Library Technology Guides

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Volume 14 Number 12 (December 1994)

Major library automation vendors outside North America

Although the library automation industry has been centered in North America, there are a number of library automation vendors outside North America which are offering products and ongoing support equivalent to their North American counterparts. Most of them plan to enter the U.S. and Canadian markets in the next year or two. The following vendors are those which reported having sold at least 20 systems in the 1993 calendar year:

Databasix Information Systems, B.V. offers its ADLIB product as a turnkey system operating both as PC-based and multiuser platform using MS-DOS, SVR, Solaris, or AIX operating systems, and Databasix's own programming language. The major hardware platforms are PCs, Motorola, SUN, IBM RS/6000, and HP9000s. Its installed base at the end of 1993 was 76 systems worldwide--none in North America; 20 percent were academic libraries, 75 percent special libraries; and 5 percent school libraries. The company sold 27 "new name" systems in 1993. The company claimed between $1 and $2.5 million in gross sales but did not indicate if there was an after-tax profit. The company reported 3.5 ~TE staff committed to software maintenance and development, 1.5 FTE staff committed to marketing and sales, and 4 FTE staff to other customer support.

[Databasix Information Systems B.V., P.O. Box 1436, 3600 BK Maarssen, The Netherlands; 31-30-411885; FAX 31-30-412568.]

Ex Libris offers its multiuser Aleph product as both turnkey and software-only for the major hardware platforms of DEC, Alpha OSF/l, IBM 600 series, and the Sun SOLARIS 2. The operating systems are UNIX and VMS, and the programming languages are C-ISAM, Oracle (optional), and Microfocus COBOL. The company sold 29 systems in 1993, but it did not indicate how many were "new name" sales. The total number of installed and accepted systems was 171-four in North America-of which 50 percent were academic libraries, 31 percent special, and 19 percent public. The company reported that its sales figures were confidential, but that it did realize an after-tax profit. The company reported 11 staff committed to software maintenance and development, 8 to and marketing, and 8 to other customer support. The company maintains offices in Luxembourg, Copenhagen, Praha, Budapest, Warsaw, Kiev, Madrid, and Ankara.

[Ex Libris, 10 Kehilat Venezia 10, Tel Aviv, Israel; 972-3-490 430; FAX 972-3- 647 1241.]

McDonnell Information Systems Limited (MDIS) offers its system, URICA, as both turnkey and software only. The major hardware platforms are IBM RS/6000, Digital Alpha, Motorola RISC, and HP9000, using the Reality, UNIX, or VMS operating system. The DBMS and programming languages used are Reality and Databasic or Unidata, Databasic, and "C+." The company reported 20 "new name" sales in 1993. The company's total installed and accepted base was 140-one in North America-of which 40 percent were public libraries, 40 percent academic, 15 percent special, and 5 percent school libraries. The company reported gross sales between $1 and $2.5 million but no after-tax profit. A staff of 22 was committed to software maintenance; no other staff information was provided. The company maintains offices in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt, London, Linz, Geneva, and Dublin.

[MDIS, Maylands Park South, Boundary Way, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP2 7110, Great Britain; 44-2-232424; Telex 825968; FAX 44-2-244896.]

ODIS by offers its system, VUBIS, as both turnkey systems and software-only. The major hardware platforms are Digital, NCR, Compaq, IBM, Sequent, as well as others, using the MUMPS operating system which can be a "guest" under "up" UNIX, VMS, VM, DOS, etc. The DBMS and programming languages used are the M-technology--the company offers documentation upon request. VUBIS is a multi-user platform product, but can also be run on PCs used as central servers. The company reported 20 "new name" sales in 1993. The company's total installed and accepted base was 175-none in North America. The company reported gross sales between $5 and $10 million and an after-tax profit. A staff of 12 was committed to software maintenance and development, 3 to sales and marketing, and 4 to other customer support. The company maintains offices in Brussels, Eindhoven, and Paris.

[ODIS by, Piazza 403, 5611 AG Eindhoven, The Netherlands; 31-40-433605; FAX 31-40- 434145.]

