A-G Proudly Announces New COO and CTO!

Paul Cope

President
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Paul is responsible for leading the strategic development and vision in his role as President. During his more than four-decade tenure with the company, he has played an integral role in developing viable software solutions across a range of markets including library, publishing, aerospace and manufacturing. Before his current responsibilities as President he successfully directed the development effort of the Library Management Platform as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Prior to acting as CTO, he was involved in a variety of different capacities throughout the organization including development, project management, marketing and operations. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Production/Operations Systems with a minor in Computer Science, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from California Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Why use CILL for VERSO?

VERSO ILS with CILL (Circulation ILL) integration streamlines resource sharing for libraries already participating in a SHAREit system. VERSO CILL allows libraries to manage their ILL requests within their ILS providing a seamless, optimized workflow for staff and a better patron experience. This unique integration mirrors NCIP, with the benefit of both systems produced and supported by Auto-Graphics in the VERSO CILL environment.

Benefits of using VERSO with CILL include:

Provides significant cost-savings – For libraries that allow patron initiated ILL borrowing, it eliminates the need to purchase NCIP, or a SIP2 license for patron authentication.
Eliminates the need for users to log in to two different systems – The unique synchronization between ILS and ILL platforms substantially reduces – by approximately 80% – the number of required steps performed by staff.
The VERSO collection and SHAREit resources are searchable in one interface – Staff and patrons benefit from a unified experience with the ability to place ILL requests and reserve titles from the full record display in VERSO.
One patron database to maintain – VERSO CILL integration eliminates duplicate data entry by utilizing your library’s patron database for borrowing ILL items.
Simplified circulation workflows for staff – ILL items are managed just as they would be in your library’s collection. All ILL items associated with a patron’s account are populated in an “ILL Items” tab and staff can view all information about the request, including its status.
Provides convenient access to reports and statistics – With CILL integration, libraries can access their ILL statistics in addition to the valuable insights into circulation and patron trends from the VERSO Statistics module.
Saves valuable staff time – When a borrower request is received, a hold is automatically generated for the title, a brief bibliographic and item record are automatically created in VERSO. This automated workflow eliminates the need for staff to manually create and delete records. When an ILL request is received, the request can be configured to populate in the VERSO reserves list eliminating the need to print two separate paging lists.

Andrea Atkins

Senior Customer Support Specialist
Columbus, GA

Andrea has held numerous positions in the library field as well as other related organizations. Her most recent position was with Chattahoochee Valley Libraries (GA) as the ILS Administrator. She holds multiple degrees in addition to her Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Kentucky. These include two graduate degrees from The Ohio State University – Master of Arts in Slavic & East European Studies and Master of Arts in Public Policy & Management. Andrea is very active in her community and is currently a board member for the non-profit NewLife – Second Chance Outreach, Inc. which aims to equip, empower and restore formerly incarcerated people to local communities.

Seyon Sinclair

Product Manager – VERSO
Woodbury, NY

Seyon has been working in libraries since 2009 with a focus on IT. His library career evolved from an assistant to a cataloging and ILS Specialist with the Nassau County Library System in New York. He has expertise in data and statistical analysis, statistical visualization, user training and support, library operations and technical services. Seyon holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management/ Computer Information Systems from SUNY Empire State College and a project management certification from Cornell University.

Julie Cavender

Julie Cavender
Lakewood, CO

Julie brings over 16 years of experience in library services, technology, development, and management to Auto-Graphics. She has worked with numerous library-centric apps and technologies including ILS, content management, digital repositories, and Linked Data solutions. Julie most recently worked as a librarian in a resource library using her expertise to create and manage education resources, including eResources. Julie holds an MLIS degree in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Denver.

Susan Rhood

Director of Marketing
Purcellville, VA

Susan started working with libraries in 2016 and has held sales, marketing, and business development roles in that time. As head of a STEM product focused department at her previous company, Susan built brand awareness for this division through innovative marketing campaigns and collaboration with other library vendors. She served three years as Vice-Chair of the ALA Exhibitor Round Table and is currently a member of the Vendor Advisory Board reporting to the ALA Executive Director. Susan holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication from American University in Washington, DC and a Bachelor of Arts in English from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.

