Experiences, stories and feedback from our customers

The ability to bid successfully for funds has become an increasingly important skill for libraries to have.  Lorensbergs spoke with Vicky Embrey, Library Services Manager at Stoke Libraries, about her experience in winning a £300k grant from the Libraries Improvement Fund (LIF) for a programme of library improvement. It included refurbishment projects and the introduction of Netloan Wi-Fi print and kiosk payment integration. We’ll consider the process involved and include practical advice on making your own successful funding applications.   The 2023 LIF bid was managed by Vicky with team input on systems they wished to implement for self-service print payments and wireless printing. Vicky has worked at Stoke Libraries for over 20 years. Starting as a library assistant, she progressed to become team leader and is now one of three managers reporting to the Head of Service. Vicky is responsible for operations across all 6 library sites and is focused on maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. With help from recent funding wins, she is pleased that all branches have reached a good standard of interior decoration. They have much greater capacity for community events and engagement, achieved through layout changes and with staff time refocused following print self-service introduction via Netloan. The refurbishments at the Longton and Stoke sites transformed the libraries. New furniture replaced old shelving and counters. The Longton refurb also required asbestos removal and new electrical wiring to support the PCs. New lighting and some new windows improved both the appearance and sustainability of the old listed building. CCTV and other security provisions were also added. The team has tapped into other funds to develop services further. This includes Know Your Neighbourhood and microproject funding to stage new events and activities and support outreach work. In each case, the most relevant manager organises the bid, while benefiting from input from the rest of the team.   Making the bid: Advice for successful applications Here’s what helped to secure the £300k LIF bid for the refurbishment and new print systems project: Sufficient time Foremost is the need to plan ahead, as Vicky advises: “Some funding applications are very long. It’s difficult to give yourself enough time so start as early as you can. You need to have all the costings in advance and you may find yourself up until the small hours trying to meet the deadline as I did!” In the case of LIF, there was a two-stage application process, so the need to plan ahead for both the initial expression of interest and the full bid (approx. 4 months apart) Project planning Create a project timeline that fits comfortably within the maximum time allowance to complete the project, allowing for manageable stages. For Stoke, this involved the use of 3 smaller projects to achieve the full transformation programme before the spend deadline. The largest of these was the Longton refurb which used £190k Working with instalment plans Consider the payment schedule. The 2023 LIF was in 3 instalments, so Stoke structured the project plan to work with this arrangement. Ensure you allow time for placing orders and the admin involved, and for getting completed accounts to auditors, which can involve chasing suppliers for invoices. You may even need to factor in time to produce the final report on use of the funding Prepare for the unknown Build in contingency for inflation and the unknown in your costings, and make this clear in your submission. It could be a year between the initial projections and having the bid approved, then another year or two for the project implementation so you are likely to need this leeway. In Stoke’s case, it wasn’t just inflation but the nature of the building work involved: “The plaster work in the library refurbishment is a case in point. I didn’t know how much of this plaster would need to be replaced. It was a lot more than initially expected. So the contingency costings were essential.” Secure the full amount With LIF funding, the final 10% is only received at the end of the project, by which time all spending could already be complete. However, Vicky took time to secure this final payment by suggesting and submitting an additional revised plan for its use: “We tried to use every single penny as we don’t usually have much money and it was important to see the full benefit of the grant.” Persistence pays off It’s really important to seek out feedback from any failed bids. In Stoke’s case, the library’s bid for the 2022 fund was unsuccessful. Vicky understood that the aims of their submission were good but there were some concerns about the planned management of the project. After taking feedback, their 2023 bid was a massive success: “I went for feedback and they gave me feedback, which then helped me improve and succeed the next time round.” Start small, be realistic Be prepared to start off with simpler projects and build from there. Stoke’s 3 in 1 project was very ambitious and required a huge amount of preparation. It’s kudos to Vicky and the team that it was executed so successfully: “There were a lot of things all going on at the same time. So be realistic about what you can take on!”   Satisfying fund aims with the bid The aims of the 2023 LIF fund were stated as follows: Increase the sustainability and potential for transformation of libraries by developing more flexible, more commercial spaces Increase and improve digital access within communities Connect libraries to their communities and increase library use Vicky explains: “Looking at the aims of the fund, they fitted very well with our plans to spend more time on groups, activities and digital inclusion. “My reason for including kiosk self-service for printing was that for staff it’s going to free up their time. When users are able to pay for and release their own prints this will give staff their time back. Then they can support more customers who need that bit more help on computers or finding a book. Our budgets may have been reduced, and our staffing has been reduced, but with Netloan self-service support, the user experience can still be good. “The experience of using library services has to be modern, and this is why self-service is important. We’re all used to it. We’re all going to supermarkets and shops now, and it’s become an expectation. Modernising both the appearance of the library and the experience of using it can attract more customers, including those that have become disengaged. It was very much about making a newer, more welcoming environment.”   