AUSTIN, TEXAS and PERU, ILLINOIS, March 10, 1998 - After a nearly year long search, Cricket Magazine Group has chosen Athena for its library automation needs. The company chose Athena after a search that began with 10 library automation system vendors.
According to Betty Jo Hansen, Librarian, Athena was chosen because of its ease of use and its price. "The Athena sample was so easy to install and use that we figured it was a good indication of what the actual software would be like. And we liked what we saw. We don't have a full-time librarian on site, and with Athena, we didn't feel like anyone would be intimidated trying to use it. We especially liked Athena Webserver, which will allow our editors and writers to search the catalog from either of our two locations - or from home."
Cricket Magazine Group produces children's magazines including Babybug, Ladybug, Spider, Cricket, and Muse. For these magazines, the editors review books received from publishers and then the reviews are used to help decide what to include in the magazines. These write ups, usually indicating whether something in the book is suitable for excerpting or reprinting and why, are added to the Notes field of the MARC record for searching purposes. The fact that Athena does not limit the length of the Notes field made it a good choice for Cricket Magazine Group. The ability to edit catalog records was another important feature.
Cricket Magazine Group is located in Peru, Illinois, with a second office in Chicago, Illinois. With the help of Athena Webserver, both locations will be able to access the library collections, which will be housed in Peru. The company's editors will be able to search the library from their desks.
"Cricket Magazine Group's use of Athena Webserver as an internal searching tool is another good example of how Athena and the add-on products can be used to their fullest potential," said D. Bruce Butler, President of Nichols Advanced Technologies. "We're excited that they're taking advantage of our Internet solutions."
Athena is the best-selling library automation system for Windows and is rated #1 by the American Library Association's Library Technology Reports (L.T.R.). The L.T.R. report rated 36 library automation systems in twelve categories and awarded Athena the highest ratings in 10 of the 12 categories considered and the highest ratings overall. Athena provides circulation, searching, cataloging, Internet solution options, cross-platform capabilities (Windows, Macintosh and DOS), and related functions for large and small public, academic, corporate, and school libraries and school districts.
Austin, Texas-based Nichols Advanced Technologies, which has additional offices in Edmonton, Alberta and La Crosse, Wisconsin, provides powerful, easy-to-use library solutions for all major microcomputer systems. Founded in 1983, Nichols delivers library automation systems, retrospective conversion services, barcode readers, and automation supplies.
