1997 Geac ADVANCE Users' Group Annual Meeting
Berry College, Rome Georgia
March 10-15, 1997
P R E L I M I N A R Y P R O G R A M
The GAUG Board in partnership with Geac and Berry College is pleased to announce the following program outline for the annual meeting. We think you will find many opportunities to add to your expertise of the ADVANCE system.
We encourage participation of a cross-section of users from each site. The modest registration fee for the four day meeting includes two full days of workshops presented by respected experts of Geac, Eloise Sullivan, B.J. Mitchell and Matt Goldner. Lunches, a reception and a gourmet buffet dinner are also included as well as the opportunity to share and learn from each other.
The Board is very excited about our Keynote speaker on Friday morning, Pamela Cibbarelli, who between now and the meeting will be conducting a survey of ADVANCE sites. She will present the results for us and discuss trends in the industry. Ms. Cibbarelli is the editor of The Directory of Library Automation Software, Systems, and Services. She has also authored many articles and papers on library automation including a series of user-rating studies: Cibbarelli's Surveys: User Ratings of Library Software, published in Information Today and Computers in Libraries. Ms. Cibbarelli has been providing seminars and classes nationally for 15 years and is the owner of CIBBARELLI'S, a consulting firm specializing in information retrieval systems and assistance with library automation projects.
There will be two vendor partners associated with the ADVANCE product on the program. Fitzgerald & Long will be making a presentation on FAST, their file maintenance software package. VMARK Software, Inc. is providing a two-day optional pre-meeting workshop on Secrets of the UniVerse, the overlaying operating system which many of the ADVANCE sites are using. VMARK will also be discussing their UniVersal Warehouse software package which has potential ADVANCE/uniVerse sites.
Geac will be presenting updates on Geac activities and the ADVANCE products as well as training sessions. We are all looking forward to seeing the new GeoWeb product which should be installed in a few sites by meeting time. The other GEOS2 products have undergone significant changes since last year and the University of Oxford Libraries will be sharing their experience with GeoCat. There will be an opportunity to discuss, with Mike Steacy (Manager of LAD Operations, Geac), the increased effectiveness of LAD and improvements to user support.
The 6.9 Indexing workshop on Thursday is a MUST for upgrading to 6.9. This workshop is dedicated to the discussion of the changes in release 6.9 and how you need to prepare for them. Documentation about release 6.9 is available, if you have not already received your copy, feel free to contact B.J. Mitchell and he will provide you with one.
Eloise Sullivan has offered to provide an Acquisitions Workshop, however before this workshop can be finalized, she requires user input for course content. See contact information in schedule below for Wed. March 12th.
Release 6.9 will deliver dramatic changes to the holdings database. In this half-day workshop B.J. Mitchell will cover: The USMARC holdings standard, the new holdings database structure and how it relates to USMARC holdings, conversion issues, and training on the new holdings maintenance functions.
Two other sessions which have a lot of interest now are Authority Control and New Machines. Several sites have been involved with these activities and will report on their experience. It will also be an opportunity to ask the panel questions and get specifics which may help you make a decision if your site is considering these projects.
The module sessions will be sites sharing what they have done with local enhancements, reports, setups, procedures and anomalies. Documentation from sites sharing will be distributed when supplied such as the procs, dictionaries and samples of report. Please contact Bob Baker if you have a module aspect you would like to share. Come with your experiences, curiosity and questions to these sessions.
Finally, we are excited about the venue for this years meeting, Berry College. Berry is a beautiful campus with 28,000 acres of land. Fields, forests, lakes, and mountains provide scenic beauty in a protected natural setting. Berry College is located next to Rome, Georgia, on U.S. 27 in Northwest Georgia, 65 miles northwest of Atlanta and 65 miles south of Chattanooga. Recognized as one of the outstanding small, comprehensive colleges in the South, Berry College is an independent, coeducational college with fully accredited arts, sciences, and professional programs plus specialized graduate programs in education and business administration. We will be having a reception at the Oak Hill Mansion, the ancestral home of Martha McChesney Berry, founder of Berry College. The mansion was originally built in 1847 and is a living testimony to a grand and gracious era of Southern American history.
