Ashtons Legal is a leading UK law firm with offices across Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Ipswich, and Norwich. The firm provides specialist services to businesses and individuals across multiple sectors, supported by a knowledge and information team that ensures staff have fast, reliable access to legal resources. When outdated library systems began slowing down day-to-day work, the team needed a modern, cloud-based solution that would make managing information faster, easier, and more reliable.
Kimberley Brown, the Knowledge & Information Administrator, described the issues with the firm’s previous library system, PenLib:
Outdated design: “My main issue was how it seemed so outdated, the look was very grey and dull.”
Poor navigation: “PenLib was very hard to navigate.”
Remote access issues: Frequent IT problems made it difficult to work from home.
Time wasted: Errors and server faults slowed down everyday work.
After joining the firm, Kimberley learned the team was switching to the Simple Little Library System (SLLS) – an online, cloud-based solution designed by a chartered librarian for efficient and effective information management.
Trial with real data: “Before going live with SLLS, I had the opportunity to get to grips with the system using a cut of our firm’s data from PenLib. This was incredibly helpful – I could experiment with labels and circulation slips without worrying about losing anything important.”
Guided onboarding: Kimberley and her team joined a live seminar led by Penny at SLLS. “The online seminar was really valuable. It walked us through the system and showed us exactly where to find everything we needed.”
Support on hand: Any questions during setup were answered quickly and clearly, giving Kimberley and her team confidence before the final data load.
"I cannot stress enough how easy SLLS is to use, and how much the online cloud system benefited us. There were so many benefits to us changing/updating to a new system."
Switching to cloud-based SLLS gave Ashtons Legal a reliable library management system that transformed how the knowledge and information team delivers their vital service. The benefits were clear:
Better user experience: “One of the main things for me is how much nicer it is to work with. If I have a lot of cataloguing to do, I’m looking at an up-to-date web page, not a grey, uninspiring screen.”
Reliable remote access: “I can now access SLLS from my home computer, without having to log into our company system.”
Reduced IT dependence: “Using SLLS has stopped a lot of the computer faults we used to have. Before, I had to log out and hope I would reconnect to a different server just to access PenLib.”
Fast, friendly support: “Every issue I’ve ever had with SLLS has been resolved promptly. The support we receive is excellent, even after the switch from PenLib.”
Ashtons Legal showed how moving from outdated, server-based software to a cloud-based solution can make information delivery simpler, faster, and more reliable.
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