Happy Thanksgiving from EnvisionWare

The Man in the Turkey Shirt!

Dear friends,

On the eve of this holiday weekend, we at EnvisionWare would like to stop for a moment and reflect on all of the things for which we are thankful. On a professional level we are grateful for the warm reception you have given our new products this year; I'm thinking in particular of the Library Document Station (LDS) and the 24-Hour Library. To see customers' faces light up when we demonstrate or install these products really gives those of us "in the trenches" a big boost. It's a great feeling to know that we're making a contribution to the betterment of libraries.

On a personal level, we at EnvisionWare are thankful for some additions to our growing family. By my count, five babies have been born to EnvisionWare employees this year, all daughters (that includes The Baby in the Purple Shirt, born Sep. 16). Four of these employees are first-time parents and will no doubt be going into this holiday season with even greater feelings of joy, wonder, and hope than usual.

Finally, we are grateful for our ongoing relationships with you--our customers. We exist because of you, and we work for you.

Thank you all!

24 Hour Library: Making History

As most readers of this blog are probably aware, we have had a momentous couple of months here at EnvisionWare, Inc. On October 29, the first self-service 24 Hour Library in the United States was unveiled at the Pioneer Library System in Norman, Oklahoma. For all of us at the company, this event represented the culmination of years of intensive work and preparation, and the capstone of our "Solution Revolution" year. I can still recall my first glimpse of the 24 Hour Library prototype in the EnvisionWare warehouse a couple of years ago. Although it sat inert and without power, it practically hummed with possibility. It clearly had the potential to be a game-changing innovation.

Not too long afterward, I got to know the inner workings of the Library while supporting the EnvisionWare booth at the American Library Association conferences. I got to see firsthand all the moving parts--the hardware and software components coalescing in elegant symbiosis.

The Man in the Purple Shirt (who is not actually wearing a purple shirt in this photo) inside a 24 Hour Library.

We continued refining the product, and it was thrilling to watch each new iteration take shape. Now, in our collaboration with Pioneer, all that hard work has come to fruition. Construction of a second Pioneer 24 Hour Library is now underway, and deployment at a number of other US libraries is soon to follow.

This is what I love about working for EnvisionWare: I get to see dreams--which sometimes seem at first to be pure flights of fancy--manifest themselves in physical form. And I get to see the pleasure and satisfaction these realized dreams bring to our customers. Viva la revolución.

The Return of the Man in the Purple Shirt

Greetings, friends! It has been a long time since I addressed you from these pages. You are probably aware that the EnvisionWare Solution Revolution continues to sweep the land. Perhaps you have seen the fruits of our labor firsthand at ALA or at one of the many other library conferences where we've showcased recently. Perhaps you've even implemented one of our new products at your library. In any case, there are plenty of exciting new developments in the land of EnvisionWare, and I intend to explore those in greater detail over the next few months.

Meanwhile, the Man in the Purple Shirt and his wife are expecting their first child. While this is obviously THE most exciting development to emerge from EnvisionWare this year, I must report that we will not be offering the Baby in the Purple Shirt™ in the 2013 product line. Sorry about that. But don't be surprised if you see the latest addition to the EnvisionWare family peeking out from a photo or two in this blog come September.

(Full disclosure: there are actually several babies due at EnvisionWare this year, all equally wonderful. I just happen to have a blog so of course I had to brag on mine :) )

In other news: a couple months ago I finally realized a lifelong dream by traveling to Italy, Turkey, Croatia, and Greece. One particular site I visited--The Library of Celsus in the ancient city of Ephesus (located in modern Turkey)--may be of interest to readers of this blog. This formidable structure, erected in 120 AD in honor of the Roman Senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, once boasted over 12,000 scrolls in its collection. Unfortunately, the contents of the building were destroyed by a fire in 262 AD, but the facade was lovingly restored in the 1960s and 70s. This library appears to have been the cultural center of the city, as you can see from the photo below. The Romans had their priorities in order!

All roads in Ephesus lead to the library

I can only wonder if these ancient Romans also had their own version of EnvisionWare. What sort of Scroll Management® hardware did they utilize in the Library of Celsus? Were those Ionic columns actually proto-RFID technology? Sadly, these mysteries remain buried in the sands of time.

What does not remain buried is the cat family that currently occupies the library. Since there was no quaint bookstore nearby, these fluffy pals have taken up residence in the next best thing!

