Grace Lutheran School in the United States had built an impressive library of more than 7,000 books, but the collection was going largely untouched. The existing software was outdated and difficult to access, creating unnecessary barriers for teachers and students. The school needed a simple, affordable, and intuitive system – one that would bring the collection back into everyday use and make future management straightforward
Volunteer librarian Sheila Green quickly identified the problems with the old setup:
Expired software: “We had an expired client version of a big-name system that could only be used on the desktop in the library.”
Barriers to access: Teachers avoided the library because the software was too complicated and impractical for classroom use.
Wasted resources: “We have an extensive collection of over 7,000 titles being dramatically under-utilised.”
“Schoolchildren do not need barriers to using the library these days. If your library system is a barrier, remove it and give SLLS a try. The system is easy, and the support and conversion teams are fantastic.”
While researching alternatives, Sheila discovered the Simple Little Library System (SLLS) and was immediately intrigued.
Risk-free trial: “A simple, little library system was exactly what we needed -the name caught my attention!” The 30-day free trial let her create teacher and student accounts and test the system thoroughly with a sample collection.
Immediate adoption: “The teachers and I had a session where they checked books in and out from their laptops – they loved it!”
Practical design: “The catalogue doesn’t have a vast number of fields we will never use.”
Responsive support: “My questions were answered completely… everything was indeed simple.”
Migrating such a large collection could have been a challenge, but the team at SLLS made the process straightforward:
Smooth transition: “The data conversion team was amazing… all my questions were answered as we went along.”
Tailored solutions: Early reader books were categorised into new locations – saving months of manual work.
Personalised support: “I needed to limit the Borrowing menu options… an email and online meeting later, we had the revisions in place.”
Sheila found the responsiveness invaluable as she continued to refine the collection. “They’re always there when I need help.”
Switching to SLLS gave Grace Lutheran an accessible, modern system that reignited use of the library. The benefits were clear:
Teachers and students are using the library again—“now that the system is an asset, not a hindrance.”
Cataloguing is easier and more flexible: “If I have a lot to do, I’m looking at an up-to-date web page, not a grey, uninspiring screen.”
Administrative tasks are faster, with everything available online.
Ongoing support helps Sheila maintain and improve the collection with confidence.
Read why Grace Lutheran School switched to Simple Little Library System to manage their school library
“Simplicity of the system sold it for me- the catalog doesn’t have a vast number of fields we will never use. The system is easy and the support and conversion teams are fantastic.”
“I can process books from my couch at home. When a new student joins the school, the teacher texts me, and I can usually get the student added for them within an hour.”
We had an expired client version of a big-name system that our teachers were not using because it was too complicated and could only be used on the desktop in the library. Teachers avoided taking students to the library because of all the barriers to checking books in and out. We have an extensive collection of over 7000 titles being dramatically under-utilized.
I’m a professional librarian in another field, but was asked to see what I could do for our church’s school library. I explored tools online that would be cost-effective and simple for our teachers to use on their own, since a librarian will not be onsite to help during the day. I admit the name caught my attention – a simple, little library system was exactly what we needed! After reading through the website, emailing some “up-front” questions and getting quick and helpful answers, school leadership was open to a free trial.
During our free trial, I created a sample collection of about 25 books and user ids for teachers and students. I also experimented by adding a few web resources to the catalog that would be of interest to the teachers. Once I understood checkin-checkout processes, the teachers and I had a session where they checked books out to the test students, did renewals and checked books back in, all from their own laptops. We talked through ideas for using the library, like having the students check the catalog themselves from their tablets, check-in / check-out from anywhere and new options for resources tailored to class projects. They loved it!
My questions were answered completely, they were quite flexible working across our very different time zones, and everything was indeed simple. I also had the opportunity to talk to a current SLLS school customer to ask questions and get suggestions about implementation.
The data conversion team was amazing! There are natural fears with converting a collection of 7000+ books, but a couple emails and online meetings and the plan was in place. I wanted to create some new locations for my early readers and once we identified criteria for the location, all the books were converted directly to their new “home”, saving me months of work. We worked together to make sure everything went smoothly, and all my questions were answered as we went along.
Support team was great! I needed to limit the Borrowing menu options to make it even easier for my teachers. An email and online meeting later, we had the revisions and a process in place. As I’ve moved on to the cleanup of the physical collection, support has been invaluable when I had questions about deletion processing.
I’m the volunteer librarian for a small church school. I have a full-time day job. SLLS allows our teachers to process loans a) from anywhere and b) without me around. I can process books from my couch at home. When a new student joins the school, the teacher texts me, and I can usually get the student added for them within an hour. Our library is being used again now that the library system is an asset and not a hindrance for our teachers, students, and librarian.
Schoolchildren do not need barriers to using the library these days. If your library system is a barrier, remove it and give SLLS a try. The system is easy and the support and conversion teams are fantastic.
Free 30-day trial available – no credit card, no obligation. Contact our team today and see how simple, affordable, and effective your library management system can be.
+44 (0) 1273 386849