Raleigh, NC -- September, 1999, Keystone Systems, a leading producer of library automation systems, is proud to announce that KLAS, the Keystone Library Automation System, has been installed at the Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (OLBPH).
"Would you look at those shelves!" exclaimed Mary Huffman, Librarian and Circulation Manager. "Almost all of the books we checked in yesterday are going out today!" The nightly selection programs run by KLAS first satisfied patron requests from the ranges of newly checked-in books before moving on to the regular shelves. This process allows for a quick turnaround of materials, and as a result, very few books remained to be shelved in their usual places. That morning, of the 895 books checked in the previous day, approximately 35 remained on the shelf.
Up to the end of August, OLBPH was operating on a powerful, full-featured library system developed and maintained by the library staff. Once they decided they must convert to a commercially developed and supported software, their process for procurement, conversion, and installation, all were completed in less than 9 months. After they shut down the operation of the old system on Wednesday August 25th, the whole library staff conducted a complete physical inventory of the available books on shelves containing a collection of 45,000 titles with over 218,000 copies. When the operation was brought up on KLAS on Monday, August 30th, the newly inventoried figures were already loaded into the system. Training on the new system and the operation switch over went relatively smoothly, thanks to the tremendous cooperation and enthusiasm from the staff.
The OLBPH provides reading materials, special equipment and other materials to physically and visually handicapped patrons throughout the State of Oklahoma. Librarians maintain close contact with patrons and their needs and preferences. KLAS allows the librarians to adjust each patron's profile for reading level, subject interests, author-likes, series-likes, and other similar information. Then, appropriate books are assigned based on the profile or selected from the patron's list of requests and mailed. OLBPH sends out 1500-2000 pieces each day.
The first phase of the new installation included KLAS Holdings Management, Catalogue Management, Patron and Reader Services, Circulation Control, Equipment Services and Serials Control. OLBPH is outsourcing the computer management and operation of the database server to Keystone Systems in Raleigh, NC, and is connecting to the database server via the Internet from their desktop workstations. They will soon be expanding the functions to include their Educational Services Unit and Web Browser access by patrons themselves.
"It was very important for us to find a system that would fit our current needs and expand to include instructional materials in Braille," said Geraldine Adams, Director of the OLBPH. "KLAS is that quality product." Ms. Adams continued, "Since we have installed KLAS, we have been able to select by series and by narrator preference, both of which we were unable to do with our previous system. Most importantly, since the installation, we have been very happy with Keystone's excellent customer support."
Keystone Systems, Inc. is a seventeen year old company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Through extensive research and consultation, Keystone developers have created a powerful, yet elegant library automation system, KLAS, which has the flexibility to meet the specific needs of special, academic, and public libraries. Keystone's staff takes pride in assisting customers to obtain and fully utilize the best computer systems available. For more information about Keystone Systems or our KLAS products, visit our web site at www.klas.com.