Equinox Welcomes Skagit Evergreen Libraries to Aspen Discovery

Aspen Discovery logo

Equinox Welcomes Skagit Evergreen Libraries to Aspen Discovery

Atlanta, Ga., January 11, 2023: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is excited to announce that the Skagit Evergreen Libraries (WA) consortium has adopted the open source discovery layer, Aspen Discovery, with support from Equinox.

Aspen Discovery is a fully-featured, open source discovery system, which provides comprehensive access to library resources. It gives patrons a single search box and smart search results that group all formats of a title together, allowing the patron to easily get access to their preferred version. To learn more about Aspen Discovery visit: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/aspen-discovery/

“We are very impressed with the search functionality and features provided in Aspen Discovery and have already received positive feedback from our patrons,” said Jeanne Williams, Director of Central Skagit Rural Partial County Library District. “They tell us Aspen Discovery provides a much better user search experience. I am incredibly thankful for the support the Equinox team provided!”

Skagit Evergreen Libraries launched in 2011 and now encompasses four libraries in Skagit County, Washington. In addition to adopting Evergreen the consortium has deployed Aspen Discovery to increase the findability of their resources. Equinox has been working with the consortium since their beginning in 2011. 

“It is very rewarding to be able to provide such a quality of life improvement to a library’s community,” said Galen Charlton, Implementation and IT Manager at Equinox. “When patrons have a frictionless experience with findability their relationship with the library skyrockets. To contribute to the joint success of libraries and communities is really what open source and Equinox’s mission is all about.”

Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates. 

To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup

For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
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, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are 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 Aspen Discovery
Aspen Discovery is an open source discovery layer that powerfully gathers all of a library’s resources together into a single search. Aspen Discovery provides comprehensive access to the entirety of a library’s holdings, pulling in data from the ILS and licensed databases. To learn more, visit: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/aspen-discovery/

The 2022 Year in Review is Here!

Black cat with head sticking through lowercase letter blue 'e' with a snow drift and colored lights at the bottom.

The 2022 Year in Review is Here!

Join us in looking back at 2022 with Equinox’s Year in Review!

Download Our 2022 Year in Review

Highlights include:

  • Support for leading open source discovery systems Aspen Discovery and VuFind®
  • Community building and ERM learning at the 2022 CORAL Online Summit
  • Introducing five new Equinox team members (hi, everyone!)
  • Sharing our knowledge at community events – CORAL, Evergreen, Koha, and VuFind®
  • And also at library conferences – ER&L, ALA, Charleston, PaLA, NYLA, CT, and MO
  • Interesting conversations with guest moderators at #ChatOpenS
  • Completing many exciting development projects (thanks, partners!)
  • Welcoming more libraries and library systems nationwide to the Equinox community

 

Equinox Welcomes St Thomas Public Library to Evergreen ILS

Equinox Welcomes St Thomas Public Library to Evergreen ILS

Atlanta, Ga., December 14, 2022: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce that St Thomas Public Library of St Thomas, Ontario, Canada has joined the Evergreen community with support from Equinox.

“Being a smaller sized library, we weren’t sure if it would be possible for us to support a move to open source, but Equinox has made every step of the migration, training, and implementation of Evergreen run so smoothly,” said Aaron DeVries, Manager, Digital and Support Services at St Thomas Public Library. “The flexibility of Evergreen has already improved our workflows around some of our special collections and library staff have begun dreaming of new integrations to enhance our patron experiences.”

Begun as the St Thomas Free Library in 1884, the St Thomas Public Library has celebrated over 130 years of service to their community including the additions of a reading garden, and book pick up lockers and vending machines in central locations. Their library serves 31,885 patrons and encompasses a collection of 80,913 bibliographic records. As part of their migration Equinox provided support, hosting, data, and implementation services. This is in addition to remote training provided by Equinox’s expert staff of degreed librarians. Hosting will be offered on Sequoia, Equinox’s cloud-based platform for library automation services.

“Having a part to play in over 130 years of service to a community is a humbling and rewarding experience,” said Rogan Hamby, Data and Project Analyst at Equinox. “We are thrilled that open source technology is now part of the history of the St Thomas Public Library.”

Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates.

To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup

For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
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, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are 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 libraries to museum and special library collections. 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 about Evergreen: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/evergreen/.

Equinox Becomes the First VuFind® Registered Service Provider in the United States

Now Available! VuFind. Search. Discover. Share.