What I Saw at the Solution Revolution

Greetings, friends!

After a long hiatus the Man in the Purple Shirt is back. I've been very busy as of late, serving as a foot soldier in the Solution Revolution, and now bring you visual documentation of my adventures.

The item above--a new product called the Library Document Station--is the first do-it-all document solution for libraries. Utilizing this device, customers can scan books and documents and send the resulting files to email, iPhone, Tablet, Android, Google Drive, Fax and Print. In a nutshell, the Library Document Station (LDS) effectively renders traditional photocopiers obsolete.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this product made quite the splash when unveiled at the recent ALA Midwinter conference in Seattle. In fact, Carson City Library purchased one on opening night. Quoth the library's forward-looking director Sara Jones, "I want to be the first."

Sara Jones of Carson City Library: proud new owner of a Library Document Station.

Also on display at ALA was our impressive new visualization suite. In the words of CEO Mike Monk, this reporting solution is "so powerful it bests every BI tool on the market yet so simple that anyone can learn to use it in a matter of minutes. See RFID activities and ROI, evaluate your true cost management of printing, copying, scanning, faxing and other related services.  Your entire EnvisionWare enterprise will suddenly be presented in an exciting new way that allows you to map the patron experience, your service levels, cost/benefit of each service and much more."

Flat screen on right offers sneak peek of new visualization suite.

As always, the formidable 24-Hour Library, also pictured above, continued to draw the attention of many passers-by due to both its striking appearance and its extraordinary versatility. The Man in the Purple Shirt even got the opportunity to climb inside to help with the set-up.

Now, folks, we do not throw around phrases like "Solution Revolution" lightly. Alongside the brand new products detailed above, we showcased major new versions of our LPT:One, Staff Transaction Station, and eCommerce software. Keep watching this space for further details concerning these upcoming releases.

Finally, the Man in the Purple Shirt got to spend some quality time in Seattle--a home away from home for this peripatetic spirit. In an impulsive moment two colleagues and I came dangerously close to attending a Kenny G concert at a club called Jazz Alley, but we ultimately balked at the price. Remember that movie Sliding Doors? Who knows what direction our lives would have taken if we'd actually gotten in? Would this blog have traded in its characteristic grit and edginess for a smooth, sultry flow? We can only imagine.

EnvisionWare Halloween Roundup

Something really spooky went down at EnvisionWare Headquarters this week. Now, to paraphrase Othello, we bring you the "ocular proof."

Are these EnvisionWare employees or purple-partial zombies? No one knows for sure, and that guy with the machete ain't telling.

 

The Soul Troll was the proud winner of the annual "Pumpkin Pimping/Gourd Gussying" contest.

Meanwhile, Reginald Gourdsworth III, Esq. demanded a recount.

Creepy, yes, but not nearly so terrifying as...

...national treasure Honey Boo Boo Child

Finally, our costume contest winner: Rosie the Riveter!

A Halloween Serving of Bradbury

Ray Bradbury (Photo: AP)

Halloween is nearly upon us. The folks at the EnvisionWare office are gearing up for the annual costume contest, and everyone is wondering what CEO Mike Monk will be this year. A couple years ago he was--wait for it--a monk. I personally am hoping he will finally pay homage to his doppelganger Hugh Hefner and don the velvet bathrobe. Among the employees, there is certain to be at least one wicked witch with broomstick accessory. And...dare I hope for a Justin Bieber?

Since I work out of the Arizona office, I will be emailing in a photo of an aquatic-themed ensemble that will hopefully slay the competition.

But under the surface this Halloween I will be thinking a lot about Ray Bradbury. The giant of science fiction, horror, and fantasy who so inspired me as a young boy passed away just a few months ago. Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and Dandelion Wine are but three of his many classic books. Any other writer would have been happy to have written just one of those, but Bradbury, during his most fertile period (approx. 1942-1970), proved capable of spinning just about every random idea that occurred to him into literary gold.

He was a great friend of libraries too. In lieu of a college degree he boasted of having “graduated from the Los Angeles Public Library.” During an EnvisionWare trip to California a few years ago I learned that I had missed my hero by just a few days; the library staff had managed to coax him out of semi-retirement by sending him a fax (Ray didn't use a computer) stating that any reading/book signing he did would be a very effective fundraiser for the library. Apparently that's all he needed to hear: he promptly showed up to host an event.

