The Library Corporation is privately owned by company founder Annette Harwood Murphy

Breeding, Marshall. Executive Changes at The Library Corporation. July 2016. Smart Libraries Newsletter. The Library Corporation has recently made changes in its executive team. Company co-founder Annette Harwood Murphy continues as President and Chief Executive Officer. Given the company's founding in 1974, Murphy ranks as the longest serving executive in the library automation industry. The company has made several promotions from within its ranks to fill other top executive positions.

Breeding, Marshall. The Library Corporation Works Toward a New ILS Platform. December 2008. Smart Libraries Newsletter. The Library Corporation announced that it is developing a new integrated library system called LS2. This product will ultimately become TLC’s strategic automation product, though it will continue to develop and support both of its existing ILS products indefinitely. The initial module of the system, the LS2 PAC, has been completed and has been implemented by the Shenandoah County Library System in Virginia.

Breeding, Marshall. TLC strikes exclusive deal with Aquabrowser. June 2005. Smart Libraries Newsletter.

Breeding, Marshall. AquaBrowser dives into ILS Technology. April 2005. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Medialab Solutions, B.V, an Amsterdam-based software development company, has developed a search environment called AquaBrowser that takes quite a different approach. As with a standard catalog, a search session begins by typing search terms. In addition to the list of results returned by a conventional online catalog search, AquaBrowser Library presents an interface designed to help the searcher pinpoint material that matches their investigation topic.

Breeding, Marshall. The Library Corporation acquires CARL Corporation. September 2000. Information Today. The consolidation of the library automation marketplace continues with the acquisition of CARL Corp. by The Library Corporation (TLC). In this development, TLC expands its presence from small and medium-sized libraries to the very largest libraries and library consortia. CARL Corp. will be wholly owned by TLC, though its name will continue to be used in the combined company. The marketing, sales, support, and development of CARL's products and services will continue largely unchanged from its Denver facilities.

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August 23, 2023. Momentum Continues to Build for TLC.Go! Mobile App. Launched in 2021, TLC.Go! allows Android and iOS users the ability to manage their library account, place holds, renew items, and access library resources, all at their fingertips. At a branch, the app provides easy access to a digital library card and tools for contactless service. Borrowers can check out by scanning the item barcode or tapping the smartphone near the RFID tag. Library staff can also enjoy the highly configurable Content Management System allowing for changes in logos, colors, menu layouts, and more. The newest version of the app, released earlier this year, showcases exciting features including an updated user interface, reading tracker, Chromebook support, and 30 language options. With the addition of Chromebook support in the latest release, TLC anticipates a higher adoption rate across school districts. Additional features will continue to roll out in 2023 and beyond.

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August 10, 2023. TLC.Go! mobile app releases much-anticipated new features. The Library Corporation announced the latest version of TLC.Go! is now available to customers. The feature-rich mobile app allows patrons to gain access to Library and Media resources using their CARL.Solution, Library.Solution, and Library.Solution for Schools integrated library systems in the public, K-12, and academic library markets. The newest version showcases exciting features including an updated user interface, reading tracker, Chromebook support, and additional language options.

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August 8, 2023. TLC Partners with MessageBee for enhanced messaging integration for Library.Solution customers. The Library Corporation announced a new partnership with MessageBee by Unique Management Services. With MessageBee, Library.Solution customers can now turn correspondence, such as arrived hold or overdue notices, into personalized messages to send to patrons through recorded or voice-to-text phone notifications. This effort continues a TLC tradition of creating partnerships across the industry, including with vendors such as Patron Point, in order to provide library staff and patrons alike with better text and email notices, customization options, SMTP services, and more.

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August 2, 2023. La Porte County Public Library keeps innovating with move to CARL.Solution. The Library Corporation announced the completed implementation of the CARL.Solution integrated library system for La Porte County Public Library in La Porte, Indiana. TLC completed migration services for the eight-site library earlier in the year to facilitate partnerships with their local schools, implement native self-check software, and provide sleek new searching capabilities.

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June 22, 2023. TLC and Tech Logic share Libraries Are Essential messaging at ALA. The Library Corporation (TLC) and Tech Logic invite attendees of the American Library Association (ALA) summer user conference who believe Libraries are Essential to visit Booth #4516/4616. The companies will be exhibiting June 23-26, 2023, at the conference in Chicago, Illinois, and are encouraging attendees to see how libraries are supported by their essential services. T-shirts with the “Libraries are Essential” phrase will also be given away at the booth while supplies last.

