact, very few manual calls need to be made to fill absences at all. The library embraces technology and even offers self check out service to free up their staff to respond to inquiries.

Libraries are embracing technology and automation more every day, from helping patrons to access information on the Internet or in databases, to electronic book collections, to allowing patrons to utilize self check out. Technology is also being used behind the scenes to streamline processes across departments, integrate various software systems, track trends and generate reports for budgeting, and even automating the process of finding substitute workers to fill holes in the schedule. By utilizing automated software solutions, such as the SubFinder software, libraries are automating processes that once took hours, even days, to complete, freeing staff to focus on mission critical goals and serving their patrons.

CRS Advanced Technology is the leading provider of employee absence management and substitute placement solutions serving over 1.5 million throughout the United States and Canada. Our flagship product, SubFinder, completely automates employee absence reporting, substitute placement, data management, and payroll tasks. There is no better SUBstitute solution.