August, 1999 (Raleigh, NC) - Keystone Systems, a leading producer of library automation systems, is proud to announce that KLAS, the Keystone Library Automation System, has been installed at the Lee County Talking Book Library (LCTBL) as the new library automation system. A subregional library, LCTBL is the third subregional library to join the Florida KLAS network with the regional library, Florida Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services.
In this continuing outsourcing operation by Keystone, LCTBL's database and KLAS programs reside on a server computer located in Keystone's office in Raleigh, NC. The library's staff users in Ft. Myers, FL use their workstations to access the KLAS system in Raleigh via the Internet. The set-up allows Keystone personnel to monitor the efficiency of the system operations, making any necessary adjustments; it also frees the Ft. Myers library from server hardware and systems maintenance. The nearly instantaneous speed of most communications over Internet connections to the Sun server compares favorably with a private wide area network using a mainframe computer. Also, the staff workstations are setup to concurrently access the Lee County Library System, sharing the same input devices such as barcode scanners.
The LCTBL's mission is to provide the reading materials and information needed by its patrons, who use alternate media including audio tape and descriptive videos. To efficiently and cost-effectively provide these services, the library needed a new automation system that could provide more advanced operation features than its previous system. With the implementation of KLAS, the LCTBL's average daily circulation has jumped from 150 to over 250 books per day.
By joining the Florida KLAS network, the LCTBL has been able to eliminate large amounts of paperwork that used to travel between Ft. Myers and the regional library in Daytona. With both libraries on the same system, information such as address changes and patron requests is input directly into the database.
KLAS provides access to the library's collection of 17,500 copies of over 8,600 titles for its 1200 patrons. Additionally, these materials are supplemented by the regional library's 2.2 million copies of over 57,000 titles. The library staff uses the automatic searches and patron service options in KLAS to serve their patrons more efficiently, leaving time for personalized service as needed.
"The Readers' Service Queue is a terrific patron service tool," said Ann Bradley, librarian for the LCTBL. "It provides a daily list of people who need assistance with their service. Our calls to people on that list have stimulated some who had stopped reading to start again. Our patrons are very happy with the number and type of books they have been receiving since we switched to KLAS."
Keystone Systems, Inc. is a seventeen year old company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Through extensive research and consultation, Keystone developers have created a powerful, yet elegant library automation system, KLAS, which has the flexibility to meet the specific needs of special, academic, and public libraries. Keystone's staff takes pride in assisting customers to obtain and fully utilize the best computer systems available. For more information about Keystone Systems or our KLAS products, visit our web site at www.klas.com.