While some in the government seem to be fanning Y2K panic, most booksellers are aligning themselves with the majority of businesses and consumers who appear to be fairly unconcerned. Still, some precautions should be taken. Most are fairly simple, but some booksellers have settled the problem by upgrading computer systems generally, a costly fix but with the obvious long-term advantage of having better equipment.

How bad could it be? Only this month, President Clinton's Y2K czar, John Koskinen, announced that problems could occur before January 1 (actually, any time a computer that is not Y2K-compliant comes into contact with a year 2000 date), and the Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert warning of scam artists preying on small-business owners and consumers.

Most large businesses addressed the problem early on by hiring consultants and buying software to ensure that the bug didn™t cripple their computer systems. Many smaller businesses and consumers have adopted a "wait and see" stance.

But what about booksellers, most of whom rely on computers to manage inventory and cash registers?

One technically savvy bookseller -- Rick Warren, owner of Around the Corner Books & More in Eldora, Iowa, and president of the Upper Midwest Booksellers Association -- advised, "Don™t panic, but be concerned." For Warren, selling and servicing computers is the "& More" part of his business. Currently, he is booked through the end of the year to perform between five and 10 Y2K analyses and updates daily.

Worst-Case Scenario

According to Warren, even the worst-case scenarios are not that terrifying. Even if your computer d s have a Y2K problem, most likely it will still start, but the date will probably change to 1980. "The biggest fear is that data will be lost or will be put in the wrong year, and both of these problems are pretty easily solved," assured Warren. "This can be changed by going in and manually reconfiguring. With Windows 95 or 98 you can go into the regional setting and change the date setting to a four-digit date. The default factory setting is for a two-digit date. If you do nothing else, you should do that."

Warren recommends the Norton 2000 software for inexpensive troubleshooting. It scans all installed applications on a PC and audits them against a database of known Year 2000 problems. It also indicates where and how to obtain any known patches or fixes. It also has a utility that will roll dates over to 2000. "There are other software utilities packages out there, but we tend to stick with Norton because it™s been around for a long time and we™ve never had a problem with it," said Warren. While it d sn™t fix all the problems it points out, it d s give users the ability to converse intelligently with a software salesperson.

Happily, Warren estimates that 95% of the computers he™s checked will automatically roll over to 2000. "And of the 5% left, only 1% would not accept the software updating that Norton provides," Warren told PW. "In those cases, you need to go back to the manufacturer and get a BIOS [Basic Input Output System] chip with Year 2000 requirements." (A computer™s BIOS controls the fundamental functions of the machine and affects everything from how the computer communicates with the printer to how the system date is stored.)

Different Systems, Same Mood

Although bookstore owners PW polled used various software and accounting systems, they were universally unconcerned. Laura Smith, manager of Crazy Ladies Bookstore, Cincinnati, Ohio, uses Booklog for DOS. "We have the newest Windows system, so I™m not panicking at all. I went on the Web and checked our computer™s maker and they had our computer listed as safe, so I™m not worried," she said.

"Our computer system is Computac™s Square One, and they reassure us that everything is in perfect shape," said Richard Noyes of Chinook Bookshop, Colorado Springs, Colo. "We™re relying on their integrity and we trust them. For well over a year, they™ve been telling us that they™ve been studying the problem and are confident."

Owners also expressed confidence in their IBID systems through Ingram. Ingram reviewed and rewrote a number of its distributed software applications, such as