Each year LSN surveys the library automation industry to get an overview of the market and to facilitate comparison among vendors. This issue is devoted to the vendors of PC-based systems (systems using DOS and Macintosh operating systems).
While most of the vendors included offer only software packages, this report also includes vendors of turnkey systems, those which provide hardware, software, installation, training, and ongoing support from a single source. While circulation is offered by nearly all of the PC-based system vendors, very few offer functionality beyond the four core modules: acquisitions, serials control, circulation, and online patron access catalog modules.
For this survey, vendors were contacted by mail, with follow-up by telephone and fax as necessary. Queries focused on whether the product was available as a turnkey, a software package, or both; the hardware platform, operating system, and programming language; the number of sales during the past calendar year; sales for 1991 (both total sales and "new name" sales--with the latter representing sales to new customers); the number awaiting installation and/or acceptance; the total number of installations; profitability; the percentage of customers using each module or major function; the sizes of the installed systems; and the number of staff devoted to software maintenance and development and to other customer support. Major enhancements reported by the vendors also are included.
SUMMARY
Eighteen of 25 vendors responded. Two of these, Data Trek and IME, offer both multi-user and PC-based systems. Data Trek is included in this issue because the company's focus is PC-based systems. IME had nearly one-third of its sales and half of its revenues from multi-user systems, and so was covered in the multi-user survey. Other vendors, such as Gaylord and Inlex, with distinct multi-user and PC products are covered in both surveys.
Of the 17 vendors covered in this issue, one offers turnkey only, 11 offer software only, and five offer both turnkey systems and software packages.
Together the 17 respondents sold over 12,922 systems (8,109 "new name" sales) in 1991, a dramatic increase over the previous year's sales. This total probably represents 90 percent of all sales of PC- based library applications software. The 16 companies responding in 1990 had sold 6,761 systems. The total installed base of PC systems in the U.S. is estimated to be over 50,000.
Follett and The Library Corporation both reported gross sales of $10 to $15 million. Both VTLS and Winnebago reported gross sales of $5 to $10 million. CBT/Columbia, General Research Corporation, Inmagic, and Media Flex each reported sales of $1 to $2.5 million. The remaining vendors reported sales of less than $1 million each.
Table 1 lists vendors ranked according to the number of new systems sold in 1991. (A new system sale is not necessarily a new customer or "new name" sale.) Table 2 is a ranking of vendors by "new name" sales during 1991.
Table 1. Vendors Reporting 30 or More System Sales in 1991
Table 2. Vendors Reporting 30 or More "New Name" System Sales in 1991
Ranking Vendor Sales 1 Follett 8,274 2 Inmagic 1,500 Winnebago 1,500 4 CTB/Columbia 600 5 Data Trek 367 6 The Library Corporation 366 7 Media Flex 142 8 Inlex 71 9 Canopy Road 30
Ranking Vendor Sales 1 Follett 5,949 2 Inmagic 800 3 CTB/Columbia 480 4 Data Trek 353 5 The Library Corporation 308 6 Media Flex 103 7 Inlex 30
The following vendor reports are arranged alphabetically and are based on information furnished by the respondents. Libraries seeking evaluative information on PC-based library systems should consult the March-April 1990, May-June 1990, and May-June 1991 issues of Library Technology Reports.
Accuware Business Solutions, Ltd., offers a software-only system-Resource Librarian for the Apple Macintosh with the Mac OS, IBM PC 386 (or larger) with DOS under Windows 3.0 or greater. The programming language is "C++." The vendor reported four sales in 1991-all of them "new name" sales-with none awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the end of the year. The company reported that over six systems were installed and accepted by the end of 1991- five in North America. The company reported gross sales figures of under $1 million, and claimed to have an after-tax profit. All sites were using local cataloging, authority control, circulation, serials control, online patron access catalog, materials booking, report generator, and journal citation files. Half of the sites had interlibrary loan; and 83 percent had acquisitions. Some 83 percent had local area network interfaces; 33 percent had the Utlas interface; and 17 percent could interface with systems of the same vendor. Three sites supported 2-7 terminals; and three had only 1 terminal. Two staff were devoted to software maintenance and development, and four staff were committed to other customer support. Major enhancements during 1991 included: (1) Resource Librarian now runs cross-platform, looks identical on both platforms and now you can have both Macs and PCs on the same network sharing the same data file. Previously it simply ran on the Mac. (2) Serials and acquisitions modules were added and the search capability improved. (3) OPAC was designed and built and is currently in beta test phases.
