Re: Surpass

[JayD <jnelson@ACCESS1.SPEEDWAY.NET>]

On Wed, 1 Jun 1994, J. Perkins wrote:

> Regarding the Surpass OPAC/Circ software...
>
> We have been using Surpass for the past three years district-wide (7
> bldgs.)  We are generally satisfied with its performance.
>
> It's easy to take for granted all of the nice things (many) that the
> software can do for you; it's also easy to point to a few shortcomings.  As
> I see it, the "hits" and "misses" look something like this:
>
> "Hits"
>
> - user-friendly interface
> - excellent tech support
> - reliability
> - reports/stats
> - flexibility
>
>
> "Misses"
>
> - clearing reserved items
> - fines/ledger adjustments
> - MicroLIF import idiosyncrasies
> - MARC record editing
>
Hi Jim,
Nice to see that you're active on the net and we appreciate your kind
words about SURPASS/2.  Let me be the first to tell you that all of the
concerns you've mentioned have in fact been rectified.  Version 3 is
currently being released and there are many additions and enhancements.
Clearing reserved items is now as easy as a keystroke and you can also
reserve books for the future not just books that are currently checked
out.  The fines adjustment feature has been refined (no pun intended).
I'm not exactly sure what the import idiosyncracies are that you refer to
but I can assure you that SURPASS/2 supports easy import of ALL forms of
MARC records...even those produced by companies that don't meet Library of
Congress specifications.  You'll also be glad to hear that true global
editing of any and all MARC Tag fields is now available within the
program.  You can now globally edit subject headings and it will edit all
records in your database automatically.

I will personally expedite sending the update to you.  Please feel free to
call me with any other comments or concerns you may have.  Thanks again
and give my best to all in the district.
Regards,
Jay D. Nelson
Educational Solutions, Inc.
800-443-3229