11/10/2011
CONTACT:
Nathan Curulla
(888) 900-8944
sales@bywatersolutions.com

Hernando County Public Library Goes Live on Koha with ByWater Solutions

ByWater Solutions, an open source community supporter and official Koha support company, announced today that the Hernando County Library, of Brooksville FL. is now live on their installation of the Koha integrated library system.

The Library's Koha installation went live in late September, and ByWater Solutions will be providing ongoing support and hosting services for them.

The Hernando County Library is made up of one main library and four branches, which house a collection of over 250,000 books, videos, periodicals and electronic resources.

Adam Brooks, Library Services Manager at Hernando County, commented on their decision to switch to Koha with ByWater:

"Here at Hernando County Public Library we had the luxury of having had some previous experience (mine) in using the Koha product through another vendor. Cost and functionality were our primary reasons for deciding to change from our proprietary ILS. We will save a considerable amount annually by switching products, and have found that our work processes have been streamlined significantly. As for ByWater Solutions, their reputation for customer service and their effectiveness in helping us to simplify the migration process were invaluable, and we couldn’t be happier with our vendor selection."

Brendan Gallagher, CEO of ByWater stated; " We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Adam and the staff of the Hernando County Libraries! It is exciting to see more and more Florida libraries adopting an open source solution and we are excited to have the chance to offer services that will benefit both their staff and patrons going forward."

The Hernando County Public Library's customized online catalog can be viewed at: http://catalog.hcpl.bywatersolutions.com/

About Hernando County Public Library:
The Hernando County Public Library System is an innovative center for lifelong community enrichment, education, and entertainment providing quality resources and services in a welcoming, customer friendly environment. The Hernando County Public Library System will be the dynamic, constantly evolving center of our community by embracing the wisdom of the past, the technologies of the future, and the needs and contributions of our customers. For more information, please visit: http://www.hcpl.lib.fl.us/

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, top ranked 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

11/10/2011
CONTACT:
Nathan Curulla
(888) 900-8944
sales@bywatersolutions.com

Hernando County Public Library Goes Live on Koha with ByWater Solutions

ByWater Solutions, an open source community supporter and official Koha support company, announced today that the Hernando County Library, of Brooksville FL. is now live on their installation of the Koha integrated library system.

The Library's Koha installation went live in late September, and ByWater Solutions will be providing ongoing support and hosting services for them.

The Hernando County Library is made up of one main library and four branches, which house a collection of over 250,000 books, videos, periodicals and electronic resources.

Adam Brooks, Library Services Manager at Hernando County, commented on their decision to switch to Koha with ByWater:

"Here at Hernando County Public Library we had the luxury of having had some previous experience (mine) in using the Koha product through another vendor. Cost and functionality were our primary reasons for deciding to change from our proprietary ILS. We will save a considerable amount annually by switching products, and have found that our work processes have been streamlined significantly. As for ByWater Solutions, their reputation for customer service and their effectiveness in helping us to simplify the migration process were invaluable, and we couldn’t be happier with our vendor selection."

Brendan Gallagher, CEO of ByWater stated; " We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Adam and the staff of the Hernando County Libraries! It is exciting to see more and more Florida libraries adopting an open source solution and we are excited to have the chance to offer services that will benefit both their staff and patrons going forward."

The Hernando County Public Library's customized online catalog can be viewed at: http://catalog.hcpl.bywatersolutions.com/

About Hernando County Public Library:
The Hernando County Public Library System is an innovative center for lifelong community enrichment, education, and entertainment providing quality resources and services in a welcoming, customer friendly environment. The Hernando County Public Library System will be the dynamic, constantly evolving center of our community by embracing the wisdom of the past, the technologies of the future, and the needs and contributions of our customers. For more information, please visit: http://www.hcpl.lib.fl.us/

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, top ranked 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

New Resource Provides Information to Empower Citizens to
Become Active Participants in all Levels of Government

Farmington Hills, Mich., November 9, 2011 — Gale, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of research and reference resources for libraries, schools and businesses, today announced MyGovernmentTM, an online subscription-based resource that provides essential information on United States elected officials, candidates and their key issues, and information on how our government functions. It is produced by KnowWho, Inc. and distributed by Gale to the library market.