In honor of this great man, and in the spirit of the time of year he liked best, here is a suitably unnerving Bradbury short story recently reprinted by Esquire. Enjoy!

Ray Bradbury: Last Night of the World

New eCommerce and PC Reservation Versions Now Available

It has been an exiting few weeks for us here at EnvisionWare. We have recently rolled out two major releases: PC Reservation® 4.2/3.5.11 and EnvisionWare eCommerce Services™ 3.1.

For a full account of all of the new enhancements, I would recommend viewing the release notes for both products in the EnvisionWare Customer Center. Some highlights, however, are as follows:

• PC Reservation has been tested and verified for Windows 7 and Server 2008, both 64 and 32 bit.
• The PC Reservation configuration settings are now stored in editable files in the Program Files folder rather than in the registry.
• eCommerce has been enhanced to support the PAYware Connect Web-based hosted payment server for credit card transactions paid via the eCommerce Web Module. The benefit of this feature includes the provision of increased options to our users when performing web-based payment transactions.

In my work with Professional Services, I have already upgraded earlier versions of these products to these new versions, and can report that the upgrade process is quick and seamless. In the case of PC Reservation, the installer automatically pulls the older registry settings and uses these to populate the new files. The original registry settings are left in place as a backup but are no longer used by the Management Console.

I strongly believe that our customers will be quite pleased with the expanded functionality and robust performance of these new versions!

"The Library is the Head of the Community"

I've come across two online items this week that really sum up the value of public libraries in the modern world. The first, a quote from Susan Sarandon, comes by way of our friends at New York Public Library. This may be one of the best advertisements for public libraries ever uttered:

That certainly rings true for me. I have worked for EnvisionWare for six and a half years. I'm in contact with public libraries every day of the work week. And yet on most Sundays my wife and I still make time to visit our local public library in Tempe, Arizona. We browse the latest books, read magazines, check out DVDs, and drink cold beverages in the cafe. It's a magical place, and a true community hub.

The second item is is an editorial that ran in the Vancouver Sun on September 6 titled Libraries Improve Literacy of the Public.

The piece states that, "compared to people with high literacy, people with low levels of literacy are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed, more likely to earn minimal wages, more likely to require public assistance and more likely to have trouble with the law." As the author of the article points out, literacy now has a broader definition than it did in previous generations. In addition to the ability to read words on the printed page, literacy in the modern age may entail at least a rudimentary understanding of how the internet works. The article concludes with this forceful point:

"It's clear, then, that if you want to give your child — or yourself, for that matter — a leg up, then you ought to ensure they spend some time in their local library. And while getting your children to where you want is easier said than done, the National Literacy Trust's survey found that the most common reason kids don't use the library is that their families don't go."

I don't expect everyone to share my passion for libraries, but I believe that there are still plenty of people out there who don't realize what a wonderful resource the modern library can be. If they could bring themselves to darken the doors of their local branch, they might be pleasantly surprised.

ALA 2012 Roundup

Just had a wonderful few days meeting and greeting EnvisionWare friends and customers at our elegantly turned-out booth at the ALA (American Library Association) 2012 conference. This was my first trade show, and being both an EnvisionWare Implementation Consultant and a writer, I was intoxicated by all aspects of the event: all the gadgetry, all the creative genius on display from EnvisionWare and its colleagues and competitors, as well as all the fantastic media and books that will ultimately be delivered to library customers via said gadgetry. It was the whole deal. Even Stephen King was there, playing one last gig with his band The Rock Bottom Remainders (They are supposedly hanging up the guitars for good but I don't believe it; they're bound to get sick of their day jobs and come slinking back).

The main conversation piece at our booth was, not surprisingly, the 24-Hour Library--what I like to refer to as our "branch in a box." This was my first opportunity to really play with our glorious new machine, and let me tell you: it is a thing of wonder. You can check out items, return items, pay fines, even apply for a library card. You can go online, reserve an item from any branch, and pick it up at the 24-Hour Library. I think I speak for everyone present in saying that we experienced an almost child-like delight in watching the checked-out books magically slide out of the slot like cash from an ATM machine. I simply cannot wait to see these things sprout up all over the landscape like flowers.