Relias Informatique International (RII) offers its product, LIBER-both turnkey and software-only-on a multi-user platform using the IBM RS/6000 series and PCs. The product operates under PICK and UNIX systems, and uses the PICK and BASIC PICK "C+" programming language. The company had 45 "new name system sales during 1993, bringing its installed base to 500 sites worldwide-none in North America-with 42 percent public, 38 percent special, and 20 percent academic libraries. The company reported its 1993 earnings as "confidential" but did report an after-tax profit. Ten staff were committed to software maintenance and development; 4 to marketing and sales; and 5 to other customer support. The company maintains offices in Paris, Moscow, and Kuala Lumpur.

[Relias Informatique International, 7 rue NicoJ.as Robert, 93600 Aulnay Sous Bois, France; 33-1-48793976, FAX 33-1-48793975.]

Servicios de Teledocumentacion, S.A. offers software only. The product, known as ABSYS, is both a PC-based and a multiuser, client-server product that runs on all sizes of machines, with UNIX the operating system for larger systems, and MS-DOS/Windows for PCs. It uses BRS/ Search and Informix DBMS, and the programming languages are "C" and Oracle, The company's installed base was 135 systems worldwide (none in North America), 32 of which were "new name" sales. The company reported gross sales in the $1 to $2.5 million range with an after-tax profit realized for 1993. The company reported that 19 staff were committed to software maintenance and development; 9 staff were committed to marketing and sales; and 8 to other customer support. The company maintains offices in Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia, and Granada.

[Servicios de Teledocumentacion, S.A.- Baratz c/Fuencarral, 123-28-28010 Madrid; 34-1-593 96 12; FAX 34-1-593 98 21.]

Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AF currently offers its SISIS integrated library system only as a turnkey system, but plans to offer it as "software-only" in the future (no time frame was given). It is offered as a multi-user platform on an Intel and RISC CMIPS 4400-oriented platform using the UNIX v.4 (5 INIX 5.4) operating system and the Informix-online (ONL)/standard engine (SE) and "C" programming languages. The company's installed base was 258 systems worldwide--none in North America--of which 65 percent were public libraries; 19 percent academic; and 15 percent special. The company reported 55 system sales in 1993, and grossed between $10 to $15 million with an after-tax profit. The company had 26 staff committed to software maintenance and development; 10 to marketing and sales; and 8 to other customer support. Major enhancements for 1993 included the development of a new version (SISIS-ONL) for bigger academic and special libraries with enlarged data structures, authority files, and features to be used. The company maintains offices in 23 countries worldwide in addition to the Asian Pacific region and its 61 offices in Germany.

[Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG, Division of Public Sector, D531, Otto-Hahn- Ring 6, 0-81730 Munich, Germany; 49-89-636 48 226; FAX 49-89-636 41 181.]

Stowe Computing Australia offers its Book Plus product both as a software only and a turnkey system operating as a multi-user platform using either IBM O/S 400 or the UNIX operating system; and the DBMS and programming languages are either DB/2 and RPG/400 or CTREE and Gb6. The major hardware platform is either IBM AS/400 or IBM RS/6000. The company's installed base of 107 systems worldwide (none in North America) consisted of 90 percent public libraries, 6 percent special, 3 percent academic, and 1 percent school libraries. The company sold 21 "new name" and 8 system upgrades in 1993, and it reported gross sales between $10 and $15 million with an after-tax profit realized. The company reported that 22 staff were committed to software maintenance and development; 8 staff were committed to marketing and sales; and 9 to other customer support. No major enhancements were reported during 1993. The company maintains offices in Australia, the United Kingdom, and France.

[Stowe Computing Australia, 208 Greenhill Road, Eastwood, South Australia 5061; 61-8-3726111, FAX 61-8-3726918.]

