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PRZOOM - /newswire/ -
Inwood, WV, United States, 06/11/2009 - The New Hanover County Public Library in Wilmington, N.C., found itself in need of an automation system upgrade just as the nation’s economy started tumbling into a recession. Grant funding allowed the library to buy an entirely new ILS from TLC.
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A problem never presents itself at an opportune time. Case in point: The New Hanover County Public Library in Wilmington, N.C., which found itself in need of an automation system upgrade just as the nation’s economy started tumbling into a recession.
Library Director Harry Tuchmayer said New Hanover County had been using a VTLS integrated library system (ILS) since 1992, and it was overdue for an upgrade. But it would have cost $80,000 to implement the 21st century features that Tuchmayer wanted at his five library sites.
That’s when Tuchmayer realized that $80,000 would be better spent on an entirely new ILS. He researched his options and found exactly what he was looking for with The Library Corporation. “In a nutshell, I was excited about its innovative approach to a number of applications,” Tuchmayer said.
The New Hanover County Public Library selected TLC’s Library•Solution® automation system and several companion programs, including the beautiful LS2 PAC that makes it possible for library borrowers to access and view digital content. Tuchmayer said LS2 PAC’s digital-content management solution was a “big selling point, exactly what we were looking for. And it will be a benefit for many libraries in the future.”
Tuchmayer’s praise for LS2 PAC continued. “I loved the integration of new technology,” he said, noting program features that allow library patrons to add their own unique search tags to items, as well as RSS news feeds that highlight library books related to current events. “We saw this as a catalog that our patrons would enjoy using.”
Add in TLC’s “forward-looking acquisitions module” and the New Hanover County Public Library was sold. But could the library afford it? Tuchmayer said the county’s Board of Commissioners had already braced itself for an $80,000 expenditure, but getting more money for an entirely new ILS appeared unlikely.
Tuchmayer was determined, and his diligence paid off. The New Hanover County Public Library was awarded a federal Library Services and Technology Act grant administered by the State Library of North Carolina. The grant required a 20 percent funding match by the county commissioners, and Tuchmayer said the local contribution was actually well below the $80,000 initially budgeted for the VTLS upgrade.
The New Hanover County Public Library – which has an annual circulation of nearly 1.2 million and is home to 265,000 titles and more than 407,000 other items – will implement TLC’s library automation solutions in mid-September. Tuchmayer believes the investment will pay dividends for years to come: “I’m just hopeful that our public is as excited and pleased about this as we are,” he said.
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bbrehm[.]TLCdelivers.com 
