Explore what's next: a new library system

A new library system is arriving in July and there will be some disruption in services as we prepare.

We are making big changes to improve our service for staff and students in the week beginning 15 July 2019. We are moving to a new Library management system.

Our library management system underpins the majority of Library services. We purchase new items and set up new subscriptions, catalogue and manage library stock, manage e-resources, their licences and the authentication to grant access, lend, request and return books, create library accounts, manage charges and fines and provide the means to search and discover print and online resources in our collections. There are also a great number of dependent services such as entry gates, laptop loans, self issue and return machines, reading list management, online payments, room bookings and more, that all need to work with the system. This is a big and complex change.

This big technology change presented an opportunity to review the way we work to see if we can improve or simplify what we do. As a result, we're planning to introduce new loans, a new Library search and no more need to renew books.

We are doing everything we can to keep all our services operating during this period, but with such a large change, there are some services that will be affected.

We've created a set of webpages to explore the new library system that explain the change and how we hope you will benefit. We'll keep these pages updated with all the latest information as there may be changes in dates and services as we get closer to the system going live.

Check Twitter @UoLLibrary for any announcements about the changes or any temporary disruptions that may occur during and after the change.

Go behind-the-scenes with the Library blog to get an insight into the different aspects of the work involved with such a major change, from the people involved on the ground.