Atlanta, GA, — July 15, 2010 — LYRASIS partners with Creekside Digital, specialists in document digitization, to address members’ needs for expanded microfilm scanning services.

LYRASIS’ Mass Digitization Collaborative enables members to digitize books, serials, and newspapers for a low fee. Initially, the focus of the Collaborative was providing book scanning options. Now, in response to increased requests for scanning newspapers and books on microfilm, LYRASIS is broadening its focus and digital partnerships to afford members extended microfilm scanning services, in addition to optional encoding services. “We are thrilled by the opportunity to offer our preservation-quality microfilm scanning services to LYRASIS members through the Mass Digitization Collaborative,” said Jim Studnicki, President, Creekside Digital.

“While we will continue to leverage the expertise of The Internet Archive for book scanning, our partnership with Creekside Digital enables us to provide affordable, high-quality microfilm scanning and related text encoding services that follow relevant standards, such as the National Digital Newspaper Program guidelines,” commented Robin Dale, Director of Digital & Preservation Services.

LYRASIS member, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) participated in a pilot project to ensure member satisfaction with Creekside Digital’s conversion services. “We are working with Creekside Digital to digitize a collection of microfilmed Indianapolis newspapers. The project is not yet complete, but thus far their services have far exceeded our expectations, when it comes to communication and quality of work. We have received samples of the microfilm and we are satisfied with the results. Creekside Digital has gone above and beyond to address our questions about microfilming and the digitization process,” said Jenny Johnson, Digital Initiatives Project Coordinator, IUPUI University Library.

About Creekside Digital
Founded in 2006, Creekside Digital specializes in providing archival-quality digitization of microfilm as well as bound and oversized books, newspapers, and documents and manuscripts. For more information, please visit www.creeksidedigital.com.

About LYRASIS
Created in April 2009 by the merger of PALINET and SOLINET and joined shortly thereafter by NELINET, LYRASIS is the nation's largest regional membership organization serving libraries and information professionals - providing opportunities for networking and collaboration, offering innovative solutions, and significant cost savings through group purchasing for products and services. For more information, please visit www.lyrasis.org.

~ Criminal Justice Abstracts and Communications Abstracts
Becoming EBSCOhost® Databases ~

Ipswich, MA —July 15, 2010 — EBSCO Publishing (EBSCO) has acquired two renowned databases from SAGE—Criminal Justice Abstracts™ and Communications Abstracts™. The deal will bring two leading databases in their fields to users through the EBSCOhost® platform, one of the most-used interfaces available for scholarly research.

Criminal Justice Abstracts and Communications Abstracts are highly-refined, specialized collections in their subject areas. Now that these databases are on EBSCOhost, users will see an increase in the number of journals included cover-to-cover and searchable references for many titles. Users will also be able to cross-search these resources with valuable resources such as SocINDEX with Full Text™, Social Work Abstracts™, and Communications and Mass Media Complete™. Both databases will also feature a Publications Authority of key titles.

As of July 15, 2010, subscriptions will only be available via EBSCOhost. Customers using Criminal Justice Abstracts and/or Communications Abstracts on another platform will continue with that platform through the end of their current subscription. EBSCOhost access will become concurrently available (at no extra cost) for the remainder of the institution’s current subscription period. SAGE will continue to support existing subscriptions to the print indexes for Criminal Justice Abstracts and Communications Abstracts through the end of the current subscription period. EBSCO will be contacting print subscribers to discuss a transition to the online version.

Customers will notice an immediate increase in the number of records in these EBSCOhost versions of the databases. Criminal Justice Abstracts has more than 235,000 records as opposed to the current 103,600 records on other platforms. Communications Abstracts has more than 200,000 records as opposed to the current 63,061 records on other platforms. The additional records come from the most relevant, core journals in these areas of study.

Criminal Justice Abstracts
Criminal Justice Abstracts includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to criminal justice and criminology. The increasing globalization of criminology is reflected in Criminal Justice Abstracts' coverage of hundreds of journals from around the world. Criminal Justice Abstracts contains more than 200,000 records selected from the most important sources within the discipline.

Subject Areas covered include:
• criminology
• criminal justice
• corrections and prisons
• criminal investigation
• forensic sciences and investigation
• substance abuse and addiction
• probation and parole

Now that Criminal Justice Abstracts is on EBSCOhost, more than 270 titles are presented with cover-to-cover coverage and there are searchable references for more than 130 titles.

Communications Abstracts
Communications Abstracts is a comprehensive source of information about communication-related publications on a world-wide scale. Containing more than 235,000 records, Communication Abstracts covers major journals in communication, mass media, and other closely-related fields of study to create a research and reference resource that encompasses the breadth of the communication discipline.

