We have saved money by knowing what is in our inventory. In the past, we have bought duplicate copies simply out of poor inventory control. Mandarin allows us to know where everything is at all times.

I love that we have the ability to not only automate our library but can also run our textbook management and electronics management through the Mandarin system. As a small private school, our budget is limited and anything that helps us control inventory and save money in the long-run is a worthwhile investment.

My only complaint is that it is sometimes difficult to find an item on Record Fetch. The system is not very forgiving with typos and not all ISBNs are in the system, even when the book may be. I also wish they would include Usborne Books in the system. We get many of these books donated to the school and have a difficult time logging them in the Mandarin system.

We went without a Library Software Management system for 10 years! Our older system (Follett) was outdated and the cost to update it was too much. Mandarin came in and integrated our database with their software so I had a working database again -- and could go from there. It works with our FACTS system so I didn't have to put in any patrons at all. I've felt very supported all along the way and will continue to need support as we move into Inventory this summer. Really a good company!

The company is excellent and the support is by far the absolute BEST I've ever experienced. If I email support or call I'm IMMEDIATELY helped. Outstanding is the best adjective. The software is very user-friendly. I'm not a full-time librarian so there was definitely a huge learning curve for me -- and the software was NOT hard to learn. There's tons of videos to help as well. The company completely integrated our old software program into Mandarin, so I didn't have to do anything -- except clean up our system. It's also fully integrated with FACTS -- our school management system. I'm very happy we went with this company.

I really need to use if for a longer period of time and honestly I don't have anything to compare it to because I'm not a "regular librarian" who might have had experience with other library software -- I have none. But, having said that, I think there are a few things that could be better. To Search for a "missing" book I look in "Status" -- but to do that I have to first go to Catalog and find the book's barcode -- that's an extra step. There should be a way to find who has the book or what the status is without first needing to look up it's barcode. So it's just a little cumbersome. Also, I'm finding that ALL my records are missing some key components that I'm having to add manually to each one. I wish there was a faster way to do that as well. But these are honestly very minor things. Overall, I'm really pleased so far.

When we decided to purchase this software we had very specific needs. We were told everything we wanted to do was already in the system or that the system would do it. Since then we were told it can't do what we were told it could do before we agreed to the contract. We are going to reimplement our old system because even though it didn't fit all of our needs it gives us more of what we need than what Mandarin has been able to do. We wanted specific data reports at our fingertips and was told it would happen. I have to call in and have them done for me and even then, the results are not completely right. We were told this system came with a conference room schedule system and that it would be easy to use. No such thing existed. The conversion of our old Database left out important information and books altogether. This is not as big a deal as I can fix this but the interface is not easily customizable nor is it user-friendly to anyone who doesn't know Marc 21. Going forward you should really not sell features you do not already have, or you should be willing to develop them for the release. Had we known then what we know now we would have gone with another company who could have offered everything we were looking for. We have spent grant money on this system that we felt was the best direction based on the information we were given, only to have it be something different. I am sure your system is a perfect fit for a vast majority but for us it is not working.

Visually it was better looking than our previous system.

It didn't do almost everything we were promised it could do.

I loved the professionalism and the service that I got. After using them in an Ohio prison and know how strong the bid process for companies to land contracts with the state, I knew they would be good for the charter school libraries I was creating in the state of Michigan. After hand linking over 19,500 books with over 4,500 to go and having library aides take over the management of the other 3 libraries while I finished the 4th, I knew I made the right decision.

I like that I got want I needed, the ease of use, and the tech support they gave for the price. I saved over $12,000 over other systems and working in public schools every dime you save can go toward books for the library.

That I had to have 4 different logins for the 4 schools that I had to remember. I also didn't like that I had to call or email them for new login for the staff even though they quickly did them for me.

The entire Mandarin team made the transition from Destiny easy and we lost no data. After the implementation we have received superior customer support (unlike Destiny) and the Mandarin teams seems to be able to solve any problem.

Mandarin is one of those systems that is built for the end user. It is simple and logical to use, powerful, but not overly complex. Darn near perfect.

Some of the back end features could be made more user friendly for those of us who manage the application.

Mandarin has helped patrons to access the contents of the library collection in the comfort of their homes. Information is simply a click away.

