We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers, partners and suppliers for making 2023 such a memorable year – a year in which PSP celebrated a significant milestone! As has become something of a festive tradition in the business world, here’s a quick look back at some of our highlights from 2023…
Q1
January was the usual blur as we got back into the swing of things following the Christmas break, but February saw the PSP team grow as we welcomed Sara to the team as our new Operations Support Manager. Sara has slotted into the team perfectly and is now part of the furniture. As well as managing our projects and operations, Sara has also taken ownership of our marketing and communications strategy, hence, you’ve been hearing a lot more from us over the past year. A vital role within our small organisation, that comes with a lot of pressure and juggling skills needed, and Sara took to it immediately, which was so important for us as we hit a really busy period.
This was prompted by the March release of a major update to our market-leading school library management system Infiniti and its virtual learning portals add-on LibPaths.
Q2
Jumping feet-first into April… Despite negotiations starting in 2022, this year saw us finalise the purchase of the eRLS library stock control software and we have been working on updating, modifying and implementing new features over the last 8 months or so – including a whole new eRLS RFID brand identity that we launched to coincide with the new school term in September.
A big learning curve for me was the fact that updating software can take quite a bit of time as it can be quite complex! However, we have a great team working on it and look forward to some exciting updates being released in 2024 that will enhance the system even more. If you’d like to be kept up-to-date on these developments and other news from PSP, please sign up to our mailing list.
Incidentally, April also saw us give away our 25th book hamper as part of our quarterly prize draw for schools. To date, we’ve provided schools with around £4,500 worth of books – something we’re very proud of.
It was also around this time that for some unknown reason I had a look at my spending on drinks at two of the main coffee outlets and immediately realised I have a coffee problem! As I write this, I am looking at an empty takeaway cup of cappuccino, so I am not sure I can claim any lessons learnt just yet.
In June, we exhibited once again in the Supplier Showcase at the School Library Association’s Annual Weekend Event. The theme this year was ‘Empowering All Pupils for the Future’ so we gave a live demonstration of our cloud-native library management system Infiniti and virtual learning add-on LibPaths™, which combine to create an independent learning resource that really is second to none.
Q3
I suppose this next one is more of a lowlight really, but by the middle of the year, price rises here, there and everywhere started to catch up with us. It felt like every email and letter received was a notification of an increase in the cost of materials, products, services – you name it. Try as we might, we couldn’t hold back the flood and had to do a full price review, which led to some increases. This is something we always try to keep to a minimum as we know how tight budgets and funding can be. This is why we’ve frozen the maximum basic subscription price for our Infiniti LMS until Easter 2024.
On a more positive note, we welcomed a number of new customers to our ‘PSP Community’ as well as extending our relationship with lots of existing customers, through upgrades or the introduction of new systems. We are extremely grateful to all of you who have chosen us for a new project or opted to continue to work with us, it really is appreciated.
Q4
Towards the end of the year, we rolled out the aforementioned eRLS RFID library security system and Sara, with intrepid Jackapoo Izzy at her side, took on the challenge of walking 100 miles in October to raise awareness and much-needed funding for Breast Cancer Now. You’ll probably remember that Storm Babet graced us with her presence for a lot of October so we certainly didn’t envy Sara the rather gruelling conditions she had to face. It was all for a very worthy cause and Sara’s fundraising page is still open if you’re able to contribute a few quid.
Last, but by no means least, November 2023… The 30th November to be precise. PSP’s official birthday and 45th anniversary! Founded in 1978, it’s fair to say we’ve seen a lot of changes in the library technology space over the years. We’re incredibly proud to say we’ve always done our utmost to remain at the forefront of innovation so we can respond to the changing needs of our customers. Taking a walk down memory lane to write the ’45 years in business’ blog gave me a chance to reflect on all the highs and lows, not to mention the fact that, as a family business, I’ve been involved with PSP for close to 40 years. Scary!
For 2024, we are looking to build on our successes and continue to grow that Community of PSP customers, be it through eRLS RFID, Infiniti, KWIKCount or our maintenance services. We will of course keep you updated through our newsletters and socials so please subscribe or give us a follow – we’d love to have you on the journey with us!
That just leaves me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Prosperous New Year from all of us here at PSP. See you in 2024!