Equinox Becomes the First VuFind® Registered Service Provider in the United States

Atlanta, Ga., December 7, 2022: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce that Equinox is now a Registered Service Provider for the open source discovery layer, VuFind®. Equinox is the first VuFind® Registered Service Provider in the United States. Equinox provides VuFind® services for libraries and consortia using Evergreen ILS, FOLIO LSP, and Koha ILS, as well as proprietary library systems supported by VuFind®.

“The VuFind® Project Management Committee introduced the Registered Service Provider earlier this year to provide an opportunity for stronger partnerships between the core development community and the surrounding ecosystem of vendors that support the software,” said Demian Katz, Community Manager for VuFind® and Director of Library Technology at Villanova University. “We’re thrilled by the strong initial response to this program and are very pleased that Equinox is coming on board to help ensure the ongoing sustainability of free, open source software.”

Registered Service Providers work closely with the VuFind® community, support knowledge sharing, demonstrate expertise in open source technologies for libraries, and contribute to the financial sustainability of the VuFind® project.

“Equinox has a long history of open source community collaboration and support,” said Galen Charlton, Implementation and IT Manager at Equinox. “Since the beginning, supporting open source communities and libraries has been at the center of Equinox’s mission and purpose. We see our partnership with the VuFind® community as a natural next step in promoting open technologies for libraries.”

VuFind® is developed and maintained by Villanova University’s Falvey Memorial Library. VuFind® joined the Open Library Foundation in April 2022.

Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates.

To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup

For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
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, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are 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 VuFind®
VuFind® is an open source discovery product for libraries and archives developed and maintained by Villanova University’s Falvey Memorial Library. VuFind® enables library users to discover the entirety of libraries’ collections, including catalog records, journals, digital items, and more. Search results are retrieved quickly, often in a fraction of the time of an OPAC search. VuFind® is open source and customizable—the interface may be configured to best meet users’ needs. For more information on VuFind® visit: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/vufind/.

Equinox Welcomes Andy Utterback

Photo of Andy Utterback smiling.

Equinox Welcomes Andy Utterback

Atlanta, Ga., November 16, 2022 : Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce that Andy Utterback has joined Equinox as our new Business Development Manager.

Prior to joining Equinox, Andy served as the Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at the Public Library of Science (PLOS), as the Content Management Librarian at SUNY Maritime College, and as an Institutional Development Manager at ITHAKA. At PLOS, his team was recognized for their work developing new alternatives to Article Processing Charge-Based (APC) business models including Community Action Publishing which won a 2021 Innovation in Publishing Award from the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers. Andy’s work focuses on supporting the adoption of open technologies, workflows, and resources in libraries around the world. Andy received his Masters of Library Science from Indiana University and is involved in the American Library Association (ALA) and the  Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) most recently serving a term as a member of the ACRL Science and Technology Section (ACRL STS) awards committee.

“We’re excited to have Andy on the Equinox team,” said Lisa Carlucci, Executive Director. “His dedication to supporting innovative and equitable open solutions makes him a true partner for libraries seeking to update and advance their infrastructure and services. In his new role, Andy will be an advocate and advisor, supporting libraries interested in learning more about open source technologies.”

As a nonprofit organization, Equinox Open Library Initiative provides innovative open source software for libraries of all types. Equinox delivers open source library systems, services, software, and support, with a focus on value, innovation, and sustainability.

Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates.

To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup

For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
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, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are 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.

Equinox Welcomes Brenna Allen

Equinox Welcomes Brenna Allen

Atlanta, Ga., November 14, 2022: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce that Brenna Allen will be joining Equinox as Support Specialist.

Brenna Allen came to Equinox from Jefferson County, Colorado’s Library where she worked in their outreach department supporting the bookmobile, holds lockers, homebound patrons, and their first staffless library. Her involvement with the staffless library and its associated systems reinvigorated her interest in library technologies and that led to her joining Equinox. Brenna has her MLS from Emporia State University and brings to the position her background with public libraries, archives and library vendors. Brenna enjoys gardening, virtual reality games, volunteering for community organizations, and catching as many concerts as possible.

“We are excited to welcome Brenna Allen to Equinox,” said Steven Callender, Support Manager at Equinox. “Brenna’s experience with public libraries and their outreach programs will only strengthen the support already available to libraries working with Equinox. Please join us in welcoming Brenna to our team.”

As a nonprofit organization, Equinox Open Library Initiative provides innovative open source software for libraries of all types. Equinox delivers open source library systems, services, software, and support, with a focus on value, innovation, and sustainability.

Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates.

To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup

For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
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, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are 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.

