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Windows NT Systems for Libraries: An Overview of Emerging Products.

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Title: Windows NT Systems for Libraries: An Overview of Emerging Products.
Language: English
Authors: Cibbarelli, Pamela
Source: Computers in Libraries. Feb 1997 17(2):22-25.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 4
Publication Date: 1997
Document Type: Book/Product Reviews
Reports - Descriptive
Journal Articles
Descriptors: Computer Software, Computer System Design, Information Services, Integrated Library Systems, Library Automation, Merchandise Information, Online Vendors
ISSN: 1041-7915
Abstract: Provides a comprehensive list of all the major vendors offering the Windows NT operating system, the latest in integrated online library systems software. Describes features and capabilities; platforms; and libraries where it is installed. (AEF)
Entry Date: 1997
Accession Number: EJ538034
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN9702140777;CLB01FEB.97;1997Feb18.15:36;v2.3</anid> <jsection id="AN9702140777-1"> Feature</jsection> <title id="AN9702140777-2">WINDOWS NT SYSTEMS FOR LIBRARIES: AN OVERVIEW OF EMERGING PRODUCTS </title> <sbt id="AN9702140777-3">Here's a comprehensive list of all the major vendors that are offering Windows NT, the latest in IOLS playforms</sbt> <p>The latest trend among library automation software publishers that create integrated online library systems (IOLS) software is the development of versions of IOLS software to run on the Windows NT operating system. </p> <p>Currently, there are only a handful of vendors providing IOLS software to operate on the Windows NT platform. They include Maxcess Library Systems, Inc. with Maxcess Library System; Follett Software with Catalog Plus and Circulation Plus; ILS International Library Systems Corporation with Sydney PLUS/CS; Inmagic, Inc. with DB/Text Works; Fretwell-Downing Informatics, Ltd. with OLIB; Keystone Systems, Inc. with KLAS; Nichols Advanced Technologies, Inc. with Athena; and Ringgold Management Systems, Inc. with Nonsuch. </p> <p>In addition, among the companies planning to release Windows NT versions soon are Data Research Associates, Inc. with Data Research System; Endeavor Information Systems, Inc. with Voyager; LIB-IT GmbH with LIBERO; Information Dimensions, Inc. with TECHLIB; Electronic Online Systems International with Q Series; and Cuadra Associates, Inc. with STAR/Libraries. </p> <p>There are some really good reasons to be excited about the migration to Windows NT. Windows NT can operate on comparatively inexpensive computers such as 586s. It can be implemented as client/server architecture accessing either Windows NT, Windows 95, Windows 3.x, or Macintosh as clients. Many see it as an alternative to DOS, Windows 3.x, OS/2, and Windows 95; others see it as an alternative to UNIX. Everyone agrees that Windows NT is highly reliable. </p> <p>It is important to understand that there are both Windows NT servers and Windows NT clients. The software is different for the two. Microsoft designed the Windows NT server to function as an Internet server and a network operating system, and to have an interface very much like the Windows 95 interface. FrontPage, a software package from Microsoft for creating Web pages, is included. </p> <p>If you would like to know more about Windows NT, I suggest you explore these two articles: </p> <ulist> <item> "The NOS Evolved" by Frank J. Derfler Jr. in the May 28, 1996, issue of PC Magazine </item> <item> "Life Beyond Windows 95: NT 4.0 and OS/2 4.0 Head for Your Desktop" by Michael J. Miller in the September 24, 1996, issue of PC Magazine </item> </ulist> <hd id="AN9702140777-4">Library Software Now Available on Windows NT</hd> <p>Maxcess Library Systems, Inc. </p> <p>Maxcess Library System from Maxcess Library Systems, Inc. was the first Windows NT IOLS package. </p> <p>Modules for cataloging, circulation, acquisitions, serials, and OPAC are fully developed. There is an SQL interface for easy report writing and querying. There is a GUI-based information gateway called Magellan, which provides access to OPAC, CD-ROM servers, Internet, intranets, and Z39.50 clients. There is also a Web Server that enables you to make your library catalog available to anyone with a Web browser. </p> <p>The DBMS and programming language for Maxcess is ANSI Standard M, which is a variation of MUMPS. </p> <p>Maxcess is a relatively new IOLS product, first introduced in 1991. There are other versions running on IBM RS/6000, VAX, DEC ALPHA, Sun Sparc, and Pentium PCs. The available operating systems are UNIX, VMS, Open VMS, OSF/1, DOS, and Windows NT. Most of Maxcess' sales have been to small to medium-sized special libraries. </p> <p>Maxcess Library Systems, Inc., Kensington, MD, 