MyGovernmentTM provides detailed information on United States political representatives at the federal, state and local levels. It enables users to easily locate, research and contact their elected officials, as well as access background and biographical data, committee assignments, photos, news articles and even campaign contribution sources. MyGovernmentTM also includes a basic guide to U.S. government – including how laws are made in Congress, information on becoming a U.S. citizen, voter information, useful links and websites for additional information and more. It is the only resource that teaches users how government works and brings together and organizes the information needed to become a well-informed voter.

“Much of the political information available online is scattered across multiple websites, and it’s often hard to determine whether the information is neutral or non-partisan,” said Gerald Sawchuk, publisher, public library solutions, Gale. “With MyGovernmentTM users can find access to all the information they need from a trusted source. The product’s best feature is that it is very easy to use, unlike most government resources and related web sites. The easy-to-use format makes it simple for citizens to understand and participate in their government.”

Whether users are looking to get a better understanding of government or researching a candidate before casting a vote in their next election, MyGovernmentTM can meet their needs. It enables users to find the Who, What and Where of government:
• Who – Search elected representatives by name, or browse a comprehensive directory of legislative chambers, Federal or State government, or individual counties and their associated municipalities
• What – Search for legislators that sit on committees, or executives that work in departments that deal directly with specific issues
• Where – Enter in their zip code and find the elected officials who represent them in government – from the White House to their local municipality

A Spanish user interface will be available for MyGovernmentTM by the end of the year, as well as a web based reporting tool for librarians. Information on 2012 presidential candidates and campaign finance applets will be available by April 2012, as the election primaries begin and candidates appear on the ballots.

For more information on MyGovernmentTM or to request a trial, please visit www.gale.cengage.com/mygovernment or contact Kristina Massari at kristina.massari@cengage.com.

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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New Resource Provides Information to Empower Citizens to
Become Active Participants in all Levels of Government

Farmington Hills, Mich., November 9, 2011 — Gale, part of Cengage Learning and a leading publisher of research and reference resources for libraries, schools and businesses, today announced MyGovernmentTM, an online subscription-based resource that provides essential information on United States elected officials, candidates and their key issues, and information on how our government functions. It is produced by KnowWho, Inc. and distributed by Gale to the library market.

MyGovernmentTM provides detailed information on United States political representatives at the federal, state and local levels. It enables users to easily locate, research and contact their elected officials, as well as access background and biographical data, committee assignments, photos, news articles and even campaign contribution sources. MyGovernmentTM also includes a basic guide to U.S. government – including how laws are made in Congress, information on becoming a U.S. citizen, voter information, useful links and websites for additional information and more. It is the only resource that teaches users how government works and brings together and organizes the information needed to become a well-informed voter.

“Much of the political information available online is scattered across multiple websites, and it’s often hard to determine whether the information is neutral or non-partisan,” said Gerald Sawchuk, publisher, public library solutions, Gale. “With MyGovernmentTM users can find access to all the information they need from a trusted source. The product’s best feature is that it is very easy to use, unlike most government resources and related web sites. The easy-to-use format makes it simple for citizens to understand and participate in their government.”

Whether users are looking to get a better understanding of government or researching a candidate before casting a vote in their next election, MyGovernmentTM can meet their needs. It enables users to find the Who, What and Where of government:
• Who – Search elected representatives by name, or browse a comprehensive directory of legislative chambers, Federal or State government, or individual counties and their associated municipalities
• What – Search for legislators that sit on committees, or executives that work in departments that deal directly with specific issues
• Where – Enter in their zip code and find the elected officials who represent them in government – from the White House to their local municipality

A Spanish user interface will be available for MyGovernmentTM by the end of the year, as well as a web based reporting tool for librarians. Information on 2012 presidential candidates and campaign finance applets will be available by April 2012, as the election primaries begin and candidates appear on the ballots.

For more information on MyGovernmentTM or to request a trial, please visit www.gale.cengage.com/mygovernment or contact Kristina Massari at kristina.massari@cengage.com.

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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