Announcement: LSSI and Altarama Redefining Virtual Reference

[Stephen Coffman]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                



VIRTUAL REFERENCE REDEFINED 

LSSI and Altarama agreement is big step forward in development of   
integrated reference management system

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / GERMANTOWN, MD, USA, 3 April 2002 – Joint development and distribution agreements were signed today between Altarama Systems & Services (www.altarama.com.au), and Library Systems & Services (www.lssi.com).  Company executives point to new alliance as the result of months of technical evaluation and business planning.  Integration of Altarama’s RefTracker™ product family with LSSI’s Virtual Reference Toolkit™ will proceed rapidly, with a set of product announcements scheduled to coincide with the ALIA Conference in Sydney and the SLA and ALA Conferences in Los Angeles and Atlanta, respectively.

Already the recognized leader in integrated email-based reference request management systems for libraries, RefTracker includes an “ask-a-librarian” web based user interface, a knowledge database accessible by both staff and clients, and statistical analysis of the full reference operations of libraries.

Enjoyed by patrons in nearly 1,000 academic, public, corporate and K-12 libraries in North America and Australia, LSSI’s Virtual Reference Toolkit ™ makes professional reference and search assistance services available to library patrons anywhere, at any time. It allows enables libraries to extend the high-quality, personalized services traditionally offered only at the physical reference desk the growing number of patrons using the Web, and that puts the high touch back into high-tech.

“Merging these proven technology sets will mark the beginning of a new world of reference librarianship,” said Steve Coffman, LSSI’s VP of Product Development.  “We’re going to provide libraries with the means to manage all of their reference activity – whether the requests originate in person, by phone, by email, or online, even non-English and 2nd level reference activities.”

Shirley Forster, founder and Managing Director of Altarama, said “I am delighted with way in which this agreement has come to fruition, and the opportunity that it provides to accelerate the development of new features for our RefTracker customers.  The solutions that will come from integration of RefTracker and LSSI’s Virtual Reference Toolkit are promising indeed, and I feel proud that our company and technology have been chosen to be a part of it.”

This agreement will allow for the provision of RefTracker’s capabilities to existing LSSI Virtual Reference Toolkit customers, and inclusion all of LSSI’s future offerings.  Both organizations have committed to ensuring that seamless operation between the two systems is achieved based on customer feedback. 

Additionally the agreement makes Altarama, LSSI’s sales and support agent for Virtual Reference ToolKit in Australia and New Zealand, and makes LSSI, Altarama’s sales and support agent for stand alone and ASP sales of RefTracker in a range of markets throughout the world.

“We are very fortunate to have found Shirley and her company,“ said Arthur Brady, Vice President of LSSI’s Reference Division.  “In Altarama, we have a partner with products and skills to significantly advance our Project Conrad timetable [integrated reference management system project], as well as to provide high quality local support for our clients in the Asia Pacific region.”

 
About LSSI
LSSI was founded by library professionals, and is part of The Follett Corporation’s family of companies.  For more than 20 years — and for the benefit of nearly 2,000 libraries of all types and sizes — LSSI has been finding and delivering new tools and technologies.  Now, LSSI’s Reference Division is taking this unique ability to identify and adapt technologies for libraries — bundled with superior training and support — to provide new tools and new ways for reference librarians to meet the changing nature of library usage.  Additional information about the Company and the Division is available at www.lssi.com/vrt.

About Altarama Systems & Services
Altarama is dedicated to the development and support of software and services for the reference function of libraries.  Our background in development and support of library management systems ensures that our solutions consider the operations of the library as a whole, and include compliance with library standards.  Additional information about Altarama is available at www.altarama.com.au.

See Altarama and LSSI together at ALIA Stand 47
 - Sydney Exhibition & Convention Centre, May 19-22, 2002

For more information, please contact:

LSSI Reference Division				
Arthur Brady, Division Vice President		
(301) 540-5100 ext 228			
arthurb at lssi.com	frankp at lssi.com	

Altarama Systems & Services 
Shirley Forster, Managing Director
[61] 2 9974 2500	
info at altarama.com.au	
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