Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Modernize the user experience in a hybrid setting
"OCLC’s project manager was good at keeping everything on track and she understood our goals. We had regular project calls, and she kept us up to date. She also had good product knowledge and was able to help with configuration and set-up.”
Sarah Rogers
Head of Information and Library Service, Institution of Mechanical Engineers
10 March 2025
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is a professional association with 115,000 members in 140 countries.
Its library offers those members licensed e-resource subscriptions and home-grown digital content, such as valued policy reports and conference papers.
Its print collection also plays a vital role in meeting members’ needs, and the library even provides a postal loan service.
With hybrid services in constant use, the IMechE team needed to find flexible systems to modernize the library experience while retaining the provision that people valued.
Keep users’ desired services
Until recently, members were battling with legacy systems. The library had two systems—one for accessing digital resources and the other for requesting postal loans. And staff needed a more up-to-date platform that met their own needs.
After looking at a number of systems, the library team selected WorldShare® Management Services (WMS). They saw that its modern interface—unifying print and electronic discovery —would transform the member experience.
They also chose CONTENTdm® software, OCLC’s digital collection management system, to manage their home-grown resources and make them accessible through WorldCat® Discovery.
Noting the importance of IMechE’s postal loan service, OCLC devised a bespoke solution to integrate it in the discovery workflow, using Tipasa®, OCLC’s resource-sharing service.
Together, the library team and OCLC implemented all systems in only six months. “The OCLC team was friendly and responsive to all our queries,” said Sarah Rogers, Head of Information and Library Service. “We almost felt like they were part of our own team.”
"We set out to modernize the library catalog and that’s exactly what we did. We were able to write in our annual report that we’d put in place a modern, integrated system for our members.”
Sarah Rogers
Head of Information and Library Service, Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Develop a modern discovery experience
IMechE now offers a seamless discovery experience, giving access to the print catalog and full text of licensed resources and home-grown digital content. “Print and digital search are integrated in an attractive interface,” said Rogers.
Members adapted easily to the new systems. “Enquiries were much the same as before—about the content they needed rather than the systems they were using,” Rogers said. And if they find a useful print resource, they can request a postal loan or an interlibrary loan, within the discovery workflow.
“It’s a seamless online experience for members, and it’s working well,” said Ellen Haggar, Research and Outreach Librarian. “But we’re happy to continue to receive email requests, if members are more comfortable doing that.”
One member recently emailed Sarah and her team, saying, “For me, the library is the best thing about being an IMechE member!”
Rogers concluded, “We set out to modernize the library catalog and that’s exactly what we did. We were able to write in our annual report that we’d put in place a modern, integrated system for our members. The impressive usage analytics we’re seeing are testament to the work we carried out with OCLC to transform the library journey.”
Services used by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Run by a team of three library staff, with two more staff working in the archive
- Offers a library and members hub, document supply, enquiry, and archive services
- Holds 200,000 items—34,000 of which are print books and 738 are print journals
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