Coverage includes:
• interpersonal communication and relations
• communication, culture and society
• communication regulation, and the law
• organizational communication
• public relations
• advertising, marketing, and consumer behavior
• pop culture and the media
• journalism and news media
• communication and information technology
• telecommunications

Now that Communication Abstracts is available on EBSCOhost, more than 250 titles contain cover-to-cover coverage and there are searchable references for more than 180 titles.

In August of 2007, EBSCO acquired ten print indexes from SAGE and created online versions, including backfiles plus other benefits, such as unlimited use, remote accessibility, multi-database searching and links to full-text.

About SAGE
SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. A privately owned corporation, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore. www.sagepublications.com

About EBSCO Publishing
EBSCO Publishing is the world’s premier database aggregator, offering a suite of more than 300 full-text and secondary research databases. Through a library of tens of thousands of full-text journals, magazines, books, monographs, reports and various other publication types from renowned publishers, EBSCO serves the content needs of all researchers (Academic, Medical, K-12, Public Library, Corporate, Government, etc.). The company’s product lines include proprietary databases such as Academic Search™, Business Source®, CINAHL®, DynaMed™, Literary Reference Center™, MasterFILE™, NoveList®, SocINDEX™ and SPORTDiscus™ as well as dozens of leading licensed databases such as ATLA Religion Database™, EconLit, Inspec®, MEDLINE®, MLA International Bibliography, The Philosopher’s Index™, PsycARTICLES® and PsycINFO®. Databases are powered by EBSCOhost®, the most-used for-fee electronic resource in libraries around the world. EBSCO is the provider of EBSCO Discovery Service™ a core collection of locally-indexed metadata creating a unified index of an institution’s resources within a single, customizable search point providing everything the researcher needs in one place—fast, simple access to the library’s full text content, deeper indexing and more full-text searching of more journals and magazines than and other discovery service (www.ebscohost.com/discovery). For more information, visit the EBSCO Publishing Web site at: www.ebscohost.com, or contact: information@ebscohost.com. EBSCO Publishing is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., one of the largest privately held companies in the United States.
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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Public Relations Manager
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebscohost.com

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – July 1, 2010 – Bibliotheca Inc., open RFID solutions partner of choice to 1,000 library locations worldwide, announced today that Auraria Library, serving three academic institutions in Denver – the University of Colorado Denver, the Metropolitan State College of Denver and the Community College of Denver – will be outfitting its tri-institutional campus library with Bibliotheca dual- aisle hybrid gates as well as hybrid self-check stations. Installation is scheduled for the third quarter of 2010.

BiblioHybridTM solutions, with BiblioChipTM RFID technology, work seamlessly with libraries‟ current electromagnetic (EM) barcode and RFID systems to make the transition to RFID as easy and affordable as possible, while integrating tightly with ILS systems to enhance efficiency for library staff. BiblioHybrid solutions also offer sleek, user-friendly designs that library management and patrons will find visually appealing.

BiblioGateTM Hybrid security gates offer the perfect solution for libraries in the process of transitioning to RFID. They not only trigger acoustic and visual signals when patrons attempt to exit without properly checking out materials, but they simultaneously detect library materials fitted with EM or RFID security devices.

Bibliotheca's Biblio SelfCheckTM Hybrid solution supports patron self-service for checking materials out and in as well as account management functions, such as extending due dates, for library collections that include materials fitted with both EM barcodes and RFID labels.

According to Mary M. Somerville, University Librarian/Director of Auraria Library, investing in RFID technology for the academic library is important: “We continuously strive to improve customer service for students, faculty, and staff. Our academic community members aspire to independence in conducting research. In the digital realm, this requires searching successfully for e-resources in licensed databases. When using print collections, they expect self check-out options. We, in turn, want superior inventory and security for library materials.

“We were looking for an RFID solutions provider that is well regarded in the industry and offers good value for the money,” continued Somerville. “And Bibliotheca has developed and integrated their RFID workstation software in collaboration with Innovative Interfaces, Inc. This ensures smooth interoperability between the existing library management system and the RFID check-out stations.”

Transitioning to RFID is an investment that provides immediate benefits for both patrons and staff. Somerville concluded, “In these difficult economic times, we must steward institutional dollars well. RFID offers us the further advantage of locating „missing books‟ in the stacks, thereby saving precious staff time and replacement dollars. We will quickly recover the staff salaries for employees who formerly sat at the circulation desk, checking out materials. Their expertise can now be applied in new service delivery programs, which enhance user experiences.”