Project success The main refurb at Longton Library has helped to provide a smarter and more modern interior while supporting better visits. New signage helps users to navigate around better. The changed layout adds more spaces for groups to meet and complements the new initiatives supported by the Know Your Neighbourhood funding for new adult groups. There is also an exciting new feature in the children’s area – a castle which is proving very popular with younger users. A refurb of the main Stoke Library was smaller scale but also much needed. The removal of a large counter has freed up lots more space for group work and a children’s feature has been another important part of the transformation. The new shelving has greater capacity for an increase in stock, both here and at Longton. This has helped to maintain overall stock levels following an earlier relocation of the City Central Library to a smaller site. The new wireless printing service, which was part of the third project phase, has been very well received by own device users. They can print from phones, tablets and laptops then release their jobs at any of the 6 library sites. The kiosk integration enables self-service payment for prints. Together this satisfies user need to bring in own devices and have a quick, effective way to print without logging into a PC.   New print systems feedback Vicky reports that staff training for Wi-Fi printing and kiosk print release has been straightforward and users are embracing the new services: “Feedback on the experience of using Netloan Wi-Fi print is very good, both from customers and staff. Customers have quickly got used to the new kiosk integration enabling them to pay for and release their print jobs. “Staff are using the time they’ve regained to tell customers about the services we’ve got, and support users to become more digital and confident on the PCs. There is more time to run activities as well.” Print volumes have increased following introduction of Netloan Wi-Fi printing and revenue has further increased following a print price review: “We’re doing well and felt it was time to review our prices. We were probably one of the cheapest library authorities before that! “We’re very pleased with where we are at the moment, with the good take up of Netloan Wi-Fi printing and ease of payment. We’re encouraging some of our more reluctant customers to start using the kiosks. Some may be worried that it’s taking our jobs away from us, but we make it clear that it’s simply a better way of working. Now when we’re helping users on the PCs we don’t need to bob back just to release someone’s printing all the time.” Printing may be for travel, e.g. boarding passes, or postage labels. Students come in a lot, and usage goes up around exam time. Businesses come in for their own printing requirements, to print off posters for example. They know it’s easy and cheap and they love coming into the library.   Event staging improvements The new layout at Longton library is working out really well. With the extra space created, the activities can run simultaneously with routine library use. It doesn’t need to impact or limit regular use such as book browsing or PC use. “We’ve started up lots of activities at all of our libraries – groups for history, colouring, Dungeons and Dragons, gardening, home education. Previously, everything was competing with each other. The improvements have helped footfall in itself in this way, we’re getting more people in for activities without regular users being put off. There are new computer pods for PC users’ privacy and new areas for own device use. All in all, it’s the perfect community space.”   Final tip – communicate service improvements With new services and activities introduced, make sure customers are making use of all that’s new through good communication and publicity. This goes for council colleagues too – it’s always worthwhile promoting what you have and raising awareness. “We’re advertising the print service with leaflets and pull up banners throughout the libraries. There are plans to display the banners in local colleges and we’re going to see if supermarkets will display them too. A video showing customers using Wi-Fi printing is in the works. It involves some of our regular customers who were just happy to take part in the video making. Plus we’ve produced one showing a school visit and the different activities that take place. “I don’t think people realise what you can do in libraries, not just the public but colleagues in the council as well. There’s always more recognition and awareness needed and the videos will help with this.”

Lorensbergs spoke with Paul Daly, Executive Librarian at Kilkenny Libraries, about the roll out and introduction of Netloan PC booking system across their library sites. “A new city library was being developed which would include new PCs in three different locations across the building. As part of planning for the new library, discussions included a modern PC management solution for a bright new library space.”   Plans for Improved PC Management   Each location for PCs within Mayfair Library was designed for a distinct purpose: “The express PCs are for short stay and often used for printing; as for the children’s area it’s a dedicated space where the PCs are for their use only; and finally we have the adult research and study space upstairs, which includes laptops for loan and printing facilities. It was important to have a solution that would support the diversity of usage across this large new space.” Netloan had been on the horizon, as it already had a successful introduction at Kildare Libraries: “We decided to take a closer look at Netloan. It offered LCF (Library Communication Framework) connectivity to the Library Management System in place of SIP2. This would manage authentication more securely without having to get a VPN connection. “It also allowed us to control levels of access, with regards to parental permissions. We planned to use this authentication approach to ensure PCs in the children’s area were only used by children to maintain their own space. They have a different level of internet accessibility compared to adult PCs, with specific games and websites deemed age-appropriate, including educational sites and software linked from the PC desktop.”   Working in Partnership Towards the New Library Opening   The Netloan team, including engineers and support desk, are based at Lorensbergs’ headquarters in Hertford, UK. They are dedicated to supporting all Netloan customer libraries. Kilkenny Libraries worked closely with the Netloan team to support the introduction of the new system across 9 branches and library locations, including the HQ/local history services site: “It was excellent working with Lorensbergs. They have high levels of system expertise and are very responsive. Each staff member was easy to work with, with strong standards of professionalism. “From technical aspects and training, to organising meetings and clarifying hurdles, such as Netloan install support on our own cloud server. Also setting up LCF connectors and arranging rules for different categories was well achieved thanks to their engineer’s helpful communication. “It made the big project at Mayfair a lot easier and much more pleasant to deliver.” After some initial staff training at each branch, staff found the Netloan admin tools easy to use: “Netloan is fairly intuitive with a little training. It’s been easy to navigate and perform necessary tasks. Adding users, adding PCs, generating reports, managing bookings, changing times—all those elements are straightforward. “Its web-based nature means we can access it from any device — there’s no need to go to the same terminal every time.”   