Come and share the experience of the fifth annual meeting of the GAUG. We are certain you find this meeting continuing the tradition of the first four annual meetings, i.e. being truly rewarding both in content and an opportunity to communicate with ADVANCE colleagues and Geac. The GAUG Board: Bob Baker - President, Bill Jones - President Elect,
Eddie Williams - Secretary/Treasurer, & Tim LaBorie - Past President.
The program is being revised as more details are acquired. You will be notified when the "FINAL
PROGRAM" is posted. You may want to check occasionally for updates.
Monday March 10 & Tuesday March 11
8:00 TRANSPORTATION TO BERRY FROM ROME
8:30-5:00 Secrets of the uniVerse - VMARK Software, Inc. Training Staff
VMARK Education has put together a two day solution
seminar to adress the following issues:
- System Performance, i.e. Tuning uniVerse
- Extending Spooler Functionality
- File fixing & recovery
12 people minimum required
8:30-5:00 Advanced Report Writing - Matt Goldner, Training Specialist, Geac
A comprehensive two-day hands-on workshop covering
report writing on the ADVANCE system.
5 people minimum required, contact Judy Millen, Geac
(800) 825-825-2574 ext. 6976 for details & registration
5:30 TRANSPORTATION TO ROME FROM BERRY
Wednesday March 12
8:00 TRANSPORTATION TO BERRY FROM ROME
8:30-8:40 Opening Remarks
8:45-5:00 Report Writing Workshop, Matt Goldner, Training Specialist, Geac
File Structure - modules files, related files, fields,
I-Descriptors & Using verbs and their special features,
New Front-End Report Writing
8:45-5:00 Acquisitions Workshop, Eloise Sullivan, Senior PA,
ADVANCE Product Development, Geac
*** TENTATIVE *** Subject to user group input.
10 people minimum required
Please provide input so the workshop can be tailored to
meet the needs of the participants. Thank you.
Contact Eloise Sullivan via email, e.sullivan@geac.com
or fax: (905) 475-3847, or mail comments to:
Eloise Sullivan
Geac Canada Limited
11 Allstate Parkway, Suite 300
Markham, Ontario
L3R 9T8
10:15-10:30 BREAK
12:15-1:15 LUNCH - Box
1:15-5:00 Holdings Workshop, B.J. Mitchell, Manager, ADVANCE Product
Development, Geac
Release 6.9 will deliver dramatic changes to the holdings
database. In this half day workshop we will cover:
- The USMARC holdings standard
- The new holdings database structure and how it relates
to USMARC holdings
- Conversion issues
- Training on the new holdings maintenance functions
3:00-3:15 BREAK
5:15 TRANSPORTATION TO ROME FROM BERRY
Thursday March 13
8:00 TRANSPORTATION TO BERRY FROM ROME
8:30-5:00 Release 6.9 Indexing Workshop, B.J. Mitchell, Manager,
ADVANCE Product Development, Geac
Release 6.9 will deliver a new set of tools for defining
your library’s catalogue. These tools provide you with
the ability to create your database, define what goes in
it, the extent of authority control, and how it is
indexed, sorted and searched. This full day workshop
will be dedicated to the discussion of these changes and
how you can make maximum use of them. In order for
B.J. to tailor this workshop to your needs for indexing
please contact B.J. Mitchell via email, bj@geac.com or
fax: (905) 475-3847, or mail queries/comments to:
B.J. Mitchell
Geac Canada Limited
11 Allstate Parkway, Suite 300
Markham, Ontario
L3R 9T8
10:15-10:30 BREAK
12:15-1:15 LUNCH - Buffet
3:00-3:15 BREAK
5:15 TRANSPORTATION TO RECEPTION
5:30-7:15 Reception - Oak Hill Mansion
7:30 TRANSPORTATION TO ROME FROM BERRY
Friday March 14
8:00 TRANSPORTATION TO BERRY FROM ROME
8:30-9:15 Keynote Speaker, Pamela Cibbarelli, CIBBARELLI'S
"A Look from the Outside"
How ADVANCE is viewed by its customers and how it
compares with other products. What are the directions
of the industry and how will libraries be affected.
