Bonnie Gormley
Steve Asbury
04/15/10
Systems Purchasing Assignment
The library of the NotReal Imaginary Museum is a large art library. It boasts an extensive collection covering many periods and styles of art, but is especially primarily on information about n the museum’s permanent collection. The library’s collection contains books, images, and documents, and examples of original artwork. The Imaginary Library’s mission is to educate the public about the museum’s collections and the importance of art in the community. The library serves the general public, artists, art students, museum patrons and art historians, providing an excellent collection of art history materials and original artwork. Unlike many museum libraries the NotReal Imaginary Museum library’s collection circulates and participates in interlibrary loan. The library’s automated software is outdated needs to be upgraded to new software that will give the library an online presence and allow it to perform all necessary library functions electronically.
Modules Cybertools EOS Web InMagic
I. OPAC
1. Intuitive Searching ("Did you mean?") No No No
2. Multiple search options & Boolean Yes Yes Yes
II. Cataloging
1. Able to catalog visual resources Yes Yes Yes
2. Directly import MARC records Yes Yes Yes
III. Acquisitions
1. Perform bookkeeping tasks ? Yes Yes
2. Update all modules at once. ? Yes No
IV. Circulation
1. Automatically track overdue books. Yes Yes Yes
2. Online Interlibrary loan module. Yes Yes Yes
This is a chart of the three automated library software products and how they compared to the specifications the library chose for the OPAC, cataloging, acquisitions, and circulation software modules. Listed below are the specifications that were chosen and the reasons why the library made those particular specifications a priority.
OPAC
1. Federated Searching/ multiple search options
2. Intuitive searching
The Museum library wanted the OPAC to have Federated Searching/ multiple search options so that the users could use it for complex searches. We also wanted the OPAC to have Intuitive searching module that corrected spelling errors and made search suggestion. Such a feature would make using the OPAC much simpler for the user, especially if they are not quite sure how something is spelled.
Cataloging
1. Supports Images
2. Able to Import Mark Records
This software will be for a museum library which has many works of art as well as books in its catalog, and so it was imperative that the catalog be able to display images. The library also wanted the cataloging module to have the capacity to Import Mark Records, which would make the cataloger’s job much easier.
Circulation
1. Track due date
2. Interlibrary Loan module
For circulation the specifications were that the software had to have the basic function of tracking books that had been checked out and we also wanted the circulation module to be able to handle interlibrary loans.
Acquisitions
1. Able to Keep Record of Purchases
2. Updates all modules with a single operation
The acquisitions module needs to be able to keep track of the library’s purchases and updates all modules with a single operation; this would streamline the acquisition and cataloging process.
Three companies that specialize in creating automated software for special libraries were reviewed. These companies were Cybertools, Inc., EOS International, and InMagic. The products of these three companies will be assessed and compared against the libraries specifications. The following paragraphs are descriptions of each system and its developer.
CyberTools, INC.
Cybertools, Inc. is a Massachusetts based company which sells the library automation software called Cybertools for Libraries. Cybertools has been in the market of library software since 1998 and they have 331 systems installed and in 2009 they gained 32 new customers. Customers that have purchased Cybertools included Baptist Health South Florida, Rutland Regional Health Center, Mars Hill Graduate School and Health Science Libraries.
Cybertools is popular with medical libraries but is suitable for most medium to large special libraries. The company’s address is Cybertools 249 Ayer Road Harvard, MA 01451. The phone number is 978-777-9200 and its URL is http://www.cybertoolsforlibraries.com.
The system requirements for Cybertools are that the minimum Microsoft workstation needed is Windows 2k, XP, Vista or better, and the minimum requirements for a Mac workstation is a workstation that runs Mac OS 10. The browsers that run with Cybertools are Firefox 2, Internet Explorer 5 or better for Microsoft workstations and for Macintosh Firefox 2, Safari 3, Internet Explorer 4 or Netscape 4.5 or better. There were no exact limitations listed for the number of titles or record size but the website did claim that Cybertools is capable of managing millions of library titles with thousands of simultaneous users. The minimum requirement for in-house server configurations is Linux or Microsoft. The programming language is Cache, a relational database that supports SQL and ODBC.
Cybertools offers modules for: cataloging, including importing MARC records from any source, using any classification system, and a MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) interface; Circulation, including inter library loan functions, hold, trace, etc., inventory management using bar codes; OPAC which features searching according to several fields, allows cataloging of images; Z39.50 compatibility to facilitate sharing of data between libraries. Cybertools added an ERM modal to its repertoire in 2008. Cybertools ongoing support options are off-site hosting of library systems through Software-as-a-Service servers. It was not possible to locate information about the price of Cybertools products; neither the website nor the support staff offered any information on this topic, not even the articles reviewing the company did not mentioned the price.
