For schools that choose their own tools

A modern library system for independent schools.

Independent schools are not locked into a district's library system. You choose your own. Lyra is the modern, purpose-built option: a clean staff app and a student and teacher catalog, published pricing, and setup you do yourself.

Start free trialEmail the team
Your system, your choicePublished pricing, no quoteSelf-serve setup
The reality

You get to choose your own tools. Most schools don't.

Public schools usually inherit whatever library system their district picked. Independent and private schools do not. You choose, which means you can pick a system built for your school rather than a district platform scaled down to fit it.

Lyra is built for that choice: modern, fast, and designed for the way a school library runs day to day, whether a credentialed librarian runs it or a faculty member does.

What you get

A library system built for the school that chose it.

A roster that keeps itself current.
Connect your SIS over OneRoster and Lyra syncs daily. New students appear, homerooms carry over, and withdrawals archive on their own.
Modern, not enterprise software scaled down.
A clean, fast staff app built this decade, with a built-in assistant for the daily analysis and reporting work.
A catalog students can use on their own.
Covers, plain-language search, and reading levels, so students and teachers find what they want without waiting at the desk.
Switch without losing your summer.
Import your catalog (a MARC file or a spreadsheet) and your roster, run side by side with your current system, and switch when you are ready.
Published pricing, no procurement runaround.
Read the price on the site, covers included, no quote and no sales cycle. Free for 30 days.
More than one library or campus? One account.
Run a lower-school and an upper-school library on one shared roster, each with its own catalog. Separate campuses can each be their own school, under the same subscription.
Built by a school librarian

Independent schools often have a credentialed librarian. If that is you, it helps to know the person who built Lyra has stood at the same desk.

"I built Lyra because I was tired of fighting my ILS to do basic things. Every feature here exists because a librarian (usually me) needed it on a Tuesday morning, between bells, with a kid waiting at the desk."

Caitlyn Boza
Caitlyn Boza
Co-Founder · MLIS · Former K–8 librarian
FAQ

Questions, answered.

Straight answers for the person actually running the library. Still unsure? Email the team.

Is Lyra a good fit for an independent or private school?

Yes. Lyra is built for a school that picks its own system: a staff app and student catalog built this decade, pricing on the site, and setup you do yourself. It also runs a lower- and upper-school library under one account.

We have a lower and upper school library. Can Lyra handle both?

Yes. Run both libraries under one school: they share one roster, and each keeps its own catalog and policies. If your campuses run separately, add each as its own school under the same account and subscription.

Do we have to go through a sales process?

No. Pricing is published, and you set up and trial Lyra yourself, with no demo required.

Can we switch mid-year without a painful migration?

Yes. Import your catalog (a MARC file or a spreadsheet) and your roster, run side by side with your current system, and switch when you are ready.

How does Lyra compare to Follett or Atriuum?

Lyra is the modern, self-serve option built for independent schools: published pricing, covers included, and setup you do yourself. Follett and Atriuum are broader, quote-based platforms that reach into district and digital-lending needs. See the side-by-side on our comparison pages.

What doesn't Lyra do?

Lyra doesn't lend ebooks or audiobooks, and it doesn't handle fines, interlibrary loan, or purchasing. If your students read in Sora, Lyra can list your OverDrive titles in its catalog from OverDrive's MARC records, and students open them in Sora. If you'd want Lyra to do more with Sora, tell us. If one of those is central to your library, read what Lyra leaves out before you start.

Ready for a library system you get to choose?

Start a free 30-day trial with your own catalog. No demo call, no credit card. We'll help you bring your data over when you're ready to switch.

Start free trialEmail us