Springshare Systems Help Libraries Better Connect With Users

Amigos is pleased to be able to offer a lineup of outstanding products from vendor partner Springshare, dedicated to helping libraries create great online experiences for their patrons. Since its founding in 2007, Springshare has sought to develop engaging web applications for libraries and educational institutions to increase use of library resources and help librarians connect with their communities. Today, Springshare is among the fastest growing library technology vendors, serving more than 4,600 libraries of all sizes and types in 60 countries. Springshare’s products include LibAnalytics, LibAnswers with LibChat Platform, LibCal, LibGuides, LibGuides CMS, LibStaffer, and E-Reserves.

Amigos members, recognizing the value in Springshare's offerings, have readily embraced them. One such member, the Washington University Libraries in St. Louis, has been using Springshare’s LibGuides to host online research/subject guides since 2007. According to Melissa Vetter, Head of Research Services for the university’s John M. Olin Library, Libguides is a significant upgrade from the library’s old hand-coded HTML guides, which she said had become outdated and were never that user-friendly. Since migrating to Libguides, library staff members have been pleased with its ease of use and impressed with Springshare’s product support.

This past summer, Vetter noted the library migrated to LibGuides, Version 2. "We're still getting used to it," Vetter noted, "but we very much enjoy many of the new options it affords." One of those options is a new A-Z list for databases, which Vetter said offers greater control and consistency of resources and a better user experience by providing more research tools in one place.

Along with the LibGuides migration, the library also migrated to LibAnswers, Version 2, which enables the hosting of an in-house FAQ for staff-only questions and answers. The LibAnswers upgrade, in turn, prompted the migration of the library’s chat service to Springshare's LibChat system. "LibChat gives us the ability to expand chat service to our departmental libraries and call on colleagues for real-time assistance," said Vetter. Additionally, the library recently purchased a subscription to LibAnalytics, which Vetter said should allow for better collection of statistics on user interactions across the university's libraries, helping them better understand user needs. Vetter noted that all the library's Springshare services will soon be accessible via a single login, a great convenience for staff.

Site statistics show high and consistent usage across all of the library's Springshare systems, and Vetter said that staff members she's talked to overall are "extremely pleased." The biggest problem staff has, laughed Vetter, is "we just can’t all seem to agree on how to pronounce them!"

The Mary and Jeff Bell Library at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi became a Springshare client in 2011, when it began using LibGuides. Since then, LibGuides has become an essential tool for staff, said Lisa Louis, Coordinator, Reference & Information Literacy. "We use LibGuides to provide access to our resources and support for classes," said Louis. "We also use them to teach essential information literacy concepts to our users and to market library events to our community. LibGuides allows us to create attractive, mobile-friendly and accessible web content easily, and our patrons find the guides helpful and easy to use."

Louis also gave Springshare high marks for customer support. "Their support has always been top-notch, and our uptime – always a consideration for a hosted solution – is close to 100% over the last three years," she noted, adding that Springshare also provides many training opportunities that staff members have utilized of over the years. "They offer not just webinars on how to use their products but also the semi-annual conferences they call 'Springycamps,' " said Louis. "These have been a great way to learn what other libraries are doing with Springshare products."

Nita Mailander, Director of Library Services for the Grand Canyon University Library, Phoenix, AZ, considers the library to be "baby users" of LibGuides. "We have several page guides created and we schedule about 18 rooms online with LibCal," she said. "We continue to develop their tools for our use." While Mailander knows the library isn't among the largest users of SpringShare products, she noted that staff members are among its biggest fans. "The affordability, great customer service and technical support that Springshare provides have made their products a favorite among our library staff," she said.

Complete information on Springshare's lineup of library products is available on their website. For more information special pricing available to Amigos members, contact Erica Owusu at Amigos, 800-843-8482, ext. 2850, or owusu@amigos.org.