Despite the surge of interest in open source alternatives, commercial venders offering proprietary systems continue to represent the vast majority of library automation implementations. In reviewing the activity in the library automation arena so far in 2007, Innovative Interfaces stands out as one of the commercial vendors that continues to prosper despite the turmoil in the marketplace and the recent bias against proprietary software.
One barometer that gives some measure of the activity in the automation marketplace involves the press announcements that the companies make. While not every sale warrants a press release, companies tend to announce their larger contracts. It may take several weeks between the time that the library signs a contract and any public announcements.
With those caveats, we note that Innovative Interfaces has experienced a very strong year, not just for its Millennium integrated library system, but also for its new Encore product and its electronic resource management system based solely on public announcements. Many of the other companies have likewise seen strong sales, which will be highlighted in subsequent issues of this newsletter.
Contracts announced for Millennium to date in 2007 include the following:
- Akron-Summit County Public Library in Ohio
- Palos Verdes Public Library District
- County Clare Libraries in Ireland
- Cairo University
- Rolling Meadows Library
- California State University, Stanislaus
- Pratt Institute
- University of Canberra
- Washington-Centerville Public Library
- Colburn School of the Performing Arts
- Virginia Theological Seminary
- Pine River Library District/Mancos Public Library
In addition to drawing new libraries to Millennium, Innovative Interfaces has also seen additional sales of its Electronic Resource Management product to California State University in Fresno, Brock University, Furman University and Lehigh University.
Over 200 libraries have licensed this product to date, maintaining the company’s lead in this product genre. On the next-generation interface front, Innovative has contracted with over 50 libraries for its new Encore product, a remarkable number given its recent entry into the market.
