![]() In the ILS category, SirsiDynix made 107 deals for Symphony, many of them to multibranch libraries. OCLC’s WorldShare Management Services provided competition at a lower sales level, with 53 new licenses signed this year. ![]() New category products, including Leganto with 46 new sales and Esploro with 10 sales, further bolstered the company’s position. The 113 licenses for Primo indicate that almost all new Alma selections were paired with Ex Libris’s own discovery service. Sales performanceĮx Libris was the leader in 2018 sales, reporting 115 new contracts representing 448 individual libraries for its Alma LSP. ![]() As a result, vendors can’t rest on their laurels, since libraries demand sustained improvement cycles for technology products in which they have already invested. Once a library implements a new automation system, it will probably not be back in the buying market for a decade or two. Even lesser competitors exert pressure to moderate pricing and spark innovation. The slate of competitive products in some sectors has become uncomfortably narrow, though none has claimed a monopoly. It’s a significant supplier of content products for libraries, for the classroom curriculum, and for student information systems for district administration. And Follett’s economic weight extends beyond library systems. Destiny dominates the US public school library market to an extent unmatched in any other sector-its market share is five times that of its nearest competitor. Ex Libris and OCLC have capitalized on the latter, fueling a decade-long migration cycle of academic libraries away from legacy, print-centered ILS products to a library services platform (LSP) designed to manage complex multiformat collections.įollett’s products designed for school libraries carry the same characteristics. The cost and difficulty of changing systems lead libraries to keep existing systems unless they have strong vendor or product dissatisfaction, or they think certain technologies better align with their goals. In such a zero-sum economy, the success of one company comes at the direct expense of another. Almost all libraries that fall within the ranks of eligible customers have at least some level of automation infrastructure in place. The global market for library companies must be seen in the context of client saturation. It resists new entrants or even the advancement of local or regional companies to the global sphere. It is an industry of established companies and few start-ups. Economic prospects are low risk, with adequate room for new business opportunities. It’s a complex industry, with different business and technology trends running simultaneously, often along divergent paths. SirsiDynix and Innovative Interfaces continue to retain and attract diverse libraries to their evolving integrated library system (ILS)–centric product portfolios. Massive companies such as Follett, ProQuest/Ex Libris, and EBSCO represent formidable competition for any challenger in their markets. ![]() Despite the dominance of a few globally diverse and large companies, midsized and small companies continue to hold their own and in some cases thrive. Large companies with expanding portfolios of products and services are giving new shape to the landscape. The library technology field continues to see modest growth overall, though that growth is unevenly distributed among companies. The trajectory of innovation for public and school libraries has followed a different course, characterized by incremental change layered on top of longstanding systems with aging architectures. The academic library sector can be seen as a cycle of innovation that began eight years ago with the inception of an automation product substantially different from previous systems. The products that emerge out of these creative booms then become mainstays that support the next phase of library operations. Bursts of innovation can create new products better aligned with current library realities. Outdated automation systems can reinforce work patterns that no longer reflect priorities as core library activities change. But more than efficiency is at stake: These products must be aligned with the priorities of the library relative to collection management, service provision, and other functions. They represent substantial investments, and their effectiveness is tested daily in the library. Library automation systems are not necessarily exciting technologies, but they are workhorse applications that must support the complex tasks of acquiring, describing, and providing access to materials and services. The library technology industry, broadly speaking, shows more affinity toward utility than innovation. Illustration by (c)vladgrin/Adobe Stock and Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries
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