Importance of Good PC Management with Netloan   There have been a number of advantages moving to Netloan that Paul notes: “Centralised reporting in Netloan is particularly useful. It provides more reports than we’ll ever need. Each is easily accessible, clear and well laid out, which is very helpful. “We like the fact that the public can extend their PC sessions themselves beyond the initial allocated time. A key benefit of the automated system is understanding when it is and isn’t busy in the library, which is particularly helpful in some of our branches with higher footfall. Certainly in a central library, you need a system intuitive enough to let a patron extend their session without needing staff assistance and this is where Netloan really helps. This is particularly helpful in a large busy library like Mayfair. “The group booking functionality in Netloan is also useful as it helps us manage and increase the number of groups we can accommodate in the library on any given day.”   PCs are a key resource in the library   Paul explains why it’s important to make the most of library PCs with a good booking solution: “PCs are a key resource for research, general information, printing, classes, and digital literacy. PCs are still a stalwart in libraries and will continue to be. “We also have laptops available for use, but the PCs are workhorses and much easier to update and manage. “We’re making it possible for customers to book their PCs in advance, and there are plans to include PC availability and bookings in a full promotional push for Kilkenny Libraries.”   In Conclusion   Summing up Kilkenny Libraries’ experience of introducing and using Netloan, Paul adds: “Netloan is a straightforward piece of software, delivered in a comprehensive way for easy installation and management. It is uncomplicated and relatively easy to use with minimal training. The support ensures comprehensive coverage of what the system can do. We have always found it incredibly reliable and it requires minimal intervention. It has been a very positive experience.”   With thanks to Paul Daly, Executive Librarian at Kilkenny Libraries.

Hartlepool Community Hubs in the North East of England provide access to a wide range of resources, services, and activities for education, recreation, and community engagement. Printing is an essential public service that they recently enhanced with the launch of Netloan Wi-Fi print. Denise Sparrowhawk, Operations Librarian and Matthew Picken, Assistant Ops Librarian spoke with Lorensbergs about the changes this has brought to their libraries.   Importance of library print services   “Printing is a crucial service for Hartlepool library customers. It’s one of the main things we do for people. “It’s always been important to provide printing from PCs. Job seeking and digital skills developments are closely linked to People’s Network use and customers often need to print off application forms and other items when using the PCs. However, there’s been popular demand for some time now to print from own devices too. “When we launched the new wireless printing service (in April 2024), within two weeks new memberships had increased by over 40% compared to what we would usually see. “Since then, Wi-Fi print volumes have on average more than doubled total printing each month at the Community Hub.”     Choosing Netloan Wi-Fi print   Originally, the library enabled users to email documents from own devices to the library which staff would then print off for them. This often included boarding passes and postage labels. However, staff needed to manually delete print request emails and attachments for security purposes and for GDPR compliance. It wasn’t a satisfactory process either in terms of staff time or for data management. “We spoke with other libraries and reviewed solutions. We concluded it would be best to manage wireless printing in the same system as desktop printing and that the Netloan system was ideal for this. “We knew it would make it much easier if staff managed all printing in Netloan. The print release screen is very familiar and all our staff are comfortable using it. It’s an established and easy interface to use. It was also appealing to grow our print services without taking on an additional supplier.” Another huge benefit for having a combined print service was the holistic reporting: “We can track all print volumes much better now that it is all in one place.”   Introducing the new service   The staff found the new Wi-Fi print service easy to grasp: “Before launching it publicly, staff practised by sending documents to print from their own devices, then releasing them from the Netloan print release portal. It’s practically the same as releasing desktop print jobs, all we needed to do was to select the Wi-Fi print filter button on the queued jobs. “It was great to roll out such a big technical improvement so smoothly. IT changes usually meet a little bit of resistance, but not in this case! “The public have taken to using the new print service really well on the whole. It’s great that it took off so quickly, with new memberships up by over 40% in the first two weeks. “It’s easy for users to join with proof of address for full membership, or they can join without showing proof of address which allows them to use PCs, printing and a reduced borrowing allowance. Now that people are joining the library in order to print, they’re more likely to use other library services as well.”   Making the most of wireless printing   The introduction of the new wireless printing service coincided with a full PC refresh and Netloan upgrade. It was the final piece in providing a completely modernised PC and print service that the library has been keen to promote. “We’ve used social media and a video provided by Lorensbergs to publicise the service. We’ve also highlighted its availability by customising the posters provided with our own QR codes for the print upload portal, which we’ve displayed all around the building. It’s so easy for users to scan the code and submit their documents for printing. “All in all, we’re very happy with the solution. Customers like it and it definitely makes life easier from a staff point of view.”   With thanks to Denise Sparrowhawk and Matthew Picken at Hartlepool Libraries for sharing their Wi-Fi print experiences with us.

