Surpass Instantly Saves School Over $5,000, Also Earns A+ In Support

Wayne Smoot is the Media Specialist at Ashworth Middle School in Calhoun, Georgia.  The entire Gordon County school system is automated with Surpass. 

When Wayne was recently asked how many items his Media Center had, he laughed and immediately answered, "Sixteen thousand, two hundred and twenty-two - I know because I'm looking at a Surpass whole-shelf list report I just printed out!"

Aside from those kinds of built-in reports, Wayne - and especially his school's principal - were very impressed with Surpass's ability to store and print out patron information in the form of photo ID cards.  "Our school was getting ready to spend $6,500 on a photo ID badge printing system, but when I told our principal Surpass could do it, she was quite pleased!  Now we use our library ID cards for other purposes as well, such as in the lunchroom and for school security, since every student must have one at all times.  It works great - I can turn out 6 totally finished cards in 10 minutes ... and because students have to pay for a replacement badge if they lose theirs, we get a few extra dollars to buy supplies to print all the badges."

Ashworth students also give Surpass high marks, says Wayne.  "They really like how easy it is, especially with the icons as guides ... and they love the site map - they can pull up a screen that shows them exactly where the book they want is located. Plus, Surpass lets us network our catalog throughout the school, so they can see if a particular item is available without even leaving their classroom."

But nothing impresses Wayne more about Surpass than its support services.  "With Surpass, the support is just so good and so personal.  I haven't had to call in months, but whenever I do, I never get a wrong answer. 

"Even better, when I've made suggestions, like letting us renew books right from the status screen, they've not only listened - they've actually incorporated my request into the next version of the program!

"And any time there's an upgrade, they immediately e-mail clients that the improvements are ready to download.  That kind of great service is what really makes Surpass special. 

"I've looked at just about every library automation program out there, and Surpass has everything they do, plus more - all at an excellent price."