Library Technology Guides

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Volume 20 Number 05 (May 2000)

Customer Support Ratios Slip

Consider choosing an automated library system based on the post-installation support the vendor will provide. You can evaluate the support by calling existing customers and by determining the customer support ratio, that is, the ratio of support staff to the number of installations.

To calculate the customer support ratio, divide the number of installations by the number of support staff. These figures are available from the vendors or by consulting the annual industry summary issues of Library Systems Newsletter. (See February/March and April 2000 issues.) Vendors differ greatly in the customer support ratio from one to another, and many vendors' support ratios are slipping. The vendors of multiuser, multifunction automated library systems using UNIX and other open operating systems had an average customer support ratio of 1:15 in 1999, which slipped from 1:9 in 1998.

The following table summarizes the major vendors' 1999 data (1998 data in parentheses):

VendorRatio of Support
Staff:Installations
CARL 1:1 (1:1)
Ex Libris 1:5 (1:6)
Innovative 1:6 (1:6)
Gaylord1:7 (1:7)
Geac 1:7 (1:6)
Sirsi 1:8 (1:9)
epixtech 1:12 (1:10)
Endeavor 1:14 (1:3)
VTLS 1:14 (1:10)
DRA 1:17 (1:16)
Open Text 1:22 (1:18)
TLC 1:38(1:4)
EOS International 1:46 (1:26)

Several vendors have ratios of 1:5 to 1:10-all good. Don't give differences in ratios among vendors that fall within this range much weight because those ratios can reflect the size or sophistication of the customer base. Large sites may demand more time than the average account, but sophisticated sites may take less time than the average account. Customers with aging systems also tend to demand more time. The mix of customers affects a vendor's ratio.

While CARL's ratio of 1:1 is excellent, it reflects the unique composition of the customer base, which is almost all large libraries and consortia.

A vendor with a ratio poorer than 1:10 may not be able to be as responsive as one with a ratio better than that. To augment the statistical data, make calls to existing customers. Investigate vendors with a ratio poorer than 1:20 with special care. How can a support staff responsible for two or more times as many customers adequately serve customers? But don't assume anything: An ISCI survey of 102 libraries did not establish a consistent correlation between customer support ratio and the customer satisfaction level. Among the exceptions to the pattern was a vendor with a seemingly poor ratio, but it has sold software only to some clients, so those clients don't call the vendor for hardware problems.

When calling an existing customer ask if the library has upgraded its hardware platform in the last three years and has loaded the latest release of the software. Unhappy customers often contribute to their own unhappiness by not keeping up with new releases.

If at least one of the first five customers called rates the vendor's support as poor or fair, make additional calls. Consider two or more unhappy customers out of 10 a warning signal.

Make at least 10 calls to existing customers when the ratio is greater than 1:10. Again, do not assume that the responses will be disturbing; they may well be reassuring.

The customer support ratios for vendors that sell PC- and Mac-based systems to smaller libraries, especially school and special libraries, are different from those of the previous type of vendors. Follett had a ratio of 1:875 at the end of 1999; Companion had one of 1:437; Sagebrush (including ita newly acquired Winnebago) had one of 1:3t3 and SIRS had one of 1:2 45. Only Brodart at 1:16 had a ratio comparable to that of the vendors that sell systems using UNIX or another multiuser operating system.

Elsevier acquires Endeavor

Elsevier Science Inc., a major print and electronic publisher, has acquired Endeavor Information Systems Inc., the leading vendor of automated library systems for academic and special research libraries. Elsevier Science apparently was motivated by its desire to have a delivery vehicle for its growing list of electronic publications. Endeavor's Voyager system, which is installed in more than 600 research libraries, represents an opportunity to integrate access to Elsevier electronic publications with bibliographic access to the resources of these libraries.

Jane Burke, Endeavor's president, has frequently said she would like to achieve a seamless integration of local systems and online reference services. The acquisition by Elsevier Science appears to achieve that.

No management changes are envisioned at Endeavor, nor will the company relocate any of its 131 employees. Endeavor will continue as a corporate entity, so no existing customers need to replace their present contracts.

The acquisition came as a surprise to many customers: Many of Endeavor's employees who had been with NOTIS had joined Endeavor because it was an independent company. In addition, automated library system vendors have generally not fared well as the subsidiaries of multibillion-dollar companies.