Neath Port Talbot Libraries is coming up to the first anniversary of launching Netloan Wi-Fi print across their 8 library sites. The libraries serve a mixture of town centre and rural communities. Lorensbergs spoke with Jeanette Jones, Senior Branch Librarian, who has been responsible for rolling out and launching the service across all 8 library branches. “Since we introduced Netloan Wi-Fi print a year ago, I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s enabled us to do so much and we’ve reached a whole new audience with it,” says Jeanette. “This is what we’ve heard from customers using it: It’s so convenient for when I’m out and about and I can collect my printing from any library. I’m always in a rush, and I can just pop in the library and grab my prints without using a computer. And this is what our staff have said: It’s so much easier using Wi-Fi print to print out things like labels and tickets. Users are already logged into their email on their phone, and they can easily upload it. Meeting Library User Needs “For some time now, customers have been coming in with their phones and asking if they can print from them. As we’ve been offering Wi-Fi in the library, they think ‘Why can’t I Wi-Fi print too?’” says Jeanette. “This was happening quite frequently, especially in our main branches in Neath and Port Talbot. They just wanted to run in, print what they needed and go without having to get onto a computer first.” Jeanette heard about the Netloan Wi-Fi print module from account calls and the annual Netloan user groups. She arranged to have a demo with the Netloan account manager and could see how easy it would be to use. As soon as the library sourced the funding for it, they went ahead. Demand for wireless printing had been increasing over recent years, especially with so much buying, selling and shopping taking place online. Customers have wanted to print return labels for Amazon or mailing labels for Vinted. They often need to print boarding passes and coach tickets. Staff had been used to leading these customers to a computer and asking them to log into their email accounts: “Often they wouldn’t know the password for accessing their email from a new device. It could become a frustrating process before they were able to print what they needed. “These customers don’t always want to use other library services. They just want to come in and pick up their printing. So Netloan Wi-Fi print is of huge value, as it means we can still provide a service to these customers and provide something that they keep coming back for. “They might rely on their phones in place of computers, but they don’t tend to have printers at home. Library printing is so important. Netloan Wi-Fi print is about supporting easy access to these important facilities.” Introducing the Service Setting up the service ready for customer use was very straightforward: “IT was involved from the get-go and were involved with testing the service. There were no problems at all. I received some training and it was easy to pass this on to other staff so they could roll it out in their libraries. Like the rest of Netloan, it’s been very easy to use ever since.” Key stats at Neath Port Talbot Libraries since introducing Netloan Wi-Fi print: Wi-Fi use in the library has trebled Wi-Fi printing is 20% of all print volume (all sites) Wi-Fi printing is 30% of all printing at Neath Library As well as staff telling customers about the printing service, they hear about it from the library website and social media, from posters and QR codes dotted around the libraries, and from seeing staff help other customers in the library get started. Customers of all age groups have welcomed using the new service: “We have people working remotely here in the library with laptops and we have people studying. Coming to the library keeps them motivated, rather than just working from home which can be quite isolating. They can come and have a chat with staff when taking a break.” Workways+ (employment support service) and job clubs make use of it. Plus it also supports opportunities for introducing new revenue-generating services to the library. The library has two rooms to hire out for business meetings and conferences. The ability for users to print wirelessly is an attractive service when hiring library space for these activities: “We’ve got training and conference facilities. So we can say to these customers now, if you’ve got your laptop, you can use it to print while on the library Wi-Fi.” With staff encouraging users with own devices to print directly from them, what has this meant for library computer use?  With computer time needed for so much else, these facilities are still in demand and well used: “The PCs are still very popular,” comments Jeanette. “Just now I can see there are 13 out of 16 PCs in use here in the library.” Jeanette concludes: “The value of having Netloan Wi-Fi print by far outweighs the cost of providing it. It’s about supporting good access to an important facility – library printing. Our staff are completely behind it, and use has risen very quickly. Everyone finds it such an easy way to print.” With thanks to Jeanette Jones at Neath Port Talbot Libraries for talking to us about their introduction of Netloan Wi-Fi print.

Cardiff Libraries’ introduction of netloan Wi-Fi print has been a great success throughout the city’s 21 libraries. Less than a year after launching in summer 2022, it already accounts for a quarter of all print volumes. The total amount of printing has increased significantly, providing a bigger revenue stream for the libraries. With all library sites making use of the service, there has been widespread approval and some great feedback. Here’s what library staff representing a number of different branches have shared with us: “Canton (Library) has taken well to the Wi-Fi print service. We use it all the time over here.” “Our customers are very happy with this service, once with our persuasion they are confident to use it via netloan, they can’t believe how user friendly it is.” “Once shown how to use netloan, customers are happy with the service. They are also impressed that they can queue printing from home.” “We’ve had really positive feedback from customers at Penylan and Rhydypennau. It’s taken some persuasion at times – usually customers who weren’t members of the library – but the fact that it’s easy to use and has flexibility wins them over.” “Once borrowers have been shown how to use the netloan (Wi-Fi print) system, it has proven to be very popular.” “Wi-Fi printing has definitely been popular in Central.” Staff are finding it easy to explain how to print from users’ phones, tablets and laptops. They are making use of posters provided by Lorensbergs to publicise the service, adding a QR code to take users directly to the netloan portal for uploading documents to print from library printers. James Gorwill, Digital Officer at Cardiff Libraries, says: “Both staff and customers have welcomed using the new Wi-Fi printing service, and are happy using it as a standard way to print. It’s appealed to a wide range of customers, both young and old. “Often customers have something on their phone that they want to print, and for a while there’s been a reasonable expectation that you would be able to send it directly to print in the library. With Wi-Fi print it means they can do that in just a few short steps.” For those members of staff who move between library sites, netloan Wi-Fi print is proving incredibly useful. It allows them to submit documents and then release them from a printer at the required site. As James adds: “You can easily queue a print job using netloan Wi-Fi print, then when you’re on site at a library, you can choose to release it at that location. It’s fabulous in that regard, especially if it’s not clear which sites you’ll be visiting that day. Our digital support team have been using it a lot.” As well as being popular with library customers and staff, the new wireless capability supports library partners. Cardiff Libraries takes a hub approach and has a number of co-located services at their sites: “Immigration, passports and money advice services require you to print out a document to complete an application. The customer receives it by email and now they are able to print it straight out from their device using Wi-Fi print. It makes application processes a lot quicker and simpler.” It’s great to see netloan Wi-Fi print is boosting both service usage and revenue for Cardiff Libraries, with print volumes continuing to rise month to month. With thanks to James Gorwill at Cardiff Libraries for talking to Lorensbergs about the library’s Wi-Fi print experiences.

