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Reshuffling the Deck(Library Journal Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Following a phase of market fragmentation and gradual product evolution, major business transitions and industry dynamics greatly transformed the library automation marketplace. The changes in company structures broadly fostered more streamlined development of traditional ILS products, as companies focused on products and technologies geared toward helping libraries cope with electronic resources. The market saw some growth. Total industry revenues in 2005 were about $535 million, up about 6% from our revised 2004 estimate of $505 million. This figure represents total revenues from all the companies that sell library automation products in North America. Total ILS sales were down at least 13% among the high-end systems. Non-ILS sales represent increasing proportions of income among library automation companies. Companies specializing in library technology products that do not offer an ILS, such as WebFeat and Serials Solutions, have become a larger factor. Competition for ILS sales remained strong, though overall sales volume dipped. SirsiDynix, formed in this years consolidation, stands as the largest company in the industry by far and ranked at the top in both total sales and in gains of new name clients, with 238 contracts for its dual flagship products Unicorn and Horizon, including 112 sales to new clients. In addition, the company expanded many existing implementations. SirsiDynix characterized its sales performance this year as providing new automation products to 683 unique political entities. Innovative Interfaces demonstrated strong performance against this new formidable competition. The companys 73 new name sales topped both Unicorn and Horizon individually. Innovative won a major municipal system, the newly amalgamated library system in Montral; Virginia Tech, the only Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member library out to bid this year, selected Millennium to replace the VTLS system that launched its namesake company. Innovative continued to leverage its head start in the electronic resources management arena, with 94 new licenses this year alone and 180 installed to date. Innovative not only attracted legacy migrations but took away flagship systems from its competitors, including Unicorn, Horizon, The Library Corporations Carl.Solution, Endeavors Voyager, and VTLSs Virtua. Ex Libris continued to dominate in products that support management and delivery of electronic resources. The company held a long lead among the ILS vendors OpenURL linking and metasearch products. The 178 libraries that licensed the SFX Link Server in 2005 increased its installed base to 905; 59 libraries selected MetaLib as their metasearch platform. At a time when managing electronic content ranks high on the agenda of most academic libraries, Ex Libris enjoys technical prowess and strong sales in a product arena with undoubted growth potential. In the school market, Follett and Sagebrush dueled for top rank. In terms of the number of libraries automated, the two companys 2005 sales matched almost exactly. Sagebrush sold its new InfoCentre product to 3,541 libraries; Follett sold 273 licenses for Destiny Library Manager for Districts, serving 3180 schools. Sales of the companys other automation systems balanced the scales. An important component of the sales performance of each company is its ability to migrate the libraries running its legacy system to its current flagship. Innovative continued to be strong in customer loyalty through migration, retaining 37 out of 38 Innopac sites that selected a new system in 2005. Over in Europe, Geac also had a near perfect record in converting Vubis Original to Vubis Smart, as did Ex Libris in converting ALEPH 300 sites to ALEPH 500 in Israel. We counted 124 Dynix sites that chose a new system in 2005 and 73% went to Horizon; of the 53 DRA Classic in play, 52% went to Unicorn. SirsiDynix did well with MultiLIS sitesall but one went to either Unicorn or Horizon. Migrations winding downThe current round of legacy migrations will play itself out within a few short years. At the end of 2004, 2,983 libraries operated a legacy ILS. This number dwindled to 1,566. NOTIS, INLEX, and Taos are all nearly extinct. DRA, MultiLIS, and VTLS Classic are endangered, with fewer than 50 libraries each. We expect most of these libraries have arrangements in place to migrate within two years. Galaxy, Geac Advance, and PLUS have only slightly higher residual installations. Though the number of libraries using Dynix fell by 60% this year, 768 remain. As we noted last year, Dynix migrations continued to fuel much of the ILS migration economy, but the gas tank will be empty soon. By about 2009, the vast majority of the public and academic libraries in North America currently running legacy systems will have installed one of todays flagship automation systems, and the ILS market will enter a new phase. Looking past legacy migration The next phase of the automation marketplace offers limited opportunities for big-ticket ILS sales, especially in North America. Some of the patterns to expect in this postlegacy migration market include increased activity involving smaller and mid-sized libraries joining a consortium rather than implementing their own independent ILS; greater competition for smaller libraries, including those that have never automated and those with PC-based systems; and increased automation through vendor-hosted ASP (application service provider) offerings. Expect each major ILS vendor to market more aggressively internationally. From the library perspective, pressure to enhance resource sharing will drive automation decisions. This motivation will speed the movement of individual libraries into consortia and the mergers of consortia and spark investment in technologies that connect ILS systems to facilitate broad-based patron borrowing at costs below current interlibrary loan models. In the current market, it is rare for a library to make a lateral move from the flagship ILS of one company to one of its competitors. Librarians tend to show loyalty to their vendors. In a consolidated market, however, a librarys vendor may not be the one it originally selected. It may be the company that bought the original vendor, twice removed. Its an open question whether traditional vendor loyalty will hold up through the rounds of consolidation. As legacy migration opportunities dwindle, we can expect competition to heat up to woo libraries running the flagship of their opponents. Many of the current flagship systems are already beginning to show their age. Vendors that fail to modernize their core ILS systems increasingly will be vulnerable to defections to competing systems. This year saw 18 flagship defections, 16 of which were displacements of other vendors current systems by Millennium. The 49 libraries that comprise the CLAN consortium, for example, will move from their two-year-old Horizon system to Millennium; the Mountain College Library Network consortium will migrate to Millennium from Unicorn; four separate college and university libraries will move from Voyager to Millennium; and one academic library moves from Virtua to Millennium. Polaris took away a Unicorn site, and one library pulled out of a consortium running Millennium to implement its own Library.Solution system. Diversification neededDiversification and expansion efforts have been underway for some time already. Several companies have ratcheted up their