6/21/2012
CONTACT:
Nathan Curulla
(888) 900-8944
sales@bywatersolutions.com

Bethlehem Public Library Goes Live on Koha with ByWater Solutions

ByWater Solutions, an open source community supporter and the U.S.’ forefront provider of Koha (www.koha-community.org) support, announced today that Bethlehem Public Library in Bethlehem, Connecticut is now live on their installation of the Koha integrated library system.

ByWater Solutions completed their migration in early June and will be providing ongoing support and hosting services for them.

Bethlehem Public Library has a collection of 22,000 books, 700 movies, and several hundred music CDs, audio books and magazines. The Bethlehem Public Library customized online catalog can be viewed here: http://catalog.bethlehem.bywatersolutions.com/

Anne Small, Library Director spoke about Bethlehem’s migration and go live experience:

“For a small library to transfer from an out-dated paper system to an ILS seemed daunting until Nate demonstrated that ByWater Solutions could assist us every step of the way. As soon as our MARC records were in place, Ed’s training opened up possibilities we had only envisioned. The trustees, staff, Friends of the Library and patrons are all delighted that ByWater Solutions provides an affordable way to bring our library into the 21st century. The lack of trained IT specialists on staff has not hindered our progress, and we are grateful for the 24/7 support to answer our questions.”

Nathan Curulla, Co-Owner of ByWater commented on the new partnership:

“Having grown up in the town next to Bethlehem it is a real thrill to have the opportunity to partner with Anne and the staff of the Public Library. The willingness to learn and excitement that Anne, Diane, and Yvonne have shown throughout the process of automating their system reminds me why I love what I do so much. The patrons of the library showed the same amount of enthusiasm as the staff on their go-live day,  and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to be there in person for the unveiling of Koha. We look forward to a long and productive relationship with the Bethlehem Public Library, its Staff and its Patrons!”

About Bethlehem Public Library:
The Bethlehem Public Library, established in 1900, is located at 32 Main Street South, in the heart of town. The present home, a classic brick structure, was dedicated in June 1969. More than 18,000 items are loaned annually from the collection of 22,000 books, 700 movies, and several hundred music CDs, plus audio books and magazines. Borrowers have access to interlibrary loans, computers and wireless internet, fax and copier service, discounted museum passes and a number of library programs designed to interest different ages. For more information about Bethlehem Public Library please visit: http://www.bethlehemlibraryct.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://koha-community.org/

About ByWater Solutions:
ByWater Solutions is a full service, high quality support and implementation company dedicated to providing libraries with a lower cost, more advanced level of support for their ILS than a traditional proprietary solution can offer. ByWater Solutions has a proven track record in first rate Koha implementation and support with library systems of all sizes. Our highly ranked, comprehensive support is what sets our company apart from any other vendor in the industry. Partnering with ByWater Solutions to support Koha not only lowers the cost of implementing and maintaining an ILS, but more importantly empowers libraries by giving them the flexibility and freedom they deserve. For more information please visit: http://bywatersolutions.com/