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April 12, 2023. Libraries are Essential: says TLC at Texas Library Association Booth #1601. The Library Corporation invites attendees of the Texas Library Association annual user conference who believe Libraries are Essential to visit TLC at Booth #1601. TLC will be exhibiting April 19-21, 2023, at the conference in Austin, Texas, and encourages attendees to see how TLC supports library initiatives.

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April 6, 2023. Ardmore Public Library (OK) saves time with its new ILS from TLC. Ardmore Public Library is now using the Library.Solution integrated library system from The Library Corporation. TLC welcomed Ardmore to its family of libraries last fall, completing the migration services for the single-site library from its previous Polaris system. The library was able to use its Choice Partners membership to select TLC's entirely web-based platform.

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February 24, 2023. Middlesex School (MA) launches TLC.Go! Mobile App. The Library Corporation announced its first implementation of TLC.Go! as a school library mobile app solution. At the start of the fall semester, students attending Middlesex School, an independent secondary school near Concord, Massachusetts, began accessing their favorite Warburg Library services and other school resources via Android or iOS. TLC.Go!'s seamless integration with the library's automation system, Library.Solution for Schools, made for a smooth implementation.

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February 6, 2023. Vienna Public Library launches NovelBranch Library Kiosk at Grand Central Mall. Vienna Public Library is launching its first NovelBranch mini-library kiosk this month, outside the JCPenney at Grand Central Mall in Vienna, West Virginia. By establishing a secondary presence in the community, in a place already frequented by many patrons, the library will be able to expand its outreach services and welcome new users. Cardholders can check out items using the self-service book kiosk thanks to a seamless connection to VPL's integrated library system, Library.Solution from The Library Corporation.

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January 27, 2023. Waukee Public Library System (IA) launches TLC.Go! Mobile App. The Library Corporation announced that the Waukee Public Library is live with TLC.Go! -- the latest mobile app solution provided by TLC. Those who live in and around Waukee, Iowa, can now access their favorite library services via Android and iOS, thanks to a seamless connection between TLC.Go! and WPL's integrated library system, Library.Solution.

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View All The Library Corporation News Announcements

Feb 2007 Ingenta acquires Vista International

Apr 01, 2005 The Library Corporation acquires TechLogic
The Library Corporation acquired majority stock shares of Tech Logic Corporation of White Bear Lake, MN. In doing so, TLC immediately assumes responsibility for the management of Tech Logic. Tech Logic founders Mark and Linda Frich remain stockholders while continuing their active participation in the operations of the company.

Jul 03, 2000 The Library Corporation acquires Carl Corporation from WardShaw
The Library Corporation acquired The CARL Corporation, a leading developer of automation solutions for all types of libraries. CARL is the creator of the CARL System, which is used in over 1,000 libraries of different types at 37 sites.

Mar 2000 ingenta acquires UnCover Company from Ward Shaw
ingenta, a global research gateway, has announced that it has merged with UnCover, an article access and document delivery provider to the U.S. academic market. Under the terms of the agreement, ingenta has purchased 100 percent of UnCover's issued stock, and Ward Shaw, chairman of UnCover, will join ingenta's board.

Jan 1999 Ward Shaw purchases Carl Corporation and the Uncover Company
The CARL and Uncover companies were sold in late January to Ward Shaw, CARL founder and chairman of the board.

1997 Tech Logic founded by Mark Frich and Bob Rohlf
Mark Frich and Bob Rohlf, former CEO of Hennepin County (MN) Library, founded Tech Logic in 1997, by combining Mark's extraordinary engineering skills and Bob's legendary library leadership to resolve the laborious challenges associated with manually checking in and sorting library materials.

1996 Annette Harwood Murphy becomes Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Library Corporation
Following the exit of co-founder Brower Murphy, Annette Harwood Murphy takes full leadership of the Library Corporation as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Aug 09, 1995 Knight-Ridder Information acquires CARL Corporation and The UnCover Company
The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, the CARL Corporation, Blackwell Limited and Knight-Ridder Information, Inc. announced on August 9, 1995 that agreements have been reached leading to the sale of the CARL Corporation and The UnCover Company to Knight-Ridder Information, Inc. of Mountain View, California.

