From Sea Change Corporation

MICHEAL LORENZEN

Overview:
BookWhere? 2000 is a bibliographic management software application that allows the searching of multiple Z39.50 library catalogs. The user can sort results by many fields, including author, title and date. There are many options for exporting records, including plain text, MARC, and ProCite format.

Special features:
The software enables the user to search multiple library databases simultaneously. This permits the creation of large bibliographies that can be extracted directly from multiple sources in a short period.

Note:
The full release of Version 3.0 of Bookwhere? 2000 was too late to be included in this review; the beta release is reviewed here.

Strengths:
Installation of the program is straightforward and takes little time. Importing records from the library catalogs to the user is easy and there are many formats in which records can be exported. Batch commands can be programmed that allow multiple searches from a single query. The Help file for the program is reasonably complete and answers many basic questions. (No printed manual was available for evaluation.)

Weaknesses:
Only libraries with Z39.50-compliant catalogues can be searched. This therefore excludes many catalogues, including a large number of international library catalogues. This reviewer found that the system interface took some getting used to. Users might find that it takes several sessions to feel comfortable in manipulating and setting up their own searches.

Likely users:
Researchers wanting to search multiple library catalogues will probably use this. Because this software is more flexible in exporting than the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), this is a good product for those who do not need the comprehensiveness of OCLC. Some libraries might find the software preferable for use in interlibrary loan for performing searches of a set group of libraries.

Platforms:
Windows 95/NT.

Price:
$295.00.

Michael Lorenzen, Library Instruction Coordinator, lorenze1@msu.edu