Software Reviews

There are many computerized solutions available for literacy programs to manage information. Several of the alternatives listed below are excellent. Unfortunately there is no definitive one-size-fits-all solution. No software will be suitable for all types of literacy programs. Different situations require different solutions.

The list of software to be rated was developed by a combination of feedback from survey respondents and independent research into commercially available software. In addition to the software listed, many literacy programs have developed custom applications using either spreadsheet or database software. These applications have been developed either by professional developers, or by staff of the literacy programs.

These custom applications have not been rated. Instead, contact information has been provided on the appropriate pages for programs that have agreed to share the applications that they have developed. Please note that in some cases a fee may be applicable.

These applications will be shared without technical support or warranties of any kind. The applications are being shared as a courtesy to others in the literacy community, to shorten the learning curve. Any technical support or modifications are strictly the responsibility of the recipient. Please respect the parameters within which these programs have agreed to participate. For listings of contact information, please see the review pages for spreadsheets and databases.

Finally, literacy programs in Ontario should check the Software in Development page for information on an initiative from the Ministry.

Criteria

Each software program has been ranked according to specific criteria. The score (out of 5) for each criterion was multiplied by the weighting factor (described below) to arrive at a total score. The results of these ranking are listed in a table below.

The criteria used when evaluating these alternatives were taken from the survey. The survey respondents ranked a selection of criteria, from most important to least important. There was also space to add criteria not on the list. No written-in answer occurred often enough to be considered statistically significant.

After the results were tabulated, the criteria were assigned a factor based on the relative ranking of each. This factor multiplies the effect of the score in that particular category. This produces a weighted average for the score, so that more important criteria are given more weight in calculating the total.

The criteria used to rate the alternatives are:

• Flexibility (factor of 5)
• Ease of Generating required statistics (factor of 3)
• Quick to learn (factor of 3)
• Easy to use after initial learning period (factor of 3)
• Low cost (factor of 1)

Ratings

These ratings are the opinion of the reviewer as to the fitness of each application in meeting the specific requirements of information management for literacy programs. The opinions expressed are those of the reviewer, and may not necessarily be those of the Simcoe County Literacy Network, NALD, or the funders of this project.

Please click on a title to view the details of the ranking, including hardware requirements and sourcing information.

Software

Overall Rank

Flexibility

Statistics
Generation

Quick to learn

Easy to use

Cost

Word processing (all)

varies

Spreadsheets (all)

varies

Databases (all)

varies

Contact Management:

Janna Contact Personal

Free

Janna Contact Professional

ACT! 2000

Goldmine

Literacy Specific software

Literacy Office Management System (LLO)

LiteracyPro v. 2.5

LitLink