[Accuware Business Solutions, Ltd., Suite 300, 914 15th Avenue, SW, Calgary, Alberta; (403) 245-0477; Fax (403) 245- 0496.]
Canopy Road Software has a product known as Media Minder/Circulation/cataloging which offers both turnkey systems and software only for PCs using DOS operating systems. The programming languages are Btrieve and PASCAL. The company reported 30 sales (25 of which were "new name" sales) with five awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the end of the year. The total number of installations at the end of 1991 was 264-260 in North America. Revenues were reported at under $1 million. The company did not disclose whether or not it realized an after-tax profit. All of the sites were using local cataloging, authority control, circulation, online patron access catalog, materials booking, and inventorying modules. All of the sites had a BiblioFile interface, a LAN interface, and could interface to other systems from the same vendor. The company reported 110 sites supporting 2-7 terminals and 100 supporting only 1 terminal. The company had seven persons devoted to software maintenance and development, and five committed to other customer support. The major enhancements in 1991 included a new platform for circulation and reservation system. The company also maintains offices in Tallahasse (Florida).
[Canopy Road Software, Inc., 17070 Dallas Parkway, Suite 107, Dallas, TX 75248; (800) 343-6380 or (214) 931-2382.]
CTB/Columbia Computing sells software packages for IBM or compatible PCs, and it is Novell networkable. The operating system is MS-DOS 3.3 or greater, and the programming languages are "C" and PASCAL. The company reported sales of 600 packages in 1991-80 percent of which were "new name" sales. The total number of installations in North America at the end of 1991 was 1,500. Revenues were between $1 and $2.5 million with an after-tax profit. All of the sites had a report generator module; 76 percent were using circulation and inventory; 72 percent were using local cataloging, authority control, and the online patron access catalog; and 6 percent each had serials control and acquisitions. Some 64 percent each were using OCLC interface, RLIN interface, Utlas interface, WLN interface, BiblioFile interface, and LaserCat interface; and 20 percent can interface to other systems from the same vendor. A local area network interface is used in 70 percent of the sites; and 2 percent have remote data base searching. Twenty of the sites had 60-99 terminals; 40 had 30-60; 60 had 16-29; 80 had 8-15; 940 had 2-7; and 360 had only 1 terminal. The company had 120 (for all products) persons devoted to software maintenance and development, and 80 devoted to other customer support. The major enhancements in 1991 included: full-MARC data base (import, store, export); bidirectional union catalog (updates/adds/deletes can be downloaded from union to local sites, or uploaded from local sites to the union); complete revision of documentation; temporary barcode function; and ad hoc fines function. The company also maintains offices in Denver (CO), Santa Fe Springs (CA) , St. Louis (MO), Norcross (GA), Burlington (NJ), and 120 individual sales offices.
[CTB/Columbia Library System, 2500 Garden Road, Monterey, CA 93940; (408) 649-7731 or (800) 663-0544; Fax (408) 649-7911.]
