The American writer Barbara Tuchman once said that ‘Nothing sickens me more than the closed door of a library.’ It doesn’t have to be that way now. Libraries are online and access is not really an issue. Thoughts that were once in cold storage are now room temperature 24/7 and the forward thinking software options available to schools are delicious.
Eclipse.net from Micro Librarian Systems (MLS) is an elegant, uncomplicated and innovative library management system and a clear contender for market leader. This online library portal is dynamic without being too flashy and describes itself as being the centre for research and learning for all schools and colleges. I don’t think that’s a bold claim either.
A key feature of this web-based application is its potential to support personalised and inclusive learning,as students can gain access to online learning resources custom-made to their individual research. A school can generate and schedule news items, alerts and messages to groups or individuals. With unlimited cataloguing and information tools you can construct a structured and safe online library space.
Surely, one of the hardest jobs has to be how to make reading cooler. Well, MLS has cracked that with an integrated eBook Library so students can enjoy titles by downloading them onto computers, mobile phones, tablets and other devices from the school’s eBook library website. Now that can’t fail to generate a bit of interest. Students can access the library anytime, anywhere with a rather good imls app, which allows them to hunt for books, find websites and watch videos of authors. They can reserve a book using the app, renew a book and write reviews too. This could be addictive.
An interesting feature is something called ‘Who Next’. This is basically an online book listing 759 writers of children’s fiction with links to each other. So, children read a book by one author and with each name come other authors who write in a similar way thus enabling children the chance to explore other books in a similar genre or theme.
One of my favourite parts of the Eclipse software is the Dashboard. This shows you useful information such as library usage in terms of the percentage of students borrowing a book, the percentage of male and female borrowing, library logins, the number of fiction and non-fiction books issued and currently on loan, overdue books, books never borrowed and the number of reviews requiring approval. It’s great for monitoring reading progress and trends throughout the school. Also available on the Dashboard are community reports, showing you what titles are popular in other schools.
Will the software meet the needs of a busy library? Yes, big or small this is intuitive and user-friendly. Will it link with other school systems? Yes it will and it’s secure and reliable too. Can you link your library to the school website and VLE? Yes siree! If you get stuck then the MLS Helpdesk are on the end of the line to sort it although it’s worth speaking to other schools already using the system so you get a full picture of the level of service on offer and other issues.
Once upon a time, school libraries were regarded as intellectually empty, boring, stuffy and places to go and mess about in. They were also the least visited facilities on site. Things have changed, and they are now are collaborative, engaging, interactive, and a whole lot cooler. Some are even fun and noisy places too! Henry Ward Beecher once said, ‘A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.’ The MLS could be seen as a luxury, I suppose, but I can’t help but feel that it is more of a necessity. It raises the profile of your library to a whole new level by managing what needs doing in a straightforward way with motivation and accessibility as its two biggest features. It’s an exciting time to be a School Library Manager and a brilliant time to be a learner and have a stake in the library.
