NEWS

National Library of Australia installs RefTracker

RefTracker now the most widely used request management software

The National Library of Australia (NLA - www.nla.gov.au) has today installed a RefTracker Request Management System to more efficiently manage and count the more than 20,000 requests coming into the library annually.  Margy Burn, Assistant Director-General, Australian Collections & Reader Services said, "We are moving away from an IT call tracking system that required considerable customization.  RefTracker has been specifically designed for libraries, and so fits our needs without tailoring".    

The NLA has installed RefTracker on an in-house server, but will be using Altarama's System Management Service to relieve their IT department of any need to develop skills in RefTracker system support or maintenance, and to provide immediate access for NLA staff to Altarama's support experts.  

The NLA is now part a rapidly expanding client list that includes more than half of the State Libraries in Australia.  Internationally, RefTracker is used by well-know organizations like the Imperial War Museum (London), the RAND Corporation, the US Food and Drug Administration and by an extensive base of government, legal, archive, museum, corporate research, academic and public libraries.  

"The National Library of Australia joins a strong group of State Libraries, and brings a unique and valuable voice to the expert client input so central to our development efforts," said Shirley Forster, Managing Director of Altarama Information Systems.  

Altarama specializes in web based systems for improved management of the reference function of libraries, and RefTracker is its flagship product, delivering industry-leading tools for managing and responding to all of the requests that come into a library.  Altarama's recently acquired VRLplus product family adds online reference to its suit of products for reference librarians.  Integration of RefTracker and VRLplus is already progressing to plan for enabling librarians to communicate with patrons using whatever communication method is most appropriate to the particular request being answered, and the needs of the patron that asked it.

About Altarama Information Systems
Altarama (Australia) and Altarama (USA) are privately-held companies that have been helping libraries manage their reference operations since 2001, and are owned and managed by librarians and library automation experts who average more than two decades of experience in the field. For more information, please visit www.altarama.com