TLC's Matt Moran shakes up the library world

The Library Journal, the oldest, most respected library publication in the United States, has recognized the pioneering work of The Library Corporation's Matt Moran by naming him one of its "Movers and Shakers 2009."

The senior product developer joined TLC in Inwood, W.Va., in 2007, and within a year spearheaded the corporation's release of LS2 PAC, a new Integrated Library System (ILS) platform that melds user-friendly Web technologies such as tagging, RSS feeds, user reviews, and genre browsing with either of TLC's current ILS platforms, Library•Solution or CARL•X.

Moran was inspired to develop LS2 PAC while working for the International Rescue Committee, which sent him to West Africa to evaluate a database application used to reunite separated families in combat zones. When he got back to the United States, "I wanted to build something different that helped people instead of trying to sell them something," Moran told the Library Journal. "The less users need to think in order to find what they want, the happier I am."

The result of Moran's commitment was a product that "delivers on all the promises of Web 2.0, from high-touch user experience to low total cost of ownership through the leveraging of open-source technologies," said TLC COO Simon Marcus. "His success at TLC with LS2 speaks to his ability to quickly and effectively assimilate himself into new communities - few people from outside the library world immerse themselves so thoroughly in the ins and outs of that very complex world."

"It's rare to find a colleague who is a non-librarian who 'gets it' so perfectly - our commitment to our customers and to our collaborative work ethic," added Steven L. Carr, director of innovation and service design and manager of the Plaza Library and Arlington Shop in Arlington, Va. "Heck, it's rare to find professional librarians who 'get it' so perfectly."

The Library Journal - the "bible" of the library world that is published twice a month and read by more than 100,000 directors, administrators, and employees of public, academic, and special libraries - has been honoring innovators in the library industry since 2002. Including this year's field of 51 inductees, the magazine has named more than 400 "Movers and Shakers." To learn more about the prestigious designation and this year's recipients, including Moran, log on to www.libraryjournal.com/movers2009.

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