Smart Library Wins Computerworld Excellence Awards

Media Release

26 July, 2006

Smart Library system takes top awards
At Computerworld Excellence Awards

A project to install a single library management system across five councils in the Auckland region has won two major awards at the 2006 Computerworld Excellence Awards held on 21 July in Auckland

The project dubbed ‘Smarter Systems’, was developed by Waitakere, North Shore, Auckland, Manukau, and Rodney councils, in a collaboration known as eLGAR (Libraries for a Greater Auckland Region)

It won the award for the year’s most successful project implementation and also the Excellence in the Use of IT in Government award.

Libraries for a Greater Auckland Region was also a finalist in the Excellence in the Use of IT for Customer Service award.

“The Smarter Systems Project is an excellent library management tool that delivers great customer service,” says Su Scott, Manager of Library and Information Services for Waitakere City Council.

“People particularly enjoy the fact that they can access the new catalogue system from home. They can do everything from look at which books they have out, when they are due and renew them online,” she says.

Customers can search what books are where in libraries throughout the region.

Furthermore, if they search unsuccessfully for a particular title can be asked to send an email when the title becomes available.

Also, customers will be able to make suggestions for items libraries should purchase and track what they have read.

The judging panel acknowledged the Smarter Systems project as the largest and most complex collaborative IT project undertaken to date by local government in the Auckland region, and by the library sector nationally.

Councillor Ross Clow, Deputy Chair of the Finance and Operational Performance Committee says that the awards were a testament to regional collaboration and cross-council co-operation.

Waitakere Library and Information Services Manager, Su Scott, says that the two-and-a-half year Smarter Systems Project is delivering improved and shared services that are being well received by the region’s ratepayers.

Dennise Fox of Destin Consulting Limited, who managed the Smarter Systems Project, says that a key success factor was the leadership and commitment displayed by the library managers, staff involvement and the combined experience of the team that worked on the project.

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