While the Small Business Administration considers a $20 million dollars per year business a "small business," for a company to reach that level of revenue in the local library systems market is a "big achievement." Data Research Associates joined the small circle in 1991 with sales of $21.6 million. The other companies to have reached that level of sales are CLSI, Dynix, Geac, and Innovative Interfaces.
DRA, now in its eighth year, made 32 sales in 1991, a majority of them software only. The company has seen a modest trend back to "turnkey" sales--sales which it prefers to call "full-service" sales. Among the prominent sales were the University of Toronto and the Edmonton Public Library.
Major developments in 1991 included a journal citation module and connection to the Internet. Automated phone renewal also was introduced. Barely missing 1991 on January 6, 1992, was a successful demonstration of a records transfer between a DRA system and the locally developed system of a major university library. The NISO Z39.50 standard to which the record transfer conformed, is one of the essential components of future networking among the systems of many vendors.
DRA opened an office in Australia during 1991 and assumed direct control of its Singapore office. The company is planning to enter Europe.
[Contact: DRA, 1276 N. Warson Road, P.O. Box 8495, St. Louis, MO 63132-1806; (800) 325-0888.]