efforts. As sales of its Virtua ILS slow in the broader market, VTLS has concentrated on very large-scale and complex automation projects, including Oxford University in the UK and New York University. The companys business plan includes enhancement and support of open source solutions in the areas of institutional repositories, electronic theses, and dissertations. More than just about any other company, Innovative Interfaces focuses its efforts on the development and marketing of its Millennium ILS. Outside this sphere, the company has been a leader on the electronic resource management (ERM) front, with four times the installations of its nearest competitor, Serials Solutions. This year Innovative began development of an institutional repository platform called Symposia. Ex Libris, though its ALEPH 500 ILS is quite successful, has established a strong reputation for its non-ILS products, each focusing on some aspect of electronic content management and access: SFX, MetaLib, Verde, and now Primo. Its market-leading SFX link server has proven to be an effective lever to break into its competitors client base. SirsiDynix, in addition to its two flagships, Unicorn and Horizon, offers a wide set of diversified products. Directors Station allows a library to analyze its internal workflow patters, and its Normative Data Project subscription service enables librarians to measure current and potential client use patterns in a larger geographical context. The companys repertoire also includes OpenURL link servers, metasearch applications, digital library products, and portalswith dual Sirsi/Dynix offerings in most cases. Auto-Graphics relies on ILS for only a minority of its revenues, with more of its efforts focused on large-scale resource sharing systems. Endeavor, with new sales of Voyager declining, now relies on products centered on management and access to digital content, including its new Meridian ERM and its former ENCompass family of products, now revamped and renamed. The company also has moved toward digital archiving as a strategic activity. The Library Corporation (TLC) extends its reach beyond the traditional ILS by reselling the AquaBrowser and Endeca search interfaces. TLC took a large step out of the ILS bounds into the automated materials handling industry when it acquired TechLogic, which it will operate as an independent company. Companies such as Follett and Sagebrush come prediversified. In both companies, the library automation division represents only one business activity among others that offer many different products and services to schools. Focus on interfaces and portalsTo satisfy increasingly web-savvy users, librarians see the need to offer web interfaces as attractive, sophisticated, and easy-to-use as whats on the commercial web. Librarians expect their online catalog to provide access to all aspects of their increasingly diverse collections, spanning all types of media in addition to print. Simple Google-style search boxes are emerging; delivering well-ranked results remains a challenge. Library OPACs are looking to FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) as an organizational concept that will help their catalogs intuitively present content delivered in multiple forms. Innovatives WebPAC Pro and the SirsiDynix Enterprise Portal Solution are examples of integrated OPACS enhanced with portal functionality. The AquaBrowser Library, a search interface that can be used with any of the major automation systems, saw strong sales this year. Medialab Solutions in the Netherlands developed the AquaBrowser technology; TLC markets it in the United States and Canada. Initially available as a replacement interface for library catalogs, the next version of AquaBrowser Library will offer metasearch. Guided Search from Endeca, also marketed by TLC, offers yet another alternative OPAC replacement; early adopters include North Carolina State University Libraries. Metasearch mandate & ERM excitementLibraries need the ability to offer simple search interfaces that span ever-growing collections of e-journals and other digital content, and many invested in this technology in 2005. WebFeat, by far, holds the top spot in metasearch, with total sales in 2005 of 651 library clients sold directly (485) or through ILS partners (166). Its WebFeat PRISM service appeals to both public and academic libraries. WebFeats ILS partners include SirsiDynix, TLC, and EOS International. Only a small number of ILS vendors have developed their own metasearch software. Among these, Ex Libriss MetaLib holds the lead at 508 installations to date, with 58 sold in 2005. Auto-Graphicss AGent portal and ZPORTAL from Fretwell-Downing also developed their own metasearch products. Several ILS companies offer metasearch based on technology from MuseGlobal: SirsiDynix, Mandarin Library Automation, VTLS, and Innovative Interfaces, each of which saw only moderate sales in 2005. This year Endeavor switched allegiance from MuseGlobal to TDNet. In the K-12 market, Folletts One Search and Sagebrush Corporations Pinpoint both saw strong sales. In 2005, ERM finally became a mainstream product. Innovative Interfaces, fielding its Electronic Resource Management application since 2003, now has plenty of company. Endeavors Meridian, Ex Libriss Verde, and VTLSs VERIFY entered the ERM competition. Innovative delivered its second release in May 2005, with version three underway for 2006. Serials Solutions, now owned by ProQuest, launched its ERMs in October 2005. Again, we see non-ILS vendors anxious for a piece of the pie. For now, interest in ERM seems to be limited to academic and research libraries, but as other library types become more heavily invested in electronic content, interest will expand accordingly. Business transitionsThe library automation industry in 2005 saw a major reshuffling of companies. Goodbye to Sirsi, Dynix, GIS Information Systems, and Geac. Hello to SirsiDynix, Polaris Library Systems (leveraging the brand recognition it had built for its flagship product), and a new yet-unnamed company, respectively. OCLC entered the fray in a big way, acquiring Fretwell-Downing, Openly Informatics, and Sisis Informationssysteme. This year witnessed the beginning of the end for the Geac name, though the companys library products and services remain intact. Golden Gate Capital, a major San Franciscobased investment firm, acquired Geac, now a multinational, diversified company, in a deal valued at just over $1 billion. The Library Solutions division, a relatively small operating unit with the former Geac, will be part of a new company, wholly owned by Golden Gate, to be named and established in 2006. Despite the new ownership, major restructuring, and new branding, operations are expected to continue much as before. In the last few years, Geacs library automation business based on Vubis Smart had found a stronghold in Europe and the UK as its once powerful North American presence based on Advance and PLUS declined. One of the largest business acquisitions in the history of the industry unfolded this year. SirsiDynix emerged through the June 2005 buyout of Dynix by Sirsi and its chief financial backer Seaport Capital. The previous owners of Dynix, mostly related to Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, a Dallas-based investment fund, retain only a small stake in the new company. Patrick Sommers, CEO of Sirsi, heads SirsiDynix. Most of the VP and director-level positions went to former Sirsi execs, though some from the Dynix side of the company also landed top positions. Prior to the