What Softlink Information Centres does

Softlink Information Centres is an Australian-headquartered software company, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane, that develops cloud-based library and knowledge management platforms. The company operates as a subsidiary of Volaris Group, a vertical-market software acquirer, and serves legal, government, corporate, special, and public library organisations across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa. Softlink's product portfolio centres on Liberty Digital, a cloud-based integrated library system (ILS) for special libraries; illumin, a knowledge and research management tool that centralises research requests and knowledge assets; and the Aurora Product Suite, an ILS for public libraries acquired with Aurora Information Technology in September 2024. Supporting modules include the Liberty Link mobile app (with an AI-powered scan feature for cataloguing), Federated Search/Discovery, Digital Repository, and Onelog.

Softlink's technology is built on cloud-native architecture with regional data centres certified to ISO 27001, ISO 27018, ISO 9001, and IRAP, supporting data residency and security requirements demanded by government and regulated-enterprise customers. Authentication integrations include LDAP, Kerberos, SAML, and OAuth, alongside e-content integrations with OverDrive and Hoopla. Product differentiators emphasise domain specialisation, ease of implementation without coding knowledge, and unified management of physical and digital collections. The company has invested in AI-powered image-to-text extraction for cataloguing via Liberty Link and convened the 2025 AI Library Challenge in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Wellington to explore further AI integration into library workflows.

The business model combines subscription-based software licensing for Liberty Digital, illumin, and Aurora with professional services revenue from technical consulting, conversions, training, migrations, and integrations. Go-to-market is sales-led and enterprise-focused, with quote-based pricing requiring demo requests, supported by content marketing (blog, case studies, videos), annual User Group Meetings in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Wellington, the AI Library Challenge, and channels such as LinkedIn, YouTube, and the Share My Library App. Publicly named customers include Vinson & Elkins, Mayer Brown, Sullivan & Worcester, HopgoodGanim Lawyers, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the New Zealand Ministry of Justice, Queensland Parliament, Engineers Australia, and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, alongside broader public-library deployments via the Aurora suite. Documented operational performance includes a 91.4% extreme-satisfaction rating on support, a 23-minute median first-response time, and 99.1% SLA compliance across 8,464 support tickets in the May 2025 to May 2026 period.

Name

Softlink Information Centres

Legal name

Softlink Information Centres

Website

https://ic.softlinkint.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Softlink Information Centres is a Brisbane-headquartered software company developing cloud-based library and knowledge management platforms, including Liberty Digital, illumin, and the Aurora Product Suite, for legal, government, corporate, and public libraries globally, operating as a Volaris Group subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Eight Mile Plains

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing/Subscription: Subscription-based licensing for Liberty Digital, illumin, and Aurora Product Suite software platforms delivered as cloud-hosted solutions.
2. Professional Services: Technical consulting, conversion services, training, customisations, data migrations, integrations, authentication setup services, and additional module setup services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Softlink Information Centres develops and sells cloud-based library management and knowledge management software. Its core products are Liberty Digital, an integrated library system for legal, government, corporate, and special libraries; illumin, a knowledge and research management tool for tracking requests and institutional knowledge; and the Aurora Product Suite, an integrated library system for public libraries acquired from Aurora Information Technology in 2024. The company also provides professional services including conversion, integration, training, and cloud hosting.

Product overview

Softlink Information Centres offers a multi-product library and knowledge management platform portfolio. The core offerings include Liberty Digital, a cloud-based integrated library system for legal, government, corporate, and special libraries, and illumin, a knowledge and research management tool. Following the acquisition of Aurora Information Technology in September 2024, the portfolio expanded to include the Aurora Product Suite (Aurora Montage and Aurora Astria) for public libraries. Supporting products include Liberty Link mobile app, Federated Search-Discovery, Digital Repository, Onelog, and various integration options. The company also provides professional services including technical consulting, conversion services, cloud hosting, and training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Liberty Digital: Cloud-based library management system built for legal, government, corporate, and special libraries. Manages physical and digital collections, delivers current awareness, and reports on library usage.
• Liberty Link
• illumin
• Aurora Product Suite
• Aurora Montage
• Aurora Astria
• Discovery Layer

