“This report, based on survey responses from over two thousand libraries, aims to give some measure of how libraries perceive their current environment and probes at their inclinations for the future,” Breeding wrote.

The report released on Jan. 27 notes that TLC was a “very strong” performer among public, school, academic, and special libraries. A total of 105 TLC libraries responded to the 2010 survey and gave overall high marks to our company and its products and services.

Breeding asked libraries to rate their automation systems, services, and vendors on a scale of 0 to 9, with 0 being “Not Satisfied” and 9 being “Very Satisfied.” The median scores for TLC were:

• Satisfaction with current integrated library system (ILS) – 8
• Satisfaction with ILS vendor – 8
• Likelihood that library will purchase its next ILS from the same vendor – 8
• Satisfaction with vendor’s customer support services – 8
• Improvement of vendor’s customer support from previous year – 8
• Likelihood that library will consider purchasing an open source ILS – 2

The survey results were gratifying because TLC prides itself on offering top-tier automation solutions and unparalleled service and support. Our goal is to constantly improve so that TLC libraries will always have the tools and resources they need to thrive.

For the complete Perceptions 2010: An International Survey of Library Automation report, click here or visitwww.librarytechnology.org/perceptions2010.pl.

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Nydia Parries

“Our libraries have told us that they must be able to search and view e-resources along with their physical collection in one public catalog interface,” said Dianne Coan, LS2 PAC Product Owner. “Most of our customers already use OverDrive services, and this integration will make it easier for their patrons to see their investment in these titles without having to look in a separate place or make a separate search.” The released functionality shows the user the OverDrive item status, as well as an indication of item popularity, by showing the current OverDrive holds queue within the catalog result list. OverDrive is expected to release a second set of APIs to provide more access to its service in 2013.

OverDrive is a leading full-service digital distributor of e-books, audiobooks, and other digital content. Founded in 1986, the Cleveland, Ohio-based company’s digital distribution services are utilized by more than 18,000 libraries, schools, and colleges worldwide.

The Library Corporation is a family-owned company founded in 1974. More than 4,400 libraries worldwide use TLC’s automation systems and software. For more information, contact Brian Brehm at bbrehm@TLCdelivers.com or 1.800.325.7759.

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Nydia Parries

“As we adapt our library system interfaces to work best on tablets and mobile devices, providing a seamless experience for users to search and retrieve e-resources is critical for any library worried about meeting the future demands of their patrons,” said Gar Sydnor, TLC’s Vice President of Sales. “Now using one interface, the same interface, no matter what device, our libraries and their users can search simultaneously the whole collection, including magazine databases, e-books and audiobooks, RSS feeds, and, of course, books. Patrons don’t have to hunt for the library’s e-book collection and they don’t need to leave the interface they already know and use to start a new search.”

TLC’s eBiblioFile service is available for any library using any ILS. To find out more, go to eBiblioFile.com or e-mail ebibliofile_support@tlcdelivers.com.

The Library Corporation is a family-owned company founded in 1974. More than 4,400 libraries worldwide use TLC’s automation systems and software. For more information, contact Brian Brehm at bbrehm@TLCdelivers.com or 1.800.325.7759.

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Nydia Parries

Christopher Simpson
Phone: 800.325.7759
Reports, LS2 Staff
Hometown library: Tenley-Friendship Library, Washington, DC

Claire Yoshida
Phone: 1.877.694.1452
CARL Authority Control and Database
Hometown library: Santa Clara County Library, CA

Dianne Coan
Phone: 800.325.7759
LS2 Kids, LS2 PAC
Hometown library: Reston Regional Library in Reston, VA and Ashburn Library, Loudoun County Public Library, VA

Ebony Pacheco
Phone: 1.877.694.1452
CARL ITSi/ITSi•X and Loaders
Hometown Library: Denver Public Library, CO

Heather Powers
Phone: 800.325.7759
Cataloging and data products
Hometown Library: Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, Corvallis, OR

Juliette Marsh
Phone: 800.325.7759
Library•Solution, Online Selection & Acquisitions, SIP, NCIP and SIF Agent
Hometown library: Samuels Public Library, Front Royal, VA

Kristen Kokx
Phone: 1.877.694.1452
CARL•X Staff and Admin Client and CARL•X Circulation
Hometown library: Englewood Public Library, CO

Samuel Brenizer
Phone: 800.325.7759
Program Manager for LS and LS2
Hometown library: Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Library, Martinsburg, WV

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Nydia Parries

John Burns
Phone: 800.325.7759 ext. 271
AK, FL, AL, MS, LA, AR, OK, TX
Hometown library: Charles Town Library, Charles Town, WV

Jan Sheppard
Phone: 855.265.4545
SC, GA, TN, KY, IN, IL, MI, WI, MN, IA, MO
Hometown library: Wake County Library, Raleigh, NC

Phillip Green
Phone: 800.325.7759 ext. 402
AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY and Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan
Hometown library: Washington County Public Library, Hagerstown, MD

