To celebrate Vega Discover’s first year in the public library marketplace, Innovative, now part of Clarivate, recently hosted a webinar panel discussion featuring public library industry peers to share their insights on working with our ultramodern discovery solution.
The conversation covered several important topics, including key features of Vega Discover, Vega Discover Development Partner program membership, and firsthand accounts on how Vega Discover has changed the library-going experience for patrons and staff.
Featured panelists from the public library sector were:
- Elizabeth E. Swift, Integrated Library Systems Administrator for Jefferson County Library Cooperative in Alabama. Jefferson County was one of Innovative’s initial six Development Partners for Discover.
- Alison Pruntel, Manager, Technology & Materials for Fauquier County Public Library in Virginia. Fauquier County was one of our first Early Access partners who helped the Innovative Services team test out the implementation process.
- Kathy McKinney, Coordinator of Automation for Farmington Community Library in Michigan. Farmington Community Library had just recently joined the Vega Discover family.
Presenting from Innovative was Lauren Schaefer, Manager of Bids and Product Messaging, and Tom Jacobson, VP, Executive Library Advocate & Strategist. The webinar featured one-on-one personal conversations with each librarian as they described their library’s implementation and launch of Discover.
As a Development Partner, Elizabeth E. Swift shared her experience working with Innovative on the products her library uses every day. One benefit that Swift appreciates is the opportunity to meet biweekly with Innovative staff in Product Management and Engineering.
“We really get to talk about what we think, and what we want,” Swift said. “We can talk about the roll-ups or the searching. Or things that the team has worked on, and still are working on, to make the product even better. So, we have been very happy with the process.”
Alison Pruntel knows that some patrons can be resistant to change. That’s why she shared one illuminating story about a longtime library patron who noticed the OPAC (Online Patron Access Catalog) had been updated to Vega Discover. Pruntel overheard him ask her staff, “What happened to the computers?” So, Pruntel went to the OPAC and showed him how to search for his book using Vega Discover.
“When the results came up in the rollup, he was thrilled to see he could see the book, the eBook, and everything else,” Pruntel said. “That really turned him around.”
Kathy McKinney has been using Polaris at Farmington Community Library for years. As Coordinator of Automation, McKinney is no stranger to the woes of launching new software and tools. When she and her team began the process to implement Vega Discover, she thought she knew what to expect.
“When it comes to implementing a new software, it usually takes a long time,” McKinney said.
Thankfully, McKinney found that wasn’t the case with Vega Discover.
“The implementation process and training—it was so easy,” McKinney said.
McKinney found that Innovative staff intuitively knew what questions she might have and were able to provide her and her team with ample, straightforward training throughout the process.
“It was not overwhelming at all,” McKinney said.
“And then one day we turned it on, and it was live,” McKinney added with a laugh.
For those who missed the conversation or would like to share it with their own staff, an archive of the discussion can be found online here.
We want to thank our three panelists for taking the time out of their busy schedules to share their stories, and for their continued partnership with Innovative.