merger, Sirsi ranked third behind Dynix and Innovative; now SirsiDynix looms about 40% larger than Innovative. The new company oversees a wide array of library automation products, including its Unicorn and Horizon flagship systems, and a number of legacy products: DRA Classic, Dynix classic, MultiLIS, and INLEX. As direct competitors for over two decades, the companies had overlapping products in almost all areas. SirsiDynix faces a huge challenge as it works out its future product strategies. So far, SirsiDynix assures its customers that it will continue development on both Unicorn and Horizon for a number of years. In the shorter term, the company plans to do more consolidated development of front-end interfaces and portals, creating interfaces that will work equally well with both flagship systems. Sales for 2005 largely reflected the sales efforts in place prior to the merger. Key in coming years will be how SirsiDynix positions its products among its existing customer base and as it bids on new business. OCLC, a member-owned nonprofit with diverse business relationships, went on a buying spree of library automation companies in 2005, both directly and through its European subsidiary OCLC PICA. In addition to many other activities, PICA was involved in the development of library automation software, offering both a union catalog product for consortia and a traditional ILS. In June 2005, OCLC PICA purchased Sisis Informationssysteme, a German company that offers a library management system called Sunrise, installed in about 150 libraries in Germany and Austria. Sisis was also involved in the development of portal technologies. Six months later, OCLC PICA purchased UK-based Fretwell-Downing. This acquisition brought into the OCLC fold a number of library automation products, including the OLIB7 ILS, deployed mostly in the UK; VDX, a resource sharing environment; the ZPORTAL metasearch environment and CPORTAL, a product for e-government applications; and OL2 an OpenURL-based link resolver. In January 2006, OCLC purchased the assets of Openly Informatics, a company involved with technologies and data products related to the support of electronic resources. Much of Openlys products were sold through other companies rather than direct to libraries. Openly developed the 1Cate Link Server and created databases that help libraries manage e-journals. TLC branched out by acquiring Tech Logic Corporation, based in White Bear Lake, MN. Tech Logic specializes in automated materials handling systems and RFID technology. TLC will operate Tech Logic as an independent, wholly owned subsidiary. This event marks the first time TLC has expanded through acquisition since taking in Carl in 2000. Another business transaction that made headlines involved an aborted IPO attempt by Ex Libris. In a move designed to raise additional capital to fund aggressive development efforts and possible acquisitions, the company staged an initial offering of stock on AIM, a London stock exchange for small cap companies. Finding the valuation of the offering lower than hoped, the company abandoned the effort, choosing instead to rely on ongoing revenues for its development campaign, exploring other options such as bank financing as needed. Weve long expected consolidation in the library automation arena. Though on first blush the year seemed frenetic with business transitions, what played out was one of the more conservative of the potential scenarios. While the competitive arena now includes a giant, the other business transactions are lateral moves that do not significantly reposition the companies involved. Industry fragmentation endures; a large number of companies offer highly overlapping products with marginal differentiation in a limited market. The reshuffling in 2005 may be only an interim stage as the industry reorganizes itself, adjusting to a new balance of library priorities tipping more toward managing electronic content with less emphasis on traditional automation issues. TABLE 1 FIVE-YEAR SALES TRENDS BY CATEGORY* COMPANY SYSTEM NAME TOTAL SALES NEW CUSTOMERS TOTAL INSTALLED 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Full Function Multiuser Systems for Public, Academic, and Consortia SirsiDynix Unicorn Library Management System 117 207 124 134 91 110 72 46 74 56 1512 SirsiDynix Horizon 126 114 168 193 147 60 43 77 63 56 1503 Endeavor Information Systems Voyager 50 44 35 22 14 50 44 35 22 11 1325 Innovative Interfaces, Inc. Millennium 157 136 144 119 107 66 71 96 76 73 1225 Ex Libris ALEPH 500 80 58 51 53 83 70 48 42 53 53 923 The Library Corporation Library.Solution 79 70 73 58 41 74 61 64 55 40 655 InfoVision Technology Amlib Library Management System 36 139 58 38 42 5 139 58 38 27 520 VTLS Inc. Virtua 37 60 67 35 25 21 26 34 28 23 223 Civica Spydus 50 21 16 50 9 21 5 5 199 Geac Vubis Smart 13 34 54 56 60 8 9 17 19 16 164 Polaris Library Systems Polaris Integrated Library System 12 21 20 37 39 2 6 9 6 12 146 Auto-Graphics, Inc. Impact/VERSO (local or ASP) 14 19 6 23 15 10 18 4 20 15 106 Keystone Systems, Inc. KLAS 4 13 6 3 4 4 10 4 3 4 58 The Library Corporation Carl.Solution 0 0 21 The Library Corporation Carl.X 1 3 0 0 1 Automation Systems for Centralized School Districts Follett Software Company Destiny Library Manager for Districts 25 143 424 10 71 273 424 Softlink America Inc. Softlink Oliver 20 68 213 20 46 115 278 Book Systems, Inc Atriuum 30 45 13 25 76 Automation Systems for Individual Schools Follett Software Company Follett Circulation Plus & Catalog Plus 6275 4088 3040 1618 465 3279 2414 1354 990 365 33,877 Sagebrush Corporation Winnebago Spectrum 2461 2388 2150 1399 325 1424 1403 1290 496 183 15,169 COMPanion Corp. Alexandria 1530 1538 1085 502 646 682 432 232 9971 Sagebrush Corporation Sagebrush Athena 2091 1986 1787 575 298 1208 1208 1072 522 270 9762 Softlink America Inc. Softlink Alice 1006 650 398 417 900 1006 500 398 385 900 9400 Book Systems, Inc. Concourse 1912 1361 954 627 506 1402 1009 713 497 385 8990 New Generation Technologies Inc. LIBRARYSOFT 337 796 710 585 281 580 564 536 4300 Sagebrush Corporation InfoCentre 3541 170 3745 CASPR Library Systems, Inc. LibraryWorld 330 203 89 55 330 72 55 2240 CASPR Library Systems, Inc . LibraryCom 243 167 195 204 243 167 195 204 645 Follett Software Company Destiny Library Manager for schools 44 373 40 261 435 Mandarin Library Automation, Inc. Mandarin M3 132 225 231 104 87 225 231 104 Automation Systems for Special Libraries Inmagic, Inc. all products 200 2000 8000 EOS International EOS.Web 18 157 196 15 42 49 371 Softlink America Inc. Softlink Liberty3 / ASP 22 135 137 177 21 109 117 172 245 CyberTools, Inc. CyberTools for Libraries 15 26 27 73 15 26 27 73 221 Enterprisewide automation systems for Special Libraries Open Text, Inc., BASIS Division Livelink for Libraries 20 14 15 20 18 10 6 4 2 3 204 SydneyPLUS SydneyPLUS for SQL and Oracle 26 56 6 9 TABLE 2 MARKET SECTOR PERCENTAGES BY LIBRARY TYPE PERCENT OF NEW SALES COMPANY ACADEMIC PUBLIC SCHOOL SPECIAL CONSORTIA Auto-Graphics, Inc. 0 93 7 0 0 Book Systems, Inc. 1 5 49 44 0 Civica 8 62 10 14 6 CyberTools, Inc. 7 0 0 79 14 Endeavor Information 44 6 0 31 19 Systems EOS International 0 0 0 100 0 Ex Libris (USA), Inc. 61 1 1 33 3 Follett Software Company 1 3 92 4 0 Geac Library Solutions 2 78 0 17 3 InfoVision Technology 0 11 48 41 0 Innovative Interfaces, Inc. 60 23 3 13 1 Keystone Systems, Inc. 0 0 0 100 0 The Library Corporation 7 68 14 11 0 New Generation 19 19 19 20 24 Technologies Inc. Open Text, Inc. 0 0 0 100 0 Polaris Library Systems 10 82 3 3 3 Softlink America Inc. 3 0 78 