In March 2007, SirsiDynix notified its Horizon and classic Dynix customers that it would not be releasing Horizon 8.0 in favor of developing its Unicorn software. As vice president/president-elect of SirsiDynix's Horizon/Dynix user group, the author was one of the first ones to be notified of this abrupt change in company strategy. The news sent…

Conventional and hosted applications thrive, but open source ERP (enterprise resource planning) is coming on strong. In many ways, the evolution of the ERP market is littered with ironies. When Oracle began buying up customer relationship management (CRM) and ERP companies, some universities worried that they would be left with fewer choices and…

Digital lecture capture and broadcast solutions have been around for only about 10 years, but are poised for healthy growth. Frost & Sullivan research analysts estimate that the market (which amounts to $25 million currently) will quadruple by 2013. It's still dominated by a few key players, however: Sonic Foundry holds a hefty 40 percent-plus…

Given the recent spate of library system vendor acquisitions and consolidations, integrated library system (ILS) migrations have become a hot topic again. Although ILS migrations happen all the time, they tend to be cyclical in nature. Today, people are thinking broadly about what options might be available to them. These include changing vendors,…

Course management systems (CMSs) are software systems designed to manage course content and course activities. These tools integrate technological and pedagogical features into a web-based system that allows instructors, even those who are unfamiliar with web-based technologies, to design, deliver, and manage an online course. However, CMSs have…

To help users develop a long-term strategy for software acquisition, this article outlines two rules: (1) "Know exactly the nature of the problem you want to solve"; and (2) "If you can't try it, don't buy it." Use the sharpest precision software tool you can find to solve your problem and keep a constant look out for something…

Offers tips for choosing an automated library system. Topics include dealing with vendors; talking to other librarians; visiting a similar library with the same system; print sources for system information; demonstration disks; salespeople; costs; and learning about automation company competitors. (LRW)

Discusses the efforts of the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) to implement a statewide standardized electronic information processing system, the Institutional Information Processing System. Describes the steps taken by the NCCCS to decide on the appropriate platform, hardware and software vendors, and implementation timetable. (MAB)

Discusses changes that have made desktop publishing appealing and reasonably priced. Hardware, software, and printer options for getting started and moving on, typeface developments, and the key characteristics of desktop publishing are described. The author's notes on 33 articles from the personal computing literature from January-March 1994 are…

Describes the development of an online learning environment for a visually impaired professional. Topics include physical barriers, intellectual barriers, psychological barriers, and technological barriers; selecting appropriate hardware and software; and combining technologies that include personal computers, Web-based resources, network…

Speech recognition technology helps people with disabilities interact with computers more easily. People with motor limitations, who cannot use a standard keyboard and mouse, can use their voices to navigate the computer and create documents. The technology is also useful to people with learning disabilities who experience difficulty with spelling…

Describes how a public library consortium jettisoned the Request for Proposal (RFP) process and used library staff, with some assistance from consultants, to evaluate new automation systems based on software demonstrations and Requests for Quotations (RFQ). The RFQ and RFP processes are compared. A sidebar article describes the financing plan.…

A survey of America's 244 largest school districts, with responses from 215, showed that 28 percent are actively procuring at least 1 of 3 major administrative information systems: financial, human resources, or student information. Describes the installation and use of a new information infrastructure in a Maryland school district. (MLF)

This paper describes the planning and implementation of a school-wide home page at California Lutheran University (CLU) (Thousand Oaks, California). A working team created a balanced web site which represents all areas of the CLU community. The Internet Task Force implemented general computing policies, standardized University home page design,…

The three articles in this special section on document image files discuss intelligent character recognition, including comparison with optical character recognition; selection of displays for document image processing, focusing on paperlike displays; and imaging hardware, software, and vendors, including guidelines for system selection. (MES)