Mandarin is a server based software. This makes it cheap. With one license, numerous client computers access the application. Therefore, patrons access the library collection through the client computers. I have noticed that members of Technical Service Department of the library speed up work all thanks to client-server functionality on Mandarin. Patrons are able to access the library collection remotely online. In the wake of COVID-19, the library continued offering services despite the staff and patrons remaining in their homes. Cataloguing staff now have less work load as Mandarin allows them to perform copy cataloguing. Pre-recorded information of the resource is retrieved using record Fetch. Mandarin offers patrons with a good interface which helps them to search the contents of the library using topics, words or terms. More still, the advanced search features help patrons to filter searching into narrow specific terms. Mandarin provides patrons with links to e- books, audio books and other digital resources, making the library to become a digital one. Mandarin improves inventory control in the library system. Records pertaining to accessions list, books on order and other files are well managed.

Much as the software is efficient, less developed communities with poor internet infrastucture may find the software irritating due to internet connectivity issues. Beside, not all titles can be found on record Fetch. This compels catalogues to look for alternative sources of information. This process consumes time

Mandarin has been a godsend to me. When I first took over our school library, I had zero experience in a library. Worse than that, it had just been built and our average book age was 50+ years old. On top of all that, we had just started adding curriculum to the mandarin system. Our previous librarian wasn’t sure on how to do that and she had added about 1/4 of the curriculum and done it wrong. I had a mess that most would have quit over. I spent hours on the phone with the help desk, during after hours I might add, over the next few months. I learned the program pretty quickly. It took a year and a half to clean up all the mess I had been left by the school. I could never have succeeded if Mandarin hadn’t been so good to help me. After that, I was able to take what I learned into 4 other of our libraries and fix their messes and train their librarians. We got a new head librarian a few years ago who wanted to switch our program to a more modern more expensive program. The ladies weren’t happy with me but because of the effort it had taken to get our libraries where they needed to be and the very fair price our district pays for the program, they lost the battle. Mandarin is the best universal, unbiased, multi-functioning program and in my opinion, they cannot be best. You may have book companies offer you deals but those deals are usually based on you buying from them. Mandarin allows you the freedom to run your library stress free and unbiased. They’re not paying me either!

I like that once you get to know it, you can really maneuver around the program very easily. I’ve rarely ever experienced the website being down, never during school hours. It takes all the work out of circulation. All I have to do is scan and shelve.

In the catalogue feature, when you’re adding or editing a single book, the fields are all numbered and not easy to know what you are doing. I would love to see that small feature become as modernized and easy to use as the rest of the program. With that said, it is easy enough to figure out, it just takes some time and since we don’t use it often, I have to get help every time I do use it.

Mandarin Library creates a public face for our school that expands the resources that we can house on campus. It is a great marketing tool of academic resources that we can easily put within student/parent reach. I love the customized look I can give to my home page. Mandarin Library is a fun and intuitive program that meet budgetary constaints while allowing me to expand in new ways. I was nervous about learning a new system and found the changes made everything easier in library management. Again, Technical Support is a phone call away and they are the most patient, kind staff of experts that speaks volumes about this company.

We are a Classical School Pre-K thru 12 - This software has made my job easier and saves me time. The transition from our old system to Mandarin was amazing. I was happy with the ease of implementing the new system and tech support patiently guided any questions. I can't say enough good things about tech support - I love the speed & ease of inputting new records and barcodes for classroom sets of books in minutes. Physical barcodes are easily printed - a budgetary savings. I love the visual search - parents and students can link to ebooks, public library resources, college prep, homework helps, audio books, whatever I want to create a link for assisting research and resources - the world is at our disposal. Parents can easily email and send book requests. An economical high quality services for private schools with small library budgets. Technical support is amazing 24/7 and they are great teachers. Training library help is very easy. There is no need to purchase MARC record as the record fetch has most titles and it is very easy to create your own record. I highly recommend this software for ease of use and ability to expand circulation options. We separate textbooks and general library but it is all in the same catalog. Teachers easily check out their classroom textbooks. I am re-cataloguing sets of elementary books and tech support makes global call number changes saving the time of bringing up each title to change the record.

What is there not to like? I love this software!!!

overall I am very satisfied with the product

Great customer service, ease of use, sufficient customization

Call Number Labels are hard to customize to size and we have to use M3 for that. We also use older Report Tool (from M3) to pull overdue and loan reports

The ease of getting the library data entered. The Tech crew is wonderful to work with. The time they will spend to help you understand and implement what you need done.

