Ameritech & WLN Sign Contract

[info@wln.com]

     This is such big news that we are posting it to several PNW lists.
     Apologies for cross-posting.


______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________
Subject: Ameritech & WLN Sign Contract
Author:  info at WLN-1
Date:    5/9/97 12:49 PM


  Friday, May 2, 1997
     
     
  For Immediate Release.
     
  Ameritech Library Services and WLN Sign Contract to Build New
  Bibliographic Capabilities
     
  Ameritech Library Services and WLN have agreed to work together on a 
  new service offering to enhance  bibliographic data handling, 
  accessing, and sharing. This partnership will expand the solid 
  capability of Horizon, Ameritech's client/server based integrated  
  library system (ILS), to meet the emerging needs of consortia, 
  networks, and other library groups. This partnership will also provide 
  WLN with a state-of-the-art network system. 
     
  Both companies see this development project as a response to the 
  increasing demands of  libraries for integrated library systems using 
  state-of-the-art technology, developed from a convergence of interests 
  between the companies. The system will build on Horizon's capability 
  and provide a system with increased functionality. The system will 
  also allow the option to move to a system that provides much or all of 
  the functionality of a regional or national network.  
     
  "This product will give libraries greater functionality, scaleable 
  from a local to a network basis," said Jim Wilson, General Manager, 
  Horizon division, Ameritech Library Services.
     
  "This new system will allow WLN to integrate its network much more 
  effectively with libraries and with the library industry in a rapidly 
  changing information and telecommunications marketplace," said Dane 
  Robertson, WLN Director of Information Technology.  
     
  Ameritech is completing the port of the Horizon Integrated Library 
  System (ILS) to a Windows 95/NT environment. This new partnership will 
  bring each partner's considerable expertise to bear and allow greatly 
  accelerated development of a new scaleable system. This effort will 
  cap a two-year WLN re-engineering effort and combine it with a major 
  expansion of the capabilities of the Horizon product, especially in 
  the areas of cooperative cataloging, ILL, and acquisitions.
     
  This project will meet WLN's rigorous cataloging standards and also 
  provide
     *  Multiple languages and character sets 
     *  Z39.50 compliance 
     *  Adhere to ISO protocols
     *  Access to local systems from a variety of vendors  
     
  The client or workstation will use Windows 95 or NT, building on 
  Horizon's three tier client/server architecture.  The Relational 
  Database Management System  (RDBMS) choices will be expanded beyond 
  the current use of  Sybase and Microsoft SQL Server.
     
  Both companies will benefit by sharing the development costs and 
  accelerating the development of the enhanced system. Developers from 
  both companies will be working on the project over the next 12-24 
  months. 
     
  Lana Porter, President, Ameritech Library Services, said,  "This 
  partnership is building more than an integrated local system:  we are 
  creating a system that enables libraries to work better both as an 
  independent organization and, when desired, as a network of 
  institutions. We think it meets the needs of both today's libraries 
  and those of the twenty-first century."  
     
  Paul McCarthy, CEO, WLN commented that, "Today's library industry 
  requires an open systems approach.  We understand WLN customers use a 
  variety of local systems and Ameritech customers use several 
  bibliographic utilities. We have designed this open systems approach 
  with Horizon to improve the ability of both organizations to 
  interface with a wide variety of  systems and commercial partners.  
  Horizon brings tremendous technical ability to the table. After a 
  careful review of all of our options_ we found Horizon to be the best 
  foundation for WLN and the building of the next generation of library 
  network systems.  Ameritech is a strong development partner and we are 
  pleased to be working with them."
     
  Jim Wilson, General Manager of the Horizon Division, Ameritech Library 
  Services, notes that, "WLN's nearly twenty years of experience as a 
  bibliographic utility and their sound understanding of the cataloging 
  needs of libraries are great assets in further enhancing Horizon." 
     
  Ameritech Library Services develops and distributes library management 
  systems and information access products worldwide. With headquarters 
  in Provo, Utah, an affiliate office in Evanston, Illinois, and offices 
  in 13 countries, the company serves 5,000 client libraries in 34 
  countries and is the world's leading provider of library automation 
  software.
     
  Ameritech serves millions of customers in 50 states and 40 countries. 
  Ameritech provides a full range of communication services, including 
  local and long distance telephone, cellular, paging, security 
  monitoring, cable TV, electronic commerce, on-line services and more. 
  One of the world's largest companies, Ameritech (www.ameritech.com) 
  has 66,000 employees, 1 million shareowners and $23 billion in assets.
     

  WLN is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Lacey, 
  Washington.  WLN operates a library network in the United States and 
  serves many libraries and organizations of all types and sizes 
  throughout North America.  WLN products and services include an online 
  bibliographic database, Internet  services, CD-ROM catalogs, database 
  preparation/authority control services, and automated collection 
  assessment services [http://www.wln.com].
          
       For further information contact: 
          
       Jim Wilson                            Dane Robertson 
       General Manager                       Director
       Horizon Division                      Information Technology
       Ameritech Library Services            WLN
       (307) 353-8116                        (360) 923-4000 or 
     1-800-342-5956
       Email jtw@amlibs.com                  Email daner@wln.com