In the previous issue of LSN we presented our annual review of turnkey automated library systems. In this issue we report on our survey of companies that offer multi-user software packages, including on—going software maintenance and development, installation support, documentation and training. Some of these vendors also provide libraries with assistance in configuring the hardware on which to mount the software. It should be noted that gross revenues of supported software vendors and those of turnkey system vendors are not comparable since the figures for the former do not include hardware expenditures.
The Battelle Software Products Center reported that there were 71 installed and accepted BASIS Technical Library Systems at the end of 1986, primarily in corporate libraries. Thirty-one systems (eight more than in 1985) were sold during 1986, of which five were awaiting installation or acceptance at the end of the year. Gross sales for the Library Division are estimated at over $1 million, but no firm figures were available. Revenues apparently exceeded expenditures. The company reports the following modules operational, with the number of sites in parentheses: acquisitions (38); local cataloging (71); authority control (64); circulation (71); serials control (7); online patron access catalog (38); interlibrary loan (6); materials booking (71); report generator (71); OCLC interface (20); RLIN interface (1); interface with other library systems of the same vendor (6); batch input (56); computational (18); data base monitor (27); data base definition module (15); and screen input module (58). The company reports a total of 35 staff committed to software maintenance and support, an increase of 13 over last year. The group is responsible for the company's basic BASIS software as well as for the library systems based on that software.
[Battelle Software Products Center, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201—2693, (614) 424—6424.]
Georgetown University Medical Center Library reported that it had nineteen installed and accepted Library Information System (LIS) sites at the end of 1986. Six packages were sold during the year; twelve were awaiting installation or acceptance. Gross sales were under $1 million. The institution is non—profit and did not comment on whether revenues exceeded expenses. All operational systems were using acquisitions, local cataloging, authority control, circulation, serials control, online patron access cataloging, word processing and an OCLC interface. All were using a report generator linked only to the acquisitions module. Community information, materials booking and an interface with library systems of the same vendor are in beta test. Interlibrary loan will be available in the next release. The MiniMEDLINE component, available as part of the LIS or as a standalone system, was being used at as many as six sites. Georgetown had nine staff members assigned to software maintenance and development.
[Dahlgren Memorial Library, Georgetown University Medical Center, 3900 Reservoir Road, Washington, DC 20007, (202) 625—7673.]
IBM reentered the U.S. market as a software vendor in late 1985 after leaving it at the end of 1984. The product, known as DOBIS, has been rewritten and is a better supported version than that previously offered. IBM declined to respond to the survey, and has never revealed how many DOBIS sites there are in the U.S. The editors estimate, however, that there are between six and nine installations. The revived DOBIS is offered by IBM Academic Information Systems, a different division than that which previously handled DOBIS.
[IBM Academic Information Systems, 472 Wheelers Farms Road, Milford, CT 06460, (203) 783—7385.]
Info-Dec (Information Documentation) offers a software package called CAIRS which is claimed to operate on a wide range of mainframe, mini and micro-based systems. The company failed to answer the survey and in past years has been unwilling to answer questions about the number of installations, sales, income or profitability. The editors have not been able to confirm any U.S. installations, but have established that there is at least one installation in the United Kingdom. In 1985 Info/Doc claimed to have 50 persons devoted to software maintenance and development.
[Info/Doe, Box 17109, Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC 20041; (800) 336—0800/ (703) 486—0900.
The Northwestern University Library reported making 26 sales of its NOTIS software during 1986. By the end of the year 66 systems were installed and accepted and five were awaiting installation. Gross sales revenues were between $2.5 and $5 million. Revenues exceeded expenses. NOTIS identified the following modules as operational at various installations, but the company does not keep track of the number of sites operating each module: acquisitions; local cataloging; global authority control; circulation; serials control; patron access catalog; interlibrary loan and a community information module. A MARC tape interface and the OCLC interface also were being used, as were word processing and COM output capabilities. Northwestern has 21 staff devoted to software maintenance and development, an increase of three over the previous year.
[Northwestern University Library, 1935 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60201; (312) 492—7004.]
The Pennsylvania State University Libraries were supporting two installations of the Library Information Automated System (LIAS) at the end of 1985, however, the software is no longer actively being marketed.
[LIAS Program Office, E 1 Pattee Library, University Park, PA 16802; (814) 865— 1818.]
McLeod-Bishop Systems Ltd., the North American agent for the MINISIS system software reported that as of the end of 1986 210 systems were in use throughout the world. Because many of the systems are made available to developing countries by the International Development Research Centre, it is inappropriate to report in terms of system “sales.” The company estimated that five installations were arranged during 1986, three of which were awaiting installation or acceptance. During 1986 the company realized MINISIS—related revenues of under $1 million and made an after tax profit on this aspect of its business.
The capabilities of the system designed to support library automation are operational for the following functions, with the number of libraries utilizing each function in parentheses: acquisitions (178); local cataloging (210); authority control (50); circulation (5); and serials control (8). A report generator (210) and UTLAS interface (13) also are available as is a records management package (5). The company reports five persons were committed to MINISIS software development and maintenance at the end of 1986.
[McLeod-Bishop Systems Ltd., 1600 darling Avenue, #400, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1Z 8R7; (613) 728—7781.]
Ringgold Management Systems, Inc. reports that 10 installed and accepted NONESUCH systems were being supported at the end of 1986. Five of these were multi—processor installations. Seven systems were sold during 1986, of which 3 were awaiting installation and/or acceptance at year's end. The company's gross sales were under $1 million, and an after tax profit was realized in 1986. Two staff are committed to software maintenance and development. Modules in operation included: acquisitions; circulation; OCLC interface; WIN interface; remote data base searching interface; and word processing.
[Ringgold Management Systems, Inc., Box 368, Beaverton, OR 97075; (503) 645— 3502.]
Sedna Corporation reported a total of 5 installations by the end of 1986, and no systems sold during the past year. No financial information was disclosed. Of the installed sites, 5 were using a report generator, 3 were using both acquisitions and local cataloging, 1 was using serials control, 1 was using a prototype of the planned authority control module and 1 had an OCLC interface. The company had 5 persons devoted to software maintenance and development.
[Sedna Corporation, 970 Raymond Avenue, Saint Paul, IL 55114; (612) 647—1101.]
Swets and Zeitlinger BV reported that its SAILS System is not yet commercially available. It was being tested at University College (Dublin, Ireland) and Oklahoma State University. The former site has serials control and circulation and the latter has acquisitions, serials control, circulation, and patron access catalog.
The Washington University School of Medicine Library failed to respond to the survey for a second year in a row. The Library apparently is no longer actively marketing systems, but is supporting existing installations.
[Washington University School of Medicine Library, 4580 Scott Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110; (314) 454—3711.]
