The Challenge
What Library Machine Was Facing
A London-area library network was operating on a custom VB.NET system from the early 2000s with no API layer, no mobile access, and documentation that existed only in the memory of a single long-tenured member of staff. New self-service lending kiosk vendors could not integrate with it. The council's digital transformation mandate required a modern system, but commercial library management software designed for large national networks imposed workflows that bore no resemblance to how smaller London borough libraries operated.
The Solution
What We Built
We built a bespoke digital library management system from scratch — API-first architecture, self-service kiosk integration protocol, real-time branch-to-branch reservation routing, and an online member portal. The transition ran both systems in parallel for six weeks with automated record reconciliation. The new system modelled the library network's specific loan rules, exemption categories, and fine structures precisely — no workarounds, no generic configurations that did not fit.
Results