COLUMBUS OH - August 5, 2009 – LibLime, the leader in open-source solutions for libraries and Salina Public Library announced today that the library has selected a Koha ZOOM hosted solution for their next integrated library system.

The Koha installation will be hosted off site at one of LibLime's secure data centers. The Library has also contracted with LibLime for data migration of their more than 300,000 items, support and training services.

With Koha, the new open-source automation system, the catalog will be a web-based interface and maintained by the library’s technology staff. The library can then adapt the system to the needs of patrons. When the software is altered, the resulting change can be redistributed for free for other members of the system’s consortium to benefit from.

After the implementation, patrons at the library or on the online catalog will be able to search not only the library’s catalog, but will have access to materials from Kansas Wesleyan’s library as well.

With the library’s current system, the library has no control over the system’s features, enhancements or platforms. Additionally, the library pays high costs for maintenance and support for the software.

“Switching to Koha is a smart move in terms of useability and financial responsibility,” said Joe McKenzie, director of the Salina Public Library. “It is a better use of our community’s tax dollars to have a system that is easier for them, and also more manageable for our staff, while at the same time saving over $20,000 per year. Everyone benefits.”

Changes that the public will notice from the new system include: pre-due and over-due notices will now be available via email; patrons will also receive checkout receipts via email. Patrons will also have access to their circulation history, so they can track what they’ve read and maintain that history. They will also be able to place holds on materials that are on the library shelves. They will be able to create a shopping cart of selections from home and either reserve them or print off their list and bring it to the library. Both staff and readers will be able to create book lists that will be available online.

For more information, contact Melanie Hedgespeth, Technology Center Manager, at 785-825-4624, ext. 233 or email Melanie@salpublib.org.

About the Salina Public Library

The Salina Public library enriches lives by providing accessible information, learning resources and services to meet the evolving needs of a dynamic and diverse community. Serving a community of over 50,000, the library circulates over 500,000 items annually. The collection includes over 275,000 books, DVDs, CDs, audio books and art prints. The Youth Services “Imagination Station” debuted last year and provides activities, resources and play space in addition to daily story times. The 7,000 square foot technology center sees high traffic daily with over 5,000 hours of public internet used each month. The library is also home to CLASS – Community Learning And Skill Sharing – a lifelong learning program in the Community Learning Center with two semesters of learning opportunities taught by local experts on a variety of topics.

Contact: Kristi Northcutt, (785) 825-4624, ext. 219, knorthcutt@salpublib.org

About Koha ZOOM

Koha ZOOM is the next-generation release of the award-winning Koha open-source integrated library system. Notably, it includes a powerful search engine based on Zebra, a high-performance indexing and retrieval engine. Koha ZOOM's search engine can read structured records in practically any input format (e.g., email, XML, MARC) and allows access to them through exact boolean search expressions and relevance-ranked free-text queries. It supports large databases (more than ten gigabytes of data, tens of millions of records) as well as incremental, safe database updates on live systems.

To try out Koha ZOOM for yourself, visit LibLime's demos:

http://liblime.com/demos

About LibLime

LibLime is the global leader in open-source solutions for libraries, with a mission to make open source accessible to libraries. Rather than sell software licenses for static, hard-to-customize software products, LibLime educates libraries about the benefits of open source, enabling them to make choices about how best to provide their communities and staff with better technology services. LibLime then facilitates implementation of open-source in libraries by providing outstanding development, customization, support and training solutions--solutions tailored to each library's needs. For more information, see http://liblime.com.

Press Contact:

Tina Burger
Vice President, Marketing LibLime
(888)Koha ILS (564-2457) ext. 705

tnb@liblime.com

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