Modern mania

Increasingly, libraries are installing dial-in capability supporting 14,400 bps and 28,800 bps modems. Ignored is support for 2,400 and 9,600 bps modems. While these decisions reflect the state-of-the-art, they do not reflect the reality of online searching. The vast majority of PC users have modems rated at 2,400 or 9,600 bps. Many of the popular online services-such as Prodigy and America Online-cannot communicate faster than 9,600 bps; and Compuserve, which offers 14,400 bps in some communities, limits most of its users to 2,400 or 9,600 bps. Since a searcher infrequently realizes benefits from using a modem that exceeds 9,600 bps, most online searchers haven't invested in high-speed modems. Until such time as 14,400 bps support is common in the online searching environment, libraries should offer 9,600 bps support or 2,400 and 9,600 bps support. For most searching of OPACs, that will offer very good response time. Remote searchers with high-speed modems will be able to access an automated library system which is configured with 2,400 and/or 9,600 bps modems because the modems "step-down" to the speed of the modem with which a connection has been made. By 1996, the 14,400 bps modem is expected to be widely installed and widely supported by online services; therefore, a library should anticipate adding support for high-speed modems within 18 months.

Geac's client/server GeoPac installed at Los Alamos

The Library at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, has installed GeoPac, the newest client/server system from Geac Computers, Inc. GeoPac is a PC-based search tool which enables users of Geac's ADVANCE and PLUS Systems to search their local bibliographic catalogs as well as the databases of other Z39.50-compliant systems. GeoPac enables users to search bibliographic databases, while using multiple Windows applications to run other applications such as spreadsheets, word processing programs, and others. GeoPac uses Microsoft Windows programming standards and provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI).

The Los Alamos National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy Library, has a user population consisting primarily of research scientists, and a materials collection which supports high-level research in the physical sciences. By implementing Geac's client/server GeoPac, the Library is able to deliver a variety of online resources to researchers via a z39.50 server on its Geac ADVANCE System. The server also enables other libraries to search the Los Alamos National Laboratory database via the Z39.50 connection.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory Library runs GeoPac as a standalone research station along with the character-based Geac Advance System. The system runs on the Motorola 8840 series of microprocessors and includes all ADVANCE modules- circulation, cataloging, OPAC, acquisitions, and serials.

[Contact: Geac Computers, Inc., 320 Nevada Street, Newtonville, MA 02160; (617) 965- 6310 or (800) 825-2574; FAX (617) 969-1928; or Geac Computer Corporation Ltd., Suite 300, 11 Allstate Parkway, Markham, Ontario L3R 9T8 Canada; (416) 475-0525; FAX (416) 475-3847.]

SIRSI and Carnegie Mellon sign licensing agreement

Sirsi has licensed its UNICORN library applications software to the Carnegie Mellon University. While most purchasers of automated library systems prefer "turnkey" procurements, with the vendor assuming responsibility for all future software maintenance and enhancements; Carnegie Mellon sought a technology transfer agreement which would share responsibility for product development. Carnegie Mellon intends to focus on advanced usability testing for clients and system security; Sirsi will begin implementing technologies for page image display, digital archiving, and natural language information retrieval developed at Carnegie Mellon.

[Contact: Sirsi Corporation, 689 Discovery Drive, Huntsville, AL 35806; (205) 922-9825; FAX (205) 922-9818.]

SIRSI releases Unicorn/Stilas Version 7.0

Sirsi has announced the release of Version 7.0 of its UNICORN Collection Management System and Scientific and Technical Information Library Automation System (STILAS) software.

Some of the changes in the UNICORN/ STILAS Version 7.0 software are:

• Call Number Browsing-Call number browsing has been added to the list of browse choices. Version 7.0 provides two display options for call number browsing. Patrons see a list of 13 numbered one-line entries, each displaying a list number, a call number, the title, and author associated with the number. Technical services staff see a numbers list of seven two-line entries. The first line displays the full call number, the number of copies, and the first qualifying home location. The second line displays a portion of the title and author associated with the call number. Call number borrowing also has been added as a selection on the LIKE screen, which allows patrons to browse items that would be nearby on the shelf.
• Information Gateway-Version 7.0 provides a gateway to resources outside the library's catalog. Access control features allow the library to track which external resources are being used, who is using them, and how long they are being used.
• Search Result Printing-Selected or ''marked" search results can be sent to a printer attached to the OPAC workstation or to another printer connected via a network.
• User Address Fields-The address and comment fields of the user record have been replaced with multiple, variable fields. Address and comment field labels may now be tailored by the library. For instance, school libraries may wish to have address fields, such as student name, grade, and homeroom teacher; whereas a research library may want to include fields such as mail stop or building number.
• UTILITIES Button-Utilities which were previously available outside the workstation are now available as a UTILITIES button in the character client or as a pull-down menu in the GUI (graphical user interface) client. Reports and other utilities can be reached without halting the workstation.
• END Button-An END button has been added to every screen. At any stage, an authorized user can halt the session by selecting the END button.
• Access Control-In addition to UNIX security, the access control built into the UNICORN/STILAS software has been reorganized and enhanced. Three new policies-user access, environment, and station-allow the library to define which functions, external resources, terminal types, and peripherals are available at various workstations.

