All over the world, libraries are embracing computer technology to make their valuable, and sometimes unique, stores of information available to users who may be on-site, or halfway around the globe. In order to do this, today's sophisticated library systems must meet three requirements. It is essential that they are network-based in order that they can be accessible anywhere in the world. They need to support very complex data types typically stored at libraries including images and video. And, they must deliver optimal price/performance because libraries generally run on relatively small IT budgets.
All of which explains why Geac's Caché-based VUBIS library system is now in use in over 300 libraries throughout the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, and Romania. Major users include the prestigious Royal Library of Belgium, and the libraries at the Universities of Brussels, Antwerp, and Eindhoven. VUBIS is popular because it delivers extremely high levels of performance, very robust functionality, is hardware and network-independent, can scale to many thousands of users, and is extremely cost-effective due to its ability to run on smaller, faster platforms than competitive library systems.
The original VUBIS system was developed in the 1980s by Brussels Free University and Eindhoven Technical University. With each subsequent year, Geac has offered a new release of VUBIS incorporating current enhancements in library science and information technology. Discussing the features that needed to be included in the most recent release, Eric van Lubeek, Geac's sales manager in the Netherlands said, "The latest developments in library technology such as multimedia, the Internet, and chipcards - intelligent alternatives to a standard library card - had to be taken fully into account. The VUBIS system meets these needs very well."
This year's release includes a connection between VUBIS and the World Wide Web using Caché Web technology. This feature enables people from anywhere in the world to request, view, and listen to information at a library using standard browsers such as Netscape and Explorer. "For example, a library user down the hall or across an ocean can listen to sound files or view images stored in a VUBIS database," van Lubeek explained.
Another development Geac incorporated into its latest version of VUBIS is a facility card interface. This is a full-fledged alternative to the lender's pass, using a barcode to store information.
A long-time InterSystems' customer, Geac is a Canadian software company which has regularly been attracting headlines in recent years because of some surprising takeovers. Just last year, in a bold David vs. Goliath move, Geac acquired Dun & Bradstreet Software, a company that was two-and-a-half times its size.
Geac transitioned to Caché amidst praise from both its developers and its user base. "Our programmers believe the Caché development environment is really fantastic; they can work quickly, and any changes or enhancement to the application can be done very easily," said van Lubeek. "And our users are particularly pleased about the hardware-independence of the software. We can install VUBIS on all standard hardware and networking platforms without making any changes to the code." VUBIS supports the most popular operating systems including Windows NT, UNIX, and Windows 95.
Libraries must be very cost-conscious, and they find VUBIS's ability to deliver very high performance on smaller, cheaper hardware platforms very attractive. "Time and time again people are surprised how little hardware VUBIS requires," said van Lubeek. "For a transaction-oriented library system, you would really expect quite a powerful minicomputer or a mainframe-like machine. A Caché application doesn't need this. In Zealand, there are 28 libraries with 200 simultaneous workstations connected to an RS 6000 G40. In Gronigan, there are 27 libraries with 450 workstations connected to a Sequent Symmetry 2000/250."
Van Lubeek and Geac are optimistic about Caché's role in Geac's future. Says van Lubeek: "Within the international Geac organization, there is interest in Caché as a development environment. People have become aware of its potential."
"Our programmers believe the Caché development environment is really fantastic; they can work quickly, and any changes or enhancement to the application can be done very easily."
- Eric van Lubeek, Sales Manager, Geac