A new library has opened at the restored former Cardiff Royal Infirmary (CRI) chapel. Following its official opening, Lorensbergs talked to James Gorwill, Digital Officer, and Helen Cleal, Senior Hub Officer at Cardiff Libraries, to hear more about this exciting new project. The former chapel, named Capel I Bawb, has been sensitively restored to offer modern facilities in an historic, listed building. The rooms are suspended within the structure so that the shape and original characteristics of the chapel are still experienced. The result is one of historic architecture neatly encasing a 21st century modern service. Customers browse books and rest on the original ornate wooden pews to read, use their devices or simply enjoy the setting. Light spills through the beautiful stained-glass windows into the library’s IT suite, where computer users access the latest technology. Self-service PC booking and printing options are coming soon, adding further to the modern experience with the installation of new kiosks. Users will also be able to print from their own devices with the launch of netloan Wi-Fi printing. Library staff are excited by these important changes, anticipating the satisfaction it will bring to their users. “Users will be able to print from whatever device they have, at any point that suits them. So we’re really looking forward to that. It’s going to massively enhance our services.” says James. “Sometimes users just want to print. They may not have thought in advance about how they will do it, but having the convenience of simply printing from their own device is really appealing,” comments Helen. “Capel I Bawb offers access outside of times library staff are on site, so the new self-service options will make everything much easier. It really meets our needs and there’ll be a lot of interest from our customers.” Residents from the surrounding areas of Roath and Adamsdown have warmly received the new library. A mile or two to the south and east of Cardiff city centre, the neighbourhoods feature diverse communities with some pockets of deprivation. Residents are embracing all it has to offer, and with a café and meeting rooms, it has wide appeal. The library is already holding events, providing space for MPs and the police service to meet with and advise local residents. There’s a wide array of needs to meet, from jobseekers and benefit claimants to local business owners. Hospital patients and visitors are dropping in to use the new café while taking the opportunity to use the computers to check email and browse the Reading Well book stock. Library memberships are increasing and new events will soon be launching including story times and a book club. A community hub approach is used throughout Cardiff’s library sites. It has helped to modernise the buildings and enabled libraries to retain their central locations. While the libraries now share floorspace with other council services, they have gained footfall and offered their users greater convenience in all that’s possible to achieve when visiting. Particularly, the library computers facilitate other public services, including immigration and visa services, adult learning and money advice. Jobseekers use library PCs to make job applications while attending the council-run Into Work job club. Good computer provision has long been a priority for Cardiff’s library service and they are committed to meeting user demand for modern workstations and fast internet. Across their 22 sites, they offer over 400 computers, a number which will soon increase by 20% thanks to new Adult Learning funding. This funding has allowed for the modernising of equipment across the city, including at Cardiff’s original Community Hub in Ely which has seen the computers updated in its training rooms, job club and computer suite. Across Cardiff’s libraries PC sessions are managed by netloan PC booking software and support the different ways needed to manage PC time for users. Cardiff has configured their netloan settings to encourage users to stay longer and to use their PCs more often. Halfway through 2022 and with all Covid restrictions lifted, users can enjoy up to three hours’ PC time daily on the majority of PCs. Where more time can be accommodated that day, automated extensions in netloan are a convenient way to offer users the opportunity to stay longer online, tapping into a total weekly allowance of 18 hours. Across the authority, library events are in full swing, with attendee volumes multiplying by 10 times since the darker days of the pandemic in Spring 2021. Events that had to move online are now back to being in-person. New author events are planned for the months ahead as part of the library’s Open Space series, including one with local writer John Wake. Meanwhile the plans for new computers offer up a realm of opportunities in what the library can offer next, including potential for multimedia PCs to start providing video editing and photoshop software. It’s an exciting time for Cardiff Libraries and we look forward to seeing how services continue to develop both at the new Capel I Bawb site and across the wider city. With thanks to James Gorwill and Helen Cleal at Cardiff Libraries for telling us all about their new library.

