Endeavor Information Systems Announces New Version of Voyager(R) Integrated Library Management System

American Library Association Annual Conference, Booth #3340 -- Endeavor Information Systems (http://www.endinfosys.com ), one of the leading worldwide providers of library management software, today announced the general availability of Voyager(R) 6.1, an update to the company's flagship integrated library system (ILS). The new version of Voyager is designed to provide librarians and information professionals with a comprehensive infrastructure for managing all aspects of a library's physical assets.

As academic and research institutions are charged with managing ever- expanding physical collections, they will continue to leverage technology that not only provides an intuitive framework for the myriad organizational tasks associated with these assets, but they will also embrace solutions that adhere to industry standards. By working closely with customers, Endeavor focused on enhancements to Voyager that expand search options for library patrons and staff, as well as provide support for both ISBN-13 and OCLC number expansion.

"This is the fourth time that our institution has served as a field test partner for the Voyager product," said Laura Guy, systems librarian at the Colorado School of Mines' Arthur Lakes Library. "Not only do we enjoy interacting with Endeavor staff, and learning from them and the other partners, but our participation also provides us with the opportunity to share our insights and opinions regarding the product's usability and performance. In light of two major changes forthcoming in the library space, this dialogue with Endeavor was critically important, as our feedback helped to ensure that Voyager 6.1 complied with the revised ISBN and OCLC standards. With the addition of useful new search capabilities, this is a very strong release."

From its introduction in 1994, Voyager has been developed as a flexible system in order to stay current with evolving industry standards. As of January 1, 2007, the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), a unique numerical code applied to all commercial books, will be expanded from a ten- digit to a 13-digit number. Voyager 6.1 provides full ISBN-13 support, including new indexes and modifications to both acquisitions information and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) messages necessary for interacting with 13-digit ISBN numbers.

Likewise, earlier this year the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), a nonprofit computer library service and research organization, announced a major change to WorldCat, a database maintained by OCLC that merges the online catalogs of libraries worldwide. With the goal of managing the ongoing growth of WorldCat, which contains more than one billion holdings, OCLC plans to change its standard record reference number to add a new prefix and expand the base number from an eight-digit number and a trailing space to a nine-digit number with no trailing space, starting on November 1, 2006.

Even with this announcement coming near the end of the Voyager 6.1 development cycle, Endeavor was able to generate additional normalization rules that accommodate the OCLC number expansion. This flexibility was due largely to Endeavor's commitment to applying concepts of agile development (http://www.endinfosys.com/initiatives/agile_dev.html ) through collaboration with Elsevier's Agile Enablement Initiative. The objective of this initiative is to deliver innovative, superior products to market more quickly and with greater agility in response to customer needs.

"The whole reason for using agile development is to deliver functionality that is designated as high priority by our customers," said Robert Gerovski, director of Development at Endeavor Information Systems. "Our ability to respond to the change in the OCLC numbering standard, which came right at the end of the Voyager development cycle, is a textbook example of how agile development can assist an organization in proactively responding to changes in the industry landscape."

The expanded search functionality in Voyager 6.1 includes expanded keyword search options, as well as the ability to search holdings records containing specific information about the range of volumes held by a library. These advanced options serve as additional access points for patrons in their efforts to locate desired material and conduct more precise searches overall.

The new version of Voyager also features tighter integration with Meridian(TM), Endeavor's electronic resource management solution, enabling electronic resource data to be accessed via the Voyager OPAC, WebVoyage. This provides users with a comprehensive overview of a library's electronic holdings, and offers insights into such item-specific information such as terms and conditions, and status, data that was previously unavailable. This integration also reduces the potential of generating redundant data in Voyager.

Voyager is architected to run on the Solaris(TM) 10 operating system, which features significant updates to its performance, utilization and security capabilities. Solaris 10 offers virtual servers, or zones, where one server can appear as multiple servers, such as a Web server and database server. However, Solaris 10 provides the ability to maintain these as separate entities on the same server, helping to consolidate management responsibilities while reducing support costs. Overall, greater hardware efficiencies can be realized as the virtual environment in Solaris 10 will allow the use of multiple applications running on Sun(R) hardware.

To learn more about additional features in the new version of Voyager, including integration with Endeavor Analyzer(TM), streamlined workflows and additional local circulation policy options in Voyager's Universal Borrowing functionality, please visit http://www.endinfosys.com/software/voyager/index.html. Additionally, an interactive, 90-second tour of Voyager 6.1 can be accessed at Endeavor's home page, http://www.endinfosys.com.

About Endeavor Information Systems

Endeavor Information Systems produces advanced library management systems for research and public librarians seeking to integrate ever-increasing electronic resources within their collections. Since 1994, Endeavor has pioneered library management systems by offering enhanced functionality coupled with intuitive interfaces that increase usability and efficiency. Its heritage of technological innovation and service to libraries as well as its significant financial strength as a wholly owned subsidiary of Elsevier combine to make Endeavor Information Systems an industry leader. Visit Endeavor at http://www.endinfosys.com for more information.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com/ ), MD Consult (http://www.mdconsult.com/ ), Scopus (http://www.info.scopus.com/ ), bibliographic databases and online reference works.

Elsevier (http://www.elsevier.com/ ) is a global business headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc (http://www.reedelsevier.com/ ), a world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high- quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

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