9:15-10:15 FAST Workshop, Fitzgerald & Long
FAST simulation, why file sizing is critical, data
storage, how files become inefficient and increasing
performance
10:15-10:30 BREAK
10:30-11:15 Module-Cat
Sites report local enhancements, reports, setups,
shortcuts and anomalies. Samples of reports, procedures,
setups, etc. will be distributed. Please contact
Bob Baker if you have a module aspect you would
like to share, via email: bakerr@ccmail.orst.edu or
fax: (541) 737-3453, or mail requests to:
Bob Baker
Oregon State University
Valley Library
Corvallis, OR 97333 USA
10:30-11:15 Module-Ser (see Module-Cat for general description)
11:30-12:15 UniVersal Warehouse, VMARK-UniVerse Marketing
VMARK will talk about and display their Data Warehouse S/W
Package and how it might be used in the library
12:15-1:15 LUNCH - Box
1:15-2:15 Authority Control
Several sites will discuss their experience with authority
control projects, database exports, clean-up, DB/authority
imports, resources required and maintenance
2:15-3:15 GeoWeb, Matt Goldner, Geac, and sites with Web OPACs
The new GeoWeb product will be demonstrated and sites
currently supporting Web OPACs will share their experience
3:15-3:30 BREAK
3:30-4:15 Module-Acq (see Module-Cat for general description)
3:30-4:15 Module-Circ (see Module-Cat for general description)
4:30-5:15 Module-OPAC (see Module-Cat for general description)
5:30 TRANSPORTATION TO ROME FROM BERRY
6:15-8:15 GAUG Dinner, Gourmet Buffet in Rome
8:30 TRANSPORTATION TO HOTELS
Saturday March 15
8:00 TRANSPORTATION TO BERRY FROM ROME
8:15-9:00 Business Meeting (Breakfast Buffet)
9:00-9:30 Geac Management, Mike Rose, North American Sales Mgr., Geac
About Bill Nelson (Geac's new CEO), Geac's directions
and changes, and the impact on the Library Division
9:30-10:15 GEOS2 Update, TBA - Geac & University of Oxford
The latest releases will be demonstrated, features
discussed and feedback on the installation of GeoCat at
the University of Oxford
10:15-10:30 BREAK
10:30-11:15 LAD, Mike Steacy, Mgr. Customer Service, Lib. Div., Geac
Discussion of LAD this past year and planned changes.
If you have issues you want included in this session,
contact, Mike Steacy via email: m.steacy@geac.com or
fax: (905) 475-3847, or mail queries/comments to:
Mike Steacy
Geac Canada Limited
11 Allstate Parkway, Suite 300
Markham, Ontario
L3R 9T8
11:15-12:15 Enhancements Part 1, Bill Jones, NYU & B.J. Mitchell, Geac
Results of the enhancement voting will be discussed and
Geac's plans for enhancements in their future releases
12:15-1:15 LUNCH - Buffet
1:15-2:15 Enhancements Part 2, Bill Jones, NYU & B.J. Mitchell, Geac
2:15-3:00 New Machines
Experiences acquiring and installing new computers will
be shared along with reasons for changing, computer
selection, costs, training and performance
3:00-3:15 BREAK
3:15-3:45 Wrap-Up/Evaluation
4:00 TRANSPORTATION TO ROME FROM BERRY
Registration Form
Rome Housing Options
Transportation
Count since 1/20/97: 
Last Update:Wednesday, 05-Feb-1997 14:20:12 PST