FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Norcross, GA – October 22, 2008

Nakusp Public Library has become the 11th library in British Columbia’s SITKA consortium to go live with Evergreen, the consortial-quality open-source library automation software.

Nakusp Public Library’s migration to Evergreen is one more step in a process that will see up to 17 SITKA libraries running Evergreen by the end of 2008. Two pilot libraries migrated in 2007. Equinox Software Inc., the support and development company for Evergreen, is providing ongoing 24/7 technical support for SITKA’s Evergreen implementations. Visit Nakusp’s new online catalog at http:nakusp.catalogue.bclibraries.ca
“SITKA is another Evergreen success story," said Brad LaJeunesse, Equinox company president. "Small libraries such as Nakusp benefit from the consortial experience that Evergreen is ideally situated to support, with its powerful indexing, transaction, and other core functions, and user-friendly features such as self-placed holds and patron bookbags."
Nakusp British Columbia (population 1,800) is located in the Kootenay region of southeast British Columbia in an area known locally as the “Valley of the Hot Springs.” The Nakusp Public Library is also a founding member of the Kootenay Library Federation, a 19-library organization formed in 2006.
SITKA is following a gradual approach to moving libraries over to Evergreen; libraries opt-in on their own schedule. Many libraries are anticipated to join over the next several years when their existing automation vendor contracts expire. Nakusp Public Library joins Prince Rupert, Fort Nelson, Powell River, Terrace, Whistler, Houston, Pemberton, Burns Lake Public Library, Smithers Public Library, and Midway Public Library on the SITKA Evergreen system. The collective holdings for all 11 libraries are at http://catalogue.bclibrary.ca and a description of SITKA is at http://sitka.bclibraries.ca/ .

About Evergreen

Evergreen is consortial-quality, open-source library system software. Evergreen was initially developed to support Georgia PINES, a resource-sharing consortium with over 270 public libraries. While Evergreen was designed from the ground up to meet the needs of very large, high-transaction, multi-site consortia, its robust, fault-tolerant architecture elegantly scales down to the smallest sites. Evergreen is also adaptive software that due to its service-oriented, standards-compliant design can nimbly evolve to meet changing library needs and user expectations.

From its debut in September 2006, Evergreen has consistently outperformed expectations and resulted in acclaim and praise from users worldwide. Evergreen has received significant attention, including a Technology Collaboration Award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Other Evergreen implementations include Michigan Evergreen, through the Michigan Library Consortium; Evergreen Indiana, from the Indiana Open Source Initiative; and several smaller implementations, such as Kent County Public Library in Maryland, Marshall Public Library in Missouri, and the University of Prince Edward Island. Evergreen projects in the early development stages include Project Conifer (five academic libraries in Canada).

For more information about Evergreen, visit http://evergreen-ils.org

About Equinox Software, Inc.

Founded by the original Evergreen designers and developers, Equinox Software is a growing team of skilled developers and other professionals who provide comprehensive support for Evergreen, the consortial-quality, open source Integrated Library System (ILS). Equinox develops, supports, trains, migrates, integrates, and consults on Evergreen, and engages with the rapidly expanding Evergreen community. Instead of one-size-fits-all support, Equinox works closely with libraries to ensure Evergreen is implemented in the manner that best fits their individual needs.

In addition to support, custom development and integration services, Equinox offers complete Evergreen hosting packages for libraries wishing to outsource their ILS infrastructure. Equinox also provides consulting services for libraries seeking more insight into the value proposition of open source software.

Press contact: Corinne Hall, corinne@esilibrary.com, 678-269-6113

For more information on Equinox Software, please visit http://www.esilibrary.com.

Evergreen is open source software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL. Evergreen and the Evergreen Logo are registered trademarks of the Georgia Public Library Service.