May 13th 2010
CONTACT:
Nathan Curulla
(888) 900-8944
sales@bywatersolutions.com

New Hampshire Libraries Band Together for their Implementation of Koha with ByWater Solutions

ByWater Solutions, an open source community supporter and official Koha support company, announced today that The Monadnock Library Community of New Hampshire has partnered with them for the installation and support of the community version of the Koha integrated library system.

The MLC is comprised of three libraries in New Hampshire: the Fitzwilliam Town Library of Fitzwilliam, the Jaffrey Public Library of Jaffrey, and Gay-Kimball Library of Troy. Among the reasons for the creation of the MLC were the library’s common technology needs, collaborative spirits, and legacy ILSs.

The three libraries will be implemented on a union catalog, which will allow them to share their resources seamlessly in true open source fashion. The Koha catalog is extremely scalable over time, so new additions to the community will have a seamless integration once the catalog is up and running.

Susan Massin, Director of the Fitzwilliam Town Library commented on the MLC’s choice to implement Koha with ByWater Solutions; “I am very excited to partner with the Troy and Jaffrey public libraries to implement this ground-breaking open-source system that when completed will include a vastly expanded catalog available both in the library and online.”

Susan continues; “I was looking for a company that was dedicated to the principles of open source and was also able and willing to provide hands-on assistance to us throughout the process.The flexibility (and patience!) in setting up an affordable pricing structure that could be shared by our partner libraries was a huge factor. A recommendation from Stephanie Chase (Library Journal Mover and Shaker and founder of the Green Mountain Library Consortium) brought ByWater to my attention, but the responsiveness and enthusiasm shown by the staff of ByWater since our first phone call were the deciding factors.”

About The Monadnock Library Community:
Named after nearby Monadnock Mountain, the MLC is made up of New Hampshire Libraries with the common goals of collaboration, learning and adoption of open source software for the benefit of their patrons and communities.

About Koha:
Koha is the first open-source Integrated Library System (ILS). In use worldwide, its development is steered by a growing community of libraries collaborating to achieve their technology goals. Koha's impressive feature set continues to evolve and expand to meet the needs of its user base. It includes modules for circulation, cataloging, acquisitions, serials, reserves, patron management, branch relationships, and more.

Koha’s OPAC, circ, management and self-checkout interfaces are all based on standards-compliant World Wide Web technologies--XHTML, CSS and Javascript--making Koha a truly platform-independent solution. Koha is distributed under the open-source General Public License (GPL). For more information about Koha, please visit
www.koha-community.org

About ByWater Solutions:
With over 10 years of experience, ByWater Solutions offers customized hosting, data migration, configuration, installation, training, support options and development of enterprise class open-source library systems. Offering a 24/7 technical helpline, ByWater Solutions’ clients have the support system they need to make their software work for them. ByWater Solutions pledges to share 100% of all developed code to the Koha community for the strengthening and advancement of the Koha ILS. For more information about ByWater Solutions, please visit: www.bywatersolutions.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Larry Godwin
972-340-2847
godwin@amigos.org

May 12, 2010

Dallas, TX — The Board of Directors of Amigos Library Services is pleased to announce that four new members have been elected to serve three-year terms on the board. The new directors, whose terms run through 2013, are:
• Mr. Patrick Heath, Boerne, TX
• Ms. Charlie Kalogeros-Chattan, Los Alamos, NM
• Mr. Art Lichtenstein, Conway, AR
• Mr. Bill Parton, Russellville, AR

Mr. Heath is the immediate past president of the Texas Library Association. He will serve his second three-year term on the board as an Independent Director. Ms. Kalogeros-Chattan is Library Manager of the Los Alamos County Library System. Mr. Lichtenstein is Library Director of the Torreyson Library at the University of Central Arkansas. Mr. Parton is Library Director of the Pendergraft Library at Arkansas Tech University.

The new directors join those currently serving three-year terms. They include:
• Mr. Oliver Delaney, Oklahoma City, OK, Independent Director
• Ms. Shirley Dickerson, Library Director, R.W. Steen Library, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX
• Ms. Jennifer Goodson, Library Director, Fort Smith Public Library, Ft. Smith, AR
• Mr. Bill Hair, Associate Dean and Director of University Libraries, Baylor University, Waco, TX
• Ms. Rita Hamilton, Library Director, Scottsdale Public Library System, Scottsdale, AZ
• Mr. Ken Morris, Okmulgee, OK, Independent Director
• Dr. Anne Prestamo, Associate Dean for Collection And Technology Services, Oklahoma State University Libraries, Stillwater, OK
• Ms. Carla Stoffle, Dean, University Libraries and Center for Creative Photography
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Board officers for FY2010-11 are:
• Bill Hair, Chair
• Anne Prestamo, Vice Chair
• Jennifer Goodson, Secretary
• Patrick Heath, Treasurer

About Amigos Library Services
For more than thirty years, Amigos Library Services, www.amigos.org, has helped its members obtain affordable services and share library resources and knowledge. With over 600 members, Amigos is the largest consortium of libraries and cultural heritage institutions in the southwestern United States. Through membership in Amigos, libraries collectively gain access to the latest innovations and services in the library community; pursue opportunities for continuing professional education; leverage their buying power; and preserve the region’s rich cultural heritage. This collaboration strengthens each member’s ability to serve and lead its community in the creative and effective use of information resources. ###

Book Sale Finder, the online guide to used book sales, announced the release of Book Sales TO GOTM, a free product which allows people to easily locate library book sales and book stores throughout the USA and Canada.

"We rely on our GPS to take us everywhere we want to go," said Helen Oram who runs Book Sale Finder. "My husband and I travel quite often and we love to visit book sales and non-profit book stores around the country. We produced Book Sales TO GO to make it easier for us and for the tens of thousands of people who rely on Book Sale Finder to tell them where to find book bargains."

Designed for use with any GPS device, Book Sales TO GO provides the exact location for each sale – not just the town where the sale is located, but the building where the sale will be held. Available as a free download from www.BookSaleFinder.com, Book Sales TO GO is updated each week and contains directions to library and Friends book stores and upcoming used book sales.

“I've used Book Sale Finder for 10 years; your information has been a huge help. I always print out the list of sales from your web site and carry it with me,” said a bookseller the Orams met at a Friends sale. He supports his entire family of 6 people solely with his book business. “With Book Sales TO GO," said Oram, "he can just plug in his GPS and go. He won’t even need to plan where he’s headed; wherever his car takes him, his GPS will display nearby book sales and stores.”

Since 1994 Book Sale Finder has provided information about thousands of charitable used book sales to people looking for book bargains: book lovers, book collectors, professional and part-time book sellers, and others who want to save money on their book purchases. Book Sales TO GO joins Book Sale Finder's other innovations: Sale MailTM – a free personalized weekly email of upcoming book sales (currently over 20,000 subscribers); and Book Sale ViewTM – a map showing all upcoming sales in the United States and Canada.

For more information about Book Sale Finder or book sales, please visit their press page at www.BookSaleFinder.com/presspage.html.