Digitalization of libraries - Connecting everything from schedules to group visits


Solution: Spica All Hours & Dynamic Scheduling
Content:
- How did the library prepare its employees for implementing the Spica solution?
- Which areas of their work have been simplified, and what are the results?
- How will they integrate group visit data into the automated system?
Ivan Potrč Library Ptuj
- Sector: public library services
- Institution size: the fourth largest library in the country by population served
- No. of employees: 33 (plus 1-2 through public work programmes)
About the Ivan Potrč Library: one of the largest general libraries in the country
The Ivan Potrč Library in Ptuj offers library services as a public service funded by the local community. Slovenia's municipalities fund 58 general libraries, including the one in Ptuj, which serves 16 municipalities in the Lower Podravje region—the highest number among all general libraries.
In terms of the population it serves, the library ranks fourth in the country, providing services to nearly 70,000 residents in the Lower Podravje region. In terms of the number of employees, the Ptuj library ranks 8th among general libraries. Slovenia has ten central regional libraries, including the one in Ptuj.
"The number of employees is quite small compared to the size of the area and the population we serve with our library services. This requires continuous optimisation and digitisation of internal work processes," says Milena Doberšek, the library's director, when discussing the challenges they faced before implementing Spica's solutions.
The challenge: an accountant at her capacity limit
"This was in fact a very good step forward for all employees, while for management, administration, and accounting, this improvement was of enormous significance."
The director describes the situation before the introduction of Spica solutions as follows: “We aimed to achieve the best possible results with our current numbers of employees.” One of the major challenges that arose was in accounting. With only one employee in that department, she had to manage accounts for 16 municipalities, the ministry that partially funds us, projects, etc. The monthly payroll was particularly burdensome, pushing the accountant to the limits of her capacity."
The primary goal was to modernise and optimise the monthly payroll process. Until recently, public sector salaries were paid on the fifth of each month, leaving the accounting department with only a few days to process them—and even less time during public holidays. The library therefore came up with the idea of connecting the time and attendance tracking software with the payroll software, allowing for automatic data transfers to the accounting software, Septima.
"We decided to attend a time and attendance tracking seminar led by Andreja Samec Koderman, a specialist in employment law and HR solutions. This seminar greatly broadened our horizons. We realised that simply purchasing and installing a new programme wouldn't be enough—there were several steps to take before that," recalls Milena Doberšek.
Internal acts had to be updated, such as a new Rules on working hours and a new internal Rules on Organisation and Systematisation.
The shift from regular to irregular working hours required offering all employees new employment contracts to sign. The definitions of less favorable working times, such as afternoon shifts, split shifts, work on Saturdays, and more, were updated and clarified. An outdated time and attendance tracking software also had to be replaced.
Impact: four working days per month
How have employees responded to Spica's new solution? Milena Doberšek responds, "Excellent. But of course, there are individuals who find it harder to adapt to new things and need a bit more time and support from their colleagues."
But I had to be well prepared for any question. It was important to understand the legal basis and clearly explain why the changes we were implementing were necessary. We held many meetings with employees where I explained our plans—how the time and attendance tracking records would be maintained, what data would be displayed and how, using concrete examples from the Spica programme."
Now, according to the director, everyone is happy. They are clocking in and out using the terminal. If an employee forgets their badge or clocks in incorrectly at the terminal, they can use Spica’s All Hours solution on their computer or phone to submit a correction request or to enter the missing clocking in the app, along with a note indicating that an error has occurred. These notifications go through a validation process and are dealt with on a daily basis.
Every employee now has a clearer overview of their own records, leave, and hours ... "It was a significant step forward for all employees, and for management, administration, and accounting, it was a huge benefit." Additionally, it has become easier for department heads to organise work, as they now have an up-to-date overview of work schedules, changes, attendance, and planned absences. The data from the time and attendance tracking records is automatically linked and used for payroll purposes.
It is estimated that administrative employees save at least one working day per month, while accounting employees save at least three, totaling four working days saved each month. In addition, Milena Doberšek highlights that timely accuracy checks of recorded data and corrections at the end of the month have made work in administration and accounting less stressful. There is also a lower risk of errors.
"Before implementing the Spica solution, the end of the month was very stressful, especially if the administrator or accountant was on sick leave. For each employee, we had to manually calculate working hours and absences for payroll: morning shifts, afternoon shifts, Saturday shifts, number of commutes, number of lunches, sick leave, and more all had to be calculated separately. Hours had to be calculated manually, including manual conversions to codified hours (decimal system), and entered into the payroll software ..."
Solution: Spica’s "all inclusive" support
Now everything is different. The app is also used for planning leave. Employees submit their leave requests via phone or computer, and the requests are then sent to the head of department for approval. Before submitting a request, employees can view their colleagues' leave schedules and adjust or coordinate with each other if needed. The same applies to sick leave, business absences, study leave and overtime. For instance, employees can also see when colleagues from the mobile library are out in the field with the bibliobus, or if someone is absent for business or other reasons.
"Everything is automatic. I also really have to commend the employees of Spica International. They are extremely responsive and professional, always attentive to our needs. I was really pleasantly surprised and delighted. For example, when setting up the work schedules, they configured all the core accruals, which automatically track the working hours by group in the background, ensuring that the corresponding payroll is calculated correctly. The time and attendance tracking system automatically records exactly when an employee worked in the morning, afternoon, on Saturday, Sunday, or had a split shift," says Milena Doberšek.
First, the monthly work schedule is set in the Dynamic Scheduling module. Based on the defined work schedules, All Hours then identifies the type of work and records the working hours for each individual in that month. The software automatically records all the different types of work in the background; employees simply clock in and out.
This forms the foundation for ensuring that working hours are accurately transferred into the accounting software and that all allowances are correctly calculated in accordance with the law and the collective agreement.
Milena Doberšek also praised the graphical representations, the use of symbols, and the data visualisation features in the app. Everything is color-coded, making it easier to identify any discrepancies and check them.
New plans for 2025: incorporating library events
The Ivan Potrč Library is already planning to take a step forward by linking Spica time and attendance solution with another module, Intrix, to optimise work processes.
"This would keep a record of all the events and group visits coming to the library. We host elementary school and high-school children, bibliopedagogical classes, events for adults, and more. That's why we need software support to record events and group visits in one place, along with information about the employees responsible for these events and the reservation of the spaces where they will take place. Linking this with Spica, it would make it easier to handle situations where the person in charge of a group's reception falls ill, as arranging replacements would be quicker. This is planned for 2025," Milena Doberšek is already looking ahead.
10 advantages
- Estimated savings of at least one working day per month in administration.
- Estimated savings of at least three working days per month in accounting.
- With data automatically entered in real time, administrative and accounting work at the end of the month is less stressful.
- The risk of errors has been reduced.
- Every employee has a better overview of their own records, remaining leave, working hours, etc.
- Employees can use the app to coordinate their leave, making it easier to align with each other.
- Access to data and an overview from various devices (PC, phone), even from home.
- Up-to-date information makes it easier to arrange replacements and substitutes during sick leave absences.
- Management has a clear and up-to-date overview of work schedules, changes, presence, planned absences.
- The Spica solution meets the new legal requirements for time and attendance tracking.