The Alberta Library (TAL), a consortium of 49 public, university, college, technical institute and special libraries, has selected a group catalogue solution from OCLC as its provincial discovery tool. The revamped union catalogue, TAL Online, makes 25 million items available to Albertans, and is scheduled to launch in October 2013.

TAL licensed the group catalogue, powered by OCLC’s WorldCat, using provincial technology funds from the Government of Alberta Public Library Services Branch. TAL Online will serve as the primary resource for residents in Alberta searching for items in libraries throughout the province. Twenty-three new libraries in Alberta are now using OCLC cataloguing services.

The catalogue will enhance resource sharing for Alberta’s provincially licensed e-content by exposing library resources through online search and social media networks. The project takes full advantage of OCLC’s VDX resource sharing management system already licensed for Alberta public libraries. Users will be able to seamlessly request materials discovered in TAL Online from any public or academic library in the province.

“By incorporating OCLC Control Numbers into library records to facilitate deep linking and maintaining our holdings in WorldCat, the catalogue will allow our users to connect to our resources through organic search processes that our users already practice,” said Jason Openo, Alberta Public Library Electronic Network (APLEN).

“WorldCat allows users to search more than 2 billion holdings from the global cooperative’s 20,000 members,” said Daniel Boivin, Executive Director, OCLC Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. “From the WorldCat Facebook application to our partnerships with sites such as Goodreads and DOGObooks, OCLC and its partner organizations collaborate to provide information seekers a variety of paths to discover valuable library resources online.”

WorldCat is the most comprehensive online database of resources available through libraries worldwide. In May 2013, the 2 billionth holding was set through an automated process by TAL member University of Alberta Libraries, in Edmonton. The WorldCat interface is available in 10 languages, including English and French, and search results display nearby holding libraries—closest to furthest from the user.

Mr. Openo will share TAL’s selection process, discuss implementation obstacles and triumphs, and demonstrate how the new catalogue surfaces library collections through social networking sites during his session at the Netspeed 2013 conference in Calgary in October 2013.

9/4/2013
CONTACT:
Nathan Curulla
(888) 900-8944
sales@bywatersolutions.com

Lopez Island Library Chooses ByWater Solutions’ Koha Support

ByWater Solutions, an open source community contributor and America’s forefront provider of Koha support, announced today that Lopez Island Library, of Lopez Island, WA. is now live on their installation of the Koha integrated library system.

ByWater Solutions completed the migration for the Lopez Island Library’s 40,000 plus volumes earlier this year and will be providing ongoing Koha support and hosting services to them. Their custom OPAC can be viewed at http://catalog.lopez.bywatersolutions.com

Brendan Gallagher, CEO of ByWater stated:

“We are thrilled to see so much open source interest in Washington State. We look forward to more and more libraries adopting Koha in this area and are thrilled to have the chance to partner with Lou and the staff of the Lopez Island Library.”

About Lopez Island Library:

The Lopez Island Library serves a population of over 2,000 residents and contains over 43,000 print and electronic records in its catalog. The library offers a wide range of products and services including: Free home delivery if sick or homebound, Return boxes at Islandale & LVM, Remote access to the catalog to place HOLDS & RENEW items. Enter library card number without spaces, Newest DVDs & books, Musical instruments, Pre-loaded eReaders, MP3 players, iPads for check out, Free document & photo scanning, Free use of meeting room, Videoconferencing, Monthly Literary Salon (3rd Tuesday, 7:00), Weekly Storytime, Wednesday 11:00, and Reading programs for children & adults. For more information, please visit: http://www.lopezlibrary.org/aboutus.html

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/

For Immediate Release
For more information, contact:
Thomas Hogan, Jr
Information Today, Inc.
thoganjr@infotoday.com
609-654-6266 Ext. 312

According to a new ProQuest-sponsored report published today by Information Today, the library is going digital at an accelerating pace. In the wake of the downturn of 2009–2010, library budgets have bounced back or are holding steady, led by a return of funding to many community public libraries. However, any new revenues coming in are not going to revive print collections. The emphasis is now overwhelmingly digital, as libraries scramble to meet an ever-increasing demand for digital and online content.

Key findings from the survey include the following:

• Library budgets are bouncing back or holding steady in the wake of several years of a lackluster economy. But budget growth overall has been lukewarm. Public community libraries experienced the largest share of budget increases, while academic libraries have seen little growth. Digital continues to grow as a proportion of content acquisition budgets for all types of libraries.
• Three-fourths of libraries continue to see rising demand for electronic resources, while more move away from print. Close to nine out of 10 public community libraries report seeing demand for ebooks, which leads the way in purchasing intentions.
• Providing technology-based access is now the top priority as libraries redefine their roles as digital knowledge centers. However, these goals continue to clash with tight budgets, which makes selecting and maintaining platforms and skills an ongoing challenge.

