Farmington Hills, Mich., Jan. 31, 2011 – Gale, part of Cengage Learning, today announced the launch of the Are you a Librarian Superhero contest to recognize the often heroic efforts put forth by librarians around the country, and to encourage other feats of greatness. Gale is calling on everyone – fellow librarians, library patrons, students and school administrators – to nominate a superhero librarian who is making a real difference for their library and community. A panel of Cengage Learning employees will choose the top four superhero librarians who will be recognized at the American Library Association’s annual meeting. The winners will have a cartoon superhero character created in their likeness by the illustrators of Unshelved, a popular library cartoon, and will be featured in an upcoming comic strip. In the Gale booth at ALA, the winning librarians will be commemorated with cartoon figures, collectible lunch boxes and a celebration.

What: Gale Are You a Librarian Superhero Contest - nominate your superhero librarian today! Submissions need to include basic information about their librarian – full name, library name, and most importantly, what is super about them.

Who: All public, special, school and academic librarians in the U.S. and Canada, and the patrons, colleagues and friends who believe they are superheroes. See the contest rules for complete details at www.gale.cengage.com/superhero

When: Call for nominations is open February 1-28, 2011. Winners will be announced at the Gale booth during the opening reception of the American Library Association’s annual meeting on Friday, June 24, 2011 in New Orleans, LA.

Where: Librarians can nominate themselves or their peers by visiting the contest Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Are-You-a-Librarian-Superhero/177946468912677 or by logging on to www.gale.cengage.com/superhero

Why: Librarians go to extraordinary lengths every day for their patrons. To celebrate those feats and encourage others, Gale will honor librarians everywhere by unmasking just a few of the superheroes among us.

Details: Please contact Kristina Massari at kristina.massari@cengage.com for more information or with questions about the contest.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning is a leading provider of innovative teaching, learning and research solutions for the academic, professional and library markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Learning, serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs – from homework help to health questions to business profiles – in a variety of formats. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.cengage.com.

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January 31st, 2011
CONTACT:
Nathan Curulla
(888) 900-8944
sales@bywatersolutions.com

Macon Public Library of Macon MO. Goes Live on Koha with ByWater Solutions

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

The library's Koha installation went live today and they have partnered with ByWater Solutions for ongoing support services.

Elaine Nuhn, Director of the Macon Public Library, commented on their decision to switch to Koha and ByWater Solutions:

"Macon Public Library began exploring an affordable solution for an integrated library system three years ago. An open source solution is not only affordable, the philosophy behind it matches a public library's mission of sharing and providing knowledge to all. ByWater Solutions offered the most flexible support and help with Koha, the open source solution we chose."

Brendan Gallagher, CEO of ByWater stated: "It is a very exciting time for Koha and open source, and Elaine and the staff of Macon are adopting Koha at the perfect time. The new functionality and usability found in the 3.2 release of Koha will make their day to day processes easier and will act as a benefit to their patrons as well. We are thrilled to have the chance to partner with them!"

Macon Public Library houses over 30,000 bibliographic titles, and their customized online catalog can be found at http://circ.maconlibrary.org/

About Macon Public Library:
Macon Public Library has been serving the Macon, Missouri community in its present location since 1917. Macon Public Library connects patrons with resources and knowledge to enrich, inspire, and empower lifelong learning. For more information please visit: http://www.maconlibrary.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

Contact: Janie Cohen FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Telephone: 856-566-4121
Email: JanieC@LATcorp.com

LAT RELEASES CASE STUDY ON SUCESFULL LAT-STENA IMPLEMENTATION
Economy, Security, Efficiency Are Some Of The Unique Advantages of LAT-Stena For Libraries

SOMERDALE, NJ, January 28, 2011: Library Automation Technologies, Inc. (LAT), a leading provider of automation products for libraries, is pleased to announce an in-depth case study documenting a successful LAT-Stena installation. Analyzing existing security issues, coupled with an overwhelming demand for dispensing media by staff, the case study documents internal decisions made to implement this unique technology in the library.

“LAT-Stena offers unparalleled capability to increase security, improve efficiency and optimize staff performance in dealing with media”, said Oleg Boyarsky, President and CEO of LAT. “LAT-Stena is a ‘game-changing’ technology, and this case study is yet another reason for libraries to consider it.” said Boyarsky.

Despite recent cuts in library budgets, the demand for new and easily accessible optical media content (books, movies, music, games) has been steadily growing in the libraries throughout the country and abroad. LAT-Stena™ is a unique, flexible system designed to maximize security, while simplifying staff handling of dispensing this media to the public. Infinitely expandable to support any capacity media collection, LAT-Stena™ works on existing circulation desk computers, and allows multiple staff simultaneous access to the massive media-store that
LAT-Stena™ offers.

To read the new case study and find out more about LAT-Stena™ system, visit: http://www.latcorp.com/LAT_Stena.htm

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About LAT Inc.,
Library Automation Technologies Inc., (LAT) founded in 2001 has installations in hundreds of libraries throughout the United States. LAT’s innovation earned the firm the coveted “#1 Fastest Growing in South Jersey, 2005” by the Philadelphia Business Journal, as well as a “Finalist in the Family Business of the Year, 2006” award presented by Farleigh Dickinson College. LAT further continues its growth expanding into automation by delivering media dispensing line of products solely dedicated to library operations.

For more information about all of LAT's technologies and products, jump to: www.LATcorp.com