Nottingham City Council has announced its decision buy a new Library Management System (LMS) for the city’s libraries.
This decision comes as the current LMS contract is set to end in November 2024.
The estimated value of this decision stands at £245,000.
The costs encompass LMS hosting for a 10-year contract term, support, maintenance, the implementation of a new system, and project management expenses. The funding will be sourced from existing library revenue budgets.
Nottingham City Council is a member of the East Midlands Library Consortium (EMLib) LMS Consortium.
This consortium consists of six library authorities, including Derby City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Inspire, Leicestershire County Council, Nottingham City Council, and Rutland County Council.
The consortium’s approach to purchasing a single LMS solution across multiple authorities aims to achieve economies of scale, enhanced technical functionality, and future collaboration opportunities.
The city council says that the LMS is a crucial tool for libraries, enabling them to log and track assets, user information, and user status. It supports the management of library stock, user activity, acquisition of assets, stock circulation, asset lifecycle management, integrated performance reporting, and customer communication. The LMS is essential for increasing library delivery efficiencies, reducing operating costs, and ensuring value for Nottingham City Council.
The EMLib consortium’s current LMS contract is with SirsiDynix. The consortium members have varying contract end dates, with Nottingham City Council and Inspire’s contracts expiring first in mid-November 2024.
An LMS User Group, representing members across the consortium, has been actively involved in reviewing LMS functionality, procurement options, and identifying the most efficient procurement approach.
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Nottinghamshire County Council will lead the tender exercise, with Nottingham City Council focusing on project management and data protection elements.
Reasons for the Decision:
The decision to procure a new LMS is rooted in the need for a system that supports the efficient management of library assets and customer activity. The current LMS has been instrumental in automating various library processes, leading to increased efficiencies and reduced operating costs. The council recognizes the significant risk to library service operations if the LMS is not replaced or if there’s a gap in LMS support.
