Information Today
Volume 18, Issue 7 — July/August 2001
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Baker & Taylor, Gaylord Information Systems Form Alliance

Gaylord Information Systems (GIS), a division of Gaylord Bros., Inc., has announced an alliance with Baker & Taylor, a leading distributor of books, videos, and music products to the public library market. This alliance provides enhanced electronic data interchange (EDI) ordering in Polaris, GIS's third-generation library automation system. The new interface will let Polaris customers do online collection development, ordering, and acquisitions through Baker & Taylor. It will also allow for processing of branch distribution information, which will expedite the ordering and receipt of copies for multiple locations.

"Truly efficient work flows for ordering, order acknowledgement, and invoicing have been elusive in the world of acquisitions processing," said GIS president Katherine Blauer. "Our close collaboration with Baker & Taylor will streamline the acquisitions process and reduce the amount of time it takes to get materials into the hands of library users. Polaris and Baker & Taylor are using the most advanced version of EDI technology to accomplish this task, and it paves the way for other enhancements in the acquisitions process."

The new Polaris/Baker & Taylor interface provides several advantages for Polaris customers, including the ability to order directly from the book wholesaler using EDI. Polaris will support the latest version of EDI (4010) for ordering, order acknowledgement, and invoicing. In addition, Polaris customers will be able to import order-enhanced bibliographic records from Title Source II into Polaris for the bulk creation of purchase orders. They can also have books delivered directly to branches, saving time and resources at the library.

"Both Baker & Taylor and Gaylord Information Systems are committed to providing innovative solutions for today's library community," said George Coe, president of Baker & Taylor Institutional. "That is what this new interface is all about. Our mutual customers will benefit tremendously from this technology. Libraries will now be able to streamline their collection-development systems, online acquisitions, and cataloging and processing services. Baker & Taylor is pleased to announce this partnership and is confident that it will result in a more efficient work flow for our customers."

Future plans for the two companies include development of an XML version of the Polaris/Baker & Taylor interface. "It is exciting to be working with GIS on this cutting-edge technology," said Livia Bitner, Baker & Taylor's senior vice president of customized library services. "This collaboration affords us the opportunity to serve our common customers better."

Baker & Taylor, Inc., which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a global information and entertainment services company that offers books, videos, music, and fulfillment services to traditional and Internet retailers, libraries, and educational institutions.

Gaylord Information Systems is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Provider and the 26-year-old software development division of Gaylord Bros., a leading supplier to the library industry for more than a century. More than 600 libraries nationwide use the GALAXY and Polaris integrated library systems. In addition to its library automation systems, GIS offers work-flow analysis, retrospective conversion, and database enhancement services to libraries of all types.

Source: Gaylord Information Systems, Syracuse, NY, 800/272-3414; http://www.gaylord.com/automation.

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