----------------------- Message requiring your approval ----------------------
From: Helene and Murray Tuchman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Spectrum/Athena users information on Infocentre2005
To: Spectrum/Athena/Sagebrush Users
Re: InfoCentre 2005 Product from Sagebrush
Date: June 28, 2005
RE: August 1, 2005 deadline for Discount on new product
I promised those members of the group who could not attend the AJL
convention in Oakland this year a summary of my thoughts about the new
product, based on my questions to John Blanchard the Sagebrush Rep who
presented information at a Users Group meeting at the conference.
Summary
This message is based entirely on my own notes. I am sending a copy of it to
John Blanchard to see if I have made any mistakes in understanding.
· Sagebrush has created a completely new product based on a new software
platform because the old platform is outmoded in todays computer
environment. Right now the new product contains 85% of the features
currently available in Spectrum and Athena and they are working on
completing and incorporating all the old and new features into Infocentre
2005 by next spring. For a list of current features that are not presently
available in the new product please email
[EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will send you a list.
· The Maintenance Group to which many of us belong will continue to
include
all Sagebrush Customers, Spectrum/Athena/InfoCentre and we will continue to
receive 15% discount as a group. You do not need to switch.
· Sagebrush will continue to provide technical support forever for all
products that they sell. You do not need to switch software if you do not
want to.
If you wish to buy into the program you must send a letter/purchase order
indicating that you wish to purchase the product before August 1, 2005. They
plan to ship the product by August 15th and they will Invoice you and you
will have 30 days to send payment. You will continue to receive maintenance
on your old product and you will have a years free maintenance on
Infocentre 2005. They plan to send another upgrade in the Spring of 2006.
The process of exporting your current data is built into the new product and
they assure us it is simple. We viewed it on the demo John Blanchard
provided.
MY OPINION AND COURSE OF ACTION
It is my intention to upgrade my library to this new product because it
contains or will contain in the future the Webcat (online web catalog)
features and z39.5 features(for downloading marc records from other
libraries) and report features that we would like for our library. By
upgrading now at $595 I will save $400 and not incur additional maintenance
or support charges as I make the transition to the new product. I view this
purchase in the nature of signing up to purchase an expensive book at the
pre-publication price. After August 1 Sagebrush says they will charge $995
to upgrade. If you sign up before August 1 you will have until the middle of
September to pay the invoice, they just need a purchase order now. I was
planning to upgrade to Spectrum Suite at a cost of about $1000 anyway.
· It is my intention not to load the upgrade into my main system
before the
Spring upgrade so that I will have time to play with it and learn it and
also because I do not want to lose access to features I have now . In
this, each person must decide for themselves based on the list of new/old
and missing features that John Blanchard will send you. Currently Spectrum
seems to have more or different features than Athena so I cannot speak to
this point until I study the list.
I will be receiving email at this address [EMAIL PROTECTED], all summer even
though I will be in Maine. I will not be at my library until September so
please do not send messages for me there.
I hope that I have covered all the questions that you asked me to ask on
your behalf.
Have a healthy and enjoyable summer.
BShalom
Helene Tuchman
Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author
and are not necessarily endorsed by the AJL
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