February 23, 2011 -- Emeryville, CA. Arlington Public Library and Arlington Public Schools in Arlington, VA are now live with the Encore discovery services platform, Millennium ILS, and a full-suite of software from Innovative. In a joint decision to continue a partnership that goes back more than a decade, each institution has implemented an independent Millennium and Encore installation. Both institutions are migrating from CARL.X and AquaBrowser systems. This upgrade of library technology allows both the Arlington Public Library and Arlington Public Schools to better present a uniform interface to the patrons and students of Arlington County.
Arlington Public Library serves a community of over 200,000 people and circulates well above 3 million items each year. "Encore's 'Did You Mean?' functionality was really impressive, along with the kind of Google-type features our community is familiar with," says Library Materials and Technology Chief Maureen Karl. "We also appreciate the accuracy and precision offered by Encore's new advanced search features for both library staff and library users." The Library has also selected Innovative's Content Pro digital collections solution, which will act as a portal for its local history collection. As a state-of-the art digital asset management system, Content Pro will allow patrons to easily browse through their local history, and allow metadata to be harvested into Encore for easy discovery along side of books and other library materials.
Millennium will provide the backbone for library operations. "It was the whole package of discovery and management that was ultimately attractive," Karl says. "Millennium will provide the staff with simple library management tools including easy Web report-creation." Arlington Public Library has also purchased patron-empowerment products such as SMS Alerts for text-messaging of holds and Ecommerce for online fine payment, further extending the convenience of the Library to their patrons.
Arlington Public Schools serves over 21,000 Pre-K through 12th-grade students and offers 35 library programs across the district. With Encore, students will enjoy simple discovery of their local collection and district-wide materials. "We're able to deploy the Encore search box at each school," says Charlie Makela, Schools Supervisor of Library Services. "We love the fact that students can have an analogous experience with Encore that they have elsewhere on the Web and with other search environments. We will also be rolling out the Community Reviews feature to our older students this year, giving them the ability to further participate in our Library community."
About Arlington Public Library
The Arlington Public Library system is made up of seven branches and Central Library. It is committed to building a sustainable community for every Arlingtonian and beyond by providing information, promoting the pleasure of reading, and providing welcoming facilities for learning and discourse—on any subject, delivered in a variety of ways, at any time. More Arlington Public Library transactions take place online than at any location except Central Library.
About Arlington Public Schools
Arlington Public Schools aims to teach all students a broad body of knowledge, effective communication skills, a rational system of thought, and use of their individual creativity. It is a diverse and inclusive school community, committed to academic excellence and integrity, providing instruction in a caring, safe and healthy learning environment, responsive to each student, in collaboration with families and the community.
AquaBrowser is a registered trademark of Serials Solutions. Carl.X is a trademark of The Library Corporation.
