Company Profiles
-- Library Journal, 4/1/2006
Company Profiles
Auto-Graphics, Inc.Pomona, CA; 800-776-6939; www.auto-graphics.com
Auto-Graphics, a publicly owned 35-year-old company based in Pomona, CA, caters primarily to public libraries, offering its AGent/Verso product mainly as an ASP service to small libraries and its AGent Resource Sharing System to large, often statewide, library cooperatives. A medium-sized company, with revenues in the $5–$10 million range (and a staff of 32), A-G does 85% of its business in the United States.
PEOPLE Paul Cope, formerly the CTO and son of founder and chair Robert S. Cope, now serves as president, following the ten-month tenure of Patrick T. Bergamasco.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, A-G redesigned AGent/Verso and launched AGent for Digital Collections, an ASP platform to help libraries create digital collections. With AGent for Digital Collections, Auto-Graphics provides the server, storage, and software—all the library needs to do is submit the content. Digitizing and cataloging services are available for a completely outsourced approach to creating an online digital library. The company created a web service interface in its AGent family of products, an API now widely demanded in the industry to facilitate improved integration among software components.
Book Systems, Inc.
Huntsville, AL; 800-219-6571; www.booksys.com
In business for 15 years, privately owned Book Systems is a small company ($2–$5 million, 53 employees) specializing in automation systems for K–12 schools, small publics, and church libraries in the United States (99%). The company will move to a new facility in Huntsville by May 2006.
PRODUCT NEWS In its second year out, Atriuum, an all-web-based ILS, garnered 25 new sales, supplementing the 385 units sold of the firm’s mainstay Concourse ILS, now out in its seventh major release. This year Book Systems entered an arrangement with Syndetic Solutions for enriched content display.
CASPR Library Systems, Inc.
Saratoga, CA; 800-852-2777; www.caspr.com
A very small, privately owned firm, CASPR employs 11, down from the 14 reported the last three years.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, CASPR delivered a new release of its LibraryWorld desktop software (available for Windows and Macintosh) and launched LibraryWorld.NET, the next generation of its popular LibraryCom web-based ASP service. With an annual entry price of just $395, CASPR’s online automation service appeals to small libraries that need a very low-cost alternative.
Civica Pty Limited
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; +61 3 8676 4400; www.civica.com.au
Based in Australia, Civica operates within a large software company, with offerings for local government and the health industry in addition to its library automation products. The firm does limited business in the United States, with nine libraries using Spydus; 2% of 2005 revenue came from the U.S. market. In 2005, two libraries in the United States upgraded from Spydus to Spydus 8. Civica’s employment spiked from 35 to 130, largely owing to a huge contract in Singapore, where it will be engaged in an outsourcing arrangement for school library automation. The company reports revenue in the $10–$15 million range.
COMPanion Corp.
Salt Lake City; 800-347-6439; www.goalexandria.com
Founded in 1987, COMPanion is a privately owned company with 63 employees. With 9,971 libraries using Alexandria, the firm ranks third largest among those specializing in school libraries.
PRODUCT NEWS Alexandria operates on both Macintosh and Windows computers. In 2005, COMPanion completed a new all-web-based interface for Alexandria and developed new options for the creation of union catalogs. Consistent with its focus on schools, COMPanion also offers software for textbook management called TextBook Tracker. eLunchroom helps schools manage and report school cafeteria activity, a necessity for federal programs supporting school lunch programs. In 2005, COMPanion entered a partnership with Big6 Learning Tools to sell and provide support for that company’s product related to the Big6 model for teaching information and technology skills.
CyberTools, Inc.
Harvard, MA; 978-772-9200; www.cybertoolsforlibraries.com
Founded in 1986, CyberTools is a small, privately owned company employing five. It specializes in providing automation systems for special—especially medical—libraries. In 2005, it expanded beyond health science libraries, seeing sales to law and academic institutions.
PRODUCT NEWS CyberTools for Libraries is an all-web-based system structured around the Caché database framework and the company’s own user interface management system framework. The company offers its automation system either for local installation or as an ASP hosted solution. CyberTools has built-in OpenURL and Z39.50 support included in the base cost. In 2005, CyberTools for Libraries came out with many new features, among them major enhancements to the OPAC, such as display of graphic images and tables of contents when available; a new reserves module; and new cross-organizational consortia or union catalog capabilities.