Data Trek, Inc., offers both turnkey systems and software only for PCs (known as ULS Professional Series) and Macs (known as Manager Series 6.0) using DOS and Macintosh operating systems. It also offers a VMS version (known as Manager Series 6.0) for Digital VAX computers. The programming languages are "C" with dBase for ULS Professional Series, and Recital with 4GL for Manager Series 6.0. The ULS Professional Series product runs on IBM compatibles with DOS 3.3 or 5.0. The Manager Series 6.0 products run on IBM compatibles with DOS 3.3 or 5.0 or Macintosh, or VMS 5.0 or greater. The company sold 73 ULS systems (59 "new name" sales), 291 Manager Series 6.0 for PC-based (all "new name" sales), and 3 Manager Series 6.0 multiuser systems (all "new name" sales) None of the systems were awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the end of the year. Its installed base was 73 ULS systems-all in North America; 1,724 Manager Series 6.0 for PC-based systems-1511 in North America; and 12 Manager Series 6.0 for multi-user systems-10 in North America. The total number of installations at the end of 1991 was 1,809-1,594 in North America. The company refused to disclose gross sales and whether or not it realized an after-tax profit. For ULS Professional Series, the company reported 12 persons devoted to software maintenance and development, and 11 committed to other customer support; and for both Manager Series 6.0's, it reported both 8 for software maintenance and development, and 11 for other customer support. The major enhancements in 1991 included the release of the new ULS Professional Series; as well as multiple language capabilities, currency conversion, and reduced RAM requirements for the Manager Series 6.0. The company also maintains offices in New York (NY), France, England, and Australia, and has distributors in Germany, Italy, and Spain
[Data Trek, Inc., 5838 Edison Place, Carlsbad, CA 92008; (619) 431-8400; Fax (619) 431-8448.]
Dynix Marquis, Inc., markets Marquis Automated Library Software, a software only product. The operating system for the server is OS/2, Unix, VAX VMA; for the workstation it's OS/2, DOS/windows, Future; Macintosh and X-Windows. The programming languages are Modula-2 and "C." The company sold 2 systems in 1991, bringing the total number of systems sold to 2-both in North America. Both were awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the end of the year. The company reported gross sales of under $1 million, with an after-tax profit information reported with Dynix for the year. All of the sites were using a local cataloging, authority control, online patron access catalog, and report generator modules; and 50 percent were using the circulation module. All of the sites had a LAN interface and could interface to other systems from the same vendor. The company reported that it accepts MARC communications format bibliographic records from any source. One site supported 200-399 terminals, and the other supported 16-29 terminals. A staff of six was committed to software development and maintenance, and two to other customer support. The Catalog Maintenance, Public Access, and Circulation modules were successfully beta tested and installed in 1991.
[Dynix Marquis, Inc., 151 East 1700 South, Provo, UT 84606; (801) 484-0348 or (801) 226-5508; Fax (801) 225-8377.]
Follett Software Company offers four software only products-known as Alliance Plus, Catalog Plus, Card Master Plus, and Circulation Plus. The operating system for all four is DOS; and "C," BASIC, and some Assembler is the programming language for all four. The company sold 800 (475 "new name" sales) Alliance Plus systems in 1991, bringing the total number of systems to 1,344-1,324 in North America; 2,500 (1,500 "new name" sales) Catalog Plus systems in 1991, bringing the total number of system to 8,600-8,500 in North America; 474 (all "new name" sales) Card Master Plus systems in 1991, bringing the total number of systems to 474-450 in North America; and 4,500 (3,500 "new name" sales) Circulation Plus systems in 1991, bringing the total number of systems to 17,200-17,000 in North America. None of the systems are awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the end of the year. Of the Alliance Plus sites, all are using local cataloging, circulation and inventorying; and 75 percent are using online patron access catalog. All have the LC authorities CD-ROM interface and can interface with other systems from the same vendor; and 80 percent have a LAN interface. Of the Catalog Plus sites, all are using local cataloging, circulation, online patron access catalog, report generator, and inventorying modules. They all can interface with other systems from the same vendor; 90 percent have a LAN interface; and 20 percent each have BiblioFile and LaserCat interfaces. Of the Card Master Plus