Alan Mask, MLIS

Customer Service Manager
Holmen, WI

Alan was a librarian for nineteen years before joining Auto-Graphics, Inc. in 2022. With experience in academic and public librarianship, he has experience in ILS implementations, acquisitions and cataloging, electronic resources management, and customer support. Concentrating in technical services and ILS administration, he managed the Collection Department of La Crosse Public Library for nine years. Prior to that, he held system librarian and technical services librarian positions at several liberal arts colleges. Alan holds a Master of Science in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from the University of Iowa.

Rae Schneider, MLIS

Product Manager – VERSO
Trinidad, CO

Rae Schneider is a technical services librarian with experience in library systems administration, digital services, cataloging, and acquisitions. She has over 10 years of professional experience working in public, academic, and special libraries, and 5 years of experience working for software providers in technical support and implementation. Rae started at Auto-Graphics as a Customer Support Specialist in 2021 before joining the Product Management team. She holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Washington – Seattle.

Maureen Graham, MLIS

Product Manager, SHAREit
Greensboro, NC

Maureen has worked in the library industry for 25 years, including both public and academic libraries. Her experience includes ILL, reference, acquisitions, cataloging, technical services, and children’s services. Before joining Auto-Graphics, she worked with another ILS vendor, Innovative Interfaces, supporting the Polaris ILS. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Southern Maine, and a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

John Petrocik

Chief Technology Officer
Long Beach, CA

John has spent over 26 years involved in large-scale software development in Fortune 100 companies and venture capital-funded startups. The years in software development have given him first-hand experience in modern development processes, cloud-based infrastructure, security, and the tools needed to lead an organization forward. John has a strong background in complex search and machine learning solutions. He is looking to bring that knowledge to continue to push Auto-Graphics as the leader in catalog searching and research. As Chief Technology Officer, John provides the company’s technical vision and leads all aspects of technology development, to achieve the company’s strategic advancement and growth objectives.

Cheryl Slinkard

Chief Operations Officer
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Cheryl has over 25 years of experience managing the software development process. For the last 13 years, in her CTO role, Cheryl handled the development and deployment process for a successful start-up SaaS application company that now serves more than 10 million unique users globally, executing $100 million in revenue per month.

Cheryl has also been successful in working with two other software-based companies that had product issues and has launched multiple new SaaS applications with several other businesses. She describes herself as “insanely passionate about her customers and ensuring that the company strives to build a product and service that enhances their experience, as well as their customer’s, and makes their lives easier”.

W. Brent Hicks

Mr. Hicks, CPA, has been a director since February 2012. Mr. Hicks is Chairman of the Audit Committee. Mr. Hicks has been a practicing certified public accountant for over twenty-five years in addition to partnering and managing both an underground construction company and real estate development business. Currently, Mr. Hicks is a founder and senior partner of Hicks & Williams, LLP a certified public accounting firm providing tax, audit and management consulting services to small and medium size clients across the nation.

Albert Flores

Vice President of Sales
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Since 1988, Albert has demonstrated successful software sales, project management, and administration focused on providing library automation solutions for a variety of market verticals. Prior to acting as Vice President of Sales, he was involved in a variety of different roles throughout the organization including project management, system administration, and marketing. His team’s sales efforts have resulted in the Library Management Platform being implemented in more than 10,000 libraries throughout North America throughout his tenure with the company. Additionally, Albert has been involved in some of the company’s largest resource sharing system sales, including implementations in Texas, Wisconsin, Kansas, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Oklahoma. Albert holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Master of Arts (MA) in Organizational Management from Azusa Pacific University.