[Contact: Sirsi Corporation, 689 Discovery Drive, Huntsville, AL 35806; (205) 922-9825; FAX (205) 922-9818.]

Mosaic products proliferate

We described Mosaic in a recent issue (LSN, August '94) and suggested that while Mosaic is available without charge from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) , the developer of Mosaic, it is rather difficult to implement. We have been asked for the names of products which are simple to install and use. We suggest the following be considered:

Internet Chameleon (NetManage) , Internet in a Box (SPRY), Pipeline (The Pipeline), and WinGopher Complete (Ameritech Library Services) . When evaluating the packages, be sure to determine that all of the needed services are included: e-mail, telnet, FTP (file transfer) , WWW access, etc.

[Contact: Ameritech Library Services, 1007 Church Street, Evanston, IL 60201; (800) 556-6847; FAX (708) 866-4970; e-mail: info@notis.com. National Center for Supercomputing Applications, e-mail: mosaic win@ncsa.uiuc.edu. NetManage, 10725 DeAnza Blvd., Cupertino, CA 95014; (408) 973-7171; FAX (408) 257- 6405; e-mail: sales@netmanage.com. The Pipeline, 150 Broadway, Suite 1710, New York, NY 10038; (212) 267-3636; FAX (212) 267-4380; modem (212) 267-6432; e-mail: info@pipeline .com. SPRY, 316 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98104; (800) 777-9638; FAX (206) 447-9008; e-mail: info@ibox.com.]

Ameritech Horizon client operating system options expanded

Ameritech Library Services has announced that it is expanding the Horizon client operating system options beyond OS/2. The additional operating system environments for clients will now include MS-Windows, Macintosh, Sun OSF/Motif, and Windows95-the last when the operating system becomes available in 1995. Ameritech will use the latest software conversion tools to translate existing code into the new environments, eliminating the need to reprogram each version separately. The vendor had previously ported its OPAC client to the same operating systems.

[Contact: Ameritech Library Services, 400 Dynix Drive, Provo, UT 84604; (801) 223-5200 or (800) 288-8020; FAX (801) 223-5202.]

The costs of upgrading to fast Ethernet

A number of institutions which have Ethernet LANs are considering upgrading them to "Fast Ethernet" now that a standard has been established for moving data at 100 Mbps over Category 3 and Category 5 UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cabling. While the upgrade from Category S UTP will require only some adapter cards; upgrade from Category 3, which is far more common, will require not only adapter cards, but four wire pairs instead of two, changes in the hubs, a reduction in the distance between each workstation and its wiring hub from 100 to 10 meters, and possibly some other changes in network configuration. As a rule of thumb, the cost of upgrading from 10 Mbps Ethernet to 100 14bps Ethernet using existing Category 5 UTP will be under $1,000 per workstation. On the other hand, the cost of upgrading if existing cabling is Category 3 UTP will be equal to the initial cost of the network, obviously much higher.

PC printer Types

The proliferation of PC printer types and brands has confused even librarians with considerable experience with PCs. One store we recently visited had over 50 different printers in stock, but all could be classified as one of four types: dot matrix, inkjet, laser, or LED. If one is able to narrow down the choices to those of one type, the task becomes considerably easier.

