Emeryville, CA—Innovative Interfaces announced today that the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) has selected the Millennium library management system including Millennium Access Plus and Electronic Resource Management. One of the most prestigious institutions in Korea, POSTECH was selected by the Korean Ministry of Education as an Outstanding University in Educational Reforms seven years running. POSTECH consistently ranks highest among science and technology academic institutions in Asia. Choong-Ang, a daily newspaper in Korea, also named POSTECH the highest-ranking university in Korea for several years in a row.

The POSTECH Tae-Joon Park Digital Library is the first in Korea to implement the complete suite of Millennium software along with a campus-wide "smart card" RFID implementation. RFID, a way to transmit data to Millennium that does not require bar codes, will make circulation fast and easy for both students and library staff. The Millennium system will interface with this campus-wide technology that lets students quickly check out materials, enter and exit secure buildings, log on to campus computing, or announce their presence in a class.

Because the library selected a suite of products that includes Millennium Access Plus, library patrons will be able to search several library databases simultaneously, authenticate themselves, and link to external resources relevant to their searches. "The ability to present an integrated digital library to patrons in any format is especially appealing," says Library Director Sung-Je Hong. "The combination of MetaFind, WebBridge, and Electronic Resource Management will provide faculty and students with a one-stop gateway to information either held by the library or available anywhere electronically."

A System That Can Be Managed By Librarians

"Our staff chose Millennium because it is a standards-based system with a flexible and friendly user interface. Library staff are excited about using it. Because Millennium is an integrated system, it will help them streamline their workflow," says Hong. "In addition, many of the tasks can be handled within the scope of Millennium without the use of external computing resources or system developers. The staff feel that Millennium is indeed a library system that can be managed by librarians."

Library staff will be able to manage their subscription database data expertly with Electronic Resource Management, which will also make this data available in real time to patrons on the Web OPAC. The library will also display the public interface in both English and Korean to increase access to the full riches of its collection and make access easier for students and faculty.

POSTECH launched the new Tae-Joon Park Digital Library in April of 2003. The library is a state-of-the-art building, open 24 hours, 7 days per week. Hong says: "Adding Innovative's top-tier library system will complement our beautiful new building and make it a model library inside and out."

Innovative's Growing Presence in Asia

With the addition of POSTECH, over 60 sites in Asia now depend on Millennium, including libraries in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Libraries across Asia rely on Innovative Interfaces because its library management systems have the capability to run over 20 languages with full Unicode support and its long history and experience with Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai languages. In addition, Innovative's multi-lingual 24 hours, 7 days per week Help Desk is always at the ready to support Asian library staff when needed.

About POSTECH

With an enrollment of over 2,500 students, POSTECH offers four-year undergraduate degrees in ten departments and eleven graduate programs for Master's and/or Doctorate degrees. POSTECH has international cooperative agreements in place with 50 sister universities all across the world. Every year, more POSTECH students are selected to study and take internships abroad. At the same time, more international students are also admitted to the University. POSTECH is actively engaged in research and development as it supports over 45 research centers on its campus.

About Innovative

For over 25 years, Innovative Interfaces has dedicated its energies to meeting the needs of libraries and the challenges of library automation. Core to this mission are trusted products such as the Millennium integrated library management platform, INN-Reach next-generation resource sharing, the Symposia digital repository, and Electronic Resource Management. Today, thousands of libraries of all types in over 40 countries rely on Innovative's products, services, and support. The company is located in Emeryville, California with offices around the world.