Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute began automating its libraries some ten years ago. The choice of SPIRES was driven both by its functionality and its cost. With no increased funding available for automation, the library administration sought a tool that afforded maximum control over the development of systems while, at the same time, had a manageable price tag. Currently, our system, which has the trademarked name "InfoTrax," has nine sub-systems. SPIRES has successfully handling every challenge we have put to it in this complex system development effort. These accomplishments were shepherded through the design, implementation, and evaluation processes by a design team of four librarians and a programmer/analyst. One programmer/analyst has been entirely responsible for the programming and maintenance of our system. Three individuals have held that position over the years with no loss to our progress in the transitions
