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We have been pleased with improvements to both the system itself and to support by the company in recent years. We would consider moving to an open source system only if initiated by our State Library to facilitate statewide borrowing and if the system selected by the SL offered the same degree of functionality we have become accustomed to having.
While we don't currently have the budget to shift to a new ILS it's a topic that comes up on a regular basis. TLC's support is not nearly as good as it was when we first chose them as our vendor. Currently some other libraries in the state are considering open source and we're waiting to see how that turns out.
Our library underwent a horrifying upgrade experience in [...]. Circulation was down for two days and it tooks weeks to get the system to work without any problems...we are still working out for of the kinks months later. This is the second bad upgrade we have had with this company. The first was in 2005 in which we lost half of our patron accounts, the cataloging system messed up, and the bookmobile program was totally wiped out.
TLC seems to be the company of choice for libraries that can't afford a more sophisticated ILS. It's functionality is okay and now that we have changed to the web version I like it better. I would put TLC in the middle of the pack when comparing it to other ILS.
I recommend this product for its general ease of use and very responsive customer service. I do not recommend this product for those seeking sophisticated interfaces or search capability.
Last upgrade was problematic and customer service has not been as responsive as it previously was. Some issues are taking weeks or months to be addressed, which is frustrating.
We like LS2Pac
Hard to find certain reports needed and to get answers straightway, must wait for a ticket and someone to call back. Some glitches that never got fixed.
We continue to be pleased with our ILS
[...] at TLC has been terrific at solving problems for us.
TLC has given poor customer service and makes it almost impossible to use any third party software needed to interface with TLC. TLC is NEVER at fault and provides little or no assistance to resolve issues that are not totally TLC. EXP: recent purchase of an RFID system from another company resulted in a complete rewrite of SIP software and ONLY done with the persistence of the RFID--Tech Logic insistence. Our issues are always at the bottom of the list. Responses to are measures in weeks. One request took more than TWO years!!!!
Migrated from Dynix Classic 191 to Library.Solution in May, 2009.
The technical support with Library Solutions has been phenomenal. I have been very impressed by the quick reponses and the follow-up emails and calls from thier technical support team.
We has been very satisfied with the system that we have.
implementing LS2 and LS2 Kids in 2010 -- new opac interface from TLC
We are satisfied with our library system and this time and we do receive excellent support for our system.
The proprietary ILS vendors seem to have lost touch with their customers in that they include/offer too many features and little to no customer customization. The proprietary vendors also have a reputation for promising services and then never delivering them. Should we decide to migrate to open-source, we will also incorporate an RFID system as well, which should position us to grow rapidly if necessary.
The upgrade from v3.5.5 to v4.1 was very stressful and prolonged. However, I have spoken to the CEO and VP for operations and whatever went wrong is being investigated. Otherwise, support has been prompt and hassle free (or as hassle free as it can be to non IT personnel). I cannot say that Tech Support has improved since it was EXCELLENT from the very beginning. That was one big reason we went with this company from the start.
My biggest complaint with my current ILS is that the developers don't ever seem to do any user testing. I also feel like they rushed us to upgrade and we were the unwitting beta testers. Also, each new upgrade seems to only add more unnecessary bells and whistles while taking away the functionality of the previous version.
Our vendor is excellent, very responsive and supportive of us as they have been for many years. Based on the experiences I read that other libraries are having with other vendors, I am glad we have our current vendor. We have no plans to change.
We have been with TLC since 1991 when we implemented a county-wide CD-ROM based union catalog for our libraries. When we decided to migrate to an integrated, automated system, we investigated several products, narrowed the search to two (TLC and Polaris) and ultimately chose to continue with TLC. Our experience with them has been excellent. TLC is very responsive to our needs and has provided service and care way beyond their obligations. We are an informal group of independent libraries with several different ISPs. We have a variety of connectivity possibilities (two of our libraries still have dialup internet connections because highspeed is not available in those areas), and since we are located in the southwestern corner of Oregon (which is a poverty area), we all have very small budgets. We are physically far apart (greatest distance 75 miles), and our ILS serves 4 public and 2 school libraries. TLC has worked with us to provide a system that serves our needs very well -- I can't imagine switching to another company. They have been loyal to us and we are loyal to them. Thank you.
The 0 answer for the question about considering working with this company were we to implement a new ILS was given not because we are dissatisfied with the company but because the only way we'll ever go on to a different ILS will be to become a full member of our resource sharing network, at which point we would use the network's ILS, whatever that would be.
My staff believes LS4.x was rolled out before it was ready. We were not prepared for the "dramatic change" its use entailed by the company. I have been in contact w/TLC regarding our frustrations, and to some extent, the company has been receptive. Tech support on specific problems is good and usually timely. It is much easier to get a reply from sales than it is from service, however. We have been using 4.1 since April 09- I wish I had never agreed to upgrade from 3.3.5. The increased funtionality has barely been worth the aggravation for our system.
From RFP in 1999 to 2009, we could not be happier. We made the decision in 1999 that along with the ILS system, we would have an automation co ordinator and no county or series of county and town IT people would be in the loop. Having chosen a good company and co ordinating centrally our challenges have been minor and we are pleased. Also, we know the budget issues and can plan. In the financial situation we are all in, dealing with hidden costs is not something we care to deal with. Also, I believe in the adage....my mess with success!
dissatisfaction relates to difficulties with the past 2 upgrades causing signficant downtime and insufficient response from vendor on how to prevent this in future.
We have had a good working relationship with TLC over the past 8 years. Two years ago we decided to let TLC host our servers. This has brought with it some challenges. The folks in support, particularly in the last year, don't seem to have a grasp of our setup, and how to help. We've spoken to staff at TLC about this, and feel as if our frustrations have been heard.
I have researched some open source ILS for another library I have done volunteer labor for. While the prospect of open source is enticing, I'm not ready to "jump ship" yet. The continuing cost of support for a proprietary ILS is daunting, but support for open source is not always that much of a savings for the hassle of changing over. So, for the time being, I'm staying put. The costs of TLC irritate me annually, but their product has worked well for us on a whole.
Don't have staff available to maintain open source ILS.
Our system is very interested in participating in any statewide initiatives which may come about in Pennsylvania in the coming years.
I gave customer support a 5 because it was already at a very high level and had little room to improve - it's not that they fell off in their performance.
Customer service has always been a strength in my experience with TLC. I gave a neutral response to the question about whether customer service had worsened or improved over the last year because there hasn't been a noticeable change in that time frame. However, I've always been very satisfied with their customer service.
We are still in the learning phase with our new ILS purchased this year. There are things we like better than our old one, but reports are more cumbersome and we have lost some functionality with tasks that were easier to perform with our other system. Customer support with our old system was outstanding. This company seems to address "squeeky wheels" only. I had expected that when I submitted a request the support staff would work on it till resolved, but it seems to be that they work on each request a little time each day rather that getting it resolved and out of the way.
We migrated to this system in May of 2009. Although we have had problems, The Library Corporation's customer service has always acted promptly.
We will stay with our current ILS unless funding difficulties leave us no choice but to migrate to an Open Source ILS.
From the initial demonstration in the bid process 2 years ago through contacting the support team for solution of a problem today, the experience has been extraordinary. The products, implementation, training, and support were outstanding in moving a public library system from an antiquated paper catalog and circulation system to an ILS. Furthermore, we have found the The Library Corporation staff (every person we''ve encountered) to be truly amazing in its professionalism, knowledge, efficiency, and willingness to help in any manner. Other companies we deal with in other aspects of library work could learn a lesson from this company.
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