AMICO Press Release
November 15, 2001

Greater Delivery Choices for The AMICO LibraryTM:  VTLS Inc. and AMICO 
Sign Distribution Agreement

AMICO Headquarters; Pittsburgh, PA

The Art Museum Image Consortium (AMICO) and VTLS Inc. have signed a
distribution agreement to deliver The AMICO LibraryTM.  VTLS Inc., a leader in
client-server integrated library automation solutions, is the latest in a
series of providers, announced in recent months, making The AMICO Library
available for a variety of user types, from small art institutes to large
public library systems, K-12 schools to state universities, at reasonable rates
with different functional and interface flexibility. The objective is to make
The AMICO Library widely available and provide users with a choice of service
providers so they may select one that particularly suits their unique needs.  

To begin distribution of their presentation of The AMICO Library VTLS has
agreed to be a distributor option for the cooperative purchasing program newly
available to Nylink members.  Nylink is a not-for-profit membership
organization providing services to libraries throughout New York State and
beyond.  Services include training, support and consulting services for
libraries on a broad range of technology-related issues and facilitating group
purchasing opportunities to help libraries obtain cost-effective access to
electronic information.  A preview trial period will be available to Nylink
members from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31, 2001.

As AMICO’s Executive Director, Jennifer Trant, notes, “VTLS is a wonderful
addition to our growing provider array.  VTLS’s existing alliances in libraries
worldwide and their multi-lingual capabilities are of great interest to AMICO. 
We hope these connections will help build links to and added functionality for
potential users of The AMICO Library in countries beyond those we currently
serve, since this expanded access keeps our Members activated and engaged.  As
a proven expert in library automation with a keen focus on technology and
future-driven solutions without sparing the ultimate user focus VTLS
coordinates well with AMICO’s own desire to promote technology to widen and
deepen educational use of museum collections.” 

“Our work to process and deliver The AMICO Library has been an exciting
challenge.  We feel that we have found a great way to allow users to examine
and enjoy this visually rich collection,” says Dr. Vinod Chachra, President of
VTLS Inc.  “The Virtua Hi-Resolution Image Navigator seems perfectly suited for
displaying this unique collection.”

About VTLS
VTLS Inc. (www.vtls.com) is an ISO 9001 registered company.  With over 25 years
of experience creating smarter libraries, museums, archives and corporations,
VTLS Inc. is an international leader in integrated library automation, digital
imaging services and RFID technology.  VTLS Inc. solutions include Virtua ILS -
Integrated Library Systems, Visual MIS - Multimedia and Imaging Solutions and
Vista CPS - Companion Product Suite. VTLS is a corporate member of the American
Library Association, a voting member of NISO, and a charter member and sponsor
of CNI.  A diverse customer base of more than 900 libraries located in 32
countries gives VTLS a global perspective of the industry and compels the
company to abide by strict international standards.

About AMICO
The Art Museum Image Consortium (AMICO) is an independent non-profit
corporation with 501 (c) 3 designation from the IRS.  Founded in 1997 with 23
Members, the Consortium today is made up of over 30 major museums in the United
States and Canada.  It’s an innovative collaboration  not seen before in
museums  that shares, shapes, and standardizes digital information regarding
museum collections and enables its educational use.  Membership is open to any
institution with a collection of art.

AMICO Members make annual contributions of multimedia documentation of works in
their museums’ collections.  This is regularly compiled and made available as
The AMICO Library to universities, colleges, schools, and public libraries. 
The 2001-2002 edition of The AMICO Library documents approximately 78,000
different works of art, from prehistoric goddess figures to contemporary
installations.  More than simply an image database, works in The AMICO Library
are fully documented and may also include curatorial text about the artwork,
detailed provenance information, multiple views of the work itself, and other
related multimedia.  “Subscribers find The AMICO Library valuable because it
combines the immediacy and accessibility of the Web with the persistence and
academic weight of traditional library reference sources,” states Ms. Trant.

The AMICO Library is accessible over secure networks to institutional
subscribers including universities, colleges, libraries, schools, and museums,
and now serves over 1.5 million users on four continents, including faculty,
students, teachers, staff, and researchers.  Educational institutions may
subscribe to The AMICO Library by contacting one of its distributors.  These
include the Research Libraries Group (RLG), the Ohio Library and Information
Network (OhioLINK), H.W. Wilson, SCRAN, and now VTLS.  A subscription to The
AMICO Library provides a license to use works for a broad range of educational
purposes.  Potential subscribers may preview a Thumbnail Catalog of the AMICO
Library and get further information at http://www.amico.org. 

Contact Information:
AMICO   
Kelly Richmond
Communications Director
Art Museum Image Consortium
Phone: +1 412 422 8533  
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.amico.org

VTLS
Krisha Chachra
Public Relations Officer
VTLS Inc.
Phone: +1 540 557 1200
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.vtls.com
-------------------------
Kelly Richmond
Communications Director
Art Museum Image Consortium (AMICO)
2008 Murray Ave, Suite D
Pittsburgh, PA  15217  USA
phone: +1 412 422 8533
fax: +1 412 422 8594
http://www.amico.org
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