The joint public library system

A library system, that ensures overview, collaboration and lower costs. FBS is a user-friendly system that makes it easier for municipalities to work together.

Challenge

Numerous local databases made it difficult for the libraries and the pedagogical learning centres to get an overview and to cooperate effectively. The costs for further developing each system were being carried by the individual municipality.

Solution

A user-friendly library system which is the same for everyone, and which has been developed on the basis of existing procedures.

Benefits

The joint public library system makes it considerably easier to work across municipalities. At the same time, the joint operation of the system means that the costs for the individual municipality are significantly reduced, while everyone benefits from the ongoing updates.

When a librarian cycles to work in the morning, she looks forward to sharing her knowledge and to inspiring children and adults. She is passionate about books, films and educational materials. And about the people she can help by passing on her expertise and know-how.

As soon as she arrives and switches on her PC, she must be welcomed by a system that helps her to do what she excels at. A system which is not a source of trouble, wasted time and frustration.

Borrowers must have easy access to information, while staff need to be able to concentrate on providing pedagogical support, education and dissemination. No one should have to spend time on technology.

Per Kjær

Head of Department at Culture and Citizen Services at the city of Aarhus

Municipality of Aarhus

A joint system offers many benefits

The joint public library system (Det Fælles Bibliotekssystem (FBS)) was rolled out in all municipalities in Denmark at the beginning of 2015, and today has been implemented in basically all public and school libraries. The system was developed with the aim of supporting employees’ tasks, and making the working day more efficient and user-focused while strengthening cooperation between libraries and educational learning centres nationwide.

The joint public library system was developed by Systematic in collaboration with KOMBIT (the municipal IT community). The municipalities were not obliged to join the project, but everyone could see the advantages of a joint system, which does not have to be maintained and developed locally. And which ensures effective communication across municipal borders.

A strong motor

At the core of the project is Cicero, our library management system. This is a modular system that is easy and intuitive to use, even for those not using it on a daily basis. Cicero is based on an open platform with recognised standards, which makes it integrable with other municipal systems and databases.

Always up to par

We are continually developing Cicero, so that it always matches user wishes and expectations. Every other week there is a new release, which immediately benefits employees at Danish libraries as well as library-users.

Fully focussed on effective implementation

Rolling out a joint system in every municipality in Denmark was a huge task. We prepared an extremely detailed plan of action, and then started to implement the system at a rate of two municipalities a week.

Each municipality had implementation consultants on hand, and were offered courses and other assistance with taking the system into use, so that everyone was introduced to and started using the system in the best possible way.