Accessit Library

Documentation and research has been made easy with Access-it Library

Pros:

With Access-it Library, our documentation centre has been able to manage a bank of digitised and born-digital reports and instruments relevant to the needs of our institution's stakeholders. Access-it Library is a darling to stakeholders whose work schedule is always tight. The patrons simply search and download the relevant files in audio format that they would listen to while driving or having a snack. Furthermore, Access-it Library is user friendly. Patrons enjoy using the single access point which gives them results from institutional repositories, websites, digital libraries and other such variety of sources. To provide computer literacy training to new patrons, I have largely relied on video tutorials which I download using Access-it Library's OPAC. The interactive feature of Access-it Library has enabled patrons to access their own accounts, book resources and make acquisitions recommendations.

Cons:

Administrators would wish the acquisition of Access-it Library was by means of once-off payment, unlike the prevailing subscription-basis. As more and more patrons download video files, our internet infrastucture experiences bandwidth issues.

Why librarians love Access-It...

Comments: When we needed a new library management system the standout product that my local librarians raved about was Access-It. I've used a large number of different databases throughout my 24-year library career, mostly in tertiary and public libraries, so I'm a very confident and experienced user and expect a lot from any system. We've been using Access-It at our school for two years now and it continually delivers a fantastic user-friendly system with support and training second to none. That is incredibly important when most school librarians are usually in a sole position and have little time to muck around with a system that does not work well. Access-It saves time and delivers at every level. Stocktaking is a breeze. Updating records and cataloging is quick and easy. You can load bibliographic records, videos, websites, pdf's...we even use it for our board game collections. I'm currently creating an archive of e-documents about our WW1 old boys which the students will also contribute information towards. Very exciting! It works seamlessly with our Kamar student management system, and OneSearch has made it so much easier for our students to get access to subject databases and learning resources. However, the thing I like best about Access-It is that they are continuously developing their system so that it delivers more and keeps up with technology. The changes are always impressive with each upgrade, they really are innovative. Every roadshow I have been to, and we all really look forward to these each year, is a buzz of questions, suggestions, and ideas. I've been to heaps of vendor training sessions over the years and usually they just present what they offer. Access- It do this, but more importantly ask us what else we want, what we don't like and what could be done better - they really like to speak with us and see how things are going - it's so nice to be respected and valued. Better still, so many of the suggestions are acted upon. Along with this are the training and support. They got everything set up for us when we transferred systems, and the training sessions with Cynthia were great. If you're stuck or something is not working for you (it happens) - you can ring the helpdesk or go over their tutorial videos, online support - whatever suits you, you'll get help and advice and get back on track. This really is a great product and I totally recommend any school in investing in it - so many of us have and love it!!

Pros:

Ease of use for both the students and staff and for me as the Librarian. It saves time and delivers and top-of-the-range database, catalog and information resource for our school.

Cons:

It would be great if you could do something on the Action list and once it was sorted, it would take you back to the list, rather than the homepage, but hey, I can live with that!

From the perspective of a special library has a number of functional issues.

Pros:

I am not sure, but as their focus is on school libraries perhaps that isn't a surprise. The back-end is much better to use than the front, but is still very limited.

Cons:

The back-end is OK but not flexible or intuitive. Some editable fields (eg ISBN) appear un-editable because they are displayed differently to the editable fields and you need to know to right click on them. The advanced search is very clunky and has limited genuine advanced search capacity. The front end display isn't flexible and the default display doesn't contain the fields that I would like to include. It cannot print a subset of the search results in the short form. The system cuts out all the time, with both the cloud-based and internal server based product. Apparently this is a known flaw and while I have been given a workaround, that just means it crashes a little less often. As a result I need to re-enter a lot of new records. There are no analytics for assessing the use of the system (as opposed to say circulation stats which measure use of the collection). Staff are very pleasant when you can get them to respond, but not great for resolving issues. My last 6 emails and 2 phone calls have remained unanswered. The front end has limited branding so it is impossible for a seamless interface with the rest of the corporate website.

Access-it Version 9

Comments: I started working in this library when we were still doing a lot of manual cataloging and Access-it was in its infancy. It has been interesting to watch how it has grown and developed in response to feedback from the library community. Access-it has helped me manage a greater work load with less hours. To be honest, I can't imagine trying to do my job without it!

