Tiny collection

[Ernest Perez]

Kathy Kendall writes:
> Is there a database
> that can be set up to accept Marc fields which could be
> dumped at a later date into another automated system, or 
> would we have to start from scratch?

Check out Inmagic DB/Textmaster with info at www.inmagic.com. They have
a nice full-text search database with relational table capabilities.
They do have a library template which lets you set up a simple or a bit
more complex opac, and can include acquisitions, periodicals/serials,
and circulation. 

They have translation utilities to go from MARC to InMagic format, and
can export in Inmagic "dump" format, and in comma-delimited. So the data
is pretty portable.

Price is not too high, like $500 or $600 as I recall. If you upgrade to
their $5000 "WebPublisher" version (a Win95 or NT product, often on
sale) you can put the catalog and any other databases you have on the
system onto the Web. The licensing covers as many Web browsers as can
get on.  It's powerful.  Check out our "Oregon Index" at
<http://www.osl.state.or.us/orpac/orindhome.html> to get an idea of
performance. That is in two database files, one with about 280,000
records, one with about 60,000.

Cheers,
-ernest
Ernest Perez//Oregon State
Library//perez at opac.osl.state.or.us//503-378-4243
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