In late 2022, Mark Reid, Senior Executive Librarian for Kildare Library Service reached out to Anna Crilly, MD of Lorensbergs about implementing the Netloan PC booking solution across the 15 branches of their library network across Co. Kildare. Kildare Library Service had moved to a new Library Management System (LMS), Spydus from Civica earlier that year and Mark was in search of a new PC booking solution. In his survey of systems, two criteria were at the forefront of his deliberations: LCF (Library Communication Framework) connectivity and a web-based system capable of central management, configuration and reporting. Neloan ticked these boxes. The software supports a more dynamic approach to managing their 80+ computers with improved connectivity and new functions. With several new libraries in development, including the soon-to-open new Library in Naas, it’s been a great time to develop Kildare Libraries’ digital services. There are also exciting changes on the horizon with the Skills for Life programme, part of The Library is the Place, the new national library development strategy recently published. The new Netloan system has helped modernise services and will support the new activities that come with this development. Getting off to a great start Systems Librarian Oisin Cleere was involved with the configuration, testing and roll out of Netloan and is very satisfied with the benefits the new system has brought to library staff and customers. “As a PC booking solution, Netloan supports easy access to library computers. It enables quick log on using your usual library card number and PIN. Authentication is through the LCF connector to the LMS. This provides a more secure, encrypted connection which was an important development for us. “The experience of rolling out Netloan was extremely smooth with no significant issues along the way. Lorensbergs provided us with a live test system, providing a PC client and administration backend so we were able to see how it works in our environment. “Their technical team helped us to configure Netloan exactly as needed and gave us training. We began with rolling it out to a few major sites and then continued throughout the remaining libraries over a period of 10 weeks. We are very happy with how it’s been running since launch. “The Netloan admin tools are online and easy to use if we ever wish to change settings in the future. Training has been cascaded to all staff. Most had been using different PC booking software and some staff in smaller branches used manual methods for controlling access. All are happy with using the new system.” Supporting easier PC access and greater use Kildare Libraries’ experience of how Netloan works has seen a number of welcome changes. “Netloan supports greater use of library computers and a calmer environment. Users are able to extend their own sessions through the auto-extension functionality. This is a big improvement for both users and staff. “At present, users have an initial 50 minutes. Towards the end of their session, they can opt to have an extension. As long as there are no pre-booked sessions due, they can continue to extend every 50 minutes until the library closes. Staff do not need to assist with this process, and users no longer risk becoming frustrated when their session is about to end and they still have work to do.” Netloan automatically manages the whole process, displaying options with an on-screen dialogue box so that users always understand how much time is left and the length of extension available if needed. Also of huge importance is the ability to centrally access and run reports on PC use across the county. The online admin module facilitates centralised reporting, plus there’s a range of other administration tools to manage the full estate of PCs. Oisin says: “The centralised reporting in Netloan is a big help to us. Seeing stats for the whole library service from wherever you happen to be is great. It’s so much more useful than accessing them site by site.” Kildare Libraries have discovered that Netloan’s versatility goes beyond flexible reporting, online admin settings and auto extensions. Further important functionalities are explored in this next section. Netloan’s support for a vital service Computers are a key resource at Kildare Libraries and a service that the Library is keen to develop. “We often have customers come in that need help with digital skills. For example, it’s surprising how many children do not know how to use a mouse!” comments Oisin. “You can never assume that a smartphone or tablet is sufficient for what they need to do.” “We’ve provided a mix of laptops and tablets in the past, alongside PCs, but it’s the computers that have been more popular and remain in strongest demand. We’ve already offered digital skills classes on the PCs and look forward to doing more of these in the future. “We use Netloan functionality for group and recurring PC bookings and it’s proved to be clearer and easier than the previous system in use. It really helps staff to manage these activities. For example, it’s easy to set up a series of weekly events and then edit it to skip some weeks if needed.” As well as using the PCs to develop digital skills or attending related classes, there are lots of other uses: “Users drop in to the library and use the computers for all kinds of reasons. Some are making travel plans, other bookings or carrying out research. We have students come in to finish their projects. “The Netloan lock screen facility has been proving popular. Users can now step away from the PCs without leaving their session unattended. It’s reliable and great to have a solution that works consistently across our sites. It’s become more important with Netloan supporting longer sessions. It will also help with classes. For example, children might need more breaks for the dyslexia-friendly typing sessions that we run in our main branches.” Looking to the future With growing need for time online, computer classes and digital literacy support, computers are an important part of library services. Once the national Skills for Life programme is in full swing with facilitators in place, usage will further rise. Oisin discussed the Library’s plans: “We are going to allow users to book sessions ahead of use so they can plan their visits.” An online user account in Netloan makes it easy for users to do this on the web, for example, using a smartphone. Kildare Libraries will soon offer this facility from their website. “With better reporting we will also have greater opportunity to assess the use and success of new services, both at individual branches and across the county.” Summing up, Oisin concludes: “I would definitely recommend using Netloan. It works, it’s easy to use, and we’ve found it to be a convenient way of working.” Lorensbergs wishes Kildare Libraries well with their plans and looks forward to supporting them in the months and years to come.

