Why Highgate School Switched to Infiniti Library Management System
We recently caught up with one of our first Infiniti library management system customers, Highgate School in London, for a chat with the Senior School Librarian at the Sir Martin Gilbert Library, Lauren Niland. We were keen to get Lauren’s thoughts on her experience with Infiniti so far and what it was like working with the PSP team.
Did you switch or upgrade your library management software from a previous supplier?
Yes, we were previously using different library management software – I probably shouldn’t name the provider as the system was a bit clunky and there were periods when it would not work due to server issues. It also had quite a young feel to it on the display of the online public access catalogue (OPAC). In comparison, Infiniti definitely felt like an upgrade!
What was the switching process like?
We trialled various LMS products and made the switch around 2018/19. We had a good relationship with the PSP team already as they dealt with our RFID installation, and when they came to give us a demo we thought it covered all our needs.
The process was extremely smooth and the PSP team, in collaboration with Infiniti’s tech support team, were really prompt and very helpful with all our queries throughout the process, including one-on-one training.
How does Infiniti LMS make managing your school library easier/more efficient?
The backend of Infiniti is really easy to navigate, running reports is really simple and it has streamlined our ‘books overdue’ process. The rollover of pupils and adding new pupils at the beginning of the school year is also a seamless task!
Cataloguing is also really quick and easy to do as it pulls in bibliographic records from different libraries.
There is an option to create a “circulation user” account, which we have set up for our pupil librarians. This makes our life easier as we can leave them to man the circulation desk while we deal with other tasks in the library at busy break and lunchtimes.
We sometimes create new sections and move things around on our shelves in order to make the physical experience of the library more appealing – again, this is something that is really easy to update on Infiniti.
The online support articles are also really comprehensive and useful, especially for the tasks you only need to do once a year and may forget about in between!
Do you have a favourite Infiniti feature or something in particular that makes your life easier?
Portals and LibPaths – we don’t have much physical display space in our library so it is great to have a digital display space that we can play around with, and the different tools you can use to create a portal are great. I also like the Lists feature, where you can create targeted reading lists for different classes and year groups, as well as share reading lists with others.
This isn’t so relevant now (and hopefully won’t be again!) but I also found the PSP and Concord Infiniti teams really proactive and supportive during the 2020 lockdown and subsequent COVID restrictions in schools. The fact the system is cloud-native meant I could do lots of admin and catalogue-related tasks from home, and the fact that SSO is enabled meant we were able to set up a book delivery service really easily when we returned to school but certain year groups weren’t allowed in the library.
I think their quick responses to things at that time were a great demonstration of how committed they are to innovating and listening to the needs of their users.
Have you had any feedback on Infiniti from school library users?
Not specifically, but pupils clearly find it really easy to use. We can see them as soon as they have their library inductions in Y7 jumping on the catalogue and finding books!
Do you also use LibPaths?
Yes – I really enjoy this feature, as above! I especially like the Portal Hub.
How did you find working with the PSP team?
I would recommend working with the PSP team to anybody. They genuinely provide a personal service and an excellent level of customer care and service throughout the implementation process and on into aftercare / ongoing support.
Would you recommend these library management solutions and PSP to other school library teams?
I think you can probably tell from my comments that the answer is an emphatic, yes.
“I would recommend the Infiniti library management system and working with the PSP team to anybody. I think their quick responses to things are a great demonstration of how committed they are to innovating and listening to the needs of their users.”
LAUREN NILAND, HIGHGATE SCHOOL
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