McHENRY, IL - April 10, 2000 - Younger patrons search library collections easily with colorful pictures and school districts maximize cataloging efforts through instant data exchange in Follett Software Company's new v4.1 release of its top-selling K-12 library automation software. The v4.1 release for Windows and Mac OS also updates Follett Software's award-winning products to enable students and parents to search multiple school library collections from home, and to enable staff to enhance and integrate library collection and textbook management.
Software updated in the v4.1 release includes Circulation Plus, Catalog Plus, Union Catalog Plus and WebCollection Plus software for Windows and Macintosh*, and TextLink™ for Windows.
Circulation Plus & Catalog Plus
Follett Software's widely used Circulation Plus eases many tasks library staff performs routinely--checkin/checkout, overdue notices, fine calculation, holds, renewals, inventory--and makes statistical information readily available through an assortment of reports. The company's award-winning Catalog Plus helps patrons find information with powerful searching options and simplifies cataloging with extensive built-in aides. New highlights in Circulation Plus and Catalog Plus v4.1 include:
- Visual OPAC search interface that helps younger patrons explore library resources with large, colorful icons. (Libraries can offer patrons the Visual OPAC interface or text-mode search.)
- Customizable sounds that make it easier for librarians to distinguish between select functions, such as successful barcode entry or a patron with fines or overdues.
- Built-in backup/restore to more easily safeguard valuable MARC record data and statistics.
- Partial inventory that makes inventory more convenient. It allows librarians to designate select groups of call numbers to inventory, such as the 100s.
- The ability to extract data in ASCII format from a variety of data fields, such as homeroom, overdues, graduation year and more, allows librarians to manipulate or sort data in unique ways.
Union Catalog Plus for Windows
Union Catalog Plus puts more information within reach by enabling students and staff to access several collections from one location in a single search. It also enables library staff to share MARC library records among sites. A new highlight in v4.1 includes:
- Automated data exchange option that simplifies cataloging by instantly updating district and member databases without user intervention.
Award-winning WebCollection Plus lets patrons search library collections from any location, 24 hours a day on the Internet. New features in WebCollection Plus v4.1 include:
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QuickLinks for easier access to web sites frequently visited by a library's patrons. Librarians can add direct links for up to 16 web sites on their WebCollection Plus home page.
- A more customizable home page--librarians can add their logo and school colors.
- More efficient searching of multiple collections. Patrons can specify certain areas of the district they want to search, such as all of the district's high schools or schools within three miles of each other.**
TextLink saves schools time and money by reducing the number of lost and damaged textbooks, expediting checkout/checkin, facilitating collection of textbooks and fees and improving textbook inventory management. TextLink v4.1 works seamlessly with Circulation Plus for Windows and saves staff even more time by:
- Automatically entering book due dates.
- Notifying users during checkout when a patron owes fines.
- Enabling users to change the condition of a textbook when it is checked in.
Alliance Plus, a software and CD-ROM system that helps librarians perform ongoing cataloging is also available with v4.1. It provides nearly two million high-quality MARC 21 records on CD-ROM.
"The v4.1 release gives K-12 schools the most powerful tools to increase information resource offerings to students and enable staff to perform their jobs more efficiently," said Tom Schenck, Follett Software's president. "Union Catalog Plus is the only solution of its kind, making it easy to share resources and data throughout a district, saving time and money. And our new Visual OPAC expands the ease of searching to younger students."
About Follett Software Company
Since 1985, Follett Software Company has provided school, public and special libraries with leading-edge library automation, Internet and curriculum resource software and services. Its Circulation Plus software, with more than 30,000 installations worldwide, is the number one selling library automation system in the K-12 marketplace. The company also has the largest base of installed Windows customers, with 15,000 users. Follett Software Company is a division of Follett Corporation, and is headquartered in McHenry, IL. In 1999, the company was ranked among the top ten largest software companies in Chicago. For additional information, call (800) 323-3397 or go to www.fsc.follett.com .