Of course, the 24-Hour Library was not all that we had on display. Attendees also got a chance to view, and interact with, our self-service kiosks, RFID gates, Staff Transaction Station (STS)™, LibraryPDA®, EnvisionWare Modular Sorter™, and PC Reservation® and LPT:One™ Clients. For my part, I got to finally meet in person some of the people I have worked with over the phone for the past six years. ALA was, all in all, a wonderful experience, the excitement mitigating the aches and fatigue in my feet from four days of continuous standing.

To all those who stopped by: THANK YOU for making my trade show debut so much fun. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Sincerely,

The Man in The Purple Shirt

EnvisionWare Unveils 24-Hour "Grand Central" Library at PLA

Greetings friends!

I have very exciting news. This afternoon at PLA, EnvisionWare will be unveiling an exciting array of new products, including LPT:One 4.8 and Staff Transaction Station (STS) 5.0 (information on which can be found here). But the crowning event will be the ribbon-cutting on the 24-Hour "Grand Central Library."

Our new library offers: 24-Hour check out 24-Hour check in 24-Hour holds pick up 24-Hour OPAC browsing 24-Hour program information 24-Hour patron registration 24-Hour sorting And did we mention that it’s open 24 hours?

Do you need a new location such as a city park, train station or mall?  How about a new branch near a school or senior center?   Would your patrons appreciate 24-hour hold pick up in your parking lot?  In today’s service-oriented society with 24-hour drive through at banks, fast food restaurants and markets, wouldn’t it be great to keep pace with library services?

On March 14th, EnvisionWare will offer a complete line of 24-Hour Libraries each designed to deliver a broad range of library services throughout the day and night.   Imagine adding a new location for commuters that provides a selection of more than 800 items, or a mid-sized system with 400 items.  Smaller locations or holds pickup facilities offer just over 200 items.

Imagine placing an order for a turnkey system with a proven track record of performance and reliability (hundreds of systems installed and running, many for more than five years.)  Think about a company that guarantees uptime and response to any problem the same day, one of the world’s leading self service companies - that same company that designed,  installed, and maintains a turnkey 98% self service solution, the largest RFID and AMH system in North America, and hundreds more circulation-based solutions around the world as well as more than 10,000 self service solutions operating in libraries around the globe.

Who better to incorporate check out, check in, AMH, OPAC, program information, remote monitoring, validated patron self-registration, and an online reserve station connected to your ILS via SIP2 -OR- NCIP, but the NISO maintenance agency for NCIP?

Imagine a robust, remarkably reliable, ready to install choice of three system designs at prices lower than the cost of a mid-sized sorter (which by the way includes the sorter for free.)

Three-year construction project or a grand opening of a new 24-Hour Library in just 60 days.  Or what about leasing one or more temporary locations during a construction project?

Welcome to the EnvisionWare 24-Hour Library.   Visit the grand opening on March 14th in Philadelphia or contact an EnvisionWare sales consultant for more information.

EnvisionWare Headquarters: The Next Generation!

Dear Friends of EnvisionWare,

Happy New Year! We sincerely hope your 2012 has gotten off to a positive start. This is both a challenging and exciting time for public libraries, and EnvisionWare remains committed to providing self-service and efficiency solutions for the industry as we all navigate these uncharted waters together.

Your humble servant The Man in the Purple Shirt is back on the beat after a lengthy and refreshing vacation. I would use the term “tanned, rested, and ready,” but being of Irish descent the “tanned” part is difficult to achieve.

Before I headed off to spend the holidays with my family, I visited—for the first time—EnvisionWare’s expanded new Headquarters in Duluth, Georgia. Here are some snapshots:

 

Okay…I concede to pulling your leg a little. But it was very exciting to see the new facility, which, in its own way, was just as impressive to me as the images above. Of particular interest was the large auditorium in which our Winter Summit was held,

as well as the nascent Library of the Future, which will eventually be a fully functioning library in the heart of EnvisionWare Headquarters: a place to test and showcase all the EnvisionWare products in a real-world environment. I am very excited to see this project taking shape, and will be reporting more on it (and posting photos) as it develops. 

The new facility includes a warehouse with multiple loading docks—another step up from our, ah, “cozy” facilities of the past.

As always, the EnvisionWare trolls were on display, and as befitting the larger office, they have expanded their presence as well.

Needless to say, we are very excited about our new Headquarters. We anticipate being there for many years, and we invite you to stop in and say hello if you're ever in the area!