Date: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009
From: Dale Dancis@ddancis@nyc.rr.com
HIT: Library automation systems without yearly fee-(Long)
Thanks for the answers! Hopefully we can keep Follett -we will have
to see...
I found out a few things and got lots of suggestions....I also
received a call
from the Follett sales rep!!! Apparently the Follett system has a
server in NYC at MetroTech..
A monthly backup of inventory was a great idea!!! I need to look
into some suggestions just to
be more knowledgeable.
Appreciated all the advice...
Dale Dancis
MS 254x
ddancis@schools.nyc.gov
_________________________
We use the Follett product but the version just before Destiny
(windows) which runs off a server at our school…I don’t know if they
sell it anymore but they are still charging us the annual fee for
tech support so I guess that it still is for sale… could you ask them
to downgrade you?
The circ module is around 450.00 per year. (Canadian)
Hope that helps… I haven’t checked my emails so I don’t know if you
already posted a hit or not-sorry…
Blessings,
j.
Jennifer Starcevic, Librarian
MEI Elementary School
31655 Downes Road
Abbotsford, BC V4X 2M8
604-859-3700 local 213
jstarcevic at meisoc dot com
********************************
Baltimore City Public Schools lost funding for our TLC circulation
software.
Our central library people came up with using Koha, a program
that is free. It isn't bad. Most of our
problems have been with conversion of existing records.
A contact for you would be Greg Wisegwise@bcps.k12.md.us
Judy Gundel
City Springs School #008
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*********************
Check out easy cat. Tell your principal that Follett is not going
broke.
They are actually 3 companies plus International: Follett Library
Resources,
Follett Software and Follett Educational Services [used
textbooks]. They
just in the last year or two purchased one of their better known
competitors.
Shirley Patrick
Librarian
Canton Junior High School
1115 So. Buffalo St.
Canton, TX 75103
slpatric@ednet10.net
903-567-4327 X 3118
Fax 903-567-1298
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********************************
You can tell your principal that Follett will not be going bankrupt
anytime soon. There are too many schools on their system. Follett
has gone the way of just about everything in education and business;
you very rarely own something anymore. You have to in essence
"rent" it and pay every year. This keeps the cash flow coming for
the companies. This is the same thing PLATO has done, what
Reading Counts has done, Napster, and many business applications,
including so many blogs. They want you to have to keep paying.
The Accelerated Reader people at our state convention told me they
will not be forcing everyone to go to their online version, but, who
knows?
Good luck!
Susie Highley
Indianapolis
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*****
We use Follett's InfoCentre. I may be wrong, but I think that
after you
purchase it, you are not required to pay the yearly tech support
fee.
Obviously, you won't get the tech support, but you also won't
have access to
any upgrades. It seems to be kind of a middle step between the
old Spectrum
and Destiny. Whereas I like Destiny much better, the purchase
price for IC
is cheaper and the records are actually stored on the server
computer at the
school. But it is still accessed through the internet, so that
kids and
staff can use it from home or other places.
Rebecca Bertacchi
Orinda Union School District
rbertacchi@orinda.k12.ca.us
Do a backup locally at least once a month. On the flip side -
what if the local server loses data? I like the idea of web based
because of off-site access.
Linda Sukovich, LMS
Gallman Elementary
255 Hawkins Rd.
Newberry, SC 29108
803.321.2655
lsukovich@newberry.k12.sc.us
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*******************
Don't know about other systems, but.... we use Destiny, and all
of our
records are housed on OUR server. We do pay for support each
year, but no
records are housed off site. It sounds like you are paying much
more to have
them house them off site.
Kate Hass
Librarian
Ubly Community Schools
Ubly, MI 48475
khass@m3isp.com
***********************************************************
Most of us had a system before Destiny that kept records on a
school server, and we LOVE Destiny much more. I do not know of
anything reliable for no fee. We all pretty much have to deal with an
annual fee, and Destiny with web access is by far the best. I hope
your principal listens to the experience of those who have used
automation for many years.
Lisa Hunt, NBCT 2005
School Library Media Specialist
Apple Creek Elementary
Moore, OK
lisa3moon@yahoo.com
**************************************************************
Im an ASP customer of Dynix - however I'm sure Follett also backs
up your data daily.
Does your principal plan on doing that? If the company goes
bankrupt, you can extract your records. the yearly fee is well worth
it.
Jeni Friedlandmelicenter@mac.com
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***************
There has to be backups of your data wherever it is located. In
SAISD we
use Alexandria and it has a fee as well. My records are on my
data station
at my school as our all the schools; however, parents via the web
can search
all schools because the program searches locates items at the
individual
schools. Any system is now costly!
Sandy Scroggs
sscroggs@satx.rr.com personal email address
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****************************************
Not without fee but one in which you keep your own records (unlike
most), Alexandria. Does he really think that people work for free?
Does he work for free? That's silly...and I bet you told him that :)
Pamela Grad, LMS & ITS
Cedar Heights Middle School
Kent School District
Covington, WA
pamela.grad@kent.k12.wa.us
________________________________________________________________________
__
Original Question:
Our library has finally been automated and we use Follett Destiny.
I love it, but our principal is objecting to the yearly fee. He also
wants
our records to be stored locally on a school computer and not on the
web.
Several of his concerns are the expense of a web based automation
system and
if the company goes bankrupt, all of our records would be lost.
Does anyone have a recommendation of a good automation system we
could use that it as powerful as Follett Destiny, without the yearly
fee...
and where the records are kept within a school computer and not on
the web?
Thanks for your advice.
Dale Dancis
Media Specialist
MS 254
Bronx, NY
ddancis@nyc.rr.com
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