Garry C. Heath

Mr. Heath has been a director since December 2012. Mr. Heath immigrated to California from Canada during the Internet commerce boom in 1999. Mr. Heath was formerly Vice President, Secondary Markets at Best Buy (2008-2010) and founded Dealtree.com in 1999, where he was CTO & COO from (2001-2010). Mr. Heath has developed expert system technologies for managing online sales channels and created several online marketplaces supporting secondary market sales. Mr. Heath is an Internet technology and business operations consultant and serves as President of Heath Investment Properties LLC. Mr. Heath is an active member of Rotary, and currently serves a Technology Director for District 5320 in Southern California.

VERSO

Kyle C. Murphy, DBA

Dr. Murphy has been a director since December 2012. He has over 20 years experience as a successful software executive specializing in high-growth SaaS companies. He currently is CEO of GVNG Technology and Practitioner of Strategy at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. Dr. Murphy is an active member on the board of directors for several early-stage and private equity owned companies. He received his MBA from Pepperdine University and his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from the Alliance Manchester Business School at The University of Manchester.

Ken Kerr

Ken Kerr has been a director since April 2020. During his career, he served in a variety of leadership positions in sales, marketing, and operations with companies in startup, turnaround, and expansion. Most recently he was CEO/CFO of Advisys, Inc., a SaaS company providing financial planning solutions to Fortune 100 banks, brokerages and insurance companies, and thousands of independent financial advisers. He retired from Advisys in 2018 and now consults with businesses to improve profits and productivity through effective employee engagement strategies. Ken graduated Cum Laude from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and has an MBA with an emphasis in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix.

Myrna Gagnier

Director of Customer Service and Quality Assurance
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Myrna joins Auto-Graphics with over 30 years of IT experience and has managed client satisfaction for Fortune 500 software solution companies and government contractors. She has worked closely with QA, Customer Service, Software Development and Release Management departments. Myrna was chairperson for the Southern California Quality Assurance Association (Los Angeles) and holds a Six Sigma Green Belt. Myrna is certified through the American Software Testing Qualifications Board, enabling her to apply quality principles to Customer Service and Software Quality Assurance.

Bryan Straight

Controller
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Bryan has over 30 years’ experience in the field of financial accounting. Over the last 25+ years, he has served as Controller in various international, multi-billion-dollar corporations, who are world leaders in the building materials/construction and manufacturing industries. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of California at Irvine and a MBA from Golden Gate University. As Controller at Auto-Graphics, he is responsible for all financial aspects of the organization.

Debbie Hensler

Product Manager, SHAREit – Customer Services
Pittsburgh, PA

As Auto-Graphics’ SHAREit Product Manager for Customer Services, Debbie leads the SHAREit user group, manages the training program for new and current customers, and contributes to end-user documentation. Her background includes the role of Technical Services Librarian in a public library, Library Systems Specialist for the Maine State Library, and as the Trainer for HSLC in Pennsylvania where she conducted training for HSLC statewide services (ILS, ILL, and databases) via in-person and webinar formats for staff at over 2500 public, academic, school, and special libraries. Debbie holds a B. S., Summa Cum Laude, in Library and Information Technology from the University of Maine at Augusta.

Ted Koppel

Product Manager, VERSO – Technical Services
Atlanta, GA

Ted has served in the library technology and technical services industry for over 36 years. Prior to joining Auto-Graphics, he served as the chief product developer for the UnCover online index and delivery system for CARL Corporation. He has also worked for several other companies in the ILS industry, including Ex Libris and The Library Corporation. Ted was also the Assistant Director for Technical Services at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library (32-branch urban public library system). He holds a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University and a Master of Science (MS) in Library and Information Science from Case Western Reserve University. He is also a member of his local Library Board of Trustees.

Oliver Weiler

Director of Information Technology
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Oliver has more than 19 years of system and network administration experience. He has a degree in computer science from the University of California, Riverside, graduating with honors. Oliver joined A-G in 1997, rebuilt the networking infrastructure, and currently maintains the servers and networking equipment that keeps customer services functioning reliably. He is now responsible for database administration of all databases housed within A-G’s servers and at the SuperNap. As the Director of Information Technology, he guides the maintenance of A-G’s uninterrupted “24/7” operation.

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