Equinox Welcomes Lakewood Baptist Church to Koha ILS

Equinox Welcomes Lakewood Baptist Church to Koha ILS

Atlanta, Ga., November 1, 2022: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce the latest addition to the open source community, Lakewood Baptist Church of Gainesville, Georgia (GA), with their adoption of Koha ILS.

“As a small special library, we appreciate that Equinox’s support framework is scalable and adaptable.” said Linda Kern, Professor & Dean of Library Services at Brenau University and Coordinator at Lakewood Baptist Church. “The Equinox team has been fabulous to work with – each member is knowledgeable, responsive to our unique needs, and responds in a timely manner. We are excited about the quality of access and services we are able to deliver with the solutions provided by Equinox.”

Lakewood Baptist Church’s migration encompassed the 324 bibliographic records their hardworking volunteers cataloged over the space of a month to form the collection of the new Lakewood Theological Library. As part of the project Equinox provided hosting, support and maintenance services in addition to implementation and training. Remote training was provided by Equinox’s expert staff of degreed librarians.

“It is a rewarding experience to help a new library begin from the ground up with open source,” said Erica Rohlfs, Senior Implementation Project Manager. “Koha brings their community a powerful tool as their ILS and we are excited that the new Lakewood Theological Library will be a part of the open source community.”

Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates.

To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup

For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
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, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are 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 Koha ILS
Created in 1999 by Katipo Communications for the Horowhenua Library Trust in New Zealand, Koha Integrated Library System is the first open source Integrated Library System to be used worldwide. The software is a full-featured ILS with a dual-database design (search engine and RDBMS) built to be compliant with library standards. Koha’s OPAC, staff, and self-checkout interfaces are all web applications. Distributed under the General Public License (GPL), libraries are free to use and install Koha themselves or to purchase support and development services.  For more information on Koha, please visit https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/koha/.

Equinox Welcomes Allison Matherne

Equinox Welcomes Allison Matherne

Atlanta, Ga., October 31, 2022: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is pleased to announce that Allison Matherne is joining Equinox as Program Assistant.

Allison Matherne spent the last five years working in public libraries providing circulation and references services and planning and leading library programs and storytimes. Allison graduated with a BA in English from the Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where she worked in the University’s architecture and graphics design computer lab, providing technical support to academic researchers and students.

“We’re happy to welcome Allison to Equinox,” said Lisa Carlucci, Executive Director. “Allison’s experience providing public library services and her background in academic technologies are a great match for Equinox’s programs. Her creative and friendly attitude and enthusiasm for innovative technologies align well with our mission to provide excellent service to our libraries, partners, and communities.”

As a nonprofit organization, Equinox Open Library Initiative provides innovative open source software for libraries of all types. Equinox delivers open source library systems, services, software, and support, with a focus on value, innovation, and sustainability.

Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates.

To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup

For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
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, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are 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.

Equinox Presents at the 2022 Charleston Conference

Equinox Presents at the 2022 Charleston Conference

Atlanta, Ga., October 26, 2022: Equinox Open Library Initiative, a trusted leader in open source technology development and support for libraries, is presenting at the 2022 Charleston Conference, which will be held as both an in-person and virtual conference beginning with an in-person event in Charleston, South Carolina from November 1 through November 4 and continuing virtually from November 14 – November 18, 2022. Staff member Erica Rohlfs and community partner Michael Kares from William Jessup University are presenting a poster “Why an ERM in a Small Library? Implementing CORAL at William Jessup University.”

“CORAL, the open source ERM, provides William Jessup University library with a successful electronic resource management solution and offers several significant benefits,” said Erica Rohlfs, Senior Implementation Project Manager at Equinox. “The overall goals were to break down the silos of information within the library, better organize institutional knowledge, and store library vendor information and history in a central location. CORAL ERM made that all possible.”

CORAL ERM is used by libraries and institutions worldwide. The CORAL project is led by the CORAL Steering Committee and the software is developed and maintained by community contributions to the project. The community meets annually for the CORAL Summit. Information on the 2022 CORAL Summit can be found here: https://www.equinoxoli.org/equinox-announces-2022-coral-online-summit/.

Follow Equinox Open Library Initiative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo for the latest updates.

To receive news directly in your inbox: https://www.equinoxOLI.org/#signup

For more information:
Laura Barry
Communications Coordinator
Equinox Open Library Initiative, Inc.
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, affordable, and sustainable open source solutions. We are 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 CORAL ERM
CORAL is an electronic resources management system consisting of interoperable modules designed around the core components of managing electronic resources for libraries and other organizations.  CORAL is available as a free, open source program. To learn more please visit: https://www.equinoxoli.org/products/coral/