Readers tracking the options for automated serials control will be conscious of the high level of activity in this area over the past twelve to eighteen months. [Developments have been so rapid that the Editors are currently preparing an update to their study "Serials Control in Libraries: Automated Options" published as Library Technology Reports Vol. 20, No. 2 (March-April 1984). The update will be published later this year in LTR.]
Noteworthy developments in this field since the announcement of OCLC's SC35O (see LSN Vol. 5, No. 2, page 12) include Battelle's development of a separate serials control system, STACS, and the availability of a standalone version of the PHILSOM system.
The Battelle Columbus Laboratories has developed a Serials Control and Tracking System (STACS) which may be configured as part of its BASIS Technical Library Package or as a standalone serials control system. STACS handles checkin, claiming, routing, and ordering. The system predicts the enumeration and expected date of receipt of future issues of a journal and allows single keystroke checkin when the item in hand is that expected. STACS can be mounted on a variety of hardware including DEC VAX, DEC 20 and DEC 20; IBM 43xx, IBM 370 and 30xx series, the CDC Cyber and 6000; and Wang VS. The software is priced at $30,000.
The Periodicals Holdings in Schools of Medicine (PHILSOM) system developed by the Washington University School of Medicine has operated in a network environment since its introduction in 1963. In the latest version of the software, PHILSOM IV, all operations are performed online and the system has also been made available for standalone operation on an IBM PC XT or AT and for DEC PDP/ll and VAX minicomputers. PHILSOM provides support for checkin, based on prediction algorithms; gap identification and claiming; binding; subscription management; and routing.
Two different pricing structures apply to libraries wishing to acquire PHILSOM for a standalone system: for single-user systems, the prices range from $2,000 for the IBM PC, to $3,000 for the DEC PDP/ll. The MIIS operating system is also required. For multiuser systems, the software carries an additional levy which is dependent upon the number of users. A 20 percent surcharge is levied for two users, plus an additional 10 percent for third and fourth users, and a 50 percent surcharge for more than four users. The annual software maintenance charge for either single- or multiuser software ranges from $1,200 to $1,800. PHILSOM staff estimate that the hardware for an IBM PC XT-based single user system with 10MB of disk storage would range from $5,000 to $10,000 excluding hardware maintenance.
[Contact: Battelle Software Products Center, BASIS Marketing Office, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201-2693 (614) 424-5508 and PHILSOM Coordinator, Washington University, School of Medicine Library, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110 (314) 362-2788.]