Pros:

I use Access-it in my primary school library. There are lots of amazing features available but 'automated cataloguing' would have to be the most user-friendly and time saving feature in the programme for me. For the staff (particularly at report time) the teachers love being able to get a detailed report on what their students have been borrowing and reading to discuss with the parents. Our students love searching and using the Webapp, which not only looks attractive, but is easy to update from a management viewpoint. One search is a brilliant feature to offer both students and the staff quick and easy access to reputable websites.

Cons:

I have just migrated to Version9 and there are a couple of glitches still to iron out, but the team at Access-it are very responsive to helping solve any problems so I am confident that these minor issues will be sorted shortly. Other than that I am very happy.

Accessit Library as from a long time user in a primary school - years 1 to 8.

Comments: I have used Accessit Library since about version 4 when it was run with Filemaker Pro on Apple hardware. There have been continual improvements, updates and bug fixing since then. The school switched from Apple computers to PCs running Microsoft Windows when version 5 or 6 was being used, we are now using version 9 and loving it. The annual Roadshow Training is well run and great for networking, learning more about the various features, asking questions, voicing concerns, providing feedback and even suggesting possible improvements. The presenters note down the suggestions and any other concerns people might have. I have seen a number of suggestions from sessions attended come through in the programme. Well done!

Pros:

Ease of use. Originally designed for school libraries and is still working extremely well in that environment. Support is easy to access by phone, email or through the customer portal. The many helpful videos available on how to use the variaus basic and more advanced features of the programme.

Cons:

Cannot think of anything as I really do like using this software.

Using Accessit

Comments: I have been able to make school library cards at the press of a button, book lists that appear on the OPAC and dazzle teachers, showcase students work and scan in collections that are on loan to us so that I can track the books easily. These are just a few of the ways Accessit makes life more simple and allows me to promote the library.

Pros:

This software seems to be capable of almost anything you would like it to do. With support from the Accessit help desk I have learnt to understand how it 'thinks', and enjoy learning about using it in new ways. The ways I already use it are now so much part of my daily practice that I would be lost with out it.

Cons:

I find that it is not instinctual to use at first. You need to know things like to close a window by clicking on the x as there is no back button. Little things like this can hold up exploration until you get used to the way it works. Once you do, you forget it was ever an issue.

Prompt and helpful service, a wonderful product!

Comments: Our library has been using Access-It Library for the last 4 years and we have found it to be a great product, with prompt and wonderful service.
As a bilingual International School in Tokyo, we have a large resource collection, which includes a large Japanese collection as well as a Korean collection and collections in several other languages. Access-It functions easily in all the languages we use, including easy use of the scripts, providing a service we found in none of the other library software systems on the market. I highly recommend the services and product to libraries considering switching to Access-It.

Pros:

Ease of use, languages available that integrate easily with the program, the cloud hosting for a fast and efficient system, the support team.

Cons:

The functionality for making and printing of labels and barcodes - a little more flexibility for editing and ease of use in this area would be a plus.

One of few really great school library ILSs

Pros:

Accessit is incredibly user friendly for everyone, from students to staff. It creates a seamless portal for discovery across digital platforms and physical collections. Accessit seems to be actively developed as well, which has provided a consistent stream of new features and improvements.

Cons:

It's hard to pinpoint things I've disliked. Every time I've had any kind of issue, I've reached out to their very responsive support department and they've gotten things sorted out promptly.

Feedback from a happy Primary School

Comments: We have had a wonderful relationship with Accessit since moving to use their LMS more than 9 years ago. I would highly recommend this company and the product. I always enjoying attending the annual roadshow (which is a must to attend as their software keeps evolving to meet the clients needs), there is always something new to learn or an easier way of doing a task to find out! Wonderful!

Pros:

This Library Management System is very user friendly and attractive. The changing carousel attracts our students and they use it enthusiastically to find resources and be inspired to read. As the Library Manager I find the Management App intuitive and comprehensive, and the support available when I need help is timely and appropriate.

Deceptively simple library software

Comments: After having used a variety of library programs in a range of libraries from school, public to tertiary, Accessit gets my vote.
Easy to use for staff and students, one point access to all, time-saving, constantly refined features and functions, timely and accurate support, and easily transferable data for analyzing statistics and compiling annual reports.

Happy with it

Comments: My all experience was fun and relaxing
I am still looking the features of thi applicatikn

Pros:

I’m happy to discover this software . It’s being there and I didn’t know that existed . Very good and helped me organize. I suggested to my friends and I will keep looking again to use it in the future

Cons:

I was accepting at the bigining if it will be difficult and lost of time but after a while I learned better how to use it