As promised some time ago, here is a brief report on the new SNAP! for
Windows software.  I apologize that this report is more than a month late.
A flood, a Board Meeting and what feels like myriad of other mini-crises
have intervened.

Willoughby Associates did indeed demostrate their new Windows version of
SNAP! to us on June 19.  For those of you who have been discussing the
subject recently, SNAP! for Windows is based in Microsoft Access, something
we were very pleased about because of its versatility and compatability.  We
were happy enough with the demonstration to place our order.  The system has
not been installed yet as Willoughby was waiting to complete the manuals and
documentation before releasing the new Windows program to anyone, despite
pressure from the many instutions that have placed orders - a more
comendable attitude than is generally seen in this situation.

Our decision to go with SNAP! for Windows was not immediate, it has been a
two year search and the final decision was based on the following factors:
It offers reasonably complete and flexible functionality in the area of
general collections management.  It includes a facility to import data from
our MARC format OCLC based library records, allowing single platform
searching of our entire collection.  (Even though it does not handle full
MARC records and does not import the MARC tags, the data that is imported is
enough for everything except our librarian's complete cataloging work and we
were not planning on eliminating OCLC anyway.)  The same fields allow for
citations of publications associated with collections objects.  The
searching and reporting capabilities are strong and simple to use.  Its
basis in Access makes it a relational database that will be easy to maintain
and upgrade to new software, whether produced by Willoughby or someone else.
Although a Public Access facility is not built in, it will be simple to
create a set of predefined and secured screens which will allow public
access in our Research Center.  A capability for handling photographs is
built in.  The price, although not as low as it was when the DOS version of
SNAP! first appeared, is still significantly (actually many times) lower
than anything else that comes close to its functionality.

This is not an ad for Willoughby, merely the report of a museum professional
happy to finally get the program he needs at a price he can afford.  As I
said before it has taken two years of work to get to this stage, and we are
by no means finished.  I'll be happy to continue to report on this product,
including when it is actually installed and how things go as we begin to
actually work with it.


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Bill Lazenby                                    Tel:    708-260-8187
Director of Museum Operations                   Fax:    708-260-9298
The First Division Museum at Cantigny           E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
1 South 151 Winfield Road           http://www.xnet.com:80~cantigny/fdm.htm
Wheaton, IL  60187-6097
USA
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