EOS.Web
EOS International is a large company that has been in business for over 29 years, with 1,073 systems installed. In 2009 they gained 186 new customers. Some of EOS customers include Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Virginia Department of Transportation and St. Jude Medical, Inc. EOS International products are EOS.web express, EOS.web enterprise and EOS.web media. The EOS Web Express and Enterprise ILS software programs appear to be by far the most fully functional and versatile systems available for special libraries.
The cataloging module is fully compatible with the MARC 21 bibliographic format. The MARC Editor allows a cataloger to import bibliographic records directly into the catalog, thus saving time and effort for performing these functions. EOS literature promotes its products to museums who wish to “provide access to an inventory file of paintings including the artist’s name, title of work, size, type of medium used, acquisition date, ID number, catalog number, catalog name and date, provenance of the work, catalog description of the painting, etc.” The database allows cross-library searching with Z39.50 and natural language searching. The acquisitions module is simplified because one transaction can be updated across all modules. There is a module specifically designed for serials management which can support online journals and digitized journal articles. The Web OPAC module features federated searching and Open URL and allows users to create their own search and title lists, retrieve linked electronic resources from a record, and place a hold for a particular title. The software can be hosted either on a library’s own servers or be hosted on EOS servers for perhaps a lower cost.
The workstation requirements for running EOS software is Microsoft Internet explorer 6, 7, or 8, Browser must support Cookies and Java Script, EOS.web. The OPAC can run on workstations that use Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Google Chrome. The system requirements for single servers that are web and database application servers are 2-way Intel® Xeon® Processors 2.8 GHz or better,148 GB RAID Drives ,2 GB Memory ,Microsoft® Windows Server® 2003 SP2 (32-bit) or Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 SP2 (32-bit) or Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Reporting Services (32-bit), Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 SP1 English Version (32-bit), Microsoft® Internet Information Server 6, Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5 , Microsoft® Message Queuing (MSMQ), Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6, 7, or 8, and remote access. The system requirements for a dual database or application server are 4-way Intel® Xeon® Processors 2.8 GHz or better, 148 GB RAID Drives, 4 GB memory, Microsoft Window server 2003 SP2 (32 bit) or Microsoft Windows server 2008 SP2 ( 32 bit), Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 SP1 English Version (32-bit), Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Reporting Services (32-bit) , Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5, Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ), and remote access. The system requirements for web servers 1-way Intel Xeon Processors 2.8 GHz or better, 80 GB RAID Drives, 2 GB Memory, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2 ( 32 bit or Microsoft Windows Servers 2008 SP2(32-bit), Microsoft Internet Information Server 6, Microsoft. NET Framework 3.5, Microsoft Internet explorer 6, 7, or 8, and Remote Access.
The general price tag for the system is $32,000 for an in-house installation or between $1,000 and $4,000 per user if the system is hosted by EOS. There is 24-hour technical support for all EOS Web products. EOS International is a company which has been active for about 29 years and has installed over 1,000 automated library systems. EOS international excels in providing automated software for special libraries; it is particularly popular with corporate and legal libraries but offers solutions for other libraries as well. EOS International’s address is EOS International Headquarters 2292 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008-7208. Its phone numbers are 1-800-876-5484 and 1-760-431-8400. Its URL is http://www.eosintl.com.
InMagic
InMagic is a company devoted to creating automated software for what it describes as “social Libraries”. InMagic has been in the industry of library software for over 25 years. InMagic claims that over 5,000 organizations in 100 countries use InMagic and InMagic has 179 systems installed and over 6,000 customers. In 2009 they did not gain any new customers. Some of InMagic’s customers include NASA, Ophea, Owens Corning, and RV Anderson, California Child Welfare Resource Library. The company’s address is InMagic Corporate Headquarters 200 Unicorn Park Drive Woburn, MA 01801. Its phone number is 781-938-444 and its URL http://www.inmagic.com.
InMagic specializes in software for special libraries in the fields of aerospace and defense, consumer goods, energy, oil and gas, engineering, financial services, health care, pharmaceutical, biotech and the government. These fields tend to deal with large amounts of information and so InMagic products are best suited for large organizations and businesses. The products that InMagic offers are Pesto for social libraries, DB/Text Library Suite.
The product that was selected as the best fit for the Imaginary museum library was DB/Text Library Suite. The system requirements to run DB/ Text Library Suite are Windows 2000, windows XP or better. The Programming language is XML. InMagic products offer modules for library functions such as cataloging, circulation, serials management, acquisitions, Web OPAC, Interlibrary loans, and MARC compatibility. INMAGIC Plus for Libraries.(Microcomputer-Based Automated systems Evaluations rated InMagic as having a good to excellent rating for the features of Data storage, performance ease of use documentation , customer support. InMagic's overall rating was a 6.6 which was considered good but not excellent. The article also contained a list of modules offered and their prices, which ranged from 1,400 to 175 dollars, but the article was rather old and the information may no longer be accurate. Neither InMagic’s website nor the companies support staff provided any information on InMagics current prices. InMagic expanded during 2008 and it released a reworked version of its library automation products called DB/Text library suite. Recently the company has changed focus from special libraries to solutions for large companies.
