INWOOD, WV, May 1, 2001 The Library Corporation (TLC) -- a recognized innovator in library automation technology -- and its recently acquired partner company, CARL Corporation, today jointly announced that the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library (AFPL), a major metropolitan library system, has selected CARL's Information Management & Delivery System (IMDS) to fully automate its entire library system.
The purchase represents an upgrade from an existing CARL automation solution, following a consultant study in March of 2000, a thorough examination of the market and the development of a strategic plan by the Board of Trustees of the Library.
Terms of the contract call for the installation of a completely integrated system including hardware, software, installation, training, project management, and authority control processing.
Software solutions from TLC/CARL to be utilized by patrons include: CARLweb public access catalog (PAC); Kid's Catalog Web enabling young readers to more easily search catalogs and the web; WebCheck user authentication for remote access; and, SIP2 server for Self-Check. AFPL will also utilize a number of programs designed exclusively for library professionals including: software for circulation; serials and acquisitions; and, ITS for CARLan advanced cataloging tool that represents the first product of the TLC/CARL partnership.
The initial installation includes a new web server and will support 515 terminals for staff and patrons at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library's central library and its 32 branches. Serving a population of approximately 832,000, the library system circulates 2.7 million items out of a total collection exceeding 3.7 million.
Commenting on today's announcement, Mary Kaye Hooker, Library Director at Atlanta-Fulton Public Library stated, “It is particularly important for our automation system to have the power to enable resource sharing across all our branches while being flexible enough to implement policies on a branch-by-branch basis. IMDS not only accomplishes these diverse goals, it even enables each branch to design and use its own homepage.”
CARL's automation solution will also deliver multilingual and digitization capabilities to Atlanta-Fulton Public Library. In addition, patrons now have access to CARL's Kid's Catalog Web, providing age-appropriate web access and simplifying catalog searches for beginning readers.
Concluded Ms. Hooker, “IMDS literally eliminates barriers of geography and economics to make our library's resources available to all patrons regardless of location. We hope this new level of opportunity, access and vision will positively impact Georgia and the Southeast.”
Also commenting today was Annette Bakhtiar, CEO for TLC, who noted, “CARL has brought to the TLC family an established expertise and reputation for delivering advanced automation systems in use by some of the largest public libraries in the world. We are pleased that an organization of the size and stature of Atlanta-Fulton Public Library has selected IMDS to fully automate its entire system.”
About The Library Corporation (TLC)
The Library Corporation, headquartered in Inwood, West Virginia, with regional offices in Denver and Singapore, was founded 26years ago and has a singular mission: to enhance the library experience for librarians and their patrons.
