Southern Adirondack Library System Joins Zepheira Experimenter Program
Saratoga Springs, NY, October 13, 2015– The Southern Adirondack Library System (SALS) is excited to announce it will participate in an Experimenter Program with Zepheira, a provider of software and services that help make information more easily accessible on the Web. After an assessment of existing catalog records, Zepheira will design an approach to publish those records directly to the web using the power of Linked Data.
“What’s so great about Linked Data?” you ask?
Linked Data is an incredible tool for transforming the accessibility of information.
Think—the locations of library books & movies at your fingertips from the same search engine or app you just used to check movie times, your email & the weather!
Think—the thing you want, the location you’re looking for, the answer you need… all brought to the surface immediately! No longer will your information be buried or bogged down under layers of sites and resources that aren’t properly connected to each other!
The Internet is an intricate structure of layer upon layer of data spun into patterns that we have to learn to navigate before we can find what we want. With this Experimenter Program, we want to unspin the web & weave a stronger one—one that places information & resources at our patrons’ fingertips instantly and simply.
Think—Linked Data… because it’s the future!
The Mohawk Valley Library System (MVLS) is also participating in the Experimenter Program; this endeavor is supported by funds allocated by Senator Farley to both library systems. SALS and MVLS receive technical support from the Joint Automation Project team, who will play a crucial role in this innovative restructuring of the consortium’s catalog records.
“We are delighted to partner with these forward thinking libraries that see the benefits of exposing library catalog data to the Web,” explains John Richardson, Zepheira Vice-President for Library & Vendor Partnerships. “They help us shape the experience for libraries and current patrons, as well as open new possibilities for the regular Web and search engine user.”
The other two participants include the Westchester Library System, located in Tarrytown, NY, and Cedar Rapids Public Library in Iowa. The program will run through June 30, 2016.
About the Southern Adirondack Library System
The Southern Adirondack Library System (SALS) is a voluntary association of 34 public libraries in Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties. SALS is one of 23 public library systems in New York State; its mission is to help member libraries meet community needs. http://www.sals.edu
About the Mohawk Valley Library System
The Mohawk Valley Library System (MVLS) is a co-operative library system supporting public libraries in Fulton, Montgomery, Schenectady, and Schoharie Counties. http://www.mvls.info
About Zepheira
Zepheira was founded in 2007 and has extensive experience creating products and solutions focused on the modernization of library information systems. Zepheira’s founders and staff have played key roles in pioneering the next generation of the Web, including the semantic technology underlying most Web applications. http://www.zepheira.com