Software corner
| Pages | 36-37 |
| Published date | 01 January 1985 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb044640 |
| Date | 01 January 1985 |
| Author | Jeanne Nolan |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
SOFT
WARE
corner
JEANNE
NOLAN
S
o many new microcomputer software
products have been released this past
year, that it's nearly impossible to
keep up, let alone comprehend how
these new programs will assist us in
our day-to-day library/information manage-
ment operations.
This new column is devoted to those over-
whelmed individuals who are trying to stay
afloat. Each issue will deal with library appli-
cations of the new software. I welcome your
comments and suggestions for future issues
and look forward to
a
prosperous New Year for
all the readers of
The Electronic Library
Integrated Software
Whether you are currently looking for word-
processing, database management, spread-
sheet or communication software for your
library or are currently frustrated by attempts
to transfer information from one program to
another, the topic of Integrated Software is a
timely one.
The term "Integrated Software" was coined
in 1982 by Context Management located in
Torrance, California. (Torrance is a Los
Angeles suburb and site of my office.) Context
MBA was a product that combined several
applications into one product. Today the term
has come to represent software that combines
database management, electronic spread-
sheets, graphics, word-processing and com-
munications or some combination
thereof.
The
following programs are considered to fall into
this category: Lotus
1-2-3,
Symphony, Frame-
work and Appleworks.
One of the prime advantages of this Inte-
grated Software is that data transfer between
different applications is greatly simplified.
Until recently, it would have been impossi-
ble to consider integrated software because of
the memory requirements. Now that memory
can be expanded for approximately $45 per
64K, and 256K RAM is becoming a standard
for a basic microcomputer system, the RAM
requirements of these programs
is
manageable.
Here is a list of memory requirements for the
programs mentioned above:
Lotus
1-2-3:
192K RAM
Symphony: 320K RAM
Framework: 256K RAM
Appleworks: 128K RAM
In the past eight months, there has been tre-
mendous interest expressed in these programs
by library and information management pro-
fessionals who are weary of trying to transfer
information from word-processing to database
management software or vice-versa. At the
present time, Lotus 1-2-3 seems to be the most
widely used integrated package but many of
these users are upgrading to the more advanced
Symphony.
What
are libraries using
these
programs for?
The most widely mentioned application is
budget preparation followed closely by acqui-
sitions. While these products are very new,
there
is
already an interest in template clearing-
houses where librarians could deposit appli-
cations developed in their libraries so that
others could share and save considerable devel-
opment time.
A clearinghouse has been established by Eric
Anderson who also reviews software for
Book-
list.
While his applications are primarily for
PFS and DB Master, he has indicated that
applications for Appleworks (designed for the
Apple IIe) could also be submitted to the
Clearinghouse. You can write to Eric Ander-
son at 145 Marcia Drive, Freeport, Il 61032
USA. Readers are encouraged to forward a de-
scription of their library applications of inte-
grated software to Jeanne Nolan, 2213 B Haw-
thorne Blvd., Suite
5323,
Torrance, CA 90509.
Framework is a newly released integrated
package from Ashton Tate (producers of dBase
II and dBase III). Framework does not offer as
sophisticated a DBMS as dBase II, but it is
relational and works quite well with the word-
processing component. So far, this system
seems to have one of the finest report gener-
ators.
This package also includes graphics,
financial modeling, and communications.
Several libraries have purchased Framework
and will be developing applications in the next
few months which will be shared in a future
column.
The term 'Integrated Software' can also be
applied to library management software.
Applied to this specialized field, it integrates
the following functions: Acquisitions, online
catalog, circulation, serials management,
budgeting and statistics. Information gener-
ated during acquisitions becomes part of the
catalog record. Users of the online catalog can
also determine if an item has been ordered by
the library. This is a rather new concept for
programs designed for the microcomputer and
super micros. Producers such as Data Trek
who produce Card Datalog and OCLC who
distribute LS 2000 are at the forefront in these
developments. Another new producer, Scribe
Software has recently released a product called
Innovation 45 Plus that appears to also use the
integrated approach.
With the growth of this new genre of soft-
ware, librarians will have some exciting
choices. It looks as if the day is fast approach-
ing when the librarian's wish of having to input
data only once is becoming a reality.
36 The Electronic Library, January 1985. Vol. 3, No. 1.
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