Lexington Public Library 1st in U.S...

To purchase and impliment the Aqua Browser...

--ryan


Press Release



Lexington Public Library is First U.S. Library to Purchase AquaBrowser Library™

INWOOD, WV, February 2, 2005 - Lexington Public Library (LPL) in Kentucky has taken a step to offer its patrons an unprecedented OPAC experience.

LPL will be the first library in the United States to implement AquaBrowser Library. Created by TLC partner Medialab Solutions BV (the Netherlands), AquaBrowser Library is a new OPAC paradigm. Using its unique algorithm, AquaBrowser Library intelligently creates associations when patrons enter search terms. It graphically displays the associations, which link to an unimaginable array of potential paths.

AquaBrowser Library finds items using associations, along with stemming and spelling alternatives. Users can broaden, narrow, or refine a search based on term co-occurrences, spelling variations, thesaurus entries, and translations - all with a single click to uncover new and more successful paths to the information they're seeking.

"When I first saw Aquabrowser Library, I immediately saw the implications for improving public catalogs through its use," LPL Executive Director Kathleen Imhoff said. "It is an intuitive method of searching that is easy for patrons of all ages. The star-like search result presentation is visually captivating and is particularly attractive to teens and younger users."

"Libraries outside of the U.S. that worked to develop this system offered AquaBrowser Library and their traditional catalog side by side," she said. "By the end of the second year of operation, they placed AquaBrowser Library first and their regular catalog second, because over 80 percent of the patrons were using AquaBrowser Library."

Ms. Imhoff called AquaBrowser Library the "next generation of catalog searching. The ease of use, intuitiveness, the multiple, easy, searching delimiters and user friendliness all make it an ideal product for libraries wanting to help their patrons find more information quickly," she noted.

"We are pleased that Lexington Public Library has chosen AquaBrowser Library," commented TLC CEO Annette Harwood Murphy. "LPL will be the first library in the United States whose patrons can enjoy this groundbreaking OPAC 'experience.' AquaBrowser Library redefines the OPAC and has raised the bar on what today's OPAC should do."

AquaBrowser Library integrates with Library.Solution®, TLC's ILS (used by LPL), TLC's CARL.Solution®, CARL.X™, and other vendors' systems.

LPL has six branches, over 325,000 titles, and circulates an estimated 2.2 million items per year.

More About AquaBrowser: Search, Discover, Refine
AquaBrowser Library enables users to search exactly what they're looking for. They discover what they want because the system offers suggestions, spelling variations, synonyms, translations, and associations. AquaBrowser refines by integrating existing catalog meta-information and presenting it to the user -- only when related to his or her search terms --for further refining the search and helping the user find other potentially helpful categories.

About Medialab Solutions BV
Medialab Solutions, the Dutch-recognized market leader in OPAC search solutions for libraries, was founded in 1990 in the Netherlands. In 2000, the company turned its efforts to creating successful searching solutions for companies and libraries with the AquaBrowser technology. For more information about the company, access http://www.medialab.nl.

About The Library Corporation
TLC is owned and operated by the family that founded the company over 30 years ago. The company's automation solutions include integrated automation systems built using the world's most advanced technologies, cataloging with access to millions of MARC records, acquisitions that incorporates all the necessary resources into one place and a premier service and support team that sets the standard in the library profession.