Midwinter, Day Two: From the Hilltops
Posted On Jan 21 2007I didn’t get around too much on day two, but the day was long, nevertheless. There were, however, a couple of observations I wanted to make. Interfaces a la Google It wouldn’t be an ALA Midwinter if I didn’t take a moment to register my usual skepticism of Google. I went to their tips and tricks session, which was a nice overview for people not familiar with Google Coop, custom search, and Google’s librarian-like advanced search features. More information is available at the Google Librarian Center. But I am still struck by the lack of information forthcoming when librarians ask …
Midwinter, Day One: Uphill
Posted On Jan 20 2007I don’t remember the hills in Seattle being so steep. I’m still on East Coast time and sitting in the bar of the Renaissance Madison Hotel on a dying battery, trying to summarize today’s events. (No, I’m not sitting in a bar at breakfast time Saturday, when this entry posted to the blog!) The bulk of the day was spent at RMG’s annual “ILS vendor” panel. I know, you’re thinking, “How many of them are left?” Truth be told, the panel in its 18th year is made up primarily of nontraditional system vendors, though they are still well represented. This …
Vista Acquisition of SirsiDynix Completed
Posted On Jan 17 2007Leading the flurry of press releases that come out at each ALA meeting, SirsiDynix and Vista Equity Partners have announced the finishing toucheson the latter’s full acquisition of the former. As of today, Vista Equity Partners is sole owner of one of the biggest library automation firms. It’s worth noting that the financial picture has to do with the fact that Seaport Capital was invested in SirsiDynix with a tenure fund. The tenure ran out and SirsiDynix was looking for a new investor. While this might seem like an anathema to the library world, this is how the business world …