Endeavor Information Systems
Des Plaines, IL; 847-296-2200; www.endinfosys.com
Founded in 1994, Endeavor Information Systems has been a wholly owned, independently operated subsidiary of the large multinational Elsevier since April 2000. With 156 employees and a client base of 1,325 libraries, Endeavor falls within the ranks of the major players in the industry, specializing in library automation products for academic libraries. The company has seen steadily declining sales of Voyager for the last five years and has focused most of its efforts on its products related to management and delivery of electronic content.
PRODUCT NEWS Endeavor recently rebranded many of its offerings. The ENCompass brand tied to many non-ILS products was retired: out with ENCompass for Resource Access, in with Discovery: Finder; Curator replaces ENCompass for Digital Collections; and ENCompass for Journals Onsite is simply Journals Onsite. Changes for the new Discovery: Finder penetrate beyond skin deep. In January 2006, Endeavor announced its intention to shift its federated search platform from one based on its own technology and MuseGlobal components to an outsourced version from TDNet. As recently as November 2005, Endeavor released a new version (3.6) of ENCompass for Resource Access. On the ILS front, Endeavor released Voyager 5.0 in 2005.
Journals Onsite, a product in tune with Elsevier’s focus on electronic publishing, takes a prominent role. Available in general release since February 2005, it allows an organization to load, manage, and provide access locally to e-journals from all publishers.
The company has recently adjusted its strategy to strengthen its offerings related to digital archiving, focusing initially on its newly named Curator platform for managing local digital content. Elsevier veteran Geoffrey Adams came on board to manage this initiative. In 2005, Curator was sold to nine members of the Finnish Academic Library Networks.
EOS International
Carlsbad, CA; 800-876-5484/ 760-431-8400; www.eosintl.com
EOS International was founded in 1981 as Data Trek and took its current name when it acquired IME in 1996. This privately owned company specializes in automation systems for special (mostly corporate) libraries. Employing a work force of 79, EOSi is a medium-sized entity within the overall industry and the largest of those oriented to special libraries. The company does not reveal financial data but indicates significant increases in sales revenue and profit for the past three years.
PEOPLE In June 2005, Salvatore Provenza moved up to VP of global sales and marketing.
PRODUCT NEWS The company’s flagship system EOS.Web is offered both for local installation and as an ASP called the EOS e-Library Service. With more clients choosing the ASP route—the number doubled since last year—the company moved to a new headquarters with a state-of-the-art data center. The new EOS Global Data Center supports EOS e-Library Service clients in Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Switzerland, the UK, and the United States. EOSi released new versions of EOS.Web and EOS.Web Express in December. Key improvements include expanded collection and authority maintenance features and improved ability to support other languages and character sets.
Ex Libris
Chicago; 877-527-1689; www.exlibrisgroup.com
A private firm with significant venture capital ownership, Ex Libris stands as the third largest company in the industry. Its 2005 revenue was reported in the $35–$40 million range, with about 40% from U.S. libraries, and it has 261 employees. Founded in 1981, Ex Libris specializes in automation products and services for academic libraries and consortia. From its beginnings in a few Israeli universities, ALEPH 500 is now in 62 countries worldwide. Ex Libris entered the U.S. market around 1999 and quickly garnered sales to a large portion of academic libraries, including 21 ARL members. Though U.S. sales of ALEPH 500 have slowed the last two years, the company’s non-ILS products enjoy strong numbers, expanding the Ex Libris client base well beyond libraries that use ALEPH.
PEOPLE Founder Azriel Morag left the firm in August 2005, just prior to the company’s abandoned IPO attempt. Internal restructuring led to dissolution of the Information Services Division and diffusion of its companywide entrepreneurial approach; Oren Beit-Aire shifted to chief strategy officer, and Jenny Walker to VP of marketing. Other 2005 appointments included Marc Daubach, VP and general manager for Europe, and Oded Scharfstein as the new VP for Asia-Pacific.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the company released ALEPH 500 version 17, the third major releases of SFX, MetaLib, and DigiTool. Verde, the company’s ERM product, was initially released and sold to 46 libraries. SFX eXpress, an ASP version of its linking product designed to make its installation and maintenance even easier, was introduced in February 2005. The company is launching Primo, a new information discovery and delivery tool, in 2006.
Follett Software Company
McHenry, IL; 815-578-7215; www.fsc.follett.com
A division of Follett Corporation, a company with diverse business interests, each focused on some aspect of education, Follett Software (with 245 employees) specializes in library automation for schools. The parent reported over $2 billion in consolidated sales for its 2005 fiscal year. A 20-year veteran of the industry, FSC ranks as the largest of the companies focused on the K–12 market. Over 97% of the company’s business is with U.S. libraries.
PRODUCT NEWS Destiny Library Manager, initially released in 2004, saw strong sales this year, with 273 sales to school districts, spanning 3180 schools, and 373 sales for the version for individual schools. The company continues to see some sales for its Circulation Plus family, but the 465 sold in 2005 is a fraction of the 6,275 sold in 2001, indicative of the major shift in the K–12 market in favor of systems designed for districtwide implementation. In addition to its school library products, it offers Destiny Textbook Manager to assist districts with textbooks inventory. FSC introduced Destiny Media Manager in 2005.
Geac Library Solutions
Waltham, MA; 781-672-5950; www.library.geac.com
Geac, a venerable firm in the library automation industry, experienced significant restructuring in 2005. The company began the year as a division of a publicly traded (TSX: GAC, NASDAQ: GEAC) diversified software services company and ended the year in the midst of a $1 billion buyout by private equity firm Golden Gate Capital. While the final outcome of the transaction had not been determined at press time, the Geac name will be retired and Geac Library Solutions will be part of a new company wholly owned by Golden Gate that will include the other industry-specific applications within the former Geac.
Geac Library Solutions employed 105 at the end of 2005. While the company’s Advance and PLUS products were widely deployed in North America in the mid- to late 1990s, these installations have steadily migrated to new systems, mostly from Geac’s competitors. The company’s U.S. presence has steadily eroded. In 2005, Geac Library Solutions derived only 11.3% of its revenue from U.S. libraries. Geac remains strong in Europe and to a lesser degree in the UK. Its flagship Vubis Smart has a large and loyal following, especially among public libraries in Belgium and the Netherlands. Initial efforts to market Vubis Smart have yet to result in large sales volume in North America, with one 2005 sale in the United States and two in Canada.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, Geac delivered a number of enhancements to Vubis Smart in release 2.4.1, including new capabilities related to circulation desk payments, faster indexing, acquisitions enhancements, and a number of new OPAC features, such as RSS feeds.
Infovision
Williamsport, PA; 800-849-1655; www.infovisionsoftware.com
Infovision is a privately held Australian-based company, with a North American sales and support office. It had a distribution agreement for its Amlib automation system with Brodart Automation from 2000 through 2003 and has since marketed Amlib to U.S. libraries directly. Six of the company’s 27 total Amlib sales in 2005 were to U.S. libraries.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, Infovision released version 4.2 of Amlib with new features, including online self-registration, patron-initiated purchase requests, and changes in the OPAC design to allow easier customization. The company released Amlib.net, an all-web-based version of Amlib.
Inmagic, Inc.
Woburn, MA; 781-938-4444/800-229-8398; www.inmagic.com
A private company established in 1983, Inmagic specializes in automation and information management software for corporate and other special libraries. The company did not itemize sales by individual product but reports 2000 sales in 2005, 200 of which were to new clients. Its employees remain steady at 40.
PRODUCT NEWS Inmagic Genie, initially launched in 2004, stands as the company’s flagship ILS for corporate libraries. In addition to Genie sales to new clients, the company aims to migrate clients running BiblioTech Pro, acquired from Comstow Information Services in August 1999. In January 2006, Inmagic announced a milestone of 100 sales of Genie. Genie 2.0 was released in November 2005. Inmagic Presto, also available since 2004, is the company’s current offering for generalized content management. While Genie fits libraries that need an automation system with the traditional modules of circulation, cataloging, serials, and an OPAC, Presto is a more generalized information management environment that can be applied to many different types of content. Presto and Genie both rely on the Microsoft .NET framework and Microsoft SQL Server as their underlying database management system.
Innovative Interfaces, Inc.
Emeryville, CA; 510-655-6200; www.iii.com
Innovative Interfaces, a privately owned company in business since 1978, stands as the industry’s second largest. It reports revenues in the $70–$80 million range and had 295 employees in 2005. Although the majority of the company’s business comes from U.S. libraries, Innovative markets internationally, with installations in 42 countries. Libraries of all types use Millennium; 60% of 2005 sales went to academics, 23% to publics, and the remainder to special libraries and schools. Innovative continues to hold the lead among ARL members, increasing its tally to 37 this year with the migration of Virginia Tech from VTLS to Millennium.
PRODUCT NEWS The initial development of WebPAC Pro, an enhanced version of the web-based Millennium online catalog, hit the ground in 2005. This interface will include the internally developed RightResult Search Technology, which features grouped sets and relevancy ranking. WebPAC Pro will include optional components for integrating library service into the campuswide environment, with features such as Single Sign-on, ability to use external LDAP services for authentication, and a Courseware Integration for Blackboard. There will also be support for RSS feeds from the catalog. Innovative continues to hold the lead in the ERM arena: the 94 libraries added this year bring the installed base to 180.
This year Innovative entered the data services delivery business to help libraries manage their subscribed e-journal collections. Coverage Data Service gives libraries up-to-date information on what individual e-journal titles match their subscriptions, while the Content Access Service allows the library to keep its online catalog in sync through the delivery of MARC records.
In April 2005, Innovative released Symposia, a platform for institutional repositories now in general release. Northeastern University, MA, worked with Innovative as a development partner for this product, joined now by two additional libraries.
ISACSOFT Inc.
Montreal, Quebec; 514-282-7073, x434; www.isacsoft.com
ISACSOFT is a publicly owned Canadian company created in 2004 through the assembly of a number of business acquisitions, including BiblioMondo. It offers the Concerto and Portfolio library automation systems and the ZONES site of library portal products. Concerto is primarily installed in municipal libraries in Europe. Portfolio (previously known as Best-Seller) has been adopted by libraries in French-speaking Canada and Europe, with a small number of libraries in the United States. In January 2005, ISACSOFT purchased yet another company. It acquired a hosting facility from Groupe Conseil in a stock swap to acquire a state-of-the-art data center for its ASP hosted products. Most of ISACSOFT’s energies in 2005 appear related to integrating the companies acquired in the last two years. In its financial report of activities through September 2005, ISACSOFT had reduced staff from 240 to 95; 31 are from BiblioMondo .
PRODUCT NEWS In Octobert 2005, ISACSOFT delivered a new release of Concerto, now able to run on the Windows 2003 server, and a new version of its ZONES portal based on the Microsoft .NET framework.
Keystone Systems, Inc.
Raleigh, NC; 919-782-1143; www.klas.com
Keystone is a small, privately owned company employing 14 that specializes in automation systems for special libraries. KLAS, the company’s flagship product, was designed for a wide variety of libraries but finds its niche among libraries that serve patrons with visual disabilities. In 2005, there were four new sales of KLAS, bringing its installed base to 62; seven sites upgraded older versions of KLAS to the current version. All of the libraries purchasing KLAS in 2005 migrated from DRA systems.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the company released KLAS v7, which includes an interface to Crystal Reports and improvements to its web OPAC. The company devotes efforts to interface improvements that comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
The Library Corporation
Inwood, WV; 800-325-7759; www.tlcdelivers.com
The Library Corporation (TLC), established in 1974, is a privately owned company that offers library automation products primarily used by public libraries. Employing 210, TLC stands with the larger companies in the industry; it is the third largest among those focused on public libraries. TLC reports revenue in the $25–$30 million range. Most of TLC’s customers are U.S. libraries, though it has some major clients in Singapore. TLC offers two lines of automation products: Carl.Solution, preceded in 2004 by Carl.X, targets large municipal libraries. Library.Solution targets instititutions other than the largest municipal systems, though most of its clients are small to mid-sized libraries.
In April 2005, TLC acquired Tech Logic Corporation, which specializes in automated materials handing systems. Tech Logic will be operated as an independent, wholly owned subsidiary. Also in 2005, subsidiary TLC CARL East in Singapore launched a new Professional and Library Services Division to provide additional services to the client base in that region. This year TLC formed an agreement with Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries to offer Gold Rush, an application that includes both ERM and OpenURL linking capabilities. TLC will market Gold Rush to its own clients and to other libraries. In May 2005, TLC entered a partnership with Cognos, for advanced reporting capabilities in Library.Solution.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, TLC continued development of Carl.X, adding support for Unicode. Library.Solution 3.3.5 was released, including many enhancements related to authority control. As the exclusive distributor for AquaBrowser Library developed by Medialab Solutions, TLC saw a number of installations in 2005, including high-profile libraries such as Queens Borough PL in New York. Chicago PL awarded TLC a major $13.8 million multiyear contract for its new Carl.X automation system and a wide range of additional products, services, and hardware. Los Angeles PL also renewed its contract with TLC for Carl.Solution.
Mandarin Library Automation, Inc.
Boca Raton, FL; 800-426-7477; www.mlasolutions.com
Mandarin Library Automation (MLA), a privately owned company established in 1995, offers library automation products used primarily in K–12 school and in college libraries. A small company, it employs 20, down from the 38 reported last year. MLA did not report specific sales numbers or revenues.
PRODUCT NEWS MLA launched Mandarin Oasis, a new, all-web-based product in January 2005. Oasis provides a centrally administered system, with total functionality available through web browsers, relieving the need to install local software. The company now makes its previous product Mandarin M3 available as a free download. MLA will offer an annual service and update agreement for customers that want premium support.
New Generation Technologies Inc.
Seattle; 800-661-7112; www.librarysoft.com
New Generation Technologies, a small private company (12 employees), has been in business since 1992 and offers the LiBRARYSOFT ILS family. Libraries can select LiBRARYSOFT versions for Microsoft SQL Server or Borland Interbase. Most of the company’s clients are school libraries.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the company developed a new AutoCataloguing module that allows libraries to add items to their catalog by simply scanning the ISBN code. Once scanned, the system retrieves a MARC record from the libraries’ preferred source using Z39.50, including the company’s database of five million records.
OCLC-PICA BV
Dublin, OH; 800-848-5878; www.oclcpica.org
This is the first appearance of OCLC-PICA in LJ’s Automation Marketplace. It previously had no involvement in the U.S. automation arena. Its recent acquisitions include products and technologies that make OCLC, a member-owned nonprofit cooperative, a force to be watched in the library automation industry. In 1999–2000, OCLC gained a 60% stake in PICA, a major European library cooperative. The Pica Foundation owns the other 40%. OCLC-PICA operates Sisis Informationssysteme and Fretwell-Downing Informatics as wholly owned for-profit subsidiaries. OCLC integrated Openly Informatics into its nonprofit operations as part of its Global Product Architecture division.
PRODUCT NEWS PICA brought into the OCLC sphere two automation systems, one for creating union catalogs for consortia (CBS), the other a traditional ILS (LBS4). But the PICA acquisition alone brought little attention to OCLC from the library automation perspective. With this year’s purchase of Fretwell-Downing Informatics, Sisis Informationssysteme, and Openly Informatics, OCLC’s assets now include four library automation systems (CBS, LBS4, SISIS-Sunrise, and OLIB7), two link resolvers (OL2 and 1Cate), a federated search environment (ZPORTAL), a resource sharing product (VDX), and two portal products (CPORTAL, SISIS-Elektra). While none of the ILS products have a significant presence in the United States, several of the other products and technologies have seen considerable adoption, especially 1Cate, VDX, and ZPORTAL. It’s yet to be seen how OCLC will assemble these individual assets into its global environment and product strategy.
OpenText, Inc.
Dublin, OH; 800-328-2648/614-761-8083; www.opentext.com
OpenText is a large, publicly traded company that offers a wide range of products and services in the enterprise content management area. It includes a library automation product division that traces its history to Information Dimensions, a company it acquired in 1998. Within a company of 1100, this division employs 27. OpenText does not reveal the revenues of its individual divisions. In 2004, the Techlib product was rebranded with the name Livelink for Libraries, consistent with the brands used for other OpenText products. Livelink for Libraries relies on the BASIS database technology. In 2005, there were 18 sales of Livelink for Libraries, increasing the installed base to 204 clients. The company released Livelink for Libraries 10 in 2005, which was offered to clients without additional cost.
Polaris Library Systems
Syracuse, NY; 800-272-3414; www.polarislibrary.com
Polaris Library Systems, a privately owned company, specializes in providing library automation systems to U.S. public libraries. The company, with 68 employees, began the year as GIS Information Systems before taking the new name of Polaris Library Systems in May. It moved into a new company headquarters building at about the same time. Polaris still has the highest support staff ratio of the companies that support public and academic multiuser systems.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the company launched an ASP offering of the Polaris Library System, making the product accessible to libraries with smaller budgets and limited local technical support staff. The company reported seven library subscribers to this service by year’s end. It has astutely increased its offerings through partnerships, including a deal with Auto-Graphics to provide its customers access to large bibliographic databases for copy cataloging and authority control. The company also has an agreement with TDNet for its suite of tools for access to electronic resources, including Search Analyzer for federated search, TOUResolver for OpenURL linking, and Knowledge Base, a database product to help libraries manage electronic subscriptions. A media booking module is available for Polaris customers through a relationship with OnShore Development. In 2005, the company released Polaris 3.2, which includes RSS feeds in the OPAC, support for NCIP, a new outreach services module, enhancements to acquisitions, and support for the 13-digit ISBN. Also developed in 2005 was the recently released Polaris Inventory Manager, which can be used by non-Polaris customers, too, to inventory their collections; when used with Polaris, the system automatically updates the library’s database.
Sagebrush Corporation
Minneapolis; 800-533-5430; www.sagebrushcorp.com
Sagebrush Corporation is a large, privately owned company specializing in library automation products for K–12 schools. The company, or at least its antecedents, has been in business since 1982. It offers a variety of products for school libraries, including Winnebago Spectrum, Sagebrush Athena, and Accent. Accent is based on SirsiDyix’s Unicorn. It employs 195.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, we saw the release of Sagebrush InfoCentre, developed as the successor to Winnebago Spectrum and Sagebrush Athena. InfoCentre will include all the functionality of its earlier products and offer many new capabilities. The system includes the ability to generate customized reports easily, is compatible with a library’s existing barcodes, and can create virtual union catalogs with its ability to search simultaneously the catalogs of other libraries within the district. Though InfoCentre will stand as Sagebrush Corporation’s flagship system, the firm will continue to support Athena, Winnebago Spectrum, and Accent. Sagebrush also launched Viewpoint, a tool for mining and analyzing data on school and student performance.
SirsiDynix Corporation
Huntsville, AL; 256-704-7000; www.sirsidynix.com
SirsiDynix, formed in 2005 in the acquisition of Dynix by Sirsi Corporation, stands as the largest company in the industry. It is privately owned, with Seaport Capital as its chief financial backer. SirsiDynix has an installed base of 3,894 libraries. In 2005, the company focused much of its energies on integrating the two entities. At the end of 2005, SirsiDynix employed a total of 679, 110 fewer than the combined forces of the constituent companies as reported at the end of 2004, a net reduction of about 14%. Development staff shrunk by 18%, sales by 33%, support staff by only 6%.
Prior to the acquisition, Sirsi Corporation and Dynix were industry veterans: Sirsi was founded in 1979 and Dynix in 1983. Both firms marketed internationally, with products used in over 40 countries. The combined entity develops and supports both antecedents’ flagship automation systems: Unicorn and Horizon. A number of legacy systems came with the deal, including Dynix, with a residual installed base of 768, as well as DRA Classic and MultiLIS, which taken together still find use in 111 libraries. At the time of the acquisition, Dyinx was in final development of a revamped version of its new automation system, expected for release in 2006, which would be marketed as Corinthian 8.0 to academic libraries and Horizon 8.0 to all other institutions.
PRODUCT NEWS In June 2005, Sirsi announced the availability of its Normative Data Project, a subscription service that provides data and tools that combine library transaction data, GIS data, and U.S. Census data in order to analyze patron use patterns within and among libraries and branches. In January 2006, the company released the new module for Director’s Station, which allows libraries to perform geographic analysis using GIS and U.S. Census data. In partnership with EnvisionWare, SirsiDynix developed what it calls the OneStop self-service station, which allows patrons to perform checkout and pay fines and printing fees.
SirsiDynix entered into a partnership with INFOhio to develop SirsiDynix School Rooms, a portal for discovery of information from selected reference resources for K–12 schools.
Softlink
Los Angeles; 877-454-2725; www.softlinkint.com
Australia-based Softlink was established in 1983 and provides library automation systems for many types of libraries. It maintains a U.S. office and in 2005 derived about 15% of its income from U.S. libraries. The company employs 97 worldwide, making it a mid-sized firm. Its products find use in over 100 countries. Softlink offers several library automation systems: Softlink Alice, a Windows-based system, is available in versions for corporate and school libraries and is installed in 9400 libraries; Liberty3, a web-based automation system for special libraries, is installed in 245 libraries; Softlink Oliver, launched last year, is based on the Liberty3 platform but is targeted toward school districts. It now has 278 installations. The company offers an ASP option for Liberty3 and has leased access to four data centers throughout the United States to support hosting for these clients.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, Softlink released a version of Liberty3 based on Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server called Liberty3 SQL.
Surpass Software
Calhoun, GA; 706-625-5399; www.SurpassSoftware.com
Surpass Software, a small, private company founded in 1985, offers library automation software primarily for school libraries. The company offers three automation systems: Surpass SL for small libraries; Surpass Select, an automation system for larger schools based on software installed for each site; and Centriva, a system for centralized automation in districts with a single consolidated database. Centriva uses a combination of Windows and web interfaces and relies on its own system for storing records; it does not require an RDMS such as Oracle or SQL Server.
Surpass did not report any data regarding its 2005 sales or its revenues.
SydneyPLUS International
Richmond, BC; 604-278-6717; www.sydneyplus.com
SydneyPLUS, a private mid-sized company founded in 1977 and with 59 employees in 2005, specializes in library automation systems for special libraries, especially corporate and legal. Though based in Canada, the company does most of its business with U.S. libraries.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the firm developed SydneyPLUS Information Pathways, an optional module that allows nontechnical staff to create a portal environment to help users discover and view resources, manage authentication and access, and track use. The company created browser interfaces for some of the core functions in SydneyPLUS, especially cataloging and acquisitions, providing an optional alternative to the standard Windows interface. The company expanded its ASP program, available since 1999, giving it the new name Sydney.Web.
VTLS Inc.
Blacksburg, VA; 540-557-1200; www.vtls.com
VTLS, a private mid-sized company, was founded as a for-profit start-up of Virginia Tech University in 1985; it reported 95 employees in 2005. Slow ILS sales overall were offset by concluding a much-coveted agreement with Oxford University in the UK to install Virtua in its collections, spanning 5.4 million bibliographic records and 100 libraries. The deal includes a suite of products and services, among them a module for automating Oxford’s 9000-plus weekly requests for items from its closed-stack libraries. The National Library of Wales, with collections totaling over three million items, also tipped in VTLS’s favor; it will also install VERIFY and VITAL.
PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, VTLS released the second major version of VITAL, software and services based on Fedora to help an organization implement an institutional repository. Major clients choosing VITAL include the Australian Research Repositories Online to the World (ARROW). VTLS has found a fertile market, attracting a number of major libraries to its new business initiative of providing value-added services and support for open source applications.
Consistent with the open source culture, VTLS also released a number of components it developed into the open source domain, including tools for extracting metadata and exposing the content of a repository or archive to web crawlers, an SRW/SRU interface for Fedora, a utility for managing Handles for digital objects, and a configuration utility for Fedora.
