Q&A with IMMS product owner
Q&A with IMMS product owner, Helle Lauridsen
Prior to joining Lyngsoe Systems, what did you do?
I have a library degree and worked for many years in academic libraries, first as Chemistry Librarian and later as head of serials acquisitions and licensing. spearheading the move to e-resources, I recognized the need for better discovery and moved to work for CSA (later ProQuest) on the development of the first discovery service. For the next ten years I worked with along with customer libraries in Europe and the Middle East developing and improving library technology, discovery and e-resource management.
What has kept you interested in library services?
The changes – when I started everything was paper based and I have actually learnt to catalogue books on cards.. Now we still have the print books, but like e-resources some years back the management is getting more and more electronic and it is getting much easier to manage entire collections instead of item by item.
What does a typical workday involve for you?
I am not sure what a typical workday is, and that is what I love about working for Lyngsoe. Today for example I just rolled out of bed and walked to the computer and started emailing with New Zealand, and where yesterday involved an interesting customer visit and meetings at Lyngsoe. I can have entire days with my nose in my laptop, writing documentation, and answering questions from customers and colleagues. Other days I travel with salespeople to customers in Europe and the US. The last long trip was to the American Library Association (ALA) conference in Washington D.C. where I also had a little time for some quick sightseeing.
What do you love most about your job?
That is easy, people! I have some lovely colleagues and my favorite part of the job is conferences and customer visits, I feel energized visiting libraries and hearing how they plan their way out of falling declining budgets and changing requirements. There is SO much going on behind the scenes in today’s libraries and I find it a great pity that there is so muchmost of the public focus is on the “fun and games” out front. I saw this sentence in a blog post the other day: “The library, as we know it, is obsolete. Now that most books are accessible online, the building once dedicated to silence and study is increasingly turning into a lively public gathering place—when it’s not disappearing altogether.” And it saddens me as libraries still have active collections, happy book reading customers and a very busy life in the material handling areas.
How do you help libraries?
Another hard to answer question, I suppose my biggest asset my is my real life library experience – I understand the problems in the sector and the completely ingrained culture of library staff all over the world: we want to service our users and give them the best possible opportunities for finding just the right item. This is what makes IMMS so interesting to me, an unseen, behind the scenes, comprehensive “stock-management” system – that which quietly and efficiently makes certain that all shelves are kept nicely stocked (never too full or too empty) with materials of interest for the local users attractively displayed.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I live on a farm near Denmark’s second largest city, Aarhus, where I breed Rhodesian Ridgebacks, so most of my spare time is used for training the dogs and going to shows and trials with them.
WORK SMARTER AND AUTOMATE YOUR LIBRARY PROCESSES WITH SMART LIBRARY SOLUTIONS
We help libraries work smarter and save time on material handling with smart library solutions. With the latest generation in Automated Material Handling for libraries, Sort Mate™ 2000, you will significantly improve circulation, while reducing cost and the need for physical handling of materials. IMMS™ gives public libraries and academic libraries control of collection, space, and float management.