sites, all have local cataloging; half each have online patron access catalog and inventorying; and 20 percent have circulation. Some 80 percent interface to other systems from the same vendor, and 20 percent each have BiblioFile and LaserCat interfaces. Of the Circulation Plus sites, all have local cataloging, circulation, report generator, and inventorying modules; and half have the online patron access catalog. Half have a LAN interface; 75 percent interface to other systems from the same vendor; and 20 percent each have BiblioFile and LaserCat interfaces. Of the Alliance Plus installations, 24 percent had 8-15 terminals; 75 percent had 2-7 terminals; and 1 percent had only 1 terminal. Of the Catalog Plus installations, 25 percent had 8-15 terminals; 74 percent had 2-7 terminals; and 1 percent had only 1 terminal. Of the Card Master Plus installations, 10 percent had 8-15 terminals; 30 percent had 2-7 terminals; and 60 percent had only 1 terminal. Of the Circulation Plus installations, 20 percent had 8-15 terminals; 35 percent had 2-7 terminals; and 45 percent had only 1 terminal. The company reported gross sales of $10 to $15 million, with an after-tax profit for the year. The company reported a staff of 30 was committed to software development and maintenance, and 190 to other customer support. The major enhancements in 1991 included: (1) 56,284 new records were added to Alliance Plus MARC data base; (2) The Catalog Plus software is Novell and LANtastic compatible; it accepts USMARC/MicroLIF protocol data disks; and may be used with MS-DOS version 5.0; (3) Card Master Plus is a new program this year. Card Master Plus provides catalog card and label production as well as data base development capabilities, Card Master Plus provides a seamless interface to Alliance Plus, greatly reducing original cataloging time; and (4) The Circulation Plus software is Novell and LANtastic compatible; it accepts USMARC/MicroLIF protocol data disks; and may be used with MS-DOS version 5.0.
[Follett Software Company, 809 North Front Street, McHenry, IL 60050; (815) 344-8700 or (800) 323-3397; Fax (815) 344-8774.]
Gaylord Information Systems markets a product named SuperCAT Cataloging System which offers both turnkey systems and software only for IBM compatibles. The operating system is MS-DOS, and the programming language is "C." The company reported 29 new sales in 1991 and reports its worldwide customer base is 294-286 in North America. It had four systems awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the end of the year. Total sales were under $1 million, with an after-tax profit claimed. All of the sites were using the local cataloging module. Three sites supported 8-15 terminals; four had 2-7 terminals; and 287 had only 1 terminal. A staff of three was committed to software maintenance and development, and two were committed to other customer support. The major enhancements in 1991 included the addition of the following to the cataloging data base; Law and Business; National Library of Medicine; Hennepin County Public Library Audio-Visual; and Professional Media Services Audio-Visual. The company maintains offices in Syracuse (NY), Salt Lake City (UT) , McClellanville (SC) , Cleveland (OH) and Philadelphia (PA).
[Gaylord Information Systems, P.O. Box 4901, Syracuse, NY 13221-4901; (800) 962-9580; Fax (315) 451-4760.]
General Research Corporation Library Systems offers two software-only products, known as LaserGuide and LaserQuest, as well as CD-ROM players (Hitachi and Pioneer). Both run on PC-based, LAN supported or IBM compatible computers. They run on a proprietary DBMS, the operating system is DOS, and the programming language is FORTRAN. The vendor refused to report the number of new sales for 1991 but gross sales were in the $1 to $2.5 million range, with an after-tax profit. All of the LaserGuide sites were using the online patron access catalog module. All of the LaserQuest sites were using the local cataloging module. One of its LaserGuide clients supported 100-199 terminals; one had 60-99; one had 30-60; seven had 16-29; one had 8-15; and five had 2-7 terminals. Of its LaserQuest clients, 20 supported 2-7 terminals; and 200 had only 1 terminal. The company reported that two and one half staff were assigned to software maintenance and development, while two staff were assigned to other customer support. Major enhancements during 1991 for LaserGuide included the instant updatability feature to accept MARC records from all sources and the addition of a download option for search results. Major enhancements during 1991 for LaserQuest included: serials data base was upgraded to AACRII; serials growth was 50 percent; diacritic printing for catalog cards was installed; generic link was installed for transmit to systems, e.g., Geac and NOTIS; and software was ported to work for Macintosh.