I would prefer that they update the picture for my patrons. It is a real pain to get the information from the other source.

From the first point of my inquiries the Mandarin employees have been extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The concept that the first contact should know the product well made Mandarin stand out above the other companies I investigated. The technical support during and beyond implementation has also been outstanding showing that they really care about our library and our users.

This library software is easy to use and easy to train students and staff to use. The ability to quickly download catalog records from Library of Congress or other libraries is extremely helpful. Whenever I need to create a record that can't be downloaded, an exceptional template is available. If I need to edit a record all of the MARC record fields and subfields show as options for insertion; and it is very easy to delete an unwanted field.

When there are multiple call numbers on one record the call number should be absent from the results page, instead a note to 'see holdings'.

The switch to Mandarin from RenWeb library was a breeze. They handled all of it on their end. After a small learning curve I was up and running, with SO many more tools at my disposal than I ever had before... things I didn't even know I needed but now couldn't imagine going without. We used RenWeb because it was built-in to the SIS we already paying for. It was EXTREMELY bare bones, but it was free. Mandarin was an enormous step up at a great price. I wish I had switched sooner.

Easy to use. Value for the money. Quick response to customer service inquiries. Records (new enrollments) automatically update from SIS (FACTS/RenWeb). Record Fetch is great!

OPAC not customizable enough. Financials do not integrate with SIS (FACTS/RenWeb).

Mandarin provides an affordable and easy-to-implement integrated library package (cataloging, circulation, public access interface). It continues to offer more features and the IT support department has been very helpful when a bit of tweaking is needed.

Versatile library automation with room to accommodate new features. Good software support - very available. Great price for small libraries.

This company's products are geared for elementary and high schools. The OPAC features reading-level categories which are not necessary for specialized libraries and those serving adults. However these features can be removed by Mandarin support. There are some problems in the cataloging software when adding subsequent subdivisions (involving punctuation). But these can be worked around. It would be great to have more options for the public visual search interface (like font style, colors, etc.) and general layout.

My overall experience with Mandarin has been wonderful. My questions are always quick to be answered. I would definitely recommend Mandarin to anyone who is looking for a new system for their library cataloging.

We came from using RenWeb for our Library Catalog and Patron Services. There's been a bit of learning curve, but Mandarin is so much easier to use than our previous system. Inputting new items into the catalog is so much easier than the previous system. It takes me a fraction of the time that I used to spend.

I don't like that I can't print library cards with our student's pictures on them. But, I can still print them in RenWeb with a barcode, so that's really nice. I also wish that the pictures were easier to update. School pictures don't come in until Mid to Late October and I don't have access to them. So new students don't have their pictures updated and continuing students don't have their new ones shown. This just makes our students a bit sad. I also wish that I could search the system by barcode. It would also be nice if I am signed in as an administrator and I look up a particular book, that it would show the name of the student who has checked it out. Yes, I do know there's another way to do that. But, it would be nice if it was just in one step and I didn't have to go to another place to look that up. The only other little problem, which I know is just my library assistants being a bit to quick, is that there's a significant time lag between scanning a book as returned and it coming up on the screen as returned. I know that this is more on my side than on the side of Mandarin.

Inventory issues and also daily transactions that can be so overwhelming

It is easy use read and getting used to also there is less complications when performing daily transactions by just scanning a barcode

a more modernized user interface

We were required to switch from our current library software because the provider was discontinuing the service.

First, the purchase process which was simple, helpful and professional. Second, the installation process: loading my library data, testing and support - especially the webinar presentation and followup. Third, technical support: rapid, on-time and professional. I got a call or e-mail with a rapid and complete response.

Well, it's hard to find an issue, but what I would improve is the searchability and content of the online resources. I had a question about cataloging serial publications and couldn't access what I wanted.

I have had a great experience with Mandarin. Anytime I've needed help, the tech department has been quick to help me. They guide me in ways that are easy to incorporate on my end. They also are very mindful of things that need to be fixed on their end. The cost is wonderful. This system is worth every penny. My overall experience has been wonderful! For a lady who doesn't like change, Mandarin has been a great help!

