This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Read More
When the Archway Healthcare Library closed in 2013, Whittington Health NHS Trust had less than a year to build a replacement from scratch. Soutron delivered a fully managed, cloud-based library system with data migration and on-site training ahead of the physical move, giving the new library a working catalog from day one.
Whittington Health NHS Trust provides hospital and community care services to 500,000 people living in Islington and Haringey as well as other North London Boroughs. As one organization providing both hospital and community services, they are known as an ‘integrated care organization’.
Their Library offers a comprehensive and modern library service to NHS staff from Whittington Health as well as Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and Islington Clinical Commissioning Group.
Book loan and IT services are also provided to University College London medical students working at the Whittington Hospital, as well as study space and IT services for Middlesex University nursing and midwifery students on placement.
“The communications and support we receive from Soutron have been very responsive.”
Richard Peacock
Librarian
In 2013 the Archway Campus, which had provided training to thousands of Healthcare students was closed.
This included the closure of the academic Archway Healthcare Library, which had provided services to Whittington Health. A new Library was needed on the Hospital site and the lead-in time was less than a year. As well as finding and refurbishing a space and recruiting staff, a supportive library management solution was needed within a matter of months.
After the shortlist was narrowed down to three possible suppliers, Soutron were selected by a panel of Librarians and IT staff to provide the LMS solution for the new library.
Richard Peacock, Health Librarian at the Library, says “We liked the way the Soutron admin interface and search results were presented. We also needed a prompt solution so the new library could provide a good service from the moment it opened. Soutron provided us with the confidence they could achieve this for us”.
Delivering results for Healthcare / NHS library services like Whittington Health NHS Trust. Talk to our team
Soutron were able to migrate the records from the existing system across to the new Soutron LMS, without putting additional strain on their clients’ own IT resources.
Within a matter of weeks and well ahead of the physical move, their new LMS was in place, providing a vital resource for the library users.
A cloud-based solution, fully maintained and with all the headaches and upgrades taken care of too. Since the original installation, the LMS has gone from strength to strength with many new available features and updates having been applied to create the solution they have in place today.
All part of the managed solution provided by Soutron.
Today the library benefits from its very own library portal, also developed by Soutron. A starting point to not only the online catalog but also to provide links to other vital services the library provides.
These include highlighting recently added books, the popular inter-library loan and literature search services and also displaying their own Twitter / X feed. The portal also includes a link to their own KnowledgeShare service – a new targeted awareness service provided for NHS staff members.
The library staff can update the portal at any time, putting less strain and calls on their internal IT department. Richard concludes by saying “The communications and support we receive from Soutron have been very responsive”.
To learn more about Whittington Health Library and the services it provides, visit their website: www.whittington.nhs.uk/whl
To find out how you can migrate your Health Library to a cloud-based and flexible library management system to support your organization, book a 20 minute discovery call with us today, see below.
View another case study from this industry sector.
Simply complete the form on the right to start a conversation with one of our specialists today.
We look forward to hearing from you.
The first step is to learn more. Here's how we can answer your questions:
Yes. Soutron can implement a fully functioning library management system within weeks. When Whittington Health NHS Trust needed a new library system in under a year following a campus closure, Soutron delivered a live system with data migration completed ahead of the physical library opening.
Yes. Soutron handles data migration from existing library systems as part of implementation. For Whittington Health, Soutron migrated 5,500 volumes from the previous system without placing any additional demands on the Trust's internal IT team.
Yes. Soutron's library portal is designed to be managed directly by library staff. Whittington Health's library team updates their portal independently, adding new book highlights, inter-library loan information, literature search services, and their KnowledgeShare targeted awareness content without needing IT support.
Yes. Soutron supports multi-audience library services. Whittington Health Library serves NHS staff from Whittington Health and two partner NHS organizations, University College London medical students, and Middlesex University nursing and midwifery students, all through the same Soutron platform.