[General Research Corporation, Library Systems, 5383 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara, CA 93111; (800) 933-5383; Fax (805) 967-7094.]
INLEX, Inc., a vendor of multi-user systems, purchased a PC-based product in late 1991 known as The Assistant. The figures in this report reflect sales by Library Automation Products, the previous owner. LAP predominantly offered software and on-going support. However, training and peripheral products and supplies such as barcode readers, barcode labels, etc., could be provided. The product runs on any IBM PC/AT, PS/2 or compatible PC using DOS operating systems. The programming languages are "C" and Btrieve. The company reported sales of 71 modules with 30 "new name" sales. None were awaiting installation and/or acceptance. The total number of installations at the end of 1991 was 185-180 in North America. Revenues were reported at under $1 million with no after tax profit. Local cataloging, authority control, and online patron access catalog were each in use at 73 percent of the sites; serials control at 67 percent; circulation at 34 percent; and acquisitions at 31 percent. Some 30 percent of the sites each had a BiblioFile interface, OCLC interface, RLIN interface, Utlas interface, WLN interface, and LaserCat interface; and 40 percent had a LAN interface. The company reported three sites supported over 400 terminals; four had 100-199; 10 had 30-60; 15 had 16-29; 32 had 8-15; 13 had 2-7 terminals; and 108 supported only 1 terminal. The company had two persons devoted to software maintenance and development, and seven and a half committed to other customer support. The major enhancements in 1991 included the completion and release of Serials Control Version 4.0. This version integrates serials with the cataloging and circulation modules and allows users to import MARC records for the creation of a serials data base.
[INLEX maintains offices in New York (NY), Montegy (CA), San Diego (CA), and Ridgefield (CT) [Inlex, Inc., P.O. Box 1349, Monterey, CA 93942; (408) 646-8600; Fax (408) 646-0651.]
Inmagic, Inc., offers software only for PCs, networked PCs, and Digital VAX, running DOS and VMS operating systems. The company reported 1,500 sales of which 800 were "new name' sales. The number of systems awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the year's end was not available. Over 2,600 packages (down from 5,000 packages reported in 1990) have been sold worldwide-2,000 (down from 3,000 in 1990) in North America. Gross revenues were $1 to $2.5 million with an after-tax profit. The product is not sold by module, but the company reported that all sites are able to have the following modules: acquisitions, local cataloging, authority control, circulation, serials control, online patron access catalog, interlibrary loan, materials booking, report generator, journal citation, inventorying, and community information. Three sites supported 100-199 terminals; 2 supported 60-99; 14 had 30-60; 40 had 16-29; 125 had 8-15; 1,300 had 2-7; and 4,500 had only 1 terminal. The major enhancements during 1991 was INMAGIC Plus, which was developed in 1991 and released in early 1992. It provides proximity searching, authority lists, and data validation. Another, INMAGIC Image, offers the ability to link images with INMAGIC text data bases.
[Inmagic, Inc., 2067 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140; (617) 661-8124; Fax (617) 661-6901.]
LEX Systems offers software only systems using any PCs or compatible 5121< memory with MS-DOS and original programming languages. The vendor reported 16 system sales during 1991; five of which were "new name" sales. The total number of systems installed at the end of 1991 was 45-all in North America. One installation was awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the end of the year. Sales were under $1 million with no after-tax profit. All sites had local cataloging and online patron access catalog and 25 percent had circulation. All sites had both BiblioFile and Utlas interfaces and 8 percent had a LAN interface. Three sites were supporting 2-7 terminals; and 42 were supporting only 1 terminal. The company had a staff of two committed to software maintenance and development, and two committed to other customer support. The major enhancements for 1991 were the conversion of programs to "C" language and the online manual. The company also maintains offices in Vancouver (British Columbia and Lucky Lake (Saskatchewan).