800/593-1350. </p> <p>Follett Software Company </p> <p>Follett Software Company has a series of library automation packages that operate on the Windows NT network operating system: Circulation Plus, Catalog Plus, and Search Plus for Windows. They are also available on MS-DOS. </p> <p>Language Pack is a multilingual searching module that enables searching in French, Spanish, and/or English. Alliance Plus Interface is the cataloging interface for creation of brief MARC records. </p> <p>More than 90 percent of the customers using Follett products are school libraries, and the products are quite popular. More than 6,200 copies of the company's software were sold in 1995 alone. </p> <p>Follett Software Company, McHenry, IL, 800/323-3397. </p> <p>ILS International Library Systems Corporation </p> <p>ILS International Library Systems Corporation has a Windows client/server product named SydneyPLUS/CS. </p> <p>All standard IOLS modules are available, including OPAC, circulation, serials, and cataloging. Document imaging, AV management, and multilingual capabilities are also available. The system is sold modularly, so it is possible to purchase only those features and functions that you desire. A Web OPAC module was announced in the November 1996 issue of Information Today (page 33). </p> <p>ILS has made SydneyPLUS available on a variety of platforms, including VAX, DOS, and UNIX, and now Windows NT. The first versions were introduced in 1984 on DOS. There are over 500 installations. About 80 percent of SydneyPLUS installations are in special libraries. The majority are in North America, but there are over 200 sites in Europe. Most installations are in small to medium-sized libraries configured for a maximum of 15 concurrent users. </p> <p>SydneyPLUS/CS is written in C programming language and is designed to run on any stand-alone PC, popular PC networks, and Windows NT-based PC client/server systems. </p> <p>ILS International Library Systems Corp., Richmond, BC, Canada, 604/ 278-6717. </p> <p>Inmagic, Inc. </p> <p>Inmagic, Inc. has a new product, DB/TextWorks, that operates on Windows NT servers. It is text-based software with integrated image management for Windows. Release 1.2 was announced in the May 1996 issue of Inmagic News. Earlier versions were released under Windows 3.1 and 3.11, which are Microsoft's 16-bit operating systems. Release 1.2, which operates under Windows NT, is the first 32-bit implementation. </p> <p>DB/TextWorks includes Query by Example, a menu screen designer, drag-and-drop formatting for writing reports, and the ability to incorporate images into the databases. It also provides "relational-like" database linking. There is a Web server version of the software that provides Internet access to DB/TextWorks textbases using standard Web browsers as clients. </p> <p>Inmagic, Inc. is the publisher of Inmagicplus, a popular DOS product that has been installed in over 7,500 sites. Almost all library sites are in special libraries. It is also a popular law office software package. DB/TextWorks is a completely new package from Inmagic, Inc., written to operate in a client/server environment. </p> <p>Inmagic, Inc., Woburn, MA, 617/ 938-4442. </p> <p>Fretwell-Downing Informatics, Ltd. </p> <p>Fretwell-Downing Informatics, Ltd. markets OLIB, an Oracle-based library information management package formerly known as Oracle Libraries. Currently, modules for cataloging, patron files, and OPAC are available on Windows NT Circulation and acquisitions will be Windows NT-compatible with the release of Version 7 during the first quarter of 1997. </p> <p>OLIB has been available on DEC VAX/VMS and UNIX platforms since 1990. These are fully developed IOLS, including serials, circulation, and acquisitions in character mode. Graphical user interfaces for serials, circulation, and acquisitions are to be in beta the first quarter of 1997. Graphical versions of the OPAC, catalog, and patron files are now available. SQL is standard for easy reporting and querying. Image linking is also inherent. </p> <p>The character-based system is installed in 100 libraries. A recent client list included 16 special libraries, 38 academic libraries, and 5 public libraries. </p> <p>Fretwell-Downing Informatics (USA), Ltd., Overland Park, KS, 800/344-3157, 913/649-7213. </p> <p>Keystone Systems, Inc. </p> <p>Keystone Systems, Inc. has a Windows NT product available, KLAS, which is written in Progress. There is one Windows NT site currently and that site is using version 5.1 in a limited mode until Version 6 is delivered. (At the time of this writing, Version 6 was scheduled for release late in 1996.) </p> <p>KLAS has modules for cataloging, circulation, OPAC, acquisitions, and serials, as well as gateways for accessing external databases. KLAS Version 6 will include an