18 0 SydneyPLUS 0 0 0 100 0 VTLS 69 7 0 24 2 TABLE 3 NON-ILS PRODUCTS BY CATEGORY CATETORY/COMPANY PRODUCT 2004 SALES 2005 SALES OpenURL link Resolvers Dynix Horizon Link Resolver 3 4 Endeavor LinkFinderPlus 5 75 Ex Libris SFX 178 905 Geac Vlink 0 5 The Library Corporation Gold Rush 1 1 Polaris Library Systems TDNet TOUResolver 1 1 Serials Solutions Article Linker 184 427 Sirsi Sirsi Resolver 18 79 Metasearch Products Ex Libris MetaLib 59 508 WebFeat WebFeat PRISM 485 All WebFeat Partners* WebFeat PRISM 166 Total WebFeat WebFeat PRISM 651 2903 Products Based on MuseGlobal Endeavor ENCompass for Resource Access 10 75 Innovative MetaFind Mandarin Library Automation Mandarin PACPortal SirsiDynix Sirsi SingleSearch 28 106 VTLS VECTORS 2 4 Other ILS metasearch products Auto-Graphics Agent Portal 1 27 K12 Arena Follett OneSearch 560 1501 Sagebrush Corporation Pinpoint 110 412 Electronic Resource Management Products Endeavor Meridian 30 30 Ex Libris Verde 46 46 Innovative Electronic Resource Management 94 180 ProQuestSerials Solutions Electronic Resource Management System 47 53 VTLS Verify 6 7 Digital Library Products Endeavor ENCompass for Digital Collections 2 25 Ex Libris DigiTool 32 61 SirsiDynix Horizon Digital Library 3 13 SirsiDynix Sirsi Hyperion Digital Media Archive 15 98 VTLS VITAL 5 11 Other SirsiDynix Non-ILS products SirsiDynix Directors Station 138 483 SirsiDynix Sirsi Rooms 15 110 SirsiDynix URSA 10 15 SirsiDynix Web Reporter 172 287 * SirsiDynix, The Library Corporation, EOS International, SydneyPLUS, Serials Solutions, EBSCO, and Infotrieve TABLE 4 SYSTEM MIGRATION PATTERNS LEGACY SYSTEM ALEPH 500 MILLENNIUM AGENT CARL.X HORIZON KLAS L.S POLARIS UNICORN VIRTUA V.SMART TOTALS LOSS RETENTION PERCENT Advance 4 6 2 2 1 1 16 15 1 6% Aleph 300 29 29 0 29 100% Carl 4 1 5 1 4 80% DRA Classic 7 1 3 1 13 25 12 13 52% Dynix 2 9 90 12 4 7 124 34 90 73% Galaxy 1 1 4 27 33 6 27 82% INLEX/3000 1 1 0 1 100% Innopac 37 1 38 1 37 97% MultiLIS 1 1 18 20 2 18 90% PLUS 3 1 1 8 13 5 8 62% VTLS Classic 1 5 3 2 11 9 2 18% Vubis Original 33 33 0 33 100% Total 34 2 4 70 99 3 16 33 42 3 42 348 This chart shows the system chosen by libraries that migrated from legacy systems. The data are derived from only those migrations where the system migrated from is known. The numbers shown in bold indicate where the library upgraded to systems offered by the same company. TABLE 5 SUPPORT RATIOS: COMPANIES THAT SUPPORT PUBLIC AND ACADEMIC MULTIUSER SYSTEMS COMPANY SUPPORTED SYSTEMS SUPPORT STAFF INSTALLED SITES RATIO Polaris Library Systems Polaris, GALAXY 30 210 7.0 Innovative Interfaces, Inc. Millennium, Innopac 171 1274 7.5 The Library Corporation Library.Solution, Carl.Solution 85 675 7.9 VTLS VTLS Classic, Virtua 32 266 8.3 Keystone Systems, Inc. KLAS 7 62 8.9 SirsiDynix Unicorn, Horizon, Dynix, DRA Classic, MultiLIS 391 3894 10.0 Ex Libris ALEPH 500, ALEPH 300 93 981 10.5 Auto-Graphics AGent/Verso 9 106 11.8 Endeavor Information Systems Voyager 65 1325 20.4 Geac Library Solutions Vubis Smart, Advance, PLUS, Vubis Original 25 670 26.8 Company ProfilesAuto-Graphics, Inc. Pomona, CA; 800-776-6939; www.auto-graphics.com Auto-Graphics, a publicly owned 35-year-old company based in Pomona, CA, caters primarily to public libraries, offering its AGent/Verso product mainly as an ASP service to small libraries and its AGent Resource Sharing System to large, often statewide, library cooperatives. A medium-sized company, with revenues in the $5$10 million range (and a staff of 32), A-G does 85% of its business in the United States. PEOPLE Paul Cope, formerly the CTO and son of founder and chair Robert S. Cope, now serves as president, following the ten-month tenure of Patrick T. Bergamasco. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, A-G redesigned AGent/Verso and launched AGent for Digital Collections, an ASP platform to help libraries create digital collections. With AGent for Digital Collections, Auto-Graphics provides the server, storage, and softwareall the library needs to do is submit the content. Digitizing and cataloging services are available for a completely outsourced approach to creating an online digital library. The company created a web service interface in its AGent family of products, an API now widely demanded in the industry to facilitate improved integration among software components. Book Systems, Inc. Huntsville, AL; 800-219-6571; www.booksys.com In business for 15 years, privately owned Book Systems is a small company ($2$5 million, 53 employees) specializing in automation systems for K12 schools, small publics, and church libraries in the United States (99%). The company will move to a new facility in Huntsville by May 2006. PRODUCT NEWS In its second year out, Atriuum, an all-web-based ILS, garnered 25 new sales, supplementing the 385 units sold of the firms mainstay Concourse ILS, now out in its seventh major release. This year Book Systems entered an arrangement with Syndetic Solutions for enriched content display. CASPR Library Systems, Inc. Saratoga, CA; 800-852-2777; www.caspr.com A very small, privately owned firm, CASPR employs 11, down from the 14 reported the last three years. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, CASPR delivered a new release of its LibraryWorld desktop software (available for Windows and Macintosh) and launched LibraryWorld.NET, the next generation of its popular LibraryCom web-based ASP service. With an annual entry price of just $395, CASPRs online automation service appeals to small libraries that need a very low-cost alternative. Civica Pty Limited Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; +61 3 8676 4400; www.civica.com.au Based in Australia, Civica operates within a large software company, with offerings for local government and the health industry in addition to its library automation products. The firm does limited business in the United States, with nine libraries using Spydus; 2% of 2005 revenue came from the U.S. market. In 2005, two libraries in the United States upgraded from Spydus to Spydus 8. Civicas employment spiked from 35 to 130, largely owing to a huge contract in Singapore, where it will be engaged in an outsourcing arrangement for school library automation. The company reports revenue in the $10$15 million range. COMPanion Corp. Salt Lake City; 800-347-6439; www.goalexandria.com Founded in 1987, COMPanion is a privately owned company with 63 employees. With 9,971 libraries using Alexandria, the firm ranks third largest among those specializing in school libraries. PRODUCT NEWS Alexandria operates on both Macintosh and Windows computers. In 2005, COMPanion completed a new all-web-based interface for Alexandria and developed new options for the creation of union catalogs. Consistent with its focus on schools, COMPanion also offers software for textbook management called TextBook Tracker. eLunchroom helps schools manage and report school cafeteria activity, a necessity for federal programs supporting school lunch programs. In 2005, COMPanion entered a partnership with Big6 Learning Tools to sell and provide support for that companys product related to the Big6 model for teaching information and technology skills. CyberTools, Inc. Harvard, MA; 978-772-9200; www.cybertoolsforlibraries.com Founded in 1986, CyberTools is a small, privately owned company employing five. It specializes in providing automation systems for specialespecially medicallibraries. In 2005, it expanded beyond health science libraries, seeing sales to law and academic institutions. PRODUCT NEWS CyberTools for Libraries is an all-web-based