[LEX Systems, Inc., 10622 129 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5N 1X3 Canada; (403) 455-7942; Fax (403) 455-7942.]
The Library Corporation offers both turnkey and software only for standalone and network applications run in a PC environment. The product is known as BiblioFile. The hardware is IBM PC compatibles with CD-ROM and hard disk drive, and the operating systems are MS-DOS 2.0 (standalone), MS-DOS 3.0 (network); and Novell. It runs on a proprietary DBMS, and the programming language is "C." The company reported 366 sales in 1991 (308 were "new name" sales), and a worldwide customer base of 3,252-2,930 in North America. It had 91 systems awaiting installation and! or acceptance at the end of the year. Total sales were between $10 and $15 million, with an after-tax profit. Almost half of the sites were using the report generator module; 88 percent were using local cataloging; and 21 percent were using community information. The online patron access catalog module was in use at 26 percent of the sites; 16 percent had authority control; 3 percent had circulation; and 2 percent each had acquisitions and inventorying. All of the sites were using the BiblioFile interface; 9 percent were using an OCLC interface; 2 percent each were using the RLIN interface and WLN interface; and 1 percent were using Utlas interface and a LC authorities CD-ROM interface. Approximately 6 percent had a LAN interface; 5 percent had remote data base searching; and 5 percent could interface with other library systems from the same vendor. Three sites supported 200-399 terminals; one had 100-199; three had 60-99; one had 30-60; three had 16-29; 34 had 8-15; 191 had 2-7; and 3,016 had only 1 terminal. A staff of 22 was committed to software maintenance and development at the end of the year, and 29 were committed to other customer support. The major enhancements in 1991 included: (1) New cataloging data bases-A/V access, Nicem A-V MARC, and DocuFile; (2) Rewrite of acquisitions; (3) Introduced DialCat Public Access Catalog (remote access); and (4) provided software only systems on Token Ring, Ethernet, and ARCNet LANs. The company also maintains offices in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Toronto.
[The Library Corporation, Research Park, Inwood, WV 25428-9733; (304) 229-0100 or (800) 624-0559; Fax (304) 229-0295.]
MARCIVE, Inc., offers turnkey systems for specific modules. The system runs on IBM PCs and compatibles with Microsoft DOS. The programming language is "C." The company sold 13 "new name" systems during 1991, of which six systems were awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the end of the year. Its installed base was 35 systems at year's end-34 in North America. The company reported gross sales under $1 million and an after-tax profit. Almost all of the sites had Marcive/PAC (patron access catalog), and just under a third had PAC/Editor (local cataloging and editing module) . Because the system is usable on a LAN, it is difficult to be specific as to number of sites supporting terminals. It is estimated that four sites are supporting 30-60 terminals; eight had 8-15; 27 had 2-7; and two had only 1 terminal. A staff of four was committed to software maintenance and development, and nine to other customer services. Major enhancements in 1991: (1) Scoping to individual libraries. (2) MeSH cross references. (3) A generic Circulation interface. (4) An Interlibrary Loan module, not yet installed. The company also maintains a sales office in Lenexa, Kansas.
[Marcive, Inc., P.O. Box 47508, San Antonio, TX 78265-7508; (800) 531-7678; Fax (512) 646-0167.]
Media Flex, Inc., markets Mandarin Library/Information Management System which is a software only product. It runs on IBM PC PS/2-Novell NetWare 2.2 or 3.11. The operating system is MS-DOS or PC-DOS, and the programming language is Microsoft "C." The company sold 142 systems-103 "new name" systems-in 1991, bringing the total number of systems sold to 523-512 in North America. Thirteen systems were awaiting installation and/or acceptance. The company reported gross sales from $1 to $2.5 million, with an after-tax profit. All sites were using local cataloging, online patron access catalog, and report generator modules; 80 percent were using the circulation and inventorying modules. A BiblioFile interface was used at 20 percent of the sites; 10 percent each had OCLC and Utlas interfaces; and 5 percent had a LaserCat interface. Ninety percent had a LAN interface, and 20 percent had remote data base searching. One site supported over 400 terminals; 11 had 200-399 terminals; five had 100-199; five had 60-99; ten had 30-60; 30 had 16-29; 30 had 8-15; 400 had 2-7; and 30 had just 1 terminal. A staff of six was committed to software development and maintenance, and nine to other customer support. The major enhancements in 1991 included; Introduction of version 2.50; and enhancement of the indexing structure to accommodate large union catalogs on a microcomputer platform. The company also maintains offices in Montreal, Calgary, Metropolitan New York, and Stafford (UK).
