Innovative™, part of Clarivate™, announced today the next phase of development to the Vega Library Experience suite of community engagement and library analytics tools. This phase will bring all the modules in the Vega LX platform to general availability and includes new innovations for existing modules. Work on this phase will take place over the next 18 months on both new Vega LX modules and additional features to enhance patron experiences and integrations for staff.
“We’ve been continuously listening to our libraries through each phase of development and refining our vision for library experience based on their input” said Toni Minick, Vice President of Product Management. “We’re excited that with this input we have mapped out an ambitious plan for the next year and a half. We’re always actively developing our products, but we are excited to reach this key milestone for the Vega LX Suite.”
Innovative proactively solicits library feedback on product development through a wide variety of channels such as the development partner program, beta testers, the Idea Exchange, and regular customer meetings. In 2023, the product management team spent over 2,000 hours with libraries listening to their feedback.
One Seamless Ecosystem
With the integrated library system (ILS) as the foundation, many libraries have had to implement multiple add-on solutions to manage their patron relationships and community engagement activities in parallel with their daily operational tasks, creating a disjointed library experience for both staff and patrons.
Having a consistent and uniform digital presence builds trust, familiarity, and reliability with users. Vega LX, first announced in 2020 as a new type of library platform, focused on community relationships and engagement, combines with the ILS to create a seamless ecosystem for managing operations and patron accounts. This also leverages library resources and relationships to better promote the library and pro-actively engage all types of users: patrons, students, guests, donors, community members, and library staff.
This single ecosystem also delivers a consistent look and feel across the digital library experience, with branded and custom headers and templates across the library’s website, online catalog, marketing emails and patron email notices. To continue building this seamless ecosystem where staff and patrons have a consistent experience across platforms and logins, Innovative is developing:
- A unified staff interface for Vega LX modules where staff can manage online catalog settings, notices, marketing and service communications, and patron communication records
- A membership portal for cardholders where they can manage associated family accounts, communication and content preferences, along with viewing personalized recommendations
- A Cardholder Roll-Up view where staff can see multiple patron records connected by family accounts or shared email addresses along with which communications were sent to each cardholder
- Multichannel options for one-to-one patron notices that can be sent by email, telephone, SMS, or social media channels
- The ability for libraries to send Service Communications about library operations and impacted services to all patrons
- Activity-triggered marketing emails that personalize communications based on behaviors and profiles
- Activity-triggered patron notices based on behaviors and profiles to remind patrons of card renewals and anniversaries
During this next development phase, Innovative will continue to focus on key tenets of library experience that make the existing Vega LX modules so appealing: personalized, accessible, and effortless. With an emphasis on user experience, Innovative will work with certified UX experts, user testing, and regular accessibility assessments to guide our solutions to a delightful user experience. This includes no-code solutions and other ways to make the tools accessible to all library staff without extensive training or specific skill sets.
Lastly, Innovative keeps a keen focus on security and reliability for all our systems. To provide trusted systems for our libraries, Innovative has multiple ISO certifications, SOC2 compliance, multiple types of data encryption, and annual penetration testing and vulnerability scans, among many other processes and safeguards.
“While we’re working toward the next milestone for our solutions, customers tell us we are well along the right track, giving libraries what they need to meet community expectations in a fast-changing digital landscape,” said Minick.
Innovative has over 40 years of experience providing advanced technology solutions and services that empower libraries and enrich their users worldwide. With more than 2,400 library systems installed in 9,500 libraries around the world, Innovative is dedicated to serving libraries of all types across their unique needs. To learn more about Innovative solutions for your library, visit www.iii.com.