Emeryville, CA—Innovative Interfaces, the leader in information technology for libraries, presented the 2003 Be Innovative! Awards at the recent Innovative Users Group conference in San Jose, California. The awards were given during the meeting's all-conference lunch, which was attended by approximately 1,200 Innovative customers. They honored best practices and innovations by libraries using the Innovative library system.
The winners were:
Most Innovative Web OPAC: Westerville Public Library, represented by Tanya Taylor. Westerville made extensive customizations to their catalog using many of Innovative's tools as well as devising some of their own. The color selections, custom graphics, and overall design makes the catalog visually appealing; it also dovetails beautifully with the library's Web site and branding. (http://catalog.wpl.lib.oh.us/search)
Most Innovative Use of INN-Reach: OhioLINK, represented by Anita Cook. The vision of an effective statewide resource sharing system and partnership with Innovative led to the development of INN-Reach (Innovative's unique direct consortial borrowing system for resource sharing). Staff at the Ohio Library and Information Network strive to keep their INN-Reach catalog of more than 8.4 million unique bibliographic records as a central resource for faculty, students, and staff of OhioLINK's 83 institutions. Online borrowing continues to grow. The creation of multiple links both to and from the catalog encourages heavy use of this valuable resource. (http://olc1.ohiolink.edu)
Most Innovative Use of Staff Modules: University of Ballarat, represented by Kevin Jewell. Ballarat created an adaptation of capacitive touch screen technology in conjunction with Millennium Circulation. They have incorporated touch screen monitors to make the checkin desk more efficient and more ergonomic. (http://www.ballarat.edu.au/library)
Most Innovative Training Program: Tri-College Consortium, represented by Job Mark Bolthouse of Bryn Mawr College. The Tri-Colleges (Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore) received its award for “Check it Out: An Interactive Tutorial for Millennium Circulation. This online tutorial teaches students and staff the various functions within the module as well as policy and procedure. Each instruction part is followed up by an interactive practice exercise. (www.brynmawr.edu/Library; www.swarthmore.edu/Library; www.haverford.edu/library).
Jerry Kline, Chairman and CEO of Innovative, noted, “In thousands of libraries around the world, our systems are being put to innovative uses. It is important to recognize these best practices and share the many ideas within our community. Congratulations to all of this year's winners!”
