Innovative™, part of Clarivate™, is proud to announce that LX Starter is now available for library consortia to provide their member libraries with a tool to create and manage branded email notices for patrons, while providing the consortium central office with access to manage and support notices across the member libraries.
LX Starter for consortia was developed in collaboration with eight library consortia using Sierra and Polaris who have tested the new functionality including Mid-Hudson Library System in New York, which was the first beta partner to launch the notices for their patrons.
“Engaging in a close-knit partnership with libraries has been pivotal for delivering the features that meet the unique needs of library consortia,” remarks Taylor Fisher, Senior Product Manager. “We’re confident that LX Starter can serve a wide array of library consortia with its intuitive and robust email notice management.”
LX Starter elevates the standard of patron email communications by providing libraries with a circulation notice tool that features an intuitive web-based interface, complete with a diverse array of templates tailored to various user groups and circulation events. Available to all Sierra and Polaris libraries, LX Starter features a drag-and-drop editor for email design and a staff interface that seamlessly integrates with the ILS, ensuring both a personalized experience for the patron, but also timely sending based on the ILS settings. This eliminates the necessity for external third-party services or additional integrations, streamlining the library’s communication capabilities.
The latest release of LX Starter, with features for library consortia, empowers the consortium to administer access, settings and configuration at the consortium level, while continuing to allow flexibility to each member institution to maintain the branding and customization appropriate for their purposes. Consortium staff also can view information about each institution’s notices, templates, and metrics.
In addition to the ability to inform library patrons about holds, overdue items, and any applicable fees in their language of choice, LX Starter, first released for non-consortia libraries in 2023, has an array of modern features, including a visually engaging image library, Syndetics Unbound cover art, and comprehensive email performance metrics that include the number of emails delivered, opened, and clicked on. At the same time, LX Starter adheres to the highest standards of security and confidentiality in email communications. As part of the Vega Library Experience (LX) ecosystem, Vega Discover libraries can also integrate their Discover Showcases in LX Starter emails, thereby highlighting library collections for patrons and providing them with a visually and functionally consistent online library experience.
With Polaris 7.4 or Sierra 6.2 or higher, consortia can now harness the full suite of LX Starter’s capabilities. To install LX Starter for your library or library consortium, fill out our online form, or contact your account manager for more information.