CLSI chafed under International Thompson, CARL under Knight-Ridder, and Dynix and NOTIS under Ameritech Corp. The most successful automated library system companies have been entrepreneurial organizations not bound to a business plan overseen by another organization. It remains to be seen whether Endeavor will remain as fleet of foot as it has been since its founding in 1994.

[Contact: Endeavor Information Systems, Inc., 2200 F. Devon Ave., Suite 382, Des Plaines, IL 60018; (800) 762-6300; fax: (847) 296-5636; Web: www.endinfosys.com.]

Innovative allies with netLibrary

Innovative Interfaces has announced an alliance with netLibrary, a provider of electronic books to libraries. Under the agreement, Innovative will add features to its software to automatically notify interested libraries of the availability of specific books as netLibrary makes them available, and to enable them to be purchased electronically. Full-MARC bibliographic records will be available for inclusion in the library's database. Preview access-such as the ability to view the table of contents or the first few chapters-will also be available.

netLibrary has 13,000 books in its collection and adds an average of 50 books a day. It sells both scholarly and recreational titles. Among the cooperating publishers are Harvard Business School Press, Houghton Mifflin Co., McGraw-Hill, and Oxford University Press.

[Contact: Innovative Interfaces, Inc., 5850 Shellmound St., Emeryville, CA 94608; (800) 444-2344 or (510) 655-6200, fax (510) 450-6350; Web: www.iii.com].

TLC inks 300th contract

The Library Corporation (TLC) announced April 17 that it had signed its 300th contract. At the end of 1999 the vendor had just 230 customers, therefore it had added 70 customers in just over three months-equal to the number of customers added in all of 1999.

Although TLC systems tend to be small, some of the contracts are huge, including contracts with the Broward County (FL). schools and the Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools. The two districts combined have more than 350 schools. Other new customers are the U.S. Senate Library, the Chrysler Museum of Virginia, and the North Chicago Public Library.

The company also announced that it has expanded its toll-free customer support service to 8:00 a.m. to Midnight Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. Emergency 7x24 support is also available.

[Contact: TLC, Research Park Inwood, WV 25428; (800) 624-0559; fax: (304) 229-0295; Web: TLCdelivers.com].

Linux is coming

Innovative Interfaces has announced it has installed Linux on its Web- and Java-based Millennium clients, thus providing an alternative to the Windows operating system that is economical in cost and memory use. The first Innovative customer to take advantage of the new option is Santa Clara University. At least two other vendors are considering a Linux option, but no announcements have been made.

[Contact: Innovative Interfaces, Inc., 5850 Shellmound St., Emeryville, CA 94608; (800) 444-2344 or (510) 655-6200, fax (510) 450-6350; Web: www.iii.com].

Inmagic, Inc. submits its data

Inmagic, Inc., was not able to respond in a timely way to LSN's annual survey of the library automation industry, so its DB Text for Libraries product was not able to be included in the April issue on PC- and Mac-based products.

DB Text for Libraries is available both software-only and as a product bundled with hardware, but most customers purchase software only. The product runs on Pentium PCs using Windows 95/98/NT as the operating system and DB/Text Works as the database management system. The major programming language is C++, and considerable Java and VB scripting are used within the product. Both standalone and LAN-based versions are available. The product supports up to 500 concurrent users and up to 2 billion records. The system is capable of taking in full-MARC bibliographic records, but it does not retain them, nor can one create full-MARC records using the edit function.

In 1999, the product enjoyed 385 ''new name" customers (those who did not already have one of the company's products), bringing the total number of customers to 5,250 worldwide (all special libraries). The available modules are acquisitions, serials control, cataloging, circulation, patron access catalog (both GUI and Web-based), interlibrary loan, materials booking, remote database searching through a gateway in the CPU, and report generator. A Z39.50 client is available but not a Z39.50 server. The product doesn't support EDIFACT online ordering and claiming. The vendor has no records on which customers are using which modules. Many users of the product limit their use to the patron access catalog or to creating or maintaining a special database- an area of strength.

The vendor had sales of $5-$10 million in 1999, and realized an after-tax profit. A staff of 4.5 employees develops and maintains the software, 10 do marketing and sales, and 8 provide customer support.

Inmagic ranked fifth in "new name" sales in 1999, behind Follett, Sagebrush, COMPanion, and CASPR, although it was first in sales to special libraries. Its installed base ranked fifth behind the same four vendors.

[Contact: Inmagic, Inc., (781) 938-4442, fax: (781) 938-6393; Web:www.inmagic.com].