Internet/intranet browser. ILL capability is planned for late 1997. </p> <p>Keystone has a total of five installed sites. </p> <p>Keystone Systems, Inc., Raleigh, NC, 800/222-9711. </p> <p>Nichols Advanced Technologies, Inc. </p> <p>Athena is the Windows NT product available from Nichols Advanced Technologies, Inc. It was originally developed for Windows 3.1. As of September 1996 there were six Windows NT users; all are school libraries. </p> <p>Athena is among the best-selling library automation systems for Windows and was rated number one in the 1996 review of integrated library systems by Library Technology Reports. It is designed for smaller libraries in a school environment. Athena provides searching, circulation, cataloging, and related functions. Full-text searching is inherent. An innovative feature is the ability to link patron photographs with patron records. </p> <p>Nichols' original product, MOLLI, was developed for DOS computers and has a large installed base. About 85 percent of Nichols customers are school libraries. </p> <p>Nichols Advanced Technologies, Inc., La Crosse, WI, 800/658-9453. </p> <p>Ringgold Management Systems, Inc. </p> <p>Ralph Shoffner, president of Ringgold Management Systems, Inc., indicated in a letter to Cibbarelli's that the company has "a full MARC catalog on NT. One library has been using it to control 240,000 titles for over two years. They first ran Windows for Work Groups, then moved to NT 3.51 last January (1996)....The present implementation is 16-bit. We are now reworking it to 32-bit." Nonesuch is the product name. </p> <p>The circulation and acquisitions modules are character-based, but they are linked to the catalog. Serials ordering and fund control are managed through the acquisitions module, but check-in, claiming, and binding control are not included. </p> <p>Ringgold has provided DOS-based library automation software since 1981. Currently it operates under Windows NT, MS/DOS, PC/DOS, UNIX, and Xenix-based systems. </p> <p>Ringgold Management Systems, Inc., Beaverton, OR, 503/645-3502. </p> <hd id="AN9702140777-5">Forthcoming Windows NT Solutions</hd> <p>Data Research Associates, Inc. </p> <p>Data Research Associates, Inc. (DRA) is currently developing a new product that will be available on the Windows NT platform. DRA anticipates a graduated release of the modules over the next year. Customers who install the current product are provided with an upgrade path that will incur no additional software licensing costs. </p> <p>DRA has been a highly successful library software publisher and has over 900 installed sites of its software operating under UNIX and Open VMS. A little less than half of DRA sales have been to academic libraries, about one-third to public libraries, and the remainder to both school and special libraries. There are more than a dozen sites licensed to support over 400 concurrent users. </p> <p>Data Research Associates, Inc., St. Louis, 800/325-0888. </p> <p>Endeavor Information Systems, Inc. </p> <p>Endeavor Information Systems, Inc. has a UNIX-based IOLS product called Voyager. Voyager currently supports Windows NT clients, and Endeavor has several customers that have signed contracts for a Windows NT server version. The Company anticipates that the Windows NT server version of Endeavor will be available this spring. </p> <p>The Voyager system has been designed to access and display images, sounds, and video, as well as bibliographic data. </p> <p>Voyager was originally designed on the Sun Solaris platform. Voyager's underlying DBMS is Ingress. The server application code is written in C and SQL. The Windows client code is in Visual Basic and C++ with Dynamic SQL. </p> <p>The UNIX version of Voyager is in its third release and is installed in 45 libraries ranging in size from Stockholm University, with 4 million volumes, to smaller community colleges and special libraries. About three-quarters are in academic libraries, and about one-fifth are in special libraries. </p> <p>Endeavor Information Systems, Inc., Rosemont, IL, 800/762-6300. </p> <p>LIB-IT GmbH </p> <p>LIB-IT GmbH plans to introduce a Windows NT version of its product LIBERO early this year. The UNIX version of LIBERO was first introduced in 1980 in Australia, but it is the German office that is responsible for creating the Windows NT version. The product was created in Visual BASIC and current versions run on UNIX, VMS, and PC-DOS operating systems. </p> <p>The product is designed to support open systems architecture. SQL is inherent. Graphical user interfaces with full-screen editing are also inherent in all modules. The system currently has modules for OPAC, cataloging, acquisitions, and serials. Interlibrary loan is pending development, waiting for European standards to be released. A Web interface may be available in