Sun's JavaStation Network
Computers
Make the Grade for the University of
Western Ontario's Library Application
PALO ALTO, California -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. today
announced that its JavaStationTM network computers will be used in
The University of Western Ontario's newly renovated, state-of-the-art D. B. Weldon
Library.
The University of Western Ontario has purchased 250
JavaStation network computers from Sun for use by students
and
faculty to browse the Web, to send and receive e-mail and
to
access the library database. The JavaStation network computers,
plus two of Sun's UltraTM EnterpriseTM 450 servers, will
be
installed in the renovated facility in time for its re-opening
this fall.
The University of Western Ontario's Library System is the
sixth
largest university library system in Canada, with an annual
budget
of close to $17 million, collections of 2.2 million catalogued
volumes and more than 4.5 million items in other formats.
The decision to deploy Sun's JavaStation network computers
in
its new facility follows a successful four-month pilot program
conducted earlier this year. For the pilot program, 10 systems
were
installed in The University of Western Ontario's Allyn and
Betty
Taylor Library, a sister facility of The Weldon Library,
dedicated to
science collections.
The University of Western Ontario's administration underwent
the pilot program in an effort to evaluate cost-effective
computer
access to library information using a computing architecture
other
than that of the previous PC systems, as they required a
level of
support from non-technical personnel that was straining
resources.
``We started to look for alternatives to PCs in the library
because we found that our staff was spending increasing
amounts
of resources on supporting the Windows environment that
was
used to run a small, fixed set of library and related applications.
The
JavaStation NCs we used in the pilot program enabled us
to
provide efficient, centralized desktop maintenance and
administration, with improved security and access to applications
without straining our resources,'' said Michael Bauer, senior
director, Information Technology Services at The University
of
Western Ontario. ``When The Weldon Library originally opened
in
1972 it was a center of leading technology. Now, with the
selection
of Sun systems, Weldon is once again in the vanguard of
library
technology.''
At the conclusion of the pilot, school officials determined
that
the JavaStation NC provided access to all information (including
legacy, cross-platform systems) required by library customers
while
nearly eliminating the support requirements of the PC/Windows
system it will replace.
``Applications such as this one at The University of Western
Ontario provide a great example of deployment of NCs in
a
real-world situation,'' said Steve Tirado, director of product
marketing, Network Computing Systems at Sun Microsystems.
``The library application is particularly well suited to
the JavaStation
NC because it takes advantage of the network technology
enabled
by Java technology to provide centralized administration,
cost
savings and access to the latest and greatest software upgrades.''
The majority of the JavaStation network computers will be
located on the main floor of the library in a mixture of
carrels and
desktops for students to access library catalog information
and
network resources, including the World Wide Web. They will
also
be stationed around the main reference desk to conduct ``express''
and library staff-assisted information searches.
About The University of Western
Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a vibrant center
of learning,
with 1,250 faculty members, 1,800 staff and more than 24,000
undergraduate and graduate students. Through its 12 Faculties
and
Schools and three affiliated Colleges, the University offers
more
than 50 degree and diploma programs. More information about
The
University of Western Ontario is available via the World
Wide
Web at http://www.uwo.ca.
About Sun Microsystems
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, ``The Network
is the
ComputerTM,'' has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc.
(NASDAQ:SUNW - news) to its position as a leading provider
of
high quality hardware, software and services for establishing
enterprise-wide Intranets and expanding the power of the
Internet.
With more than $9 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be
found in
more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com @Macarlo, Inc. @Macarlo's Shareware & Web OS/2 Java Lobby Member
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