2020 ByWater Solutions Summary and Year in Review

by Brendan Gallagher on Jan 13, 2021

A Message from Brendan Gallagher, CEO

2020 is in the rearview mirror! I am hoping that everyone who reads this is healthy and all of our hearts go out to those who have been affected by the challenges we faced in 2020. I have been super impressed with our partners from being involved with many different libraries and seeing the creative programming each has offered to help their communities. It was motivational watching both ByWater staff and our partner libraries balance life, schooling, and work; all while helping to create a positive message that reached outside the library world to affect much needed change. I want to thank everyone that has been involved with ByWater this year - it has truly been a highlight of the year for me.

On to 2021! We have some exciting growth that we are moving forward with this year.First, our Systems team is in the middle of a massive migration of our hosting platforms which will allow us to dedicate more resources per partner and help further streamline our upgrades and new releases. Once completed, our libraries will enjoy a more robust and secure environment.

Koha continues to be a leader in the ILS/LSP market and we are benefiting from some of the recent years of programming that have gone into the system. The backend efficiencies have become more present in our front-end use in the form of more robust APIs, which allow us to seamlessly integrate with more 3rd party products and introduce some newer technologies for leading edge design. Koha also received a big update to the point of sale functionality, making it easier for libraries to manage fines, fees, and cash drawer capabilities without the need for a separate service.

Aspen Discovery continues to grow in terms of usage and adoption while new functionality releases continue to be rolled out on a monthly basis. One of the biggest new features to be rolled out in 2020 was the ability for libraries to utilize Aspen as the library website using the Web-Builder functionality. The team is also beginning work on a Mobile App and Events Functionality as well!

As always, the rest of our team is working full tilt to improve our efficiencies, improve processes, and having the major goal of setting all of our partners up for a very successful 2021!

Thanks,

Brendan Gallagher, MLS