OCLC has discontinued sales of workstations, modems, upgrades, add-ons and related hardware. Member libraries can now obtain workstations to access OCLC services from a variety of alternative sources at economical prices. Mr. Bean noted that the roles of telecommunications and workstations in OCLC s service offerings have been changing with advances in technology. Users are less dependent on OCLC for workstation setup, training and troubleshooting.
Users can also obtain workstations directly from manufacturers or vendors at favorable prices.
OCLC will honor Extended Maintenance Options commitments through the end of the committed period per machine. All other OCLC workstation models not specifically mentioned will continue to be supported and maintained. Mr. Bean noted that for optimum performance of OCLC applications, a Pentium-based workstation with Windows 95 or higher is recommended.