Rick Carollo
Phone: 877.694.1452 ext. 1241
CARL•X Sales
Hometown library: Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO

Howie Watkin
Phone: 01488 515 014
Mobile: 077 663 11666
Director of Sales EMEAA
West Berkshire, UK

Rich Jacobson
Phone: 800.325.7759 ext. 275
AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, IA, KS, LA, MN, MO, MS, NE, NM, OK, TX, WY
Hometown library: Carnegie Library of Oakland/Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Valencia Godlove
Phone: 800.325.7759 ext. 261
AK, CA, DC, HI, KY, IL, IN, KY, MI, NC, NV, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV
Hometown library: Martinsburg Public Library, Martinsburg, WV and Shepherdstown Public Library, Shepherdstown, WV

Kimberly Britner
Phone: 800.325.7759 ext. 263
AZ, CT, DE, ID, MA, MD, ME, MT, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA and Canada
Hometown library: Martinsburg Public Library, Martinsburg, WV

Lisa Rauh
Phone: 800.325.7759 ext. 262
Outside the United States
Hometown library: Fairfax County Public Library, Alexandria, VA and Frederick County Public Library, Frederick, MD

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Nydia Parries

Deputy Director Lynne Williams said, “Through the migration process, the TLC staff worked closely with our team and, as a result, we have experienced the smoothest and most trouble-free migration in our history. With CARL•X, we have moved into an era of expanded and personalized services for both our partner libraries and their customers.”

The library communities of Solano and Napa counties now have access to the complete suite of TLC’s next-generation LS2 products for CARL•X. LS2 PAC provides a graphical interface to the library collections that can be customized to feature a particular library’s or branch’s collections. LS2 Kids offers streamlined accesses for the consortium’s youngest library users through defined subject categories and series. LS2 Mobile gives iPhone and Android smart-phone users the ability to search the library catalog and check their account status from anywhere at any time. With this upgrade to CARL•X, SNAP’s academic partners also have access to the latest developments in the Academic Reserves module.

“We are thankful for the close partnership with Solano, Napa, and Partners Library Consortium staff. This partnership aided in the smooth migration and transition for their patrons and libraries,” said Paul Leppert, vice president and managing director of TLC Denver. “We continue to be pleased that our long-standing customers put their trust in us and we believe our CARL•X platform will serve them well into the future.”

The Solano, Napa, and Partners Library Consortium is a partnership of five public and two academic libraries located in Solano and Napa counties in northern California. The system offers its 257,000 patrons over 1.2 million items with an annual circulation of 2.9 million.

The Library Corporation is a family-owned, GSA-certified company founded in 1974 to create technology for libraries and school districts of all sizes. TLC’s library automation, cataloging, and selection and acquisition products include Library•Solution®, Library•Solution® for Schools, CARL•X, LS2 PAC, LS2 Kids, LS2 Mobile, BiblioFile®, and ITS•MARC® – all backed by an unparalleled level of customer support and assistance. For more information on TLC, contact Lisa Prodywus at lisap@TLCdelivers.com or 1.800.325.7759.

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Nydia Parries

In the first nine months of 2011, TLC added 34 library systems to its growing family of Library•Solution®customers. The power, flexibility, and diversity of TLC’s automation system is popular with libraries such as Alamogordo Public Library in New Mexico, The King’s College in New York, and Mountain View School Division in Manitoba, Canada.

Library•Solution also continues to support a number of consortia utilizing a shared automation system. For example, the latest phase of the North Iowa Libraries BEACON project added 14 public, school, and academic libraries, bringing the total to 82 libraries for this fast-growing consortium. Among the libraries added in the most recent implementations are Emmetsburg Public Library & Iowa Lakes Community College, Manson Northwest Webster Elementary School and Manson Northwest Webster Junior/Senior High School, and Ventura Public Library.

“We appreciate that these outstanding libraries recognize the value of TLC’s newly developed, Web-based automation solutions,” said Senior Vice President Gar Sydnor. “Libraries will need to transition to more and more Web applications and touchscreen-enabled interfaces, and TLC will continue to meet their evolving needs for many years to come.”

TLC was founded in 1974 to create technology for libraries and school districts of all sizes. The company backs its products and services with an unparalleled level of customer support and assistance. For more information on TLC, contact Lisa Prodywus at lisap@TLCdelivers.com, call 1.800.325.7759.

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Nydia Parries

Suzanne Hall, district librarian at Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Schools during the ILS transition process, said the upgrade was a daunting task. “We went from a library situation where we had 28 standalone libraries, so they had their own collections, their own cataloging systems. In a lot of cases, they had their own library systems. It was a complete disaster.

“To move to a union catalog was huge – huge amount of work, huge amount of organization,” Hall said. “The work that your company did around that was amazing. The fact that they took that huge amount of data and worked with it was amazing.”

