This article presents an interview with SirsiDynix CEO Gary M. Rautenstrauch and newly appointed VP of library relations Berit Nelson about some of the issues that have been roiling the ILS world and the company itself, among them the recent consolidation of SirsiDynix's offices, customer service, the state of library budgets, the rise of ebooks…

Bill Schickling has spent a good chunk of his professional life at what is now Polaris Library Systems, shaping both the older Galaxy system and the newer Polaris integrated library system (ILS). When he joined the company as a programmer in 1987, it was still part of Gaylord, known mostly for its furniture and supplies division. Schickling was…

It's called GoLibrary in the United States and Bokomaten in its native Sweden. Patrons know it as Library-a-Go-Go in Contra Costa County, California, but whatever its name, the automated lending service this materials handling machine provides has proved a tremendous aid in addressing underserved segments of this sprawling community. It's not hard…

This article describes the opportunities out of the 2007 turmoil precipitated by the dramatic shifts that redefined the industry in 2006. The turmoil made companies that avoided major business transitions more attractive and sparked explosive interest in open source alternatives. Some companies held a steady course and benefited from the fallout.…

Traditional library web products, whether online public access catalogs, library databases, or even library web sites, have long been rigidly controlled and difficult to use. Patrons regularly prefer Google's simple interface. Now social bookmarking and tagging tools help librarians bridge the gap between the library's need to offer authoritative,…

Activities in 2006 pointed to strategic shifts in library automation. The dynamics of the business environment changed rapidly from a fragmented industry to a highly consolidated one. Though the integrated library system (ILS) continues to represent the largest portion of revenue, products that deal with electronic content and deliver better…

Discussion of information and misinformation about integrated online library systems highlights capabilities and functions that should be offered by an integrated system, practicalities of purchasing a system, visions versus reality, library versus information automation, origins of integrated online systems in the 1960s and 1970s, and future…

Five information company executives present an overview of the impact of technological innovation upon the library and its services and offer their predictions for libraries in 1985. (RAA)

Discussion of factors contributing to successful procurement of automated library system focuses on preparation of Request for Proposal (RFP) and elements included in the RFP--administrative requirements, functional requirements, performance requirements, reliability requirements, testing procedures, standardized response language, location table,…

Addresses problems encountered by a library when considering, selecting, and contracting for an automated library system. Topics covered include information needed by the vendor (size of database, volume of transactions, and acceptable response times), reasons why libraries and vendors have failed, and possible solutions. Six sources are given.…

Community information (CI) isn't a new concept for libraries. In some communities it's as old as library service itself. When librarians began collecting, maintaining, and delivering CI to patrons, they worked with a variety of nonprofits and other governmental agencies to develop card- or notebook-based systems to connect people with information.…

Three articles address the relationship between a library and the vendor of its automated system from several points of view: library-initiated vendor abandonment, vendor-initiated abandonment, nonperforming vendor and nonfunctioning system, and changing systems. Acceptance testing and financial, personnel, and legal aspects of vendor abandonment…

Discusses planning for the implementation of a high technology system which includes plans for how it will be phased out and an orderly transition made to its successor. System life expectations, user pressures, software modifications, commercial vendors, integrated systems, eroding economies, and replacement planning are highlighted. (EJS)

Economic pressures on the information industry and on libraries are significantly affecting the nature of services and the organization of work within libraries. These effects are illustrated by three phenomena: emphasis on productivity in libraries, marketing of online database searches through libraries, and the repackaging of library services…

Outlines expected changes in information-handling technology and related activities. (PF)