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

2/8/2018
CONTACT:
Nathan Curulla
(888) 900-8944
sales@bywatersolutions.com

The Curry County Library Network Goes Live on ByWater Solutions Koha Support

ByWater Solutions, an open source community contributor and America's forefront provider of Koha support, announced today that the Curry County Library Network, of Curry County, Oregon. is now live on Koha with ByWater Solutions! ByWater completed the transition of the library's 170,000 plus holdings from TLC to the already existing and ByWater supported Coos County Library System Catalog. The library network's five libraries joined the Coos County shared catalog, bringing the total number of libraries up to 17 and the total number of combined holdings to over 500,000. The library's customized Koha OPAC can be viewed at: http://catalog.cclsd.org/

About the Curry County Library Network:
The Curry County Library Network (CCLN) is a consortium of five library districts in Curry County, Oregon governed by the five library directors. The libraries include; Agness Community Library District, Chetco Community Library District (Brookings), Curry Public Library District (Gold Beach), Langlois Public Library District, and Port Orford Public Library District. CCLN pools its resources to provide reciprocal borrowing privileges, free interlibrary loan between Curry County libraries, cooperative programming, shared network infrastructure and cooperative staff training and development. For more information please visit:   http://www.currypubliclibrary.org/about-cpl/ccln/

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, HTML5, 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 Koha 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 for Koha support 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/

California State Library increases funding in Career Online High School to help residents earn a high school diploma

SACRAMENTO, Calif. and FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – February 7, 2018 – The California State Library is expanding its partnership with Gale, a Cengage company, signing a three-year agreement to continue and broaden its Career Online High School Program, which since 2015 has enabled California public libraries to offer qualified residents the opportunity to earn a free, accredited high school diploma.

Based on the successes experienced by the 46 library jurisdictions currently participating in Career Online High School, the state of California tripled the amount of funding previously invested, allowing the State Library to purchase an additional 2,603 scholarships to sustain and expand the program.

“Investing more funds in this program was an easy decision when you look at the life-changing impact it’s had on residents accomplishing their education and career goals, and how public libraries are making that happen,” said Greg Lucas, California’s State Librarian.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 5.3 million Californians age 18 or older do not have a high school diploma or equivalency[i]. Currently, more than 1,000 adults are enrolled in California’s Career Online High School program and over 400 adults have graduated from the Program through local public libraries.

View or download the California high school dropout infographic, here: http://bit.ly/2ElG5YC.

“I wanted to finish high school to set a good example for my children. I also wanted to do it for me,” said Shannon Alvarado, who graduated through Los Angeles Public Library. “This program has given me the tools needed to prepare a resume. It has also made me want to further my education. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to get my high school diploma!”

With Career Online High School, California residents can:

• Earn an accredited high school diploma and workforce certificate in one of eight trade areas, ranging from protection officer to customer service to commercial driving.

• Take classes online, with the flexibility of 24/7 access to classwork, with up to 18 months to complete the program.

• Be supported by certified instructors and an academic coach to help them succeed.

• Complete the program sooner by transferring previously earned high school credits.

• Gain career readiness with a career portfolio including a resume, a cover letter and job preparation support.

“The success of California’s Career Online High School Program is a great example of how public libraries are empowering learning within the community and changing lives,” said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale. “We applaud the state of California’s investment in public libraries as hubs for community education and economic development. We are honored to be a trusted partner and are thrilled to continue providing their public libraries with educational and career resources to help California residents earn a high school diploma and achieve their dreams.”

California residents interested in learning more about the program or would like to view the list of libraries that offer the program can visit: http://www.careeronlinehs.gale.com/ca/.

Gale will be showcasing Career Online High School at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Denver, February 9-12 at the Gale booth #1508.

About Career Online High School
Career Online High School was developed in 2012 through a partnership by ed2go, a division of Cengage that provides students with online continuing education and career training, and Smart Horizons Career Online Education in an effort to provide affordable, career-based online education opportunities for the millions of adults in the United States without high school diplomas. In 2014, the program was adapted for the public library market by Gale, a Cengage company.

About Cengage and Gale
Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. The company serves the higher education, K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, a Cengage company, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 60 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when, and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.

