COLUMBUS, OH --Sept. 2, 2009-- LibLime, the leader in open-source solutions for libraries and ASCC (Automation System Colorado Consortium in Colorado), announced today that the consortium has selected a Koha ZOOM hosted solution for their next integrated library system and union catalog.

The Koha installation will be hosted at one of LibLime's secure data centers. The Library has also contracted with LibLime for full migration of their ILS data, as well as support and training services.

ASCC is a nonprofit, member-owned consortium of over 40 multi-type libraries, including 24 public libraries (out of 115 in the state), 15 schools, 3 academic institutions and 1 special library.

ASCC’s new Koha union catalog will contain over 800,000 bibliographic records from libraries with collections that range in size from 2,730 to 117,000 bibliographic records.

"We believe our union catalog consortium will enhance connections between Colorado’s libraries and improve services to 292,684 residents in our members' service area, " said Valerie Horton, Executive Director of ASCC. ASCC plans to have 9 pilot libraries up in November of 2009, and the remaining libraries will migrate in 2010 and into 2011.

ASCC selected Koha not only due to a desire for an open-source solution, but also because member libraries wanted a flexible, member-driven system instead of one controlled by commercial vendors.

"Rather than force its member libraries to align their needs with a specific vendor’s software, ASCC needs a software solution that matches existing technological requirements and supports members’ patron needs," explained Dan Lawrence, Chair of the ASCC Board. "The Koha open-source solution offers the opportunity for the development of the ILS to be driven by our member libraries."

ASCC has been given a unique opportunity to serve as a model project to other libraries and consortia in the state of Colorado. Technology has made great strides in the industry and librarians have been in the forefront of this industry. "The move to Koha represents a new opportunity to bring quality patron services," Valerie added. "By working in communities, member libraries can achieve more patron services with less funding."

"After working in the library industry for more than 15 years, I am most satisfied when I can assist libraries in making a technology decision," said Marc Roberson, VP Library Partners for LibLime. "The ASCC is a perfect example of how a technology choice will now enable a group of libraries to share a system and allow them to better steer their own destiny-- a choice that will serve them well into the future."

About ASCC

ASCC is a nonprofit, member-owned consortium in Colorado of over 40 multi-type libraries, including 24 public libraries (out of 115 in the state), 15 schools, 3 academic institutions and 1 special library.

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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