One Launch, Two Systems: Lessons from a Primo VE and Rapido Migration

Libraries are constantly adapting to new technologies while balancing staff capacity, user expectations, and organizational change. This session shares the experience of a large academic research library that launched Primo VE and Rapido simultaneously following a year-long planning process. Rather than staggering implementations, the project teams chose to rebuild existing Primo functionality in Primo VE while introducing Rapido’s new user-facing services at the same time. This presentation offers a overview of the full migration lifecycle from early planning and internal coordination to go-live and post-launch reflection. It focuses on what helped the project succeed, what proved more challenging than expected, and why communication and organization mattered more than any single technical decision. Attendees will leave feeling encouraged that a simultaneous Primo VE and Rapido launch is achievable, even with limited staff, and with practical lessons to support planning, managing change, and moving forward with confidence.