By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The Brandywine Community Schools library system is being computerized. The new Atrium system will allow searches to be done on any internet accessible computer, Brandywine's media specialist Rose Frost said.
Frost added Brandywine is the first district in the immediate area to adopt the program.
Both Brandywine and Merritt Elementary, as well as the high school/middle building, will have the web-based cataloging software installed. Frost said it will be a centralized system that allows someone searching for a text in the Merritt building to not only see the location of the specific book they searched for, but also receive references to similar books in the district's other libraries.
Atrium will be quite an upgrade for Brandywine schools, especially Merritt Elementary, which Frost said is currently without any cataloging system.
The appearance of the catalogue can be modified for each building as well, which Frost said allows the district to make the system appealing to all ages.
The Brandywine board of education was given a presentation Monday night by Frost about the automated system. Superintendent of Brandywine Community Schools Gary Rider said the presentation was to inform the board about the cost of the project and the benefit the system would have to the students.
The system will be operated by a computer in each library but can also be accessed by any personal computer with an internet connection, Frost said.
Rider said the plan is to have the system installed by the start of next school year.
Frost estimated the district will have to catalogue around 12,000 books at the middle/high school, 15,000 at Brandywine Elementary and 4,000 at Merritt Elementary.
The Atrium brand is new to Frost, but she said she installed a similar system for Lakeview Community Schools a few years back.
Frost said the district is purchasing the Atrium system from Book Systems Inc. out of Huntsville, Ala. at a cost not to exceed $14,000. Included in the price is software, bar code labels and training, which Frost said is a one day intensive course conducted by representatives from Book Systems Inc. Frost said she, along with the rest of library media staff and technical director Doug Fox, will complete the training.
Brandywine schools will have a few extra days to install the new system before the first day of school.
Rider said the board adjusted the academic calendar for next year and students will not begin school until after Labor Day.
Rider said the first day of classes will be on Tuesday, September 5.