Brisbane, Australia.--Altarama Systems is pleased to announce that the State Library of Queensland has purchased a comprehensive new information management system to improve the service provided within the State Library and to its network users and country libraries. The system will be supplied by Altarama Systems in conjunction with the hardware and systems integration company Southmark Solutions.
A VIRTUA Library Management System will be installed to handle the main bibliographic database of the State Library, and the bibliographic databases of several other government departments and public libraries. VIRTUA, developed by VTLS Inc., is a system that has been specifically designed for the needs of large libraries with sophisticated functionality requirements like State Library of Queensland. In particular VIRTUA provides the ability to host the needs of different libraries within the one database, as is required by the combination of State, Special and Public libraries that share the State Library of Queensland system.
The VIRTUA modules that will be installed initially include the base system with cataloguing and OPAC, Web OPAC, Circulation, Serials, Acquisitions, Document Delivery and Reporting. The system will support 256 users, over 800,000 loans and 100,000 stack retrievals per annum, and a database of 1.2 million titles and 1.6 million items.
Other services that will be provided by the new system will include the Aurora Web OPAC for Z39.50 Databases that will enable multiple Z39.50 databases including the VIRTUA system, to be accessed from the Internet by anyone with a web browser, including dumb terminals with Lynx browsers; and a Fulcrum Knowledge Network based system for retrieval of information from non-bibliographic databases.
All software provided in this system is client server based, and Z39.50 compliant, and has been specifically written to take advantage of the power of 32 bit desktops and the Windows 95/NT desktop operating system. The servers will be a Sun Enterprise 4000 UNIX server and an IBM NT server.
Mr Des Stephens, the State Librarian said that "The contract for the new information system was awarded to Southmark Solutions and it subcontractors, including Altarama Systems, after 12 months of extensive research and consultation by the State Library to locate the best available product to deliver the technical framework required to extend its information resources and services throughout Queensland. When the system becomes operational in early 1999 it will provide access to the Internet and electronic information resources, allowing us to decentralise our electronic resources and some of our cultural heritage collections as they become available in digital format".
Ms Shirley Forster, Managing Director of Altarama Systems said "Altarama and VTLS Inc are all excited about the comprehensive system that we will be installing at State Library of Queensland. By adhering to international standards we feel that we have been able to put all our products together to produce a high technology solution that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of services within the library whilst significantly increasing the level of access to the library’s information, and information from other sources, for the wider community."
For further information about VIRTUA or Aurora please contact: Ms Shirley Forster of Altarama Systems or visit our web site, or those of VTLS and Aurora:
Aurora Information Technology http://www.magna.com.au/~ait/ VTLS Inc. http://www.vtls.com