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Stanford and COSTAATT libraries choose
Voyager + ScienceDirect is live |
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Contents
Stanford University, COSTAATT, ScienceDirect
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Stanford University - Lane and Jackson choose Voyager
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DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS, Nov. 20, 2000: Endeavor Information Systems
announced today the Lane Medical Library and the Jackson Business Library, two coordinate libraries at Stanford University, have selected the Voyager integrated library management system.
"We looked at several different systems, but we think that Endeavor can best meet our library
system requirements while also helping to support other strategic initiatives within our respective professional schools," explained Shirley Hallblade, Director of the Jackson Business Library.
"We like Endeavor's focus on the needs of academic and research libraries, and are challenged by the opportunities we see for shared development of new solutions to library issues. As a joint
Lane-Jackson purchase, Voyager's functionality could best accommodate bringing our two separate libraries together like this--mostly right out of the box."
"Many of the requirements in our RFP were beyond a typical integrated library system. Endeavor
saw solutions to our problems with existing software, reducing the amount of customization needed with the implementation," explained Dick Miller, Head of Technical Services and
Systems Librarian at the Lane Medical Library.
"We work in a complex environment and need to restrict digital access by various user groups,"
Miller explained, citing that Lane Medical Library has over 800 electronic journals linked into the catalog. "We wanted to standardize on a Unix platform and the Oracle database manager.
Having this industry-standard infrastructure and an open system architecture is very important for efficient management and provides sufficient flexibility to support related local initiatives," Miller
commented. "Endeavor's APIs and SQL make us comfortable that we can access our data much more efficiently than at present."
The Lane Medical Library is a trailblazer in integrating a considerable amount of content into
bibliographic and authority files, having over 50,000 chapter/article records, extensive form/genre headings, and over 4,000 URLs in authority data. Lane's authority records include faculty
research interests, as well as historical and biographical data. Miller also listed integration with university accounting systems and established EDI capabilities with desired vendors as
advantages of the Voyager system.
"We were looking for a system that introduced new efficiencies and avoided duplication of work
steps," Hallblade said. "Technical Services staff pointed to Voyager features such as receiving and paying multi-line invoices in the same operation, existing EDI interfaces with our established
vendors, and efficiency in the cataloging screen design as examples of how Voyager could contribute to improved workflows and savings in staff time."
Users at the libraries will also benefit from Voyager's intuitive searching. "With Voyager, users
can search multiple databases and retrieve integrated results, instead of looking in two or three different places," Miller said. "All of our local databases will be integrated in a single retrieval,
with one results list showing the origin of all hits."
"The simultaneous searching of multiple databases is a very powerful feature of the Voyager
platform," Hallblade said. "Additional capabilities such as deduping and the ability to save searches enhance the interface, and contribute to a very robust search mechanism."
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COSTAATT Endeavor Signs New Library Consortia in the West Indies
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DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS, USA Oct. 27, 2000: Endeavor Information Systems announced today
COSTAATT, the Colleges of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago, has chosen the Voyager integrated library management system for the libraries of the six campus
system. Voyager allows the COSTAATT libraries to share a common database for resource sharing, coordinated collection development and effective use of existing resources. The
COSTAATT libraries hold approximately 28,150 volumes with individual library collections ranging from 150 titles to 7,000 titles.
COSTAATT unites the country's NIHERST (National Institute of Higher Education, Research,
Science and Technology) Colleges and six higher education institutions: San Fernando Technical Institute, John S. Donaldson Technical Institute, Metal Industries Company, Pt. Fortin
Government Vocational Center, Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry and Joint Services Staff College.
"COSTAATT brings together the scarce resources—both human and financial—that were spread
across several units," explained Judy Whilby, Librarian in charge of NIHERST Library Services and Project Leader for the COSTAATT implementation. "For example, all of the science
institutions were teaching in the same areas, but with different methods in the capital city compared to the rural areas, so students were not exposed to the same resources. This
intercollegiate library system is a much more level playing field for users. Students in the south of the island will have the same resources as students in Port of Spain."
"All of the librarians fell in love with the Voyager system," Whilby explained. "They all said it
seemed to be a system that would work well in each of their small libraries." The Voyager implementation brings centralized technical services to COSTAATT libraries, with professionals
able to focus on individual angles of the library such as distance education services, information literacy or acquisitions.
The Endeavor system will also benefit COSTAATT library users. "Voyager had many advantages
over other systems we reviewed. We have many users who are technologically sophisticated and users who know little or nothing about technology. When a student comes to the OPAC, the
system must gently lead them around, and not be too intimidating for complete novices," Whilby explained. "Voyager also allows the sophisticated users to find the specific information they need."
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ScienceDirect Web editions now available
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DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS, USA Nov. 3, 2000: Endeavor Information Systems announced today
free full access to ScienceDirect Web editions for Voyager customers, available starting Monday, Nov. 6. Announced in July at the ALA Annual Conference , Endeavor's free offering of access to
the full text articles of 1200 Elsevier electronic journals in the sciences, technology and medicine enables customers to offer integrated access through their Voyager systems. Endeavor's
offering of Web editions is the first joint project with Elsevier Science since its April merger with the publisher.
Linking to ScienceDirect Web editions is one more step in Endeavor's "content over Voyager," a
strategic initiative to provide access to all types of data, including electronic journal content, through the local library system. Furthering Endeavor's pledge to provide access to information
regardless of location or format, this project marks the first time Elsevier Science content will be available through a library OPAC interface.
Journal and article level access to ScienceDirect Web editions gives Voyager customers access
to abstracts and citations for all articles in Elsevier journals at no cost. Voyager libraries can "click through" to electronic full text of articles for one rolling year of the library's subscribed
Elsevier journals.
Libraries with the license for Endeavor's Citation Server module also have an automatic check of
the local library holdings for the journal. Even if the library does not have Citation Server, it will have access to the citations and abstracts as a no cost reference database, as well as direct
access to the full text electronic content for their journals . The Endeavor-housed citation database is updated weekly to include the most recent articles available from ScienceDirect.
"Libraries are addressing the idea of full content and asking how they can coordinate the delivery
of this information," explained Verne Coppi, Endeavor's Vice President of Development. "End users want organized, easy, consistent access to reference information --- the Web based
Voyager system delivers the information to the end user in a familiar format. For academic and research libraries, this is smart packaging of Elsevier's essential content with the familiar
Endeavor technology and expertise to provide access on an ongoing basis."
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