R.R. Bowker has announced that it has signed an agreement with Baker
& Taylor that will expand the information and services accessible through
the Books In Print CD-ROM product line.
"This new alliance allows us to provide our customers with a user-friendly
inventory resource they can rely on to successfully run their businesses,"
said Michael Cairns, president of R.R. Bowker.
According to Cairns, beginning with the May release of the Books In
Print CD-ROM, the new Baker & Taylor format will replace that of Ingram
Customer Systems, Inc., which has decided to no longer provide its inventory
on Books In Print.
For users of the Books In Print CD-ROM who don't have an active Internet
connection (16-bit version), the structure of the new Baker & Taylor
format is exactly the same as the Ingram format, with one exception. There
will be more information available on the new Baker & Taylor format,
according to the announcement. Coming soon will be Baker & Taylor's
retail prices and discount codes as well as y/n indicators for returnable
items. The title code index, record display, title data, publisher price,
and vendor-availability information remains identical for users.
"In the new release of our Books In Print On Disc product, any time
a user selects Baker & Taylor for inventory data, they receive an instant
display with specific available inventory for warehouses in New Jersey,
Georgia, Illinois, and Nevada," said Cairns. "They immediately see stock
availability for each warehouse, as well as the quantity available on hand
and on order."
"The display of Baker & Taylor's inventory provides book buyers
with important information about the huge variety of books available from
our four distribution centers," said Jim Ulsamer, president of Baker &
Taylor Retail. "We believe that buyers will find great value in having
access to the richest availability of books in the industry."
Users of the Books In Print CD-ROM who have an active Internet connection
(32-bit version) will continue to have instant access to updated inventory
levels from 25 suppliers across North America and will experience very
little difference in the new release of the product.
Source: R.R. Bowker, New Providence, NJ, 888/BOWKER2; http://www.bowker.com. |