Data Research Associates, Inc., has signed a contract with the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana, Inc., (PALNI) to install a turnkey system with a central patron and bibliographic data base accessible by all 24 member library systems. Two PALNI sites will be converted from a Geac cluster, 17 sites will be automating for the first time, and five sites will continue using their own automated systems (DRA, Sirsi, Dynix, MultiLIS, and Innovative) while contributing to the DRA union catalog. The central data base will be operated under contract by the Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority (INCOLSA), located in Indianapolis.
PALNI was formed in 1992 with a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., to establish a networked, automated system for its members.
In addition to establishing its own collection of more than 16 million member holdings, PALNI also will be playing a key role in developing an Internet link to the State University Library Automation Network (SULAN), its public university counterpart, to gain bibliographic access to an additional 12 million volumes in state-supported university libraries. Special collections housed at PALNI member libraries include materials on a diverse range of topics such as religion, physical therapy, music, business, African studies, non-Western cultures, nursing, data processing, engineering, and Early British and American history.
[Contact: Data Research Associates, Inc., 1276 North Warson Road, St. Louis, MO 63132; (314) 432-1100 or (800) 325-0888; Fax (314) 993-8927.]
