Innovative Interfaces

Innovative Interfaces, Inc. (abbreviated III) is a software company specializing in integrated systems for library management. Their key products include Sierra, Polaris, Millennium, and Virtua, with customers in 66 countries.

The company's software is used by various types of libraries including academic, public, school, medical, law, and special libraries as well as consortia. In September 2014 Sierra was installed at 1494 libraries (with 3435 facilities), Polaris at 1339 (with 2808 facilities), Millennium at 1316 (with 2640 facilities), and Virtua at 224 (with 490 facilities).

Founded in 1978 by Jerry Kline and Steve Silberstein in Berkeley, California, the initial product was a system to interface OCLC data with a library's cataloging system. Huntsman Gay Global Capital and JMI Equity invested in the company in 2012, the same year Kim Massana, formerly president of Thomson Reuters Elite, was appointed CEO. The equity firms purchased the company outright the next year. Backed by the new investors, a wave of hiring increased staff in 2013. The company also made several acquisitions within the next two years: SkyRiver Technology Solutions (which maintains partnerships with 3M, EBSCO Information Services, OverDrive, Inc., and Bibliotheca), Polaris Library Systems, and VTLS Inc. Bert Winemiller took over as CEO for a brief period in 2015 before the company named James Tallman as their new CEO in January 2016.

III's interface for library users is the Encore Discovery Solution that provides web searching and access of library resources along with features such as ranked relevancy, facets to focus searches, tagging, ratings, and book reviews.