Gaylord Information Systems (GIS), a division of Gaylord Bros., Inc.,
has announced the release of GALAXY WebPAC 2.0, an enhancement for GALAXY
customers who want to provide patrons with Web access to their library
catalogs. GALAXY WebPAC 2.0 delivers full Z39.50 searching, which allows
library staff and patrons to search other Z39.50-compliant catalogs using
a familiar interface and search protocols. GIS has also announced that
the Warren CountyVicksburg (Mississippi) Public Library will adopt
the Polaris integrated library system.
WebPAC 2.0
GALAXY WebPAC 2.0 was developed with significant input from GALAXY
customers. "We know from experience that one of the major things our customers
value about their relationship with GIS is the opportunity to help shape
the development of the products they use," said Katherine Blauer, president
of GIS. "We are grateful to our GALAXY customers for their suggestions
and comments on this latest version of GALAXY WebPAC and especially thank
the staff at the Clark County Public Library (Ohio) and the Springfield
Free Public Library (New Jersey) for their excellent work as beta partners."
In addition to Z39.50 searching, other major enhancements in the new
version of GALAXY WebPAC include the following:
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Customization instructions to help libraries tailor GALAXY WebPAC to their
library
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A new keyword search engine that enhances searching and expedites display
of search results
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New options for processing reserves, including an option to disallow reserves
altogether or to disallow reserves on items that are"IN." The interlibrary
loan and non-reserve fields in the item record are also now functional.
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An option to mask true item status so that items display as either "Available"
or "Unavailable"
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An option to hide a patron's position in the reserve queue
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The ability to see all item records (i.e., copies in the system) when viewing
Item Availability
Susan Permahos, director of the Springfield Free Public Library, said the
library enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the product-development
process as a beta test site. "It was great to see changes made as the result
of our input, and made really quickly," she said. "GALAXY WebPAC 2.0 is
so easy to use that some of our patrons even helped in the testing. They
enjoyed providing feedback and they liked the functionality in the product,
especially the ability to place reserves on 'on order' items and to search
other libraries' catalogs."
Polaris
Located in the county seat of Vicksburg, the Warren CountyVicksburg
Public Library serves more than 50,000 people. The library serves the city
ofVicksburg and the surrounding county with one main library that circulates
208,000 items annually. The library has a total collection of close to
94,000 items, including books, audiocassettes, videocassettes, magazines,
newspapers, music CDs, and CD-ROM databases. Sixty percent of the funding
for the migration from GALAXY to Polaris came from a state bond grant.
"We were very fortunate to receive fundingfrom the state," said Deb
Mitchell, director of the Warren CountyVicksburg Public Library. "This
enabled us to move directly from our text-based GALAXY system to the advanced
technology of Polaris. This is a big step for us, and one we were able
to take because we are confident we'll receive excellent training from
Gaylord. Our positive past experience with Gaylord training was a key factor
in our choosing Polaris."
Source: Gaylord Information Systems, Syracuse, NY, 800/272-3414; http://www.gaylord.com/automation. |