system structured around the Cach database framework and the companys own user interface management system framework. The company offers its automation system either for local installation or as an ASP hosted solution. CyberTools has built-in OpenURL and Z39.50 support included in the base cost. In 2005, CyberTools for Libraries came out with many new features, among them major enhancements to the OPAC, such as display of graphic images and tables of contents when available; a new reserves module; and new cross-organizational consortia or union catalog capabilities. Endeavor Information Systems Des Plaines, IL; 847-296-2200; www.endinfosys.com Founded in 1994, Endeavor Information Systems has been a wholly owned, independently operated subsidiary of the large multinational Elsevier since April 2000. With 156 employees and a client base of 1,325 libraries, Endeavor falls within the ranks of the major players in the industry, specializing in library automation products for academic libraries. The company has seen steadily declining sales of Voyager for the last five years and has focused most of its efforts on its products related to management and delivery of electronic content. PRODUCT NEWS Endeavor recently rebranded many of its offerings. The ENCompass brand tied to many non-ILS products was retired: out with ENCompass for Resource Access, in with Discovery: Finder; Curator replaces ENCompass for Digital Collections; and ENCompass for Journals Onsite is simply Journals Onsite. Changes for the new Discovery: Finder penetrate beyond skin deep. In January 2006, Endeavor announced its intention to shift its federated search platform from one based on its own technology and MuseGlobal components to an outsourced version from TDNet. As recently as November 2005, Endeavor released a new version (3.6) of ENCompass for Resource Access. On the ILS front, Endeavor released Voyager 5.0 in 2005. Journals Onsite, a product in tune with Elseviers focus on electronic publishing, takes a prominent role. Available in general release since February 2005, it allows an organization to load, manage, and provide access locally to e-journals from all publishers. The company has recently adjusted its strategy to strengthen its offerings related to digital archiving, focusing initially on its newly named Curator platform for managing local digital content. Elsevier veteran Geoffrey Adams came on board to manage this initiative. In 2005, Curator was sold to nine members of the Finnish Academic Library Networks. EOS International Carlsbad, CA; 800-876-5484/ 760-431-8400; www.eosintl.com EOS International was founded in 1981 as Data Trek and took its current name when it acquired IME in 1996. This privately owned company specializes in automation systems for special (mostly corporate) libraries. Employing a work force of 79, EOSi is a medium-sized entity within the overall industry and the largest of those oriented to special libraries. The company does not reveal financial data but indicates significant increases in sales revenue and profit for the past three years. PEOPLE In June 2005, Salvatore Provenza moved up to VP of global sales and marketing. PRODUCT NEWS The companys flagship system EOS.Web is offered both for local installation and as an ASP called the EOS e-Library Service. With more clients choosing the ASP routethe number doubled since last yearthe company moved to a new headquarters with a state-of-the-art data center. The new EOS Global Data Center supports EOS e-Library Service clients in Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Switzerland, the UK, and the United States. EOSi released new versions of EOS.Web and EOS.Web Express in December. Key improvements include expanded collection and authority maintenance features and improved ability to support other languages and character sets. Ex Libris Chicago; 877-527-1689; www.exlibrisgroup.com A private firm with significant venture capital ownership, Ex Libris stands as the third largest company in the industry. Its 2005 revenue was reported in the $35$40 million range, with about 40% from U.S. libraries, and it has 261 employees. Founded in 1981, Ex Libris specializes in automation products and services for academic libraries and consortia. From its beginnings in a few Israeli universities, ALEPH 500 is now in 62 countries worldwide. Ex Libris entered the U.S. market around 1999 and quickly garnered sales to a large portion of academic libraries, including 21 ARL members. Though U.S. sales of ALEPH 500 have slowed the last two years, the companys non-ILS products enjoy strong numbers, expanding the Ex Libris client base well beyond libraries that use ALEPH. PEOPLE Founder Azriel Morag left the firm in August 2005, just prior to the companys abandoned IPO attempt. Internal restructuring led to dissolution of the Information Services Division and diffusion of its companywide entrepreneurial approach; Oren Beit-Aire shifted to chief strategy officer, and Jenny Walker to VP of marketing. Other 2005 appointments included Marc Daubach, VP and general manager for Europe, and Oded Scharfstein as the new VP for Asia-Pacific. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the company released ALEPH 500 version 17, the third major releases of SFX, MetaLib, and DigiTool. Verde, the companys ERM product, was initially released and sold to 46 libraries. SFX eXpress, an ASP version of its linking product designed to make its installation and maintenance even easier, was introduced in February 2005. The company is launching Primo, a new information discovery and delivery tool, in 2006. Follett Software Company McHenry, IL; 815-578-7215; www.fsc.follett.com A division of Follett Corporation, a company with diverse business interests, each focused on some aspect of education, Follett Software (with 245 employees) specializes in library automation for schools. The parent reported over $2 billion in consolidated sales for its 2005 fiscal year. A 20-year veteran of the industry, FSC ranks as the largest of the companies focused on the K12 market. Over 97% of the companys business is with U.S. libraries. PRODUCT NEWS Destiny Library Manager, initially released in 2004, saw strong sales this year, with 273 sales to school districts, spanning 3180 schools, and 373 sales for the version for individual schools. The company continues to see some sales for its Circulation Plus family, but the 465 sold in 2005 is a fraction of the 6,275 sold in 2001, indicative of the major shift in the K12 market in favor of systems designed for districtwide implementation. In addition to its school library products, it offers Destiny Textbook Manager to assist districts with textbooks inventory. FSC introduced Destiny Media Manager in 2005. Geac Library Solutions Waltham, MA; 781-672-5950; www.library.geac.com Geac, a venerable firm in the library automation industry, experienced significant restructuring in 2005. The company began the year as a division of a publicly traded (TSX: GAC, NASDAQ: GEAC) diversified software services company and ended the year in the midst of a $1 billion buyout by private equity firm Golden Gate Capital. While the final outcome of the transaction had not been determined at press time, the Geac name will be retired and Geac Library Solutions will be part of a new company wholly owned by Golden Gate that will include the other industry-specific applications within the former Geac. Geac Library Solutions employed 105 at the end of 2005. While the companys Advance and PLUS products were widely deployed in North America in the mid- to late 1990s, these installations have steadily migrated to new systems, mostly from Geacs competitors. The companys U.S. presence has steadily eroded. In 2005, Geac Library Solutions derived only 11.3% of its revenue from U.S. libraries. Geac remains strong in Europe and to a lesser degree in the UK. Its flagship Vubis Smart has a large and loyal following, especially among public libraries in Belgium and the Netherlands. Initial efforts to market Vubis Smart have yet to result in large sales volume in North America, with one 2005 sale in the United States and two in Canada. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, Geac delivered a number of enhancements to Vubis Smart in release 2.4.1, including new capabilities related to circulation desk payments, faster indexing, acquisitions enhancements, and a number of new OPAC features, such as RSS feeds. Infovision Williamsport, PA; 800-849-1655; www.infovisionsoftware.com Infovision is a privately held Australian-based company, with a North American sales and support office. It had a distribution agreement for its Amlib automation system with Brodart Automation from 2000 through 2003 and has since marketed Amlib to U.S. libraries directly. Six of the companys 27 total Amlib sales in 2005 were to U.S. libraries. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, Infovision released version 4.2 of Amlib with new features, including online self-registration, patron-initiated purchase requests, and changes in the OPAC design to allow easier customization. The company released Amlib.net, an all-web-based version of Amlib. Inmagic, Inc. Woburn, MA; 781-938-4444/800-229-8398; www.inmagic.com A private company established in 1983, Inmagic specializes in automation and information management software for corporate and other special libraries. The company did not itemize sales by individual product but reports 2000 sales in 2005, 200 of which were to new clients. Its employees remain steady at 40. PRODUCT NEWS Inmagic Genie, initially launched in 2004, stands as the companys flagship ILS for corporate libraries. In addition to Genie sales to new clients, the company aims to migrate clients running BiblioTech Pro, acquired from Comstow Information Services in August 1999. In January 2006, Inmagic announced a milestone of 100 sales of Genie. Genie 2.0 was released in November 2005. Inmagic Presto, also available since 2004, is the companys current offering for generalized content management. While Genie fits libraries that need an automation system with the traditional modules of circulation, cataloging, serials, and an OPAC, Presto is a more generalized information management environment that can be applied to many different types of content. Presto and Genie both rely on the Microsoft .NET framework and Microsoft SQL Server as their underlying database management system. Innovative Interfaces, Inc. Emeryville, CA; 510-655-6200; www.iii.com Innovative Interfaces, a privately owned company in business since 1978, stands as the industrys second largest. It reports revenues in the $70$80 million range and had 295 employees in 2005. Although the majority of the companys business comes from U.S. libraries, Innovative markets internationally, with installations in 42 countries. Libraries of all types use Millennium; 60% of 2005 sales went to academics, 23% to publics, and the remainder to special libraries and schools. Innovative continues to hold the lead among ARL members, increasing its tally to 37 this year with the migration of Virginia Tech from VTLS to Millennium. PRODUCT NEWS The initial development of WebPAC Pro, an enhanced version of the web-based Millennium online catalog, hit the ground in 2005. This interface will include the internally developed RightResult Search Technology, which features grouped sets and relevancy ranking. WebPAC Pro will include optional components for integrating library service into the campuswide environment, with features such as Single Sign-on, ability to use external LDAP services for authentication, and a Courseware Integration for Blackboard. There will also be support for RSS feeds from the catalog. Innovative continues to hold the lead in the ERM arena: the 94 libraries added this year bring the installed base to 180. This year Innovative entered the data services delivery business to help libraries manage their subscribed e-journal collections. Coverage Data Service gives libraries up-to-date information on what individual e-journal titles match their subscriptions, while the Content Access Service allows the library to keep its online catalog in sync through the delivery of MARC records. In April 2005, Innovative released Symposia, a platform for institutional repositories now in general release. Northeastern University, MA, worked with Innovative as a development partner for this product, joined now by two additional libraries. ISACSOFT Inc. Montreal, Quebec; 514-282-7073, x434; www.isacsoft.com ISACSOFT is a publicly owned Canadian company created in 2004 through the assembly of a number of business acquisitions, including BiblioMondo. It offers the Concerto and Portfolio library automation systems and the ZONES site of library portal products. Concerto is primarily installed in municipal libraries in Europe. Portfolio (previously known as Best-Seller) has been adopted by libraries in French-speaking Canada and Europe, with a small number of libraries in the United States. In January 2005, ISACSOFT purchased yet another company. It acquired a hosting facility from Groupe Conseil in a stock swap to acquire a state-of-the-art data center for its ASP hosted products. Most of ISACSOFTs energies in 2005 appear related to integrating the companies acquired in the last two years. In its financial report of activities through September 2005, ISACSOFT had reduced staff from 240 to 95; 31 are from BiblioMondo . PRODUCT NEWS In Octobert 2005, ISACSOFT delivered a new release of Concerto, now able to run on the Windows 2003 server, and a new version of its ZONES portal based on the Microsoft .NET framework. Keystone Systems, Inc. Raleigh, NC; 919-782-1143; www.klas.com Keystone is a small, privately owned company employing 14 that specializes in automation systems for special libraries. KLAS, the companys flagship product, was designed for a wide variety of libraries but finds its niche among libraries that serve patrons with visual disabilities. In 2005, there were four new sales of KLAS, bringing its installed base to 62; seven sites upgraded older versions of KLAS to the current version. All of the libraries purchasing KLAS in 2005 migrated from DRA systems. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the company released KLAS v7, which includes an interface to Crystal Reports and improvements to its web OPAC. The company devotes efforts to interface improvements that comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The Library Corporation Inwood, WV; 800-325-7759; www.tlcdelivers.com The Library Corporation (TLC), established in 1974, is a privately owned company that offers library automation products primarily used by public libraries. Employing 210, TLC stands with the larger companies in the industry; it is the third largest among those focused on public libraries. TLC reports revenue in the $25$30 million range. Most of TLCs customers are U.S. libraries, though it has some major clients in Singapore. TLC offers two lines of automation products: Carl.Solution, preceded in 2004 by Carl.X, targets large municipal libraries. Library.Solution targets instititutions other than the largest municipal systems, though most of its clients are small to mid-sized libraries. In April 2005, TLC acquired Tech Logic Corporation, which specializes in automated materials handing systems. Tech Logic will be operated as an independent, wholly owned subsidiary. Also in 2005, subsidiary TLC CARL East in Singapore launched a new Professional and Library Services Division to provide additional services to the client base in that region. This year TLC formed an agreement with Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries to offer Gold Rush, an application that includes both ERM and OpenURL linking capabilities. TLC will market Gold Rush to its own clients and to other libraries. In May 2005, TLC entered a partnership with Cognos, for advanced reporting capabilities in Library.Solution. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, TLC continued development of Carl.X, adding support for Unicode. Library.Solution 3.3.5 was released, including many enhancements related to authority control. As the exclusive distributor for AquaBrowser Library developed by Medialab Solutions, TLC saw a number of installations in 2005, including high-profile libraries such as Queens Borough PL in New York. Chicago PL awarded TLC a major $13.8 million multiyear contract for its new Carl.X automation system and a wide range of additional products, services, and hardware. Los Angeles PL also renewed its contract with TLC for Carl.Solution. Mandarin Library Automation, Inc. Boca Raton, FL; 800-426-7477; www.mlasolutions.com Mandarin Library Automation (MLA), a privately owned company established in 1995, offers library automation products used primarily in K12 school and in college libraries. A small company, it employs 20, down from the 38 reported last year. MLA did not report specific sales numbers or revenues. PRODUCT NEWS MLA launched Mandarin Oasis, a new, all-web-based product in January 2005. Oasis provides a centrally administered system, with total functionality available through web browsers, relieving the need to install local software. The company now makes its previous product Mandarin M3 available as a free download. MLA will offer an annual service and update agreement for customers that want premium support. New Generation Technologies Inc. Seattle; 800-661-7112; www.librarysoft.com New Generation Technologies, a small private company (12 employees), has been in business since 1992 and offers the LiBRARYSOFT ILS family. Libraries can select LiBRARYSOFT versions for Microsoft SQL Server or Borland Interbase. Most of the companys clients are school libraries. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the company developed a new AutoCataloguing module that allows libraries to add items to their catalog by simply scanning the ISBN code. Once scanned, the system retrieves a MARC record from the libraries preferred source using Z39.50, including the companys database of five million records. OCLC-PICA BV Dublin, OH; 800-848-5878; www.oclcpica.org This is the first appearance of OCLC-PICA in LJ s Automation Marketplace. It previously had no involvement in the U.S. automation arena. Its recent acquisitions include products and technologies that make OCLC, a member-owned nonprofit cooperative, a force to be watched in the library automation industry. In 19992000, OCLC gained a 60% stake in PICA, a major European library cooperative. The Pica Foundation owns the other 40%. OCLC-PICA operates Sisis Informationssysteme and Fretwell-Downing Informatics as wholly owned for-profit subsidiaries. OCLC integrated Openly Informatics into its nonprofit operations as part of its Global Product Architecture division. PRODUCT NEWS PICA brought into the OCLC sphere two automation systems, one for creating union catalogs for consortia (CBS), the other a traditional ILS (LBS4). But the PICA acquisition alone brought little attention to OCLC from the library automation perspective. With this years purchase of Fretwell-Downing Informatics, Sisis Informationssysteme, and Openly Informatics, OCLCs assets now include four library automation systems (CBS, LBS4, SISIS-Sunrise, and OLIB7), two link resolvers (OL2 and 1Cate), a federated search environment (ZPORTAL), a resource sharing product (VDX), and two portal products (CPORTAL, SISIS-Elektra). While none of the ILS products have a significant presence in the United States, several of the other products and technologies have seen considerable adoption, especially 1Cate, VDX, and ZPORTAL. Its yet to be seen how OCLC will assemble these individual assets into its global environment and product strategy. OpenText, Inc. Dublin, OH; 800-328-2648/614-761-8083; www.opentext.com OpenText is a large, publicly traded company that offers a wide range of products and services in the enterprise content management area. It includes a library automation product division that traces its history to Information Dimensions, a company it acquired in 1998. Within a company of 1100, this division employs 27. OpenText does not reveal the revenues of its individual divisions. In 2004, the Techlib product was rebranded with the name Livelink for Libraries, consistent with the brands used for other OpenText products. Livelink for Libraries relies on the BASIS database technology. In 2005, there were 18 sales of Livelink for Libraries, increasing the installed base to 204 clients. The company released Livelink for Libraries 10 in 2005, which was offered to clients without additional cost. Polaris Library Systems Syracuse, NY; 800-272-3414; www.polarislibrary.com Polaris Library Systems, a privately owned company, specializes in providing library automation systems to U.S. public libraries. The company, with 68 employees, began the year as GIS Information Systems before taking the new name of Polaris Library Systems in May. It moved into a new company headquarters building at about the same time. Polaris still has the highest support staff ratio of the companies that support public and academic multiuser systems. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the company launched an ASP offering of the Polaris Library System, making the product accessible to libraries with smaller budgets and limited local technical support staff. The company reported seven library subscribers to this service by years end. It has astutely increased its offerings through partnerships, including a deal with Auto-Graphics to provide its customers access to large bibliographic databases for copy cataloging and authority control. The company also has an agreement with TDNet for its suite of tools for access to electronic resources, including Search Analyzer for federated search, TOUResolver for OpenURL linking, and Knowledge Base, a database product to help libraries manage electronic subscriptions. A media booking module is available for Polaris customers through a relationship with OnShore Development. In 2005, the company released Polaris 3.2, which includes RSS feeds in the OPAC, support for NCIP, a new outreach services module, enhancements to acquisitions, and support for the 13-digit ISBN. Also developed in 2005 was the recently released Polaris Inventory Manager, which can be used by non-Polaris customers, too, to inventory their collections; when used with Polaris, the system automatically updates the librarys database. Sagebrush Corporation Minneapolis; 800-533-5430; www.sagebrushcorp.com Sagebrush Corporation is a large, privately owned company specializing in library automation products for K12 schools. The company, or at least its antecedents, has been in business since 1982. It offers a variety of products for school libraries, including Winnebago Spectrum, Sagebrush Athena, and Accent. Accent is based on SirsiDyixs Unicorn. It employs 195. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, we saw the release of Sagebrush InfoCentre, developed as the successor to Winnebago Spectrum and Sagebrush Athena. InfoCentre will include all the functionality of its earlier products and offer many new capabilities. The system includes the ability to generate customized reports easily, is compatible with a librarys existing barcodes, and can create virtual union catalogs with its ability to search simultaneously the catalogs of other libraries within the district. Though InfoCentre will stand as Sagebrush Corporations flagship system, the firm will continue to support Athena, Winnebago Spectrum, and Accent. Sagebrush also launched Viewpoint, a tool for mining and analyzing data on school and student performance. SirsiDynix Corporation Huntsville, AL; 256-704-7000; www.sirsidynix.com SirsiDynix, formed in 2005 in the acquisition of Dynix by Sirsi Corporation, stands as the largest company in the industry. It is privately owned, with Seaport Capital as its chief financial backer. SirsiDynix has an installed base of 3,894 libraries. In 2005, the company focused much of its energies on integrating the two entities. At the end of 2005, SirsiDynix employed a total of 679, 110 fewer than the combined forces of the constituent companies as reported at the end of 2004, a net reduction of about 14%. Development staff shrunk by 18%, sales by 33%, support staff by only 6%. Prior to the acquisition, Sirsi Corporation and Dynix were industry veterans: Sirsi was founded in 1979 and Dynix in 1983. Both firms marketed internationally, with products used in over 40 countries. The combined entity develops and supports both antecedents flagship automation systems: Unicorn and Horizon. A number of legacy systems came with the deal, including Dynix, with a residual installed base of 768, as well as DRA Classic and MultiLIS, which taken together still find use in 111 libraries. At the time of the acquisition, Dyinx was in final development of a revamped version of its new automation system, expected for release in 2006, which would be marketed as Corinthian 8.0 to academic libraries and Horizon 8.0 to all other institutions. PRODUCT NEWS In June 2005, Sirsi announced the availability of its Normative Data Project, a subscription service that provides data and tools that combine library transaction data, GIS data, and U.S. Census data in order to analyze patron use patterns within and among libraries and branches. In January 2006, the company released the new module for Directors Station, which allows libraries to perform geographic analysis using GIS and U.S. Census data. In partnership with EnvisionWare, SirsiDynix developed what it calls the OneStop self-service station, which allows patrons to perform checkout and pay fines and printing fees. SirsiDynix entered into a partnership with INFOhio to develop SirsiDynix School Rooms, a portal for discovery of information from selected reference resources for K12 schools. Softlink Los Angeles; 877-454-2725; www.softlinkint.com Australia-based Softlink was established in 1983 and provides library automation systems for many types of libraries. It maintains a U.S. office and in 2005 derived about 15% of its income from U.S. libraries. The company employs 97 worldwide, making it a mid-sized firm. Its products find use in over 100 countries. Softlink offers several library automation systems: Softlink Alice, a Windows-based system, is available in versions for corporate and school libraries and is installed in 9400 libraries; Liberty3, a web-based automation system for special libraries, is installed in 245 libraries; Softlink Oliver, launched last year, is based on the Liberty3 platform but is targeted toward school districts. It now has 278 installations. The company offers an ASP option for Liberty3 and has leased access to four data centers throughout the United States to support hosting for these clients. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, Softlink released a version of Liberty3 based on Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server called Liberty3 SQL. Surpass Software Calhoun, GA; 706-625-5399; www.SurpassSoftware.com Surpass Software, a small, private company founded in 1985, offers library automation software primarily for school libraries. The company offers three automation systems: Surpass SL for small libraries; Surpass Select, an automation system for larger schools based on software installed for each site; and Centriva, a system for centralized automation in districts with a single consolidated database. Centriva uses a combination of Windows and web interfaces and relies on its own system for storing records; it does not require an RDMS such as Oracle or SQL Server. Surpass did not report any data regarding its 2005 sales or its revenues. SydneyPLUS International Richmond, BC; 604-278-6717; www.sydneyplus.com SydneyPLUS, a private mid-sized company founded in 1977 and with 59 employees in 2005, specializes in library automation systems for special libraries, especially corporate and legal. Though based in Canada, the company does most of its business with U.S. libraries. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, the firm developed SydneyPLUS Information Pathways, an optional module that allows nontechnical staff to create a portal environment to help users discover and view resources, manage authentication and access, and track use. The company created browser interfaces for some of the core functions in SydneyPLUS, especially cataloging and acquisitions, providing an optional alternative to the standard Windows interface. The company expanded its ASP program, available since 1999, giving it the new name Sydney.Web. VTLS Inc. Blacksburg, VA; 540-557-1200; www.vtls.com VTLS, a private mid-sized company, was founded as a for-profit start-up of Virginia Tech University in 1985; it reported 95 employees in 2005. Slow ILS sales overall were offset by concluding a much-coveted agreement with Oxford University in the UK to install Virtua in its collections, spanning 5.4 million bibliographic records and 100 libraries. The deal includes a suite of products and services, among them a module for automating Oxfords 9000-plus weekly requests for items from its closed-stack libraries. The National Library of Wales, with collections totaling over three million items, also tipped in VTLSs favor; it will also install VERIFY and VITAL. PRODUCT NEWS In 2005, VTLS released the second major version of VITAL, software and services based on Fedora to help an organization implement an institutional repository. Major clients choosing VITAL include the Australian Research Repositories Online to the World (ARROW). VTLS has found a fertile market, attracting a number of major libraries to its new business initiative of providing value-added services and support for open source applications. Consistent with the open source culture, VTLS also released a number of components it developed into the open source domain, including tools for extracting metadata and exposing the content of a repository or archive to web crawlers, an SRW/SRU interface for Fedora, a utility for managing Handles for digital objects, and a configuration utility for Fedora. Marshall Breeding (staffweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/breeding ) is Director for Innovative Technology and Research at the Vanderbilt University Library, Nashville |