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About Auraria Library
Located in downtown Denver, the Auraria Library is the only one of its kind in the nation – uniquely serving three schools on one urban campus: the University of Colorado Denver, the Metropolitan State College of Denver, and the Community College of Denver. In addition, the Auraria Library serves the largest campus population in Colorado – nearly 50,000 students and 1,800 faculty – and owns nearly 1 million print books, 150,000 e-books, 44,000 e-journals and 300 databases.

About Bibliotheca Inc.
With global headquarters in Switzerland and operations in the Americas and Asia-Pacific, Bibliotheca Inc. is the second-largest global provider of practical, scalable RFID solutions. Based on renowned BiblioChip technology, our RFID solutions offer unparalleled integration with ILS systems for optimal staff efficiency as well as easy-to-use, intuitive user interfaces for both patrons and staff – all with the backing of an international company that offers true global customer service and support. We've made the move to RFID smooth for 1,000+ library locations worldwide. Call 1-800-892-5971 or visit www.bibiotheca-rfid.com for more details.

© 2010 Bibliotheca RFID Library Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Full RFID Implementation with ITG Underway Across 13 Locations

Norcross, Ga. – June 29, 2010. The Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) is currently retagging its entire collection and converting from RF to RFID one branch at a time in partnership with ITG (Integrated Technology Group). Like a major military invasion, MPL coordinated weeding, tagging, equipment transport, manpower, timeframes, budget, and strategy to make sure branches converted to RFID with minimal surprises. Thanks to detailed planning, the cohesive RFID rollout will be completed on schedule by year’s end.

As tagging work is done, ITG is installing a complete RFID library automation system, including XpressCheck™ patron self-service units, FlexCheck™ staff stations, Total Mobile™ tagging and shelf management carts, and sorters, into most locations. To date (June 29, 2010) 11 branches are fully tagged and six are operational.

Upon selecting ITG as their RFID vendor in late 2009, MPL’s Coordinator of Circulation, Kathryn Mlsna was chosen to lead the implementation phase of the project, and an RFID committee was formed. The library system consists of 12 branches and a large central library with nearly 2.5 million items in its collection. Mlsna determined that 1,498,813 circulating items needed RFID tags (annual circulation for the system is approximately 2,945,000).

Working with Danielle Rodriguez, Head of Serials, she began tagging books to see what issues workers might face in the process and what an acceptable performance level should be. They noted items per hour for individuals and teams, and took into account the occasional programming difficulty presented by the library’s existing RF tags. They decided on a benchmark figure of 150 items per person per hour, and they began to flesh out the details of the MPL plan.

An Excel spreadsheet was prepared showing, by branch, how long tagging would take with one cart, two carts…to eight carts per day working 40 hours a week. Eventually MPL decided to commit six carts to tag programming at the central library, with an estimated completion time of 21 weeks. For neighborhood libraries, teams of eight could complete each branch in 1.5 to 2.5 weeks, for a total of 22 weeks. Most of this workforce is temporary employees, hired through an agency.

“We track each person’s performance every week,” explains Mlsna. “Early on, the fastest [for books, not media] was 207 per hour and the slowest was 143 per hour. So we set 140 as our low number, and if someone works below that level we let them go,” she says. “It is much easier to do with a temporary workforce.” And she notes that unlike a volunteer group, this group of full-time employees has a high level of retained knowledge about the process and does not need frequent assistance or retraining.

“We devised a plan for each library based on the hours it is open,” Mlsna explains. “For twenty-nine of the forty hours a week we spend tagging, the branch is closed. Branches don’t open until 1 p.m. three days a week. Some are closed Friday or Saturday,” she says. One full day of downtime is built into the schedule to move the carts from one branch to the next as each location is finished. When possible, meeting rooms are blocked off during tagging for the processing of AV material. And, the battery-powered carts need to charge overnight, and in branches, managers must make sure the carts are plugged into outlets that stay on after hours.

The total cost to MPL of this effort (not including about 3,000 hours of regular paid staff time devoted to the project) is estimated to be $189,930. Early in the process, Mlsna says she got quotes from third parties to come in to the library and do the tagging and programming that were easily three times higher than that figure.

“This process has been working really well,” says Mlsna. “We really gave it a lot of forethought and fine-tuned the details with Chris [Long of ITG]. It’s a big relief to have it working so well.”

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About the Integrated Technology Group
Integrated Technology Group (www.integratedtek.com) develops, markets, and supports library automation technologies that empower librarians to make operations more efficient and better serve their patrons. ITG's products include patron self-checkout, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Automated Materials Handling (AMH) systems, library materials security, public computer reservation, and print management. With over 30 years experience in the library industry, ITG combines smart technology and progressive design to create standard solutions that can be easily customized to meet site-specific requirements. ITG, a division of Vernon Library Supplies, Inc., is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia.