 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Search BTR site
|
|
|
Receive update alerts
|
|
|
|
|
Main Sections |
|
|
|
|
|
LibTech 2000 and Internet Librarian |
|
|
|
This year's Libtech was the second organised by Information Today. Having taken over at very short notice last year, they had time to
produce a well organised show.
However, the venue in a quiet hall 2 at Olympia, London, England was away from the bustle of the book fair in the main hall and seemed to lack sparkle as a result. London needs a library technology show - Libtech will grow and will build on this success. Peter Evans looks at some of the show highlights.
|
|
|
|
Contents
ATP Origo, CD-ROM networking, Elias update, Esprit Information Solutions, ExLibris - SFX and Unicode, Endeavor - merge with Elsevier.
|
|
|
|
Around the booths, there were lots of interesting new features and trends - amongst which the
gee-whiz prize goes to a new entrant in the UK Public Library market - ATP Origo.  Hailing from
Finland, it was perhaps not totally surprising that they showed me what must be the first WAP protocol enabled circulation. Yes, in Finland, your overdues
come via mobile phone -via SMS (simple messaging system) and you can renew books this way also. OPAC browsing via mobile phone is on the way. The system has been redeveloped from a successful previous generation
product and has a 3 tier architecture using SQL server 7 and DCOM and is Unicode compliant.
The company is looking for distributors in the UK and Europe and should you be interested then contact:
Janne Rouhianen (Managing Director)
ATP Library Systems Ltd
Vernissakatu 2B, FIN-01300 VANTAA
janne.rouhianen @atp.fi
|
|
|
|
There were three CD-ROM networking companies displaying their wares - two old sparring
partners - Fenwood Systems and Info Technology Supply - and Avantis - who were launching their Latest CD server - OpenCD.
Fenwood with UltraNet and Info Technology Supply with IRIS have both built impressive layers of management software to assist the busy librarian in a large academic campus. Copyright
management issues and optimisation of licensing restrictions. The variety of CD software and the idiosyncratic access required have spawned many innovative techniques to ensure smooth
running and both systems use Citrix software where appropriate to enable remote access to applications which would normally require software to be downloaded and installed to the client - e.g. Encarta.
Avantis specialise more in school libraries and the corporate environment. Their latest product is OpenCD (see photo) which can be configured with up
to 432 GB of disc storing up to 1000 CDs. Coupled with 8Mbytes per second transfer speed, this is an impressive product. OpenCD is a Networked Attached Storage (NAS) device so it can be dropped directly
onto a network and serve up to 10,000 concurrent users.
So, the trends amongst CD networking products appear to be building a selection and licence management system on top of a secure technical
base. DVD and other multimedia product demands will require faster and bigger disks and networks and, as Avantis shows, impressive systems are becoming available at very reasonable cost.
Fenwood Systems were also showing Libero which has had some success in the UK but failed to match the European performance where public library systems like Aachen have shown its capabilities as more than just a small library system. |
|
|
ELiAS was exhibiting Amicus. This is the system developed as a successor to the successful
IBM based DOBIS/LIBIS system which was developed in Europe, partly at Leuven University in Belgium, during the 1970s. Designed and developed originally for the largest national libraries
(e.g. Canada and Australia), Amicus has been productised for a wider market. ELiAS has marketing rights in Europe, the Arabic speaking world and Australia.
Mid year (Q3), will see major new versions of the existing modules including a totally
new acquisitions module. In the target markets, and particlarly if there is a DOBIS/LIBIS conversion to be handled, Amicus should compete well with the market leaders. [corrected from previous text]
The IBM roots and continuing relationships have given Amicus a strength in image collection management via links with the Digital Library product developed at IBM. IBM's Digital Library is
an object storage and retrieval system with some powerful text retrieval and "Query by Image Content" (QBIC) features. Coupled with Amicus's MARC based cataloguing and Z39.50
compliance this system - termed LibriVision - has the potential to be a leader in the market for image collection management where currently Sirsi and Endeavor are in front.
Amicus, which is marketed by CGI I nthe USA and Canada, has a modern "layered" system
architecture based on Oracle™ RDBMS and the Fulcrum Ful/Text™ text retrieval engine. The server environment is RS/6000™.
|
|
|
|
I am always pleased to see new entrants to the library automation marketplace and it was
interesting to see a new approach being put together by ex BLCMP/TALIS managers in the shape of Esprit Information Solutions. Their concept is of a portfolio of
information management related products aimed at the education, local government and corporate markets. Their aim is for quality of support and the development of product interworking. We wish them well.
Jim Burton, Richard Wellings, Graham Wakerley and Chris Andrew are the directors and the first products in their stable are NoteBooks a Lotus Notes based library management system -
reviewed previously in BTR, Aurora - another library management package with an impressive looking capability, and Research Toolbox - a useful research management tool for any
organisation involved in the research or management. Expect some reviews of Aurora and Research Toolbox in future issues of BTR.
|
|
|
|
Ex-Libris were showing their Unicode OPAC with Chinese sorting and also announced that they
have acquired the rights to the SFX reference linking system developed at the University of Ghent. This system is an attempt to provide a framework for linking disparate resources
together in a consistent way without having to make explicit links in the way that html requires. As the digital resources within the library become more important, so their seamless integration via
the OPAC becomes a more pressing challenge. Further details on SFX in this week's technical
section.
And, as if further evidence of the importance of electronic source providers and integrated library
system vendors were required, Endeavor and Elsevier have announced an "alliance" - see business section and editorial for more on this.
Marc Daubach also tells me that Jenny Walker, who has been with Silver Platter most recently,
will be setting up the Boston USA branch of Ex-Libris soon. Further news on recent sales for Aleph 500 is in the Business section.
|
|
|
|
Endeavor and Elsevier merger
|
And, as if further evidence of the importance of electronic source providers and integrated library
system vendors were required, Endeavor and Elsevier have announced an "alliance" - see business section for more on this.
|
|
