Gaylord Information Systems has joined with Microsoft Corp. and a number of educational software vendors which use Microsoft NT to further develop and implement the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) standards. The SIF is a de facto standard for K-12 software. Its goal is to formalize data-sharing methods among applications and to define how those applications interact. SIF supporters work together to define a common format for school data such as student demographics, attendance records, library information, and grades.
Gaylord is evaluating its Polaris product to see that it conforms to SIF. It expects it to do so as it was developed in strict adherence to Microsoft's Distributed InterNet Application Architecture. The vendor has already imported student registration data to a Polaris SQL server database at one of its sites. The goal is to make Polaris an attractive product for the rapidly growing school library market.
Gaylord has also decided to target academic libraries. It has completed course reserves and hopes to install it at an academic library site in the near future. It is evaluating media booking options, including the development of a module and the integration of an existing product into Polaris.
Despite its emphasis on Polaris in recent product announcements, the company reaffirmed its commitment to its Galaxy product at the recent American Library Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans.
[Contact: Gaylord Information Systems, P.O. Box 4901, Syracuse, NY 13221- 4901; (315) 457-5070 or (800) 272-3414; fax (315) 457-5883; www.gaylord.com].