Titled “Libraries: At the Epicenter of the Digital Disruption,” the report is sponsored by ProQuest and conducted by the Library Resource Guide in conjunction with Unisphere Research. The report analyzes responses from 796 library directors, administrators, managers and librarians and reveals current spending patterns for public, academic, and special libraries. It also provides projections for budgets and spending trends for 2013 and 2014. The report is segmented into three main reporting sections:

1. Library Finances: Public Libraries Regroup
2. Library Technologies and Services: Ebooks on the Rise
3. Library Strategies: Redefining Mission for the Digital Age

Reporting is broken down by library segment and includes three years of comparative data. “It’s a unique resource for library budgeting and planning as well an indispensible look at the trends in the library market.” says Thomas Hogan Jr, President of Unisphere Research.

There is no charge to download the full report. Simply register and download the report at http://www.libraryresource.com/Downloads/ResearchReports.

About Library Resource Guide, Unisphere Research, and Information Today, Inc.

The Library Resource Guide and Unisphere Research are divisions of Information Today, Inc. (www.infotoday.com), a diversified media company that provides independent editorial content and peer-based market research to targeted communities through its own print and electronic media, and custom and contract publishing. Unisphere Research, the company's market research unit, conducts proprietary and custom research projects related to technology in various markets. Unisphere has pioneered user group-based research and has built its editorial products in conjunction with its user community-based market insight.

About ProQuest (www.proquest.com)
ProQuest connects people with vetted, reliable information. Key to serious research, the company’s products are a gateway to the world’s knowledge including dissertations, governmental and cultural archives, news, historical collections and e-books. ProQuest technologies serve users across the critical points in research, helping them discover, access, share, create and manage information.

The company’s cloud-based technologies offer flexible solutions for librarians, students and researchers through the ProQuest®, Bowker®, Dialog®, ebrary®, EBL® and Serials Solutions® businesses – and notable research tools such as the Summon® discovery service, RefWorks Flow™, Pivot™ and Intota®, a new library services platform. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices around the world.

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Boston College High School has discovered the benefits that come with using EBSCO Discovery Service™. The library chose EDS for its responsive web design, mobile accessibility and easy-to-use platform and implemented some the customized features available. The discovery layer was quickly embraced by students, who even applauded after presentations of the resource's functionality.

The release is below and can also be found online at: http://www.prweb.com/releases/EDS/BCHigh/prweb11079251.htm or on the EBSCO website at: http://www.ebscohost.com/newsroom/stories/boston-college-high-school.

Boston College High School Selects EBSCO Discovery Service™
~ EBSCO Discovery Service’s Easy-to-Use Platform Draws Applause from Students ~

IPSWICH, Mass. — September, 3, 2013 — Boston College High School has chosen EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) from EBSCO Information Services as the basis for their library resource Corcoran One Search. After looking at several services, the librarians found that EDS had many highly desirable features including responsive web design, mobile accessibility and an
easy-to-use discovery layer platform for students.

As recipient of the 2013 ALA Cutting Edge Technology Award, Boston College High School was looking for approaches that used responsive web design to ‘meet students where they are.’ According to Boston College High School Library Director, Tia Esposito, EDS was the next logical step. “Using EDS and providing our students with a single search option, gives our students an edge, and allows them to keep pace with the fast-moving trend in e-books, online databases, and other digital learning tools right from their phone in a single search. It’s just what they were looking for.”

EBSCO Discovery Service has continued to grow in popularity across the Boston College High School campus due to its ease of use and many unique features such as the AP news updates and Twitter feeds conveniently located on the side bar of the screen. Esposito says, “The feedback from our faculty and students has been extremely positive, some of the classes I presented this new service to found the students so excited by the new ease of use of our library resources that the students actually applauded.”

Boston College High School has also implemented many of the customization features including branding the EDS layout and adding links to their other library pages — making the search experience truly unique for its users.

EBSCO Discovery Service creates a unified, customized index of an institution’s information resources, and an easy, yet powerful means of accessing all of that content from a single search box-searching made even more powerful because of the quality of metadata and depth and breadth of coverage.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading provider of resources for libraries worldwide including EBSCONET®, EBSCO’s total e-resource management system, and EBSCOhost®, the world's premier for-fee online research service, including full-text databases, subject indexes, point-of-care medical reference, historical digital archives and e-books. EBSCO provides more than 375 research databases and nearly 450,000 e-books plus subscription management services for 355,000 e-journals and e-journal packages. Through a library of tens of thousands of full-text journals and magazines from renowned publishers, EBSCO serves the content needs of all researchers (Academic, Medical, K-12, Public Library, Corporate, Government, etc.). EBSCO is also the provider of EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS), which provides each institution with a fast, single search box for its entire collection, offering deeper indexing and more full-text searching of journals and magazines than any other discovery service. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO 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
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com