Products and services

• Liberty Digital Cloud-based integrated library system (ILS) for legal, government, corporate, and special libraries that provides a single searchable platform to manage physical and digital collections, deliver current awareness, and report on library usage without coding knowledge.
• illumin Knowledge and research management tool that centralises research requests, responses, and knowledge assets in one system so nothing gets lost, duplicate work stops, and teams can find previously discovered information.
• Aurora Product Suite Integrated library system specifically designed for public libraries, handling circulation, community access, cataloguing, and day-to-day public library operations. Includes components Aurora Montage (public interface/discovery) and Aurora Astria (staff administration and backend library management).

Quantifiable outcome

• 91.4% of customers rate support experience as 'Extremely Satisfied'
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Aurora Information Technology (AIT)coreTechnology or Integration · 24 September 2024Acquired by Softlink IC in September 2024. AIT developed Aurora LMS and Aurora Astria library automation software for public and special libraries. AIT had been providing software solutions for over 28 years with customers including Royal Blind Society and Rural Libraries Queensland network. The acquisition expanded Softlink IC's public library offerings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ex Libris (Clarivate): Ex Libris, part of Clarivate, is a leading provider of library management systems (Alma, Primo) serving academic, national, and special libraries globally. Directly comparable to Softlink's Liberty Digital and Aurora suites in target customer and cloud-based ILS delivery model.
• SirsiDynix: SirsiDynix provides BLUEcloud, Symphony, and Horizon library automation platforms to public, school, and special libraries globally. Directly competitive with Softlink's Liberty Digital and Aurora Product Suite in public library circulation and cataloguing.
• Innovative Interfaces: Innovative (a cloud-based library platform company) provides Sierra, Polaris, and Vega ILS products to public and academic libraries. Directly comparable in target market and core ILS functionality to Softlink's library management offerings.
• Axiell: Axiell provides library and archive management software (Axiell Arena, Quria) to public libraries, schools, and museums primarily across the Nordics, UK, and Australia. Directly comparable in target market and library/knowledge management scope, including a strong public library overlap.

Broad incumbents

• OCLC: OCLC operates WorldCat and a portfolio of library services including cataloguing, resource sharing (Tipasa), and discovery used by public and academic libraries worldwide. Overlaps with Softlink's cataloguing, discovery (Onelog), and resource sharing capabilities at much larger scale.
• Clarivate (EndNote, ScholarOne): Clarivate is a broad information services and analytics company owning Ex Libris, ProQuest, and ScholarOne; overlaps with Softlink in special/research library workflows, research management, and institutional digital assets — providing a much larger competitive frame of reference.

Emerging players

• ByWater Solutions: ByWater Solutions is a US-based Koha open-source library services provider offering hosted ILS, discovery, and support to public, academic, and special libraries. Comparable to Softlink as an alternative ILS+services model, particularly competitive in cost-sensitive public library RFPs.
• Biblionix: Biblionix provides Apollo ILS, a cloud-based integrated library system for public libraries. Direct competitor in the public library segment where Softlink's Aurora Product Suite operates, with comparable SaaS delivery and similar customer base.
• TIND: TIND provides TIND ILS, an institutional repository and library management platform serving academic, research, and special libraries. Comparable to Softlink's Digital Repository and special library offerings, especially for research-focused institutions.

Regional players

• Atriuum (Book Systems): Book Systems provides Atriuum, an ILS used primarily by school and public libraries in the United States. Comparable in product function to Softlink's Aurora Product Suite, with overlap in public library circulation workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SoftlinkInformationCentres
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/softlink-information-centres
• Xx.com/SoftlinkIC

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Softlink Information Centres