Jun 1993 UnCover Company formed as a joint venture of Carl Systems and B.H. Blackwell
The UnCover Company formed in 1993 to advance CARL's UnCover document delivery project and has grown to become a major online information and document supply service. Blackwell and Readmore, a Blackwell company, will market Uncover internationally and CARL Systems will to market uncover as an integral part of its library management system.

1988 The CARL Corporation, incorporated in 1988 as for-profit spin-off of the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries

1988 Uncover article request and document delivery service launched by Carl Systems, Inc.

1987 The Library Corporation launches The Intelligent Catalog
The Intelligent Catalog was the first multi-media CD-ROM online catalog.

Jun 1985 Eyring Research Institute, Inc. founds Eyring Library Systems to market Carl
The Eyring Research Institute, Inc., founded another library automation-oriented company, Eyring Library Systems. The new company will market the CARL system developed by the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries. Eyring Research Institute also owns Dynix.

1985 TLC launches BiblioFile
The Library Corporation offers BiblioFile Cataloging as a CD-ROM based product for cataloging that included storage of MARC records.

1982 Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries develops the CarlSystem
In 1982, the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries developed the CARL integrated library system

1974 MARC Applied Research subsequently known as The Library Corporation, founded by Brower Murphy and Annette Murphy
One of the company's earliest products included its service to provide MARCFICHE to libraries.

2022 The Library Corporation Accomplishments Narrative

TLC Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty

For another year fraught with industry mergers and acquisitions, The Library Corporation (TLC) has once again maintained its stability in the library industry. The company’s focus has remained on its ever-devoted user base (welcoming the renewal of multiple customer contracts in 2022). With a record-high attendance rate at its annual user conference, continued year-round webinar series, active customer listservs, and new regional user groups, TLC has been able to reach more of its audience at any given time and encourage users to further develop tight-knit relationships with their peer groups across the country.

That relationship is a two-way street between TLC and its customers. As of 2022, TLC customers averaged a 15.2-year tenure using TLC software. Members of the customer care and support team averaged a 12.9-year tenure with the company, building long-lasting relationships with users along the way. Customers know they can talk to a TLC representative within an hour (at most) of submitting an issue during business hours and receive an expedited response during emergencies — any time of day or night. This level of care is reflected in TLC’s customer satisfaction score, calculated from a survey prompted at random intervals following customer support interactions. Customer satisfaction never dipped below 97% throughout the year.

* LS•Community: numerous enhancements were made to the content to support customer needs and provide applicable training content.

TLC as a Contender in K-12 School Libraries

TLC celebrated its 20th year in the school library industry, after developing Library•Solution for Schools in 2002. After close collaborations with its school partners in large districts for 20 years, it is no wonder the company received a platinum Modern Library Award for the entirety of its school-based integrated library system. In these last two decades, TLC has specialized in software for large, centralized school districts, where a small team of system administrators manages many school sites across their district.

Joining the TLC school user base this year was Rochester City School District (RCSD) in New York. In collaboration with TLC and TLC’s own subsidiary, Tech Logic, the school district is revolutionizing its collection with RFID technology across the district. While RFID has been a staple of the public library industry, it has not been as widely accepted in school libraries. RCSD leads the way by removing ergonomic constraints that slowed down its previous inventory and shelf management initiatives. Similarly, longtime TLC customer Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) in Maryland partnered with Tech Logic this year to deploy self-check options in its school libraries.

New TLC Customers

In addition to RCSD, TLC also welcomed new customers Ardmore Public Library, Eastwick College, returning customer Jackson-George Regional Library System, Logan Library, and Ponca City Library. Additionally, TLC transitioned current customer La Porte County Public Library from its Library•Solution system to CARL•Solution. In total, this represents 73 sites from the 6 new library systems, which brings TLC’s total customer base to 470 organizations across thousands of sites as of 2022.

TLC Achievements & Releases

Library•Solution has been developed with operational efficiency for its libraries in the public library and academic market. Library•Solution for Schools facilitates daily workflows with distinct school-focused functionality, integrating seamlessly into student information systems (SISs). This also allows for a seamless transition for year-to-year operations between school years. CARL•Solution has been developed specifically with complex systems in mind, where libraries have finite and detailed control over permissions, security settings, and policy configurations.