[Media Flex, Inc., P.O. Box 1107, Champlain, NY 12919; (518) 298-2970; Fax (518) 336-8217.]
On Point, Inc., offers a software only package, known as TLC (Total Library Computerization). The hardware is IBM or compatible PCs, (multi-user network is available). The operating system is DOS and programming language is Asksam. The system is new; no sales were reported and no installations have been completed. The company had a staff of one committed to software maintenance and development, and a staff of one and a half committed to other customer support.
[On Point, Inc., 2606 36th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007; (202) 338-8914.]
VTLS, Inc., offers both turnkey systems and software packages using any hardware using DOS as the operating system. The system uses dBase III Plus and Clipper. The company reported selling eight new systems during 1991, bringing its total to 65 in North America and 67 worldwide. Four systems were awaiting installation and/or acceptance. The organization's gross sales were between $5 and $10 million (which do not recognize hardware revenue) , and it did realize an after-tax profit. All sites were using local cataloging, online patron access catalog, authority control, circulation, and report generator capabilities; 5 percent used serials control; and 2 percent used acquisitions. Some 95 percent were using the OCLC interface, and 2 percent had the RLIN interface. A local area network was used by 85 percent; an interface to other systems by the same vendor by 95 percent; and 5 percent had LC authorities CD-ROM interface. One site was supporting 8-15 terminals; 48 had 2-7; and 18 had just 1 terminal (all of which have requested quotes for upgrades of equipment to network users). A staff of three were committed to software maintenance and development, and one to other customer support at the end of 1991. Major enhancements during the year included: every module in MicroVTLS has been enhanced and new applications have been developed. VTLS also maintains offices in Barcelona, and Helsinki.
[VTLS, Inc., 1800 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060; (703) 231-3637; Fax (703) 231- 3648.]
Winnebago Software Company offers software only systems and peripherals that run on IBM PCs and compatibles and Apples. The operating systems are MS-DOS and Apple; the DBMS and programming language is Clipper. The company reported sales of over 1,500 systems ("new name" sales are not available), bringing its total to 10,000. The number of systems awaiting installation and/or acceptance at the year's end was not available. The company reported gross revenues of between $5 and $10 million and realized an after-tax profit. The percentage of sites with each module/submodule was not available for 1991. However, in 1990, it reported 95 percent of the sites were using circulation, report generator, and inventorying; 85 percent each were using the online patron access catalog, local cataloging, authority control, and community information; and 1 percent each were using interlibrary loan and materials booking. One percent each of the systems had the OCLC interface, RLIN interface, Utlas interface, WLN interface, and BiblioFile interface. Three percent of the systems interface with other library systems from the same vendor; and 75 percent each had remote data base searching and a LAN interface. Information regarding the number of terminals supported at each site was also not available for 1991. Of the 8,600 systems in 1990, ten sites had 30-60 terminals; 500 had 16-29; 2,000 had 8-15; 3,500 had 2-7; and 2,500 had only 1 terminal. A staff of 24 was committed to software maintenance and development, and 70 staff were committed to other customer support. The major enhancements which were made in 1991 included: edit MARC, Combine, Messages, Add patron and material from circulation, and User defined search capabilities. The company has some 40 offices throughout the United States and overseas.
[Winnebago Software Company, P.O. Box 430, 310 West Main Street, Caledonia, MN 55921; (507) 724-5411; Fax (507) 724-2301.]
