~ Three $100,000 Grants Available for Libraries Looking to Go Green ~

IPSWICH, Mass. — February 9, 2018 — EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) will continue its commitment to helping libraries with sustainability efforts by bringing back an enhanced version of its EBSCO Solar grant program for 2018. As part of the EBSCO Solar initiative, EBSCO is soliciting grant applications to give libraries the opportunity to “go green” by funding solar installations. EBSCO has expanded the program for 2018 and is making three $100,000 grants available to applicants.

The grants will allow winning libraries to reduce their utilities expenses and install a solar array at their institution. After seeing the benefits of “going green” on its own campus, EBSCO introduced the EBSCO Solar grant program so libraries interested in adding their own solar arrays can do so. Since 2016, EBSCO has given libraries more than $350,000 in grant money.

In 2017, EBSCO received 90 submissions from 15 countries. Indian Trails Public Library District in Wheeling, Illinois, and Athens-Clarke County Library in Athens, Georgia, were each awarded $100,000 last year. Both libraries expect to install their array in 2018. The 2016 winner, Austin Community College District’s Highland Campus, completed their installation in September 2017.

EBSCO Information Services President Tim Collins says institutions benefit from reducing their carbon footprint in ways beyond saving money. “We have seen tremendous benefits by focusing on environmental responsibility — employees appreciate our efforts, we are able to do the right thing for our planet and support alternative energies and we can serve as an example to companies wondering if they can make a difference. The EBSCO Solar Grant program allows libraries to benefit from green technologies and to serve as examples in their communities.”

Interested libraries are encouraged to submit questions until March 16th. Submissions are due by April 30th, and the winner will be announced on June 22nd, 2018, both online and at ALA-Annual. More information is available on the EBSCO Solar webpage at www.ebsco.com/solar, including the timeline, where to submit questions, a link to the submission form and FAQs.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 11,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 900,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family owned company since 1944.
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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com

Open source project grows rapidly with more than 20 organizations contributing globally

PHILADELPHIA — February 9, 2018 — FOLIO begins 2018 reaching a variety of notable development milestones. The open source project is dedicated to providing libraries of all sizes with choice when selecting a library services platform (LSP) or building library services beyond traditional functionality to expand their reach with their institution. Development milestones and the expansion of the FOLIO Community point to the project reaching a critical mass in 2018.
The FOLIO project is a community collaboration of libraries, vendors and developers who have come together to reimagine library technology from the ground up. The platform provides libraries with core functionality including circulation, acquisitions, cataloging and reporting, and is extensible to facilitate rapid innovation of new library service. Built on a microservices architecture, the FOLIO platform ensures that components can be readily developed or replaced as technologies and requirements evolve.
Texas A&M University Libraries Dean David Carlson said the growth of FOLIO is exciting — and tangible. “The development and design effort is an unprecedented combination of contributions from vendors, developers, and libraries working together in genuine ‘hard-fought’ partnership. When you add them all up there are seven development teams with a total of more than 60 developers working on FOLIO. But FOLIO is more than just software. FOLIO will be a responsive, library-centric product and the focus on services and usability is led by nearly 150 subject matter experts from more than 15 libraries and library consortia are participating, 11 of which are Open Library Environment (OLE) partner libraries. In particular, the libraries in the Open Library Environment (OLE) are strategic partners. We are all excited to be working with EBSCO, IndexData and our other partners to achieve the FOLIO beta release in July 2018.”
Sebastian Hammer from Index Data says that FOLIO represents a new mode of collaboration between vendors and librarians and a vision of innovation and choice. “At the beginning of 2017, we were developing the very first app on the FOLIO platform. A year later, we have multiple teams comprised of participants from even more organizations, all working towards a common goal. It is inspiring.” With more than 10 organizations located across four continents planning to offer services, the FOLIO ecosystem is already gearing up to provide global support for academic libraries.
FOLIO Product Manager Harry Kaplanian of EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) said support for unified resource management was achieved in the first early 2018 release. “Search and management of print and electronic resources, held both locally and in remote knowledge bases, is enabled by FOLIO’s unique Codex technology providing flexible support for disparate data sources.” Circulation functionality for check in/check out, requests and loan history, user management support including permission management, user import and SSO functionality, and critical product infrastructure for localization and accessibility are now operational in the FOLIO platform.
Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden is the first EBSCO beta partner intending to prove FOLIO’s ability to satisfy traditional resource management requirements while allowing for extensibility into new services based on a vibrant new technology ecosystem for libraries. Chalmers University Head of the Department of Communication and Learning in Science and Library Director, Daniel Forsman said FOLIO opens up opportunities for libraries. “FOLIO’s microservices architecture will support our need for rapid innovation while the open platform protects against getting locked into another costly and bloated monolithic vendor-specific library system.” This commitment is shared by a growing contingent of libraries, with additional FOLIO beta partners to be announced in the coming weeks.

About FOLIO
FOLIO is a collaborative effort among libraries, vendors, developers and consortia that leverages open source technology and a community-based effort to redefine library services and innovate based on library futures. By building on what libraries need and by leveraging library expertise as well as vendor capacity and velocity, FOLIO is designed to move libraries forward, build on the services they provide and redefine the role libraries play within their institution. FOLIO also levels the playing field and makes open source technology available to all institutions regardless of size or staffing. FOLIO brings vendors together to innovate and host services for customers and introduces open source as a service to libraries. To sign up to participate or receive more information go to www.folio.org.
About the Open Library Foundation
The Open Library Foundation is a not-for-profit where the library community can organize, contribute to and sustain the output of open source projects. The Open Library Foundation supports open collaboration and ensures that these projects can sustain their operations and the availability of their output. The Open Library Foundation uses an Apache v2 license to ensure the widest availability of the code for use and reuse. Find out more at www.openlibraryfoundation.org.
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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy, Media Relations, FOLIO
kathleen@folio.org
978 223-0438