release 2.0 late in 1997. </p> <p>LIBERO's OPAC provides three levels of search: simple, advanced, and user-defined display. Boolean AND and NOT are available; OR is not currently enabled, but may be added at a later date. The search screen permits using publication date as a search criteria. Searching for a range of dates (such as 1992-1995) may become available in release 2.0. </p> <p>The product is "thin client/server." The client handles GUI and screen handlers; the server manages the database and programs. This enables clients with 486 processors to use the system. </p> <p>LIB-IT GmbH, Pleidelsheim, Germany, 011-49-7144-82-1246. </p> <p>Information Dimensions, Inc. </p> <p>The next generation of TECHLIB will be client/server running on Windows clients accessing UNIX, NT, and VMS servers. Windows clients can be Windows 3.x, Windows 95, or NT. </p> <p>Carol Knoblauch at Information Dimensions, Inc. indicated in a letter to Cibbarelli's in November 1996 that "while Information Dimensions has not released a product for general availability, support for Windows NT servers will be announced in the next few months. The BASIS Document Manager has been ported to NT servers, and several beta systems are in testing. The current server-based version of TECHLIB will not be ported to NT, but the planned Windows clients will be able to access the NT server, with modules expected to be available beginning in mid-1997." </p> <p>TECHLIB relies on BASIS Document Manager software as the underlying database server. BASIS is optimized for large text management databases. The server software is written in C. Client software uses Visual Basic and Visual C++. </p> <p>Information Dimensions, Inc. also provides a comprehensive intranet solution using BASIS document manager. There is also another new product, BASIS WEBserver Gateway, which is fully integrated with the Netscape Enterprise Server. </p> <p>There are about 250 installations of TECHLIB on a variety of operating systems. A little more than half are in Europe. There are at least 10 sites supporting over 400 concurrent users. </p> <p>Information Dimensions, Inc., Dublin, OH, 614/761-7228. </p> <p>Electronic Online Systems International </p> <p>Electronic Online Systems International, EOSi, has announced a new product, Q Series, which is anticipated for release in the latter half of 1997. The modules anticipated for early release are OPAC, cataloging, circulation, and power search. Serials, acquisitions, and databridge are planned for later releases. It will be available to operate under both UNIX and Windows NT. </p> <p>Q Series will also include e-mail capabilities for system-generated correspondence and embedded MARC rules, validation, and authority control. </p> <p>Q Series is a new product coming after the acquisition of IME, Ltd. by Dawson Holdings. Dawson had acquired Data Trek, Inc. several years ago and renamed the two companies EOS International shortly after the acquisition of IME. </p> <p>The Q Series is created with object-oriented structure and is based on open Oracle database and PowerBuilder. </p> <p>Electronic Online Systems International, Carlsbad, CA, 619/431-8400. </p> <p>Cuadra Associates, Inc. </p> <p>Cuadra Associates is planning to migrate its UNIX-based product, STAR, to the Windows NT platform during 1997. Judith Wanger, vice president at Cuadra Associates, indicated that "since STAR performs identically on all UNIX platforms, we fully expect it to be identical in functionality under NT." </p> <p>The UNIX version of STAR is installed in about 400 sites, including many special libraries and museums. In addition to a fully developed IOLS, STAR/Libraries, there are also applications for a variety of information management needs, including STAR/Web for browser access to STAR databases, STAR/RIMS for records management, STAR/Images for linking image files, STAR/Archives, STAR/Thesaurus, and STAR/Publishing to interface STAR with FrameMaker for composition of announcements, catalogs, directories, etc. </p> <p>STAR is written in C and the client software is written in C and Visual Basic. </p> <p>Cuadra Associates, Inc., Los Angeles, 310/478-0066. </p> <p>ILLUSTRATIONS </p> <aug> <p>By Pamela Cibbarelli </p> <p></p> <p>Pamela Cibbarelli is editor of The Directory of Library Automation Software, Systems, and Services and technical program chair for the annual IOLS Meeting held in conjunction with the National Online Meeting in New York each May. She is president of Cibbarelli's, a California-based consulting firm specializing in information retrieval systems and library automation and also serves as reference coordinator at City of Commerce (California) Public Library. She can be reached at 714/969-8358 or pcibbarelli@ccvax.fullerton.edu. </p> </aug>
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