There are many benefits of self-service kiosks, but arguably the greatest comes from freeing staff to have higher value interactions with their customers. In fact you could say that library self-service goes hand in hand with developing progressive services. Many head to the library for valued advice from the professionals they trust, whether on digital inclusion, literacy, health information or an array of other topics. Self-service improves staff availability for providing this support, while giving a convenient, modern experience for those who simply wish to print a document or return a book. Such are the benefits it’s led to a large number of libraries pursuing a strategy of increased self-service. It’s interesting to consider what libraries need to take into account with these projects. When self-service is convenient for customers to use, it’s considered largely successful. Equally important though is that it’s easy for staff to support. Netloan integration on bibliotheca selfCheck kiosks is designed to ensure this is true in both cases. In this blog, we’re reflecting on the experience of Hertfordshire Libraries who talked about their recent kiosk project at a user group for our London and South East customers. Herts had been using Bibliotheca smartServe kiosks for some time and planned to roll out new selfCheck 1000 units across its branches. This included integration of Netloan PC booking and print management, to continue providing a single service point for all book, PC and print self-service transactions. The complete roll out project took 8 weeks for 48 kiosks in 44 libraries. Recent Netloan development has enhanced the bibliotheca kiosk functions in a number of ways, helping with the transition. Development of admin functions on the kiosk allow for more information and troubleshooting in kiosk operation. Plus there’s support for kiosk set up at the point of installation within the Netloan web interface. Going forward if technical support is needed, key configuration data is readily available from the kiosk to support faster resolution. Herts’ new kiosk project included a week of User Acceptance Testing, followed by a two-week pilot to check users were successfully using the new quickConnect integration. QuickConnect is the self-service software that powers the selfCheck kiosks and now integrates with netloan. Although customers had liked the old kiosks due to familiarity, the experience of using the new kiosks was very positive. They also liked the fact that they now had a consistent experience across all kiosks in the library, following a period of having both selfCheck 1000 and smartServe 400 units. Herts library staff visited two libraries a day with bibliotheca to carry out the kiosk upgrades. They found that it paid off being on the ground throughout the project, gaining invaluable feedback directly from users. As well as the positive, consistent experience being reported, transaction times were found to be generally quicker, with all payments faster to make. Further benefits provided by quickConnect include the ability to advertise events and services on the kiosk screens.     Netloan Wi-Fi printing availability is one of the services advertised. Others include Borrow Box, Baby Rhyme Time and a new library app. Staff have found it very easy to upload these adverts through the system manager. With the selfCheck also comes a new lights system, which makes it easier to diagnose and troubleshoot if there’s an issue. The selfCheck’s lights system tells you what the issue is. It changes colour depending on what needs attention e.g. the lights turn blue or yellow or green or red, with each colour indicating if it’s a problem with going offline, if the bin’s full, if the bin’s nearly full, if there’s a payment problem or if it needs more receipt paper etc. There’s now smoother float and cashing up procedures as well. And there’s simplified reporting on the receipts e.g. an account status summary is provided to the customer. Staff also get one receipt providing all totals rather than needing different figures across several receipt print outs. Library self-service from Netloan on selfCheck kiosks offers a modern and efficient experience for Herts library users. Here at Lorensbergs, we look forward to supporting more of our public library customers as they roll out Netloan integration on their bibliotheca kiosks. For further information, contact your Netloan account manager.

Catherine Cooke is a Systems Officer at Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea Bi-borough Libraries. Lorensbergs talked to Catherine about her long career as a librarian, how she’s seen technology enable better library services, and her experiences as a long-term Netloan customer. Over your time working at Westminster and Bi-borough libraries, what’s inspired and motivated you most? My career has brought me a lot of satisfaction over the years. I used to be a lending and reference librarian before becoming a systems librarian. So I’ve always felt that I’m not just doing this for the sake of the IT. It’s about knowing what the IT is supporting, the services you’re providing and how much users rely on them; making sure library PCs and printers are working as well as possible for these reasons. Technology is there to serve us, even though sometimes it can be trying! The right innovations can really improve library services, bring vital automation where needed and make them easier to support. Why are the People’s Network and library printing services important? Westminster Libraries has always placed importance on offering PCs to the public, and this actually pre-dates the People’s Network by a few years. It’s an important service as it enables people to access resources they might not otherwise be able to afford. So even if you have a PC and internet access at home, it’s still of benefit to come to the library and use digital newspapers or Ancestry.com or use one of our business databases. You can save documents to a memory stick from library computers, but often people prefer to take away a hard copy. So printing is an important service too when using these subscription databases. And of course we support those that don’t have computers and printers at home. Printing continues to be popular with a lot of people; even if they have a device, they often can’t print. Jobseekers use library PCs to produce and print CVs for example. During lockdown, we had a couple of libraries open in the north and south of the borough, so we could offer PC access to vulnerable residents. It’s not something that everyone realises, but Westminster and Kensington have pockets of deprivation that need this support. So it’s been important that libraries allowed them to access online services during lockdown and also afterwards – the need for public PC use is still there. Libraries are the approachable face of the council. People prefer to walk into a library and get help using a PC to access digital council services rather than visiting ‘the Council’ at Westminster City Hall. Our councillors are very pro-libraries and very supportive of our services. They were keen for us to keep a presence over lockdown so residents could continue accessing PCs. Our library senior management has always worked with our councillors so they’ve