Cable modems may offer unreliable bandwidth

An increasing number of libraries are signing up for cable modems, rather than point-to-point, frame relay, or DSL service from a telco. The attraction is broad bandwidth at low cost, but a drawback exists: The bandwidth is not guaranteed. Cable companies usually install nodes that serve several customers, the equivalent of the telephone party line. A customer may have 1.3 Mbps of bandwidth available during off-peak periods but can experience a drop to 160 Kbps during peak periods. That is not a problem for residential users, small businesses, and small branch libraries, but it is a problem for libraries seeking to support a score of automated library system and Internet users.

Before signing a contract for cable modems, a library should seek to negotiate a minimum bandwidth commitment. Although a commitment is not the same as a guarantee, it does mean that the number of users sharing the node will be limited and credits will be extended if the bandwidth drops below the committed level.

AT&T introduces flat-rate wireless data service

AT&T Wireless Services has introduced flat-rate pricing for wireless data. For $14.99 per month a business or institutional customer will be able to have unlimited wireless IP service. To qualify, the customer must sign up for one of the company's Digital One or Group Calling Service plans. The customer must also purchase a Mitsubishi MobileAccess Internet telephone priced at $199. The phone uses the company's CDPD (cellular digital packet data) network, available in 3,000 cities across the United States.

Not only has the industry's metered service been difficult to figure out, but the cost of up to 30 cents a minute has discouraged the use of wireless technology to connect bookmobiles to automated library systems.

Libraries with bookmobiles should investigate the new service because it represents the most promising way to provide real-time circulation and patron access catalog access.

Study documents growth of fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet

Infonetics Research, a market research company that specializes in technology, has released a study entitled "User Pans for High Performance LANs 2000," which reports that Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) and Gigabit Ethernet (1,000 Mbps) are becoming ubiquitous, with Cat 5 UTP (unshielded twisted pair) wire being used more widely than fiber-optic cabling. Although 100 Mbps is the most common bandwidth to the desktop, and 1,000 Mbps is the most common for LAN backbones, large organizations which are highly technology-dependent, sometimes take Gigabit Ethernet all the way to the desktop.

Among the other developments reported by Infonetics is the replacement of routers by Layer-3 switches. Layer-3 is the network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. These switches can accommodate many of the network traffic routing functions of multiprotocol routers, but at a fraction of the cost. Libraries upgrading to Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet should investigate Layer-3 switches as an alternative to routers.

Arguments in Microsoft remedy hearing set for May 24

U.S. District Court Judge Thomas P. Jackson has set May 24 as the date to hear arguments regarding the remedies portion of the government's antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. The issue is not whether there will be remedies, but how severe they will be. Jackson has already ruled that Microsoft violated antitrust law to maintain its monopoly in the PC operating system market and to make inroads into the Internet browser market.

Jackson said he plans to put the remedy phase of the trial on a "fast track" and may push to move the case directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. Microsoft has already announced that it will appear whatever the outcome.

Congress has pressured the Justice Department to back away from a remedy that would break up Microsoft. The Justice Department says it's looking at many remedies and that its major criterion in choosing a remedy is the ability to enforce that remedy should Microsoft ignore its decision.

EBSCOhost adds NTIS

EBSCO Publishing has announced that NTIS is now available on EBSCOhost. The NTIS database is the authoritative collection of past and currently funded research information. It contains more than 2 million bibliographic records for technical reports, conference proceedings, journal articles, datafiles, patents, and theses in 35 broad subject areas such as administration, health, and space. Most records include abstracts. The coverage of the database goes back to 1964. Each year 50,000 records are added.

[Contact: EBSCO Publishing, (800) 7653-2726; Web: www.epnet.com].

CORC adds GPO to list of participants

OCLC's CORC (Cooperative Online Resource Catalog) project, an international cooperative effort to create a database of electronic resource descriptions modeled after WorldCat, has added the U.S. Government Printing Office to its list of participants. Since the U.S. government is a major publisher of databases and documents in electronic form, GPO's participation in the joint cataloging project is good news.

More than 240 institutions are now participating in CORC. OCLC is encouraging libraries interested in participating in the creation of the CORC database to apply via e-mail to corc@oclc.org. OCLC plans to release CORC as a new service later in 2000

OCLC also says it is discussing with the Research Libraries Group (RLG) how the two organizations can cooperate to create infrastructures for digital archiving. Library staffs are concerned with long-term retention of digital research resources because many online reference services take older infrequently accessed electronic resources off-line after a few years.