What I like most about the software is the ease of the transition from one system to another. Our school had to change from another system. Mandarin was the best choice for our school for a change that wasn't an option. I find features in M5 that I never had in the other system. My favorite is the ability to add new books to the system with ease.

This is not so much an issue for people who do understand code. But I had a bit of an issue with it at the beginning. I am learning what each number stands for and how to utilize it when I'm adding an item or updating something in the system.

Our school has used Mandarin for a long time. This fall, we upgraded to the latest version. The upgrade was worth it! Our new Mandarin has a fresh, updated look. Many of the features have been streamlined and are easy to use. No more clicking between multiple screens! I can do more work more efficiently! Downloading records is super easy. Purging books from the system is also super simple.

I was looking forward to printing off spine labels and pocket labels from my new Mandarin. However, the spine labels only print on a certain kind of label. I'm having trouble finding that specific label, so I continue to type my own. The pocket labels come out blurry. I experimented with both those types of labels on Mandarin with no luck.

Mandarin has made importing MARC records easier. The set up for the spine label makes more since and more of what I wanted that our old software did not offer. When asking for tech support they are very prompt to respond and get back if they want to clarify a request. The tech support guys are the best.

I liked that they were so accommodating when we had to switch over from our other software in such a short time. They have been very patient with any questions or requests I have requested. I do not have a Library degree so I am probably not using it to its full potential. So glad to be able to print my own barcodes and spine labels. The barcodes have the title, author, school name and call # included.

Sometimes I have to log-in again, but that could possible be our internet server. Because I do not have a Library degree I am not sure what all the code are for, but I am sure if I asked they would help me. I just have not had time to ask. The Webex was informative, but too much information, too fast. I would have like a more interactive option. But you can join a group as many times as you want.

Okay. Tech support is amazing, though.

Can be accessed on any computer Great technical support

The transfer of data from our old system to this one was mediocre at best (Came on board when the transfer had already occurred). I have to visit EVERY book and re-enter spine info. Also quite a few books were lumped in as bib-holdings for totally different books. I understand the imported data may have been in very bad shape as well. However the ability to change multiple records in Mandarin is time consuming and extremely cumbersome. I would have liked to see rows of books in spreadsheet format and be able to edit that way. As it is TOO many screens to scroll to before you can make the edits.

It's fairly straight forward and easy to use. The help staff is amazing! If you have a problem, can't remember how to do something, or need assistance, they are there to help and take care of things in a timely manner.

For a small to mid-range school library, this is a great budget-friendly automation program. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it meets our needs adequately.

It's a bit time-consuming and ponderous to set up at the beginning of each school year. The reserving a book part doesn't seem to work well for me.

I inherited a very poorly cataloged collection: corrupt classification, lost records, level one (or less) catalog- ing, lack of subject headings... The MLA system empowers me to provide the best bibliographic database I can create for my students. Price point is exceptional, MLA system is user-friendly, robust and secure. I am one happy catalog librarian.

The learning curve made for a very easy transition to learn the system and get to work. I did reports, inventory, edits of existing records and learned to use "Fetch" for my MARC cataloging needs in a very short time. I am delighted that the system adheres to national standards in bibliographic MARC. I feel secure with the MLA system that my work will not be corrupted or lost at anytime.

As an experienced professional cataloger, I would like to see the policies that govern the system to better understand display functions.

The software is easy to personalize for the needs of our Library Learning Commons in a secondary setting. The technical support team is very knowledgeable and quick to respond with questions or things that needs to be fixed.

There was a bit of a challenge integrating with our old patron records at first, but the technical support staff was quick to resolve it. I would like if we could add other images or background colours to reflect our school more personally.

Learning a new system, as a new librarian, with hundreds of patrons, was a daunting position. However, I am consistently pleased with their support through the years.

Mandarin is so easy to learn and use. And on those ocassions when I don't find the answer, their customer service responds with efficiency.

Nothing to report. Apparently I need more characters in this reponse to make if valid. Still, nothing to report.

Mandarin's Tech support is great!!!

We were already using Madarain M3 to the switch to M% was seamless. Staff were able to adjust to the new platform quickly. We really like the cataloguing module. Very user friendly and the online OPAC is great as well.

Patrons are not yet able to transfer books from their reading lists to their reserve list. I would like to see an easier method for patrons to reserve books with one click.