Countdown to the LIANZA conference begins

As a librarian, you care passionately about fair use, free speech and all that good stuff that makes the vendors of proprietary systems nervous. Out in the world, the trend is inexorably towards technology that allows greater interaction with patrons and between libraries, using common standards and protocols that ensure compatibility and collaboration.

Russel Garlick and team will discuss institutional inertia, and why, as librarians, you have a moral obligation to use and support free software. You will find out the answers to common questions about Open Source software:

How can librarians determine whether an Open Source product is mature and "business ready" enough for their purposes?
How can they be sure the product will continue to be supported and developed?
Don't Open Source projects all follow the "Release Early, Release Often" paradigm? Some functions might need upgrading but the rest is just fine. How would that work?

Find out the real story about what's going on in the world of library software, with particular reference to consortia and standards.

View the programme on the LIANZA site http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2006/programme.html

Come see our stand!

Drop by and see us at Stand 47 in the Town Hall.

We have got some goodies to show off this year including:

a Bamboo Self Check machine. Built here in New Zealand, at a fraction of the price of other commercially available units. The Bamboo Self Check machine is SIP compliant and is 100% integratable with Koha.
a sneak peak at the next version of Koha - 2.4. The first version of Koha to support Zebra, Koha 2.4 offers a completely new search experience for your patrons.
a new Corporate Serials Module. Complete with subscription management, routing lists and claims management, the new Koha serials module was developed by Katipo for a large corporate client here in New Zealand. Come down and check it out.

Come see our latest clients!

Before the conference starts, LIANZA are organising a trip to our newest public library client - Kapiti District Libraries. Come see Koha in action in the stunning environs of their new building.

Check out the LIANZA site for more information http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2006/programme.html#kapiti

See you at the conference!