Beaufort County Library, South Carolina, has recently installed Bibliotheca's new PC and print management library system, alps, to increase the services offered to patrons and improve library efficiencies.
alps, a web-based PC reservation and print management system, is the latest offering from Bibliotheca and has been developed through a partnership with UK software specialists, Lorensbergs. The software, which is powered by Lorensbergs' PC booking solution, netloan, is the first of its kind to be offered to the US market and is installed on over 33,000 PCs around the world.
The installation, which has been fully integrated with the library's Evergreen ILS, has seen the software rolled out on 11 PCs within the Beaufort Branch Library and will be installed on a further 93 PCs over the coming months – covering the entire library system.
Wlodek Zaryczny, Director of Libraries at Beaufort County Library, commented: "Our public and staff are looking forward to the new alps software and the services it offers. We are excited to see how the solution can save time and promote self-sufficiency within the library. Having the latest in PC and Print management technology is just awesome; it shows that our public libraries are "with it"".
The software is designed exclusively for libraries and provides patrons with a simple way of checking PC availability, scheduling computer access and managing the release of their own print jobs. With the ability to support over 30 ILS / LMS systems, patrons benefit further by needing just one single library card to access the full service software.
Allowing patrons to manage their own PC and print resources reduces the need for staff assistance, meaning staff are freed up to undertake other duties. Furthermore, alps can also be used by staff members to control a number of wider functions, such as remotely shutting PCs down at the end of the day and monitoring PC usage.
One of the significant benefits of the new offering from Bibliotheca is that in addition to being used on library PCs, the software can also be installed on all Bibliotheca smartserve kiosks - fully integrating with the company's liber8 self-service software. Bibliotheca is also introducing the smartserve 410, a dedicated PC reservation and print management kiosk with integrated payment station. The smartserve 410 is a plug and play solution for libraries and serves as the central web-based server for all library PCs running alps.
Al Coalla, Bibliotheca's President of North America adds: "The launch of our new PC reservation and print management software will allow our customers to offer their patrons a more streamlined process and make better use of their time and resources. Being the only web-based system of its type, we are thrilled to have worked with Lorensbergs to bring such an innovative solution to the US market. We are really excited about the first alps installation at Beaufort County Library and hope we have the opportunity to continue to work with them to offer a more dedicated service to their patrons".
To celebrate the launch of alps Bibliotheca is giving away 10 free annual subscriptions of the software to 10 libraries. Enter to win by attending an online alps demo. Sign up here.
About Bibliotheca
Bibliotheca is the world's largest company dedicated to the development, deployment and support of library technology solutions, designed to improve operational efficiency and enhance customer service. We focus on public, private and academic library markets. Our reach extends across the globe, with direct operational offices in North America, Europe and Australia, together with a range of distributors covering Asia, Africa and Latin America. We are proud to work with over 3,500 unique library sites with a deployed equipment range in excess of 5,000 individual self-service units and over 100 automated materials handling (sorter) systems. In satisfying this range of customers, Bibliotheca has deployed well over 200 million RFID labels to the library sector alone, and continues to supply in excess of 50 million each year.
