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This article describes the opportunities, challenges, and results of a vendor-library development project to create an ecommerce tool as an integrated facet of Innovative's Web OPAC. Westerville Public Library was engaged with the software development process from the outset, communicating administrative, technical, and service issues and needs while also testing the product with its customers. The project culminated in early 2004 with the installation of Innovative's Ecommerce product and resulted in the collection of large payments online and an increase in total fine revenue collected. Most notably, the team found that Ecommerce gathered nearly a quarter of all fines collected in 2004, and almost one-third of fines collected in the first half of 2005. The participants reflect on the nature and history of the partnership, outcomes, best practices, and future plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In all business communities, standards development is a collaborative activity that requires the participation of all players in the value chain. This article looks at how NISO's current work, supported largely through a collaboration of vendors and libraries, relates to trends and innovations in library services management. It also gives insights into how the information community accomplishes its standards goals through multiple channels. Featured sections include historical perspectives on information standards and discussion of major influences on the development of next-generation standards affecting library management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews publisher and vendor use of library advisory boards. While they are not new to the information industry, library advisory boards have assumed new importance, From the industry perspective, library advisory boards provide valuable market feedback concerning products and services. For librarians, membership on library advisory boards is an opportunity to learn about new products, provide feedback on existing products, and better understand the information marketplace. Recent literature is reviewed and a number of publishers and vendors are surveyed. The uses and organization of advisory boards and their value to both companies and the library community are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationships are key to the success of any library project, and relations with the vendor's staff are too often overlooked or viewed its adversarial. Focusing on automated system and online electronic resource vendors, different functional departments of the vendor's staff are examined with an eye toward the benefits that a good relationship can bring to support the project. The evolving database marketplace is reviewed, particularly in light of the multiple buying cooperatives many public libraries find available to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past several years, vendors of electronic resources have been monitoring their systems for occurrences of the downloading of large volumes of material by individuals who access these systems through libraries. These incidents violate license agreements between libraries and vendors. The perpetrators may be legitimate authorized users of a library, or they may be unauthorized users who have found a temporary hole in network security and attain access through open proxy servers or other means. Some use technical tools, like robots, to facilitate quicker systematic downloading. These acts may result in cessation of access to the resource for a limited time until the library investigates the situation and reports its findings to the vendor. Librarians have options for investigating these incidents, working with vendors, and preventing such incidents from happening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the establishment of a symbiotic relationships between libraries and vendors. Influencing the relationship between libraries and vendors are technological developments and applications. The application of integrated systems in libraries has three distinct stages. These include the research stage, maturation and enterprise and mission critical. The availability of networked online full-text to libraries paved the way to the development of vendor involvement through the application of another automated solution.

This article discusses the significance of open communication between libraries and vendors. Compared to typical customer/vendor relations, the nature of relations between libraries and vendors. The strong relationship between libraries and vendors is key to the continued development of products and services for use by librarians and patrons. Two factors at the core of library/vendor relations are open lines of communication and the basic sharing of information. An understanding of needs is considered the most significant element in the library/vendor relationship.