Follett Acquires Library Management Provider Access-It

Follett School Solutions has acquired Access-It Software, which provides a library management system used in K–12 schools around the world.

Follett offers a number of tools for schools and libraries, including Follett Destiny Library Manager, a comprehensive library management system and part of the Destiny Suite. The tools in the Destiny Suite are used in more than 71,000 schools, according to Follett. Accessit Library, another library management system, is used in some 4,000 schools around the world and offers a number of capabilities for task automation, classroom access, and tracking of usage and engagement, among many other features.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled about the combination of Follett School Solutions and Accessit. Bringing together a solution leader in North America and one across schools internationally creates an opportunity for innovation that will support educators worldwide with the challenges they face every day,” said Chris Porter, CEO of Follett School Solutions, in a prepared statement. “We strive to help educators provide the finest educational opportunities for students, and this merger expands our ability to have that positive impact.”

“Joining with Follett School Solutions is a natural progression of our growth in supporting educators and students everywhere,” said Martin Neyland, CEO of Accessit, also in a prepared statement. “We see our own desire to positively impact education also reflected in Follett School Solutions, and are excited about our path together.”

According to Follett, Neyland, along with Access-It Software co-founder, will run the Accessit side of the business.

According to Follett, both product lines will continue to exist: "Existing product investments and roadmaps will continue for both companies’ products as currently established. The Accessit Library and Destiny Library Manager solutions will both continue to be actively developed and supported, leveraging the best of both solutions to drive even greater innovation for the school library."

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • laptop on a clean desk with digital padlock icon on the screen

    Data Privacy a Top Concern as Orgs Scale Up AI Agents

    As organizations race to integrate AI agents into their cloud operations and workflows, they face a crucial reality: while enthusiasm is high, major adoption barriers remain, according to a new Cloudera report. Chief among them is the challenge of safeguarding sensitive data.

  • chart with ascending bars and two silhouetted figures observing it, set against a light background with blue and purple tones

    Report: Enterprises Are Embracing Agentic AI

    According to a new report from SnapLogic, 50% of enterprises are already deploying AI agents, and another 32% plan to do so within the next 12 months..

  • stacks of glowing digital documents with circuit patterns and data streams

    Mistral AI Intros Advanced AI-Powered OCR

    French AI startup Mistral AI has announced Mistral OCR, an advanced optical character recognition (OCR) API designed to convert printed and scanned documents into digital files with "unprecedented accuracy."

  • student using a tablet with math symbols dissolving into a glowing AI

    Survey: Students Say AI Use Can Reduce Math Anxiety

    In a recent survey, 56% of high school students said that the use of artificial intelligence can go a long way toward reducing math anxiety.