St. Mary’s Seminary Transforms Access to Theological Resources
St. Mary’s Seminary’s Cardinal Beran Library, a special academic library for theological scholarship, has significantly enhanced its library services by implementing the Soutron Integrated Library System.
Prior to adopting Soutron, the library had used Agent VERSO from Auto-Graphics and faced challenges in providing a customized, user-friendly, and easy-to-update experience for its diverse audience. The Seminary, established in 1901, serves the needs of its seminarian community and the broader Galveston-Houston Archdiocese, home to over 1.7 million members.
The Cardinal Beran Library faced a unique challenge: catering to the diverse information needs of seminary students, priests, and the wider multicultural community it serves. With a collection of over 66,000 items, including nearly 500 special collections, the library required a more robust and user-friendly library software solution. After evaluating various options, the library selected Soutron for its customizable user interface and powerful cataloging capabilities.
Ashley Pitts, Librarian at St. Mary’s Seminary, explains, “We wanted something more academic and robust that was easy to update and manage. Most available products were geared towards K-12 or public libraries.” Soutron provided the special academic focus they needed.
Since implementation, Soutron’s customizable search portal has transformed the way users interact with the library’s resources. The new portal layout offers immediate access to frequently used collections and integrates links to external academic resources, such as the University of St. Thomas’ Doherty Library databases. The Saved Search functionality allows the library to create custom buttons, guiding users to specific collections such as Course Reserves, Spanish materials, and audiovisual collections. “With Soutron, it is easy for our users to access materials,” says Ashley.
The library staff has found that cataloging in Soutron is straightforward, with features like copy cataloging, flexible field descriptors, and a multi-lingual polyhierarchical thesaurus. This flexibility allows the library to adapt its cataloging to the specific needs of its theological collections. For instance, the library added custom fields for translators and illustrators, meeting the unique demands of seminary instructors. “I appreciate that you don’t have to know MARC coding to fix an entry,” Pitts notes. “You don’t need to be a trained cataloger to make updates in Soutron.”
The integrated thesaurus further enhances cataloging by providing controlled vocabularies, ensuring consistent and accurate indexing. “We love the thesaurus,” Pitts adds. “It simplifies our work by maintaining consistent terminology across our collections.”
The implementation of Soutron has been supported by exceptional customer service. “I enjoy working with Soutron tech support and IT,” Ashley states. “They were incredibly helpful during setup and have continued to support us even after our training sessions ended.”
Soutron’s customer-centric approach is further exemplified by the newly introduced “New Feature” suggestion box, allowing clients to propose and vote on product development ideas. “Soutron IT is super receptive to our suggestions,” says Pitts. “We’re excited to see our ideas shape future updates.”
The Cardinal Beran Library at St. Mary’s Seminary now boasts a custom, user-friendly portal that meets the diverse needs of its academic and religious community. With Soutron, the library is well-equipped to support the theological education and research that are central to its mission.
For more information about the Cardinal Beran Library and its implementation of Soutron, please visit:
www.soutron.com/stmarys-seminary
You can also read the case study on this project, plus others we have provided for other educational and theological organizations.