InMagic offers technical support to all customers with a current maintenance agreement. There is a customer service email address where customers can ask any non technical questions that email address is customersvc@inmagic.com and technical support can be reached by the email address support@inmagic.com or the phone number 1-800-229-8398.
Cybertools, EOS.web, and InMagic Suite were pretty much the same when it came to meeting specifications for the OPAC, cataloging and circulation. Unfortunately none of the special library software offered intuitive searching but they were all able to provide multiple search options. All the products were able to meet the cataloging and circulations specifications. It was in acquisitions that differences began to appear. Cybertools has discontinued its acquisitions module and is no longer offering it to new customers. Eos.web was able to keep record of purchases and update all modules with a single operation and InMagic library suite could keep record of purchases but not update all modules with a single operation. It was disappointing that none of the products offered intuitive searching. Out of these three products the one that met the largest number of specifications was EOS.web. Since Cybertools is not currently offering an acquisitions module, it not suitable for the Imaginary Museum Library and InMagic seems more suited to large corporations and medical libraries, not museums. EOS.Web had the added bonus of not only being able to catalog images but they were able to do it in a way especially intended for museum libraries.
All three software packages we examined are fully functional integrated library systems which feature basic library-specific modules, with the exception of Cybertools for Libraries, which currently only offers an acquisitions module for current customers only. All the systems are designed for large-scale server applications which require a substantial amount of memory space and processor capacity; they are structured around programming standards such as XML and SQL. However, the three companies differ widely in their attitudes towards customers and potential clients; EOS International responded quickly and thoroughly to our inquiries about their products, while InMagic only offered an unsatisfactory, incomplete response to questions.
Product recommendation
If the NotReal Imaginary Museum library really existed and was in need of a new automated software system then EOS.web Express would be the most suited for its needs. EOS.web is the best possible choice for a number of reasons. The foremost reason was that EOS.web Express met more of our specifications than any other company. The most important specification we had for the Imaginary Museum library was the ability to display and catalog images. This feature is important because the museum library had artwork as well as books in its collection. All three products had the capacity to catalog images but ESO. Web Express was the best because also has a cataloging solution specifically intended for museum libraries. The EOS International claims that EOS.web Express can “create an inventory file of paintings that includes the artists name, the title of the piece, and size of the piece, medium, date of acquisition, provenance of the work and a catalog description of the piece.” This is ideal for the Imaginary museum library. Another reason EOS.web Express is ideal for the Museum library is that the company that sells it, EOS International is one of the largest of the special libraries software companies. It has been in existence the longest and it has the most systems installed. It is a popular and stable company and so it is a good choice for the museum library. It is important that the company that makes the product the NotReal Imaginary Library stay in business. If the company collapsed that would cause problems for the NotReal Imaginary Library.
EOS.web coasts 32,000 dollars plus extra for maintenance and support. This seems like a reasonable price and it was the only company that was willing to share its price with us. Finally EOS.web Express is the best choice because of its support and services. EOS International offers many support services, such as 24 hour 7 days a week year round phone and email support service and monthly updates and software enhancements. Many of these services are free and they are a real benefit for the customer. Also when we emailed EOS International with questions about their product they responded quickly, helpfully and politely, providing us with much needed information, even though we were only students with a project and not a paying customer. The other companies either did not respond at all or sent form responses that did not give much useful information. Eos.web Express would be the best choice for the Imaginary museum library.
Bibliography
1. EOS International
http://www.eosintl.com
2. InMagic
http://www.inmagic.com
3. Cybertools, for Libraries.
http://www.cybertoolsforlibraries.com
4. “InMagic Plus for Libraries (Microcomputer- Based Automated Library Systems: New Series, part 2,”Library Technology Reports 29.3(1993)327.
5. “Computers in Libraries: Products and Services by Vender,” Information Today(2006)
6. “Company Profiles,” Library Journal (2009)33-39.
7. support@inmagic.com, email message to authors, April 15, 2010.
8. David Cheatham, email message to authors, April 15, 2010.
9. Breeding, Marshall. “Automation Marketplace 210: New Models, Core Systems,” Library journal (2010).
There were also several art museum websites that we glanced at looking for information, here is a list of the some of the ones we used the most.
1. Worcester Art Museum
http://www.worcester.org
2. Saint Louis Art Museum Library
http://www.slan.org
3. Clarence B. Hanson, Jr. Library: Birmingham Museum of Art
http://wwww.artsbma.org
4. Smithsonian Institution
http://www.si.edu
