Bethesda, MD -- November 19, 2010. Liblime, a division of PTFS, is pleased to announce that the Bigelow Laboratory and Maine DMR Library and Information Center Library have chosen Koha as their next generation ILS. The Bigelow Laboratory is located in West Boothbay Harbor, Maine and the library went into production use on Koha in late October.
Through a grant from The Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation, the Bigelow Laboratory was able to contract with LibLime for Koha implementation and support services. The Foundation is a private non-profit organization that promotes strengthening and supporting community organizations and people who have fewer resources.
"The goal was to manage and enhance the availability of the library's collection to not only the diverse interest groups in Maine that rely upon the ocean for their livelihood, recreation, and amusement; but to also provide a method by which the rich body of marine research contained within the collection may be shared with the broader global academic community," said Pamela Shephard, Librarian at The Bigelow Laboratory . "The library facility has been in operation since 1974, and has experienced constant growth and increased interest in its collection. Implementation of the Koha system will expand access to the library's collection through an enhanced, web-based catalog."
Following the Koha installation, the LibLime implementation team worked closely with the Bigelow Laboratory staff to complete the system and module configuration; the data migration of bibliographic records, patron records, and current circulation transactions; and the staff and system administration training. Now that the Bigelow Laboratory Library is live on Koha, LibLime provides annual maintenance and hosting support.
"We are happy to include the Bigelow Laboratory as one of our Koha customers", said John Yokley, CEO of PTFS. "It's great to see special libraries like this realize the functional value that Koha can provide them to maintain and promote their unique collections. We expect many more special libraries to follow in Bigelow's footsteps as our Koha customer family continues to expand exponentially."
About Bigelow Laboratory and Maine DMR Library and Information Center
The Bigelow Laboratory and Maine DMR Library and Information Center in West Boothbay Harbor, Maine is a major resource for marine research, including 10,000 books, periodicals, DVDs, and technical publications emphasizing the biological and physical study of the world's oceans. Major strengths of the collection include marine productivity, aquaculture, fishery history, and the commercial species of the Gulf of Maine.
About PTFS and Liblime
LibLime, a division of PTFS, is the global leader in open-source solutions for libraries. Rather than sell software licenses for static, hard-to-customize software products, The PTFS LibLime Division educates libraries about the benefits of open source, enabling them to make choices about how best to provide their communities and staff with better technology services. The PTFS LibLime Division then facilitates deployment of Koha in libraries by providing outstanding consulting, development, implementation, and support/hosting for libraries of all types and sizes. PTFS is also the developer of the world's leading content management software, ArchivalWare, and specializes in meeting library personnel staffing requirements, digitization, and metadata keying services. For more information, see http://liblime.com or http://ptfs.com or http://archivalware.net.