In 2022, 58 customers migrated to the web-based version of Library•Solution or Library•Solution for Schools, and CARL•Solution reported an 89% adoption rate for its latest software version.

ILS Portfolio:

• Library•Solution and Library•Solution for Schools
  • v5.6.5 (Released: 02/11/2022)
  • LS2 PAC WCAG Improvements for Gloucester Library & OCR (2/14/2022)
  • v4.2 R47 (Released: 01/24/2022)
  • Standalone Media Box Service support (Released May 2022)
  • v5.7.0 EA (Released: 08/01/2022)
  • v4.2 R48 (Released: 08/19/2022)
  • v5.7.1 EA (Released: 12/15/2022)
• CARL•Solution:
  • CARL•X v9.7.1 (Released: January 2022)
  • CARL•Connect Staff v1.6.7 (Released: January 2022)
  • CARL•Connect Discovery v3.6.5 (Released: January 2022)
  • CARL•Solution APIs v2.0.1 (Released: January 2022)
  • CARL•X v9.7.2 (Released: October 2022)
  • CARL•Connect Staff v1.6.8 (Released: October 2022)
  • CARL•Connect Discovery v3.6.6 (Released: October 2022)
  • CARL•Solution APIs v2.0.2 (Released: October 2022)

* A new version of OSA, v3.3 was released on 8/21/2022.

To extend its library services further, the company introduced a new mobile app offering to its customer base in Fall 2021, TLC•Go!, which was implemented in 9 new libraries in 2022, with more queued for 2023.

Data Protection

TLC’s ongoing priority has been keeping its customers’ data safe. The industry saw a significant uptick in data breaches across libraries and schools. TLC continued its typical practices of best-of-breed data security and provided multiple webinars on cybersecurity practices for library professionals. TLC•Cloud Services, the company’s Oracle-based cloud hosting environment, is one example of how TLC emphasizes security, deploying data-at-rest and data-in-motion encryption policies in compliance with multiple state data protection laws — including New York Education Law 2-d.

The new environment became available to customers in 2020 and has gained traction in the last two years. In 2022, TLC migrated 72 customers into TLC•Cloud Services (Oracle Cloud Infrastructure), passing the halfway mark of hosted customers using the new environment, with more queued for 2023.

Hardware and Data Services

In addition to the ILS software for which TLC is known, the company also provides standalone products and services through its TLC•SmartTECH division and data service offerings.

TLC sold 3 new NovelBranch mini libraries across the country, which includes a repeat purchase from Westminster Public Library in Colorado, a first kiosk for Vienna Public Library in West Virginia, and a first kiosk in Sierra Vista Public Library in Arizona.

ITS•MARC, TLC’s copy cataloging database, saw increased usage and seven new subscribers this last year, following the development of MetaMARC and added data contributors. After inspecting the quality of records, TLC welcomed 8 new contributors from its customer base to increase ITS•MARC’s supply to over 81 million bibliographic and authority records. Access to the records of newly published materials increased significantly for subscribers of this premium service thanks to new contributors. eBiblioFile, TLC’s service for automatically delivered records for e-resources, also welcomed nine new subscribers.

Data Services Portfolio:

* Released a new version of BiblioFile, v1.20.3.0 on 6/30/2022

* Added eight new customers to the ITS•MARC contributed data program

Partnerships

In the last year, the company has strengthened its partnership with IBM Cognos to provide new reporting functionality in CARL•Solution (expanding its already elaborate and dynamic canned reports and ad hoc reporting capabilities even further). The partnership has also allowed for improvements to the underlying report framework in LS2 Reports, within Library•Solution and Library•Solution for Schools, to remove common barriers of access for untrained report users. The new framework and interface follow the same principles of TLC’s revolutionary LS2 Cataloging philosophy -- which creates accessible points of entry into the database for non-experts. Where LS2 Cataloging is more form-based metadata creation and editing, the new report authoring framework introduces drag-and-drop options and extensive analytics.

Additional partnerships were strengthened with organizations like Unite Against Book Bans, a national ALA-sponsored initiative to promote the fight against censorship. Book banning was also a significant topic of discussion at the company’s annual user conference. TLC also strengthened its developer partnerships with organizations like Proquest Syndetics, Patron Point, and many others. TLC and Tech Logic also provided single systems integration for Winter Park Library in Florida for its award-winning remodel project, completed at the start of the year.

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