Dot Matrix-In a dot matrix printer, a printing head creates letters by hammering small, blunt wires or "pins" into a ribbon. The pattern of the pins, or the matrix, makes the impression on the page. Low-end dot matrix printers have nine-pin print heads; high-end dot matrix printers have 24-pin print heads. There are gaps between the places where the pins have struck, thus the letters are not very smooth or crisp. Some models overcome this drawback by passing over the text twice, thus filling in the gaps on the second pass. These models are most easily identified by the designation LQ (letter quality)-a level of quality comparable to that of a typewriter. When the resolution is described in dots per inch (dpi), a dot matrix printer usually is rated at approximately 360 dpi when letter quality printing is being done. Print speeds are measured in characters per second (cps). Some are rated as high as 450 cps in draft speed; however, the print speed will be reduced significantly from the draft mode which relies on a single pass.

The most unique characteristic of dot matrix printers is that they can be used to print multi-part forms. Dot matrix printers are noisy, however. Dot matrix printers are very economical-- usually far less than $.Ol per page for supplies.

Almost all dot matrix printers for PCs are priced between $200 and $600. There are color dot matrix printers available at slightly higher prices.

Inkjet-This type of printer sprays liquid ink, rather than striking a ribbon The earlier problems of plugged nozzles now have disappeared. Because the dots produced by the inkjets spread slightly when they hit the paper, the images look smoother and crisper than dot matrix images. The resolution of most inkjet printers is 360 dpi, equal to the best inkjet performance. Print speeds are measured in characters per second (cps), with the top speed approximately 480 cps. Print speeds usually are quoted for both draft and letter quality, with speeds generally slightly better than for dot matrix printers which are comparably priced.

The most unique characteristic of inkjet printers is that they can print graphs, charts, and diagrams, as well as text. They also are very quiet. They are economical-usually just under $.01 per page for supplies.

Almost all inkjet printers for PCs are priced under $300. There are color inkjet printers available at $400 to $600.

Laser-This type of printer first creates the image on an electrically charged drum. Dry ink, or toner, sticks to the electric charges. A laser is used to "draw" the electric charges on the drum. As the drum turns, it comes into contact with the paper which also is electrically charged and the ink then sticks to it. The toner is then fused to fix it permanently. Because the toner runs together when fused, the images look very smooth and crisp even when the rated resolution is only 300 dpi. Many laser printers offer 600 dpi resolution. Even low-end laser printers are equal to the best of the inkjet printers in the appearance of the images. Print speeds are measured in pages per minute (ppm). Four ppm, the speed of the slowest laser printers, is approximately 135 cps.

The most outstanding characteristic of laser printers is the quality of the print. While low-end lasers offer the same 300 dpi available in other printer types, lasers priced at over $1,000 almost all offer 600 dpi resolution. The more expensive models also offer very high speeds; up to four times or more the top speed of a dot matrix or inkjet printer. The printers are relatively quiet. They are the least economical type, with the per-page cost approximately $.03 for supplies, still only $3.00 for a 100-page document.

Laser printers for PCs are priced at $400 to $4,000, but most printers rated at a speed of 4 ppm (pages per minute) are priced under $600. While laser printers priced at under $600 are fine for most individual users, printers shared by several users should be budgeted at $2,500 or more. There are color laser printers available, generally at a cost of $5,000 or more-at least ten times the cost of a dot matrix or inkjet color printer.

A laser printer requires a printer control language to translate what is displayed on the monitor to the printed page. The two options are Hewlett-Packard's PCS and Adobe's PostScript. While both offer scalable fonts, Postscript is much more flexible when doing graphics.

LED (Light-Emitting Diodes) -This type of printer uses light-emitting diodes to charge the drum. This involves fewer moving parts than a laser, thus increasing reliability, but repair costs often are slightly higher because service technicians are less familiar with LED printers than laser printers. Performance and other characteristics-including the need for PCS or Postscript--are the same as for laser printers, therefore, they often are grouped with laser printers.

A need to print multi-part forms will dictate the use of a dot matrix or impact printer; the need for economical and quiet operation steers the choice to an inkjet printer; and the need for speed and very high quality suggests laser/LED. It has been our experience that side printers in acquisitions and serials most often are dot matrix printers, while those attached to OPAC devices are most often inkjets. Laser/LED printers are most common in office applications. A library which has one or more of each may very well find itself moving them around as needs change.

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Maintained by Marshall Breeding

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