Hall, who has since transferred to an Aboriginal Education teaching position in the 16,000-student school district, said Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Schools had been using an ILS developed in British Columbia that staff and students found difficult to work with. When it was time to upgrade, she said, the district chose TLC because it “had the program that was the best mix of easy-to-use for the librarians and great front-end product for the kids.”

In late March, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Schools launched its new Library•Solution® for Schools ILS, which includes the Web-based LS2 Circ circulation module. The district also implemented TLC’s LS2 PAC and LS2 Kids.

Even though school was still in session when the new automation system launched, “The transition process went really, really well,” Hall said. She attributes that success to TLC’s team of implementation and training professionals. “Woody (Woodsmall, director of customer assurance for TLC’s Inwood operations) made a comment in one of the initial meetings that what you guys really sell is customer service – you just throw in the software. I laughed, but he was right. The customer service is unbelievable.”

The software has been warmly received by staff and students. “We got great response,” Hall said. “The kids love it, the teachers love it.” LS2 PAC is now being used by the district’s middle and high school students, while the younger elementary students “have no problem” using LS2 Kids to explore their school libraries.

Hall said she is happy to recommend TLC to other libraries, especially if they are moving from a standalone system to a union catalog. “We’ve just been so impressed with the company and the products and the customer service, from the product owners to everyone else,” she said. “It’s just been great.”

TLC was founded in 1974 to create technology for libraries and school districts of all sizes, including some of the busiest libraries in the world. TLC’s library automation, cataloging, and selection and acquisition products are all backed by an unparalleled level of customer support and assistance. For more information on TLC, contact Lisa Prodywus at lisap@TLCdelivers.com, call 1.800.325.7759.

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Nydia Parries

Originally released in November 2010 for Apple’s iPhone®, and iPod Touch®, LS2 Mobile allows people to connect with their public or school libraries 24 hours a day from any place with mobile or Wi-Fi Internet service. It can search a library’s entire catalog and reserve titles that a borrower can pick up at a more convenient time. Additionally, users can check their account balances and cancel holds on previously reserved titles.

“We’re excited to bring the LS2 Mobile application to a wider array of users,” said TLC Senior Product Developer Matt Moran. “We listened to our customers and are pleased to accommodate more library patrons.”

The Android version of LS2 Mobile will work on any smart phone powered by Android 2.2 or higher, which covers most Android phones currently in use.

LS2 Mobile is available as a free download to library users. Borrowers who install the app from the Android Market or Apple’s App StoreSM can access the catalogs of any library that has purchased the LS2 Mobile module.

LS2 Mobile works exclusively with LS2 PAC, an online interface for TLC’s Library•Solution®, Library•Solution®for Schools, and CARL•XTM integrated library systems. To learn more about LS2 Mobile and TLC’s full line of library automation solutions, e-mail info@TLCdelivers.com, or call 1.800.325.7759.

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Nydia Parries

Library Director Patty Uttaro wrote, “Thanks TLC for a smooth upgrade to CARL•X in Monroe County today. Word from around the system is all positive, and one library director even said this was the ‘best (ILS) upgrade EVER.’” A director of one of Monroe County’s member libraries added: “Totally impressed with CARL•X and LAS.” (LAS is Library Automation Services, the library system’s access services group.)

With the upgrade to CARL•X, the library community of Monroe County now has access to online payment options through TLC’s E•Commerce module. Additionally, Monroe County becomes the first library system to adopt the complete suite of TLC’s next-generation LS2 products for CARL•X, including LS2 PAC, LS2 Kids, and LS2 Mobile. Through LS2 PAC, the system’s member libraries can easily feature newly added titles and registered patrons can create their own reviews and tags for materials in the collection. With LS2 Kids, the youngest library users can easily locate materials through defined subject categories and by series. And with LS2 Mobile,iPhone® and iPod Touch® users can easily search the library catalog, place holds, and check library accounts while on the go.

“We are excited to have the Monroe County Library System continue their long-time relationship with us and look forward to extending the partnership we have shared to the CARL•X platform,” said Paul Leppert, vice president and managing director of TLC Denver.

Monroe County Library System is a federation of 20 independent public libraries in Monroe County, N.Y., and was chartered by the state Board of Regents in 1954. The system offers over 2.9 million items to its 408,000 users and generates 8 million circulations annually. For more on the Monroe County Library System, visitwww.libraryweb.org.

TLC was founded in 1974 to create technology for libraries and school districts of all sizes. TLC’s library automation, cataloging, and selection and acquisition products include Library•Solution®, Library•Solution® for Schools, CARL•XTM, LS2 PAC, LS2 Kids, LS2 Mobile, Textbook Management and Asset Tracking, BiblioFile®, and ITS•MARC® – all backed by an unparalleled level of customer support and assistance. For more information on TLC, contact Lisa Prodywus at lisap@TLCdelivers.com, or call 1.800.325.7759.

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Nydia Parries