seen the success of libraries and how much they are able to help people. Our weekly IT help sessions are funded by the Abbey Road and Regents Park ward councillors. Above: Catherine trying out RFID equipment at Marylebone Library; Top of page: Mayfair Library where Catherine began her career. Why is Netloan important in supporting PC and printing access in your libraries? As a PC booking solution, Netloan has saved a lot of arguments over the years! The People’s Network is so important to the people that rely on it, so access needs to be managed fairly. With Netloan taking care of how long people have and when they need to log off, there’s no disagreement over which clock or watch is correct. So it saves staff from needing to intervene and it definitely ensures a much simpler, smoother system! People also use Netloan to book ahead. They might have a routine of booking from one week to the next, and come in after work to use the same computer every week. A lot of people just walk in and log in when needed, but the booking functionality continues to be really important. We have a link to the booking portal from our library app. So people know when they come in what they want is going to be available to them. For some, getting on a library PC is an important aspect of their leisure time. For others, it’s to do with the research they’re carrying out and they might need to use the PC in conjunction with the hard copy resources in the library. Or they might need PC access to keep up with family and friends. At Pimlico, the library is integrated with the local schools. Children use the computers and printers a lot for their homework. A couple of our libraries have got learning centres and we use Netloan to book out those PCs for the groups that come in. The IT help sessions support mostly older people to get to grips with computers and we also have homework clubs that use our PCs.   How have self-service kiosks supported delivery of library services? Self-service is one of the ways we want to go as we want to encourage people to do things for themselves. It also helps continue the reduction of cash handling which reduces our costs. We refreshed our kiosks during the pandemic and introduced card payments which was a major advantage. It reduced the customer to staff interaction which has been a necessity at this time. It also made it possible to stop handling cash. We have enquiry points rather than traditional staff desks now, allowing staff to do more floor walking and showing customers how to use self-service to issue books, book PCs and release their printing. This way staff can spend more time organising the stock, creating displays, and other tasks which benefit the whole library. It releases them from too many routine transactions. So staff like the kiosks as they allow them to do more interesting work. The customers find it really easy to use the kiosks. They reduce queues and generally save them time. We have some unusual usage patterns at Westminster with lunchtimes being extremely busy between 12 and 2pm. People come out of their offices and head for the library in their lunch hours. Some of our branches are near major train stations like Charing Cross and commuters nip back in after work so we have another peak at that time. The kiosks really help here and stop commuters from getting held up.   How have you found working with Lorensbergs as a Netloan customer? Working with Lorensbergs has gone very well. Your software works well. Your direction of travel is always the right way: you do the market research and know what the development requirements are for libraries. The Lorensbergs’ support desk is extremely good, it’s very responsive, explaining what’s needed and fixing problems quickly. When you’ve come on site for new installation work it’s gone very well with good training provided. And now you’ve got remote access for upgrade work which is a further improvement. We’ve been very happy with the Netloan software. It’s the ease with which PC booking happens, how people get their sessions. And also the ease of printing if people want to. It’s a single sign-on solution, all users need is their library card number and PIN and they’re logged into the PC. People can also book ahead using their Netloan account – if they’re on the way to the library on the train, they can make their booking and the computer is available for them to use when they arrive. The Lorensbergs’ partnership with Bibliotheca has been a driver for how we’ve organised things. It was important that customers could book PCs and print documents for themselves, so we really wanted to have these services integrated on our kiosks. The Netloan integration has kept customers happy by enabling them to help themselves without needing to go to staff.   What value have the Netloan user groups provided? I’m a great believer in the user groups. You get to talk to other Netloan customers about what they’re doing and hear about their experiences. You can compare notes on best ways to understand and address issues. Above: Catherine (8th from left in red) at the London & SE Netloan User Group 2014 at the Idea Store in Canary Wharf Hearing from and talking to the people who develop the software is also invaluable. You get a refresh on what’s come out in recent releases and what’s coming up which really helps with your own library’s plans. And you can approach Netloan staff to discuss and help resolve any issues you might be having.   What do you predict for the future of the People’s Network? It’s going to continue as it gives access to resources not everyone can afford. It’s not just about the computers but also the subscriptions libraries offer access to. You can’t get this depth or accuracy with sources like Wikipedia, and the way the internet is developing you often have to pay to read quality reference resources. Or you can access them for free at the library. Although phones are getting bigger you can’t do everything on them. You wouldn’t be able to produce a CV and it would be difficult to do this even on a tablet. And laptops tend to be expensive. Those who are jobseeking and needing to make applications and produce CVs are less likely to have access to PCs and laptops. Or they may want to do some research on a potential employer. I once directed a friend to the reference library at Westminster to look at certain business directories and do some research and he got the job! He’s always said it was because he was able to do that level of research for where he was applying to work. There are a lot of people doing small start-up businesses now who need access to business information databases. They might need help with using them and that’s where the People’s Network and trained library staff will always be important. Our business library at Victoria has desks and small pods for business meetings, so it’s a touchdown area for people to use as an office and access the business databases and other resources we’re providing there. It’s an area we’re developing and it’s growing in popularity with local business people.   With thanks to Catherine for sharing her experiences with us in this blog, and for her partnership and cooperation with the Lorensbergs team over the years. We’ll miss Catherine but wish her a long and happy retirement.