[Contact: OCLC, (614) 764-6000; Web: www.oclc.org].

Videoconferencing leaps forward

Videoconferencing (the live communication of two or more people or groups using a combination of video, audio, and data) for any but the largest of organizations hasn't enjoyed good quality in the past. Most first- and second-generation systems offered high cost, less-than-TV-quality video, complex user interfaces, and low reliability. The most recent generation of videoconferencing appears to be better in all these areas.

The most successful use of videoconferencing in libraries has been in continuing education for librarians by consortia and state library agencies. INCOLSA in Indiana and the Iowa State Library both make extensive use of the technology. They have invested in top-of-the-line group videoconferencing equipment and have staff skilled in operating and troubleshooting the hardware and software. Those being trained come to sites that serve an entire geographic area, rather than participating with equipment in their own libraries. In Iowa, most of the videoconferencing rooms are in special classrooms in community colleges.

Individual libraries may want to invest in desktop videoconferencing units for a group of up to six people. At least eight desktop videoconferencing systems are available for under $12,000. Video quality has dramatically improved now that most systems have standardized on the high-quality Sony EVI D3O/31 video camera. With good optics, a built-in pan, tilt and zoom capabilities, this camera compares to the best of consumer camcorders. Microphones and user interfaces have improved, including simpler screens and handheld remote controls. Reliability has increased, too.

Among the best products are Polycom's ViewStation MP and VCON's MC8000, both priced at just under $12,000. Avoid low-end systems such as VTEL's SmartStation and PictureTel's P550 because they do not use the same quality camera and microphone included in the high-end systems.

Find current information about companies and products by searching the Web under videoconferencing. When investigating videoconferencing, don't overlook the bandwidth requirements. They are substantially greater than libraries with automated library systems and Internet access have come to expect.

EDI statistics compiled

The use of EDI-preferably its international version known as EDIFACT- for online ordering and claiming has worked well for years. Although EDI is well established, no one knew before how extensively EDI/EDIFACT is used. Giga Information Group, a market research firm, has now established that more than 250,000 companies and organizations are using EDI/EDIFACT, most of them for e-commerce over the Internet. Giga estimates that EDI/ EDIFACT Internet transactions will total more than $3.8 trillion in 2002.

Despite these compelling figures, book jobbers, serial subscription agencies, and libraries continue to move most orders and claims by paper. Most automated library system vendors say that the key to widespread use of EDI/ EDIFACT is for libraries to specify conformity to the standard in their RFPS for automated library systems and for libraries to press vendors of books and serials subscriptions to retrofit their systems.

Delorme offers 55,000 Quad maps in electronic form

The U.S. Geological Service has produced more than 55,000 maps covering nearly 4 million square miles of the country. The collections are costly to organize and service, so they are mainly found in large academic research libraries. DeLorme, a major map company, has developed software and digitized USGS' 7.5-minute quad maps so that they can be stored on and retrieved from CD-ROM or DVD in 2-D or 3-D perspectives. Each priced disk is at $99.95 and contains all of a state except for seven states that require two disks and eight states that are combined on a disk with one or two other states. Its package price for the entire collection is $649.95-a price of just over $01 per map.

The company also offers TopoUSA, detailed maps of the entire country at a price of $99.95. Regional atlases and gazetteers are available at $74.95 each.

Groups can view the maps using a digital projector. Teachers in a private high school viewed a demonstration of the maps. They were asked to critique the impact of digital projection. The $9,000 digital projector generated less enthusiasm than the "one-cent" maps.

[Contact: Delorme, (800) 569-8313; Web: www.delorme.com]

Full-MARC records for Websites

LibraryHQ.com offers thousands of websites, fully cataloged in MARC format and searchable. The service, which was launched by Sirsi Corp., also includes classified ads, reviews of the latest titles in library automation and technology, and a message forum

[Contact: www.libraryhq.com].

Checkpoint and Gemplus seek RFID standards

Checkpoint Systems Inc. and Gemplus S.A. have submitted a joint proposal for standardizing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) smart labels operating at 13.45 MHz to the International Standards Organization. The goal is to provide interoperability among various manufacturers' smart labels. The ISO is expected to respond with a standard within the next year or two.


Publication Information


PublisherLibrary Systems Newsletter was published by the American Library Association.
Editor-in-Chief:Howard S. White
Contributing Editor:Richard W. Boss
ISSN:0277-0288
Publication Period1981-2000
Business modelAvailable on Library Technology Guides with permission of the American Library Association.