December 21st, 2010
CONTACT:
Nathan Curulla
(888) 900-8944
sales@bywatersolutions.com

Arcadia Public Library of Arcadia CA. Goes Live on Koha with ByWater Solutions

ByWater Solutions, an open source community supporter and official Koha support company, announced today that Arcadia Public Library of Arcadia, CA. is now live on their official Koha integrated library system.

Arcadia Public Library and the Open Source-Open Libraries Consortium have partnered with ByWater Solutions for their Koha implementation. The library's Koha installation went live in early December and the library has partnered with ByWater Solutions for ongoing support services.

Carolyn L. Garner-Reagan, Director of Library and Museum Services, commented on their decision to switch to Koha and ByWater Solutions:

"We are very excited about our new Open Source Integrated Library System (ILS) called Koha,” said Carolyn Garner-Reagan, Director of the Arcadia Public Library.“ This system has many new features for our Library patrons and at a much lower annual cost, an essential in these challenging economic times. We were also very pleased to be one of two libraries in California to receive funding for the data conversion portion from the Open Source, Open Libraries project and funding from the City of Arcadia for the necessary hardware and training. Working with ByWater Solutions’ knowledgeable, professional and very responsive staff, has made this complex process much less intimidating for Library staff than was their experience in previous migrations. The less than 1% migration error rate is testimony to ByWaters’ expertise. Working with their technical staff, who are also professional librarians, means that we are able to communicate with ease."

Brendan Gallagher, CEO of ByWater stated: "It has been a real pleasure to partner with Cathi and the staff of Arcadia. We are thrilled that the installation went smoothly, and look forward to a long and productive relationship. We are delighted to work closely with California libraries who have the desire to take advantage of a better product with higher levels of service at a lower cost."

Arcadia Public Library houses over 160,000 bibliographic titles, and their customized online catalog can be found at http://catalog.ci.arcadia.ca.us/

About Arcadia Public Library:
The Arcadia Public Library operates out of a single 48,000 sq. ft. facility containing more than 160,000 items including books, magazines, compact discs and video and audio cassettes. Library staff is available to assist any patron with the resources available. A wide variety of library programs and activities are offered to children, youth and adults.The Library's Auditorium (maximum seating 150) is used regularly for Library and other City Departments' programs. For more information, please visit: http://www.ci.arcadia.ca.us

About Open Source-Open Libraries:
Open Source – Open Libraries is a consortia of libraries, library systems, and other organizations committed to pursuing Open Source Software alternatives for libraries. The primary focus of the project is on Open Source Library Systems as potential replacements for commercial, proprietary integrated library systems (ILS). The goal is to empower libraries and library consortia by encouraging participation and collaboration in software products generally, and encouraging them to consider an Open Source Library System such as Koha or Evergreen. Just as libraries provide opportunities for people to empower themselves, Open Source Software provides an opportunity for libraries to empower themselves by asserting more control over the software tools used to run their libraries. The project is funded by member contributions combined with support from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian. For more information please visit: http://opensource.califa.org/

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, circulation, 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: http://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: http://www.bywatersolutions.com

Bloomfield, Conn. — The Hamilton Public Library’s Central Library is the fifth location
to install mk Sorting Systems products. An 11-bin sorting system with conveyors leading into the lower level of the library increases circulation and improves service by freeing staff from basic repetitive tasks. They now focus on more valuable services and provide more assistance to patrons with general inquiries.

“The sorters from mk at our four HPL locations have helped us increase circulation by 2 million items, freeing staff to provide more direct service,” recounts Paul Takala, Hamilton Public Library’s Director of Digital Technology. “We know that adding the sorting system to our Central Library will further increase our circulation. mk was chosen based on technical qualification, cost competitiveness, and a well-engineered custom design — giving our library great quality and value,” explains Takala.

“As Hamilton planned its Central Library renovation, we were approached to design a sorting system
that maximizes limited first floor area,” recalls Markus Flory, President of mk Sorting Systems.
“We proposed a system with a customized mk decline conveyor leading from the first floor lobby return stations to the library basement. This not only utilizes basement space in light of small first floor footprint, for high workflow efficiency, it also attractively integrates into the library’s design aesthetic,” continues Flory. This design element is achieved by enclosing the main floor equipment in transparent glass, giving customers a view of books as they transfer and sort.

Central Library will open in December with a grand re-opening in conjunction with the Hamilton Farmers’ Market scheduled for early February.

About Hamilton Public Library
The Hamilton Public Library (HPL) serves the 500,000 plus residents of the City of Hamilton with the Central Library, 23 branch locations and two Bookmobiles. With over 3 million in-person visits and 2.8 million on-line visits, Hamiltonians borrowed a record-breaking 6 million books, CDs and DVDs in 2009. For more information, visit www.hpl.ca, contact askHPL@hpl.ca or call 905.546.3200.

About mk Sorting Systems
mk Sorting Systems, a subsidiary of the mk Technology Group, develops and installs user-friendly self service, sorting, book dispensing and RFID solutions for libraries. mk offers individual, customized automation solutions designed to meet each library’s specific needs.

For sales and marketing information, contact Kristin Vogel, Sales and Business Development Consultant at 1-860-760-0438 or by e-mail at kristin.vogel@mk-sorting-systems.com. Visit mk Sorting Systems on the web at www.mk-sorting-systems.com.

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