Atlanta, Ga., June 5, 2024: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to welcome Mary S. Biesecker Public Library to Evergreen ILS with the Pennsylvania Integrated Library System (PaILS/SPARK).
“Our new SPARK catalog system helped us improve our patron service,” said Lee Ann Schrock, Library Director at Mary S. Biesecker Public Library. “Evergreen and SPARK provide us with faster checkout times, automatic email notifications, and the exact shelf location of library materials.”
Mary S. Biesecker Public Library was founded in 1914 by 100 community members who wanted to share their love of reading. By joining PaILS/SPARK, Mary S. Biesecker Public Library’s patrons gain access to a significantly larger collection through resource sharing with other member libraries. Equinox provided implementation and training services during the migration and will continue to provide hosting and technical support.
“We appreciated the well-planned, step-by-step migration process of working with Equinox and SPARK,” said Morgan Simmons, IT & Facilities Coordinator at Mary S. Biesecker Public Library. “Their teamwork and organized approach to the migration allowed our library to easily explore and understand all of the features and options the new catalog has to offer.”
PaILS was founded in June 2011 as a non-profit organization to provide an open source integrated library system for Pennsylvania libraries. It oversees SPARK, the Evergreen ILS managed by PaILS on behalf of its member libraries across Pennsylvania. Equinox and PaILS have worked together to support SPARK since 2013.
“Evergreen provides Mary S. Biesecker Public Library patrons with a modern system that also connects them with libraries and collections across the state of Pennsylvania,” said Rogan Hamby, Data and Project Manager at Equinox. “Open source solutions supply outsized advantages to libraries and we were excited to provide that in the form of Evergreen to Mary S. Biesecker Public Library’s community.”
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For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative
EquinoxOLI.org
laura.barry@equinoxOLI.org
877.OPEN.ILS (877.673.6457)
About Equinox Open Library Initiative
Equinox Open Library Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is the successor to Equinox Software, Inc. Equinox’s mission as a nonprofit is to promote and support a thriving ecosystem for open source library communities in order to provide libraries worldwide with innovative open source solutions. Equinox is devoted to reducing barriers to library technology and services, expanding library access to open source software, and providing high quality technology, consulting, and support services. To learn more, please visit https://www.equinoxOLI.org.
About Evergreen
Evergreen Integrated Library System is an award winning and trusted library solution used by more than 1,800 libraries worldwide. Evergreen ILS is a web-based and mobile-friendly system which provides attractive, easy to use interfaces for library acquisitions, administration, cataloging, circulation, OPAC, reports, course reserves, and serials functionality.
Evergreen ILS is an enterprise level system designed to manage a scalable catalog shared across libraries, including large public and academic library consortia. While designed for large collections, Evergreen is suitable for libraries of any size and type from government to museum and special collection libraries. Its flexibility enables libraries to configure policies and settings that work best for their communities and to maintain ownership of their library and systems data.
For more information on Evergreen: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/evergreen/.