Follow Gale on:
• Twitter - @galecengage
• Gale Blog - http://blog.gale.com/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GaleCengage/

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[i] U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

DULUTH, Ga., Feb. 6, 2018 -- Equinox is pleased to announce that they have successfully migrated the Huntingdon County Library to Evergreen within the PaILS SPARK Consortium.

Huntingdon County Library has been serving its community since it was founded in 1935. Their migration at the beginning of January included 5,820 patrons and 41,897 bibliographic records. In addition to the migration, Equinox collaborated with the PaILS SPARK Consortium and Huntingdon County Library to provide deduplication of bibliographic records as well as training, project management and software configuration services.

"Migrating an ILS system can be very challenging for both library staff and for library patrons,” said Lisa Erickson, Executive Director of the Huntingdon County Library.
“The staff at Equinox, as well as those at the PaILS SPARK Consortium, have been great to work with. They've helped with training, troubleshooting, and making sure that our system is working exactly as we need it to. They have provided the expertise to handle all of the details that go into a migration.”

The Pennsylvania Integrated Library System, (PaILS) was founded in June 2011 as a non-profit organization to provide a open source integrated library system. It oversees SPARK, a consortia of Evergreen libraries across Pennsylvania. Equinox and PaILS have been collaborating on the SPARK consortia since 2013.

"I always enjoy the opportunity to assist with library migrations to SPARK. The Huntington migration was particularly special to me, because it was my first full migration performed on the Web Client. It was a pleasure working with the Huntington staff, and they were the perfect group to work with for this transition to the Web Client,” said Erica Rohlfs, project manager for Equinox.

About Equinox Open Library Initiative
Equinox Open Library Initiative Inc. is a nonprofit company engaging in literary, charitable, and educational endeavors serving cultural and knowledge institutions. As the successor to Equinox Software, Inc., the Initiative carries forward a decade of service and experience with Evergreen and other open source library software. At Equinox OLI we help you empower your library with open source technologies. To learn more, please visit https://www.equinoxinitiative.org/.

About Evergreen
Evergreen is an award-winning ILS developed to provide an open source product able to meet the diverse needs of consortia and high transaction public libraries. However, it has proven to be equally successful in smaller installations including special and academic libraries. Today, over 1500 libraries around the world are using Evergreen including NC Cardinal, SC Lends, and B.C. Sitka. For more information about Evergreen, including a list of all known Evergreen installations, see http://evergreen-ils.org.

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~ $10,000 Development Awards will go to up to Eight Winners ~

IPSWICH, Mass. — February 6, 2018 — The American Library Association (ALA) is now accepting submissions for the John Cotton Dana Awards (JCD). The John Cotton Dana Awards are managed by the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) division of ALA and honor outstanding library public relations.

Each year, up to eight $10,000 awards are granted by the H.W. Wilson Foundation. The H.W. Wilson Foundation was established in 1952 by Halsey W. Wilson, founder of The H.W. Wilson Company. Since 1957, they have supported scholarship grants to all library schools accredited by the American Library Association in the United States and Canada. The John Cotton Dana Awards will be presented to winners at an ALA-Annual awards ceremony, sponsored by ALA and EBSCO Information Services.

Applications for the 2018 John Cotton Dana Awards are to be submitted electronically and received by March 16, 2018. More information, including entry documents, can be found at: https://www.ebsco.com/about/scholarship-awards/john-cotton-dana

Libraries of all types and sizes are encouraged to submit entries for the 2018 John Cotton Dana Awards. Each entry should represent a strategic communications campaign from the past year and examples of past campaigns that have included rebranding efforts, promotion of archives and special collections, awareness campaigns, community partnerships and special events. Entries may be submitted by any library, Friends group, consulting agency or service provider, unless they are represented on the JCD Committee.

Entries for the JCD Award are organized around needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. Entrants are asked to submit documentation to show the scope and effectiveness of their campaign. Examples of these documents may include initial assessments and research, processes for implementation, goals met, creative output, media releases, media coverage and other metrics that establish results.

About the John Cotton Dana Award
The John Cotton Dana Award was inaugurated at the 1946 annual conference of the American Library Association. It was named after John Cotton Dana (1856-1929), a librarian called the father of the modern library.

About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 10,000 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 800,000 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