Library Hi Tech: Volume 5 Issue 3

The Roles of the Future Library

Lawrence E. Murr, James B. Williams

“Library,” as a place, will give way to “library” as a transparent knowledge network providing “intelligent” services to business and education through both specialized librarians…

Vendor Viability

Michael Monahan

The library automation marketplace is unstable and immature. Numerous vendors are attempting to enter the market by taking market share from the more established vendors. Profit…

Biblio‐Techniques, Inc.: The Promise That Was BLIS

Raymond DeBuse

Biblio‐Techniques, which was incorporated in 1980, developed a product based on IBM hardware, a commercial database management system, and the Washington (Western) Library Network…

Computer Systems Acquisitions and the Use of Performance Bonds©

Alan S. Wernick

A performance bond typically guarantees that a contractor, such as a computer vendor or software developer, will perform the contract. It usually provides that if the contractor…

Acquiring a CD‐ROM Public Access Catalog System: Part 1: The Bottom Line May Not Be The Top Priority

Linda W. Helgerson

In little more than one year, seven vendors have introduced CD‐ROM‐based public access catalog systems. They vary widely in price, features, and performance. Three scenarios are…

Multisensory Public Access Catalogs on CD‐ROM

Nancy Harrison, Brower Murphy

The capabilities of CD‐ROM‐based public access catalogs are evolving very rapidly. It is now possible to add sound and graphics to create a multi‐sensory interface between the…

ACCESS PENNSYLVANIA: A CD‐ROM Database Project

Doris M. Epler, Richard E. Cassel

A statewide program that benefits all libraries, ACCESS PENNSYLVANIA is structured around school libraries. The major objectives were, and continue to be, 1) the production of a…

Vendor Viability

Jon Drabenstott

The library automation marketplace is characterized by five significant realities. The first is the changing status of vendors in the marketplace. The development of capabilities…

Risky Business: Financial Viability of Systems Vendors

Chris Sugnet

Companies that supply libraries with automation technology are part of the computer‐industry marketplace. However, vendors that serve the library component of this marketplace…