Evergreen to Power Newly-formed South Carolina Consortium, SC LENDS
March 26 , 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Norcross, GA - March 26, 2009
Evergreen open source library software will power SC LENDs (South Carolina Library Evergreen Network Delivery System), a statewide consortium for a massive shared catalog and other services spearheaded by the South Carolina State Library. Equinox Software Inc., "The Evergreen Experts," will provide data migration, software configuration, and post-migration 24-7 technical support.
The initial pilot group of 11 libraries, which includes South Carolina State Library, provides direct service to 1.3 million people in 10 counties and has 2.5 million books and serial volumes (FY2006 data). When the pilot group finishes migrating in the fall of 2009, SC LENDS will then be the second-largest Evergreen consortium. More libraries will come on board in 2010 and beyond.
South Carolina's library users "will have greater access to more materials than ever before," said David S. Goble, Director of the South Carolina State Library and State Librarian. "Evergreen gives us more control over our destiny," added Laura Sponhour, SchoolRooms Project Manager at South Carolina State Library. "It’s amazing to watch people come together and see the project gaining momentum. We will also be smarter as a group. It's a lot of fun, too."
"Part of the value of Evergreen is that it adapts to local conditions, rather than forcing libraries to adapt to the software," said Brad LaJeunesse, Equinox company president. "SC LENDS adopted a unique configuration, with dispersed system administrators, shared cataloging duties, and a decision to share all materials except reference-even DVDs and audiobooks. Evergreen has the power and flexibility to support massive and hugely diverse library ecosystems."
About the South Carolina State Library System
The South Carolina State Library is located in Columbia, South Carolina. During the depths of the Great Depression, the Works Project Administration created the first statewide library program with bookmobiles in 32 rural counties which previously had no library service. Today, South Carolina State Library provides superior services to all South Carolinians through collaboration and cooperation with information providers and cultural institutions. Their website is at http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov.
About Evergreen
Evergreen is consortial-quality, open-source library software initially developed to support Georgia PINES, a resource-sharing consortium with over 270 public libraries. Evergreen was designed from the ground up to be robust, fault-tolerant, service-oriented, and standards-based. Evergreen nimbly evolves to meet the needs of very large, high-transaction, multi-site consortia, while elegantly scaling down to the smallest library sites.
The growing, multinational Evergreen development community has shepherded Evergreen through a series of carefully-planned releases that have further strengthened Evergreen’s consortial capabilities while adding popular and useful functionality. Evergreen 2.0, due out in 2009, will add acquisitions, serials, and reserves to Evergreen’s outstanding functionality.
From its debut in September 2006, Evergreen has earned acclaim and praise from users worldwide, including a Technology Collaboration Award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional Evergreen implementations include consortial projects such as Evergreen Indiana, Michigan Evergreen, and British Columbia SITKA, and libraries such as Kent County Public Library in Maryland, Marshall Public Library in Missouri, the National Weather Center Library, and the University of Prince Edward Island.
Other libraries contracting with Equinox software for future Evergreen services include King County Library System (a public library system in Washington State), the thirteen libraries of Natural Resources Canada, and North Texas Regional Library System. A number of libraries "go it alone" with Evergreen by providing their own migration and support, which further demonstrates the power, ease, and reliability of this state-of-the-art library software.
For more information about Evergreen, see http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov.
About Equinox Software, Inc.
Founded by the original Evergreen designers and developers, Equinox Software is a growing team of skilled developers and other professionals who provide comprehensive support for Evergreen, the consortial-quality, open source Integrated Library System (ILS). Equinox develops, supports, trains, migrates, integrates, and consults on Evergreen, and engages with the rapidly expanding Evergreen community. Instead of one-size-fits-all support, Equinox works closely with libraries to ensure Evergreen is implemented in the manner that best fits their individual needs.
In addition to support, custom development and integration services, Equinox offers complete Evergreen hosting packages for libraries wishing to outsource their ILS infrastructure. Equinox also provides consulting services for libraries seeking more insight into the value proposition of open source software.
Press contact: Corinne Hall, corinne@esilibrary.com, 678-269-6113
For more information on Equinox Software, please visit http://www.esilibrary.com.
Evergreen is open source software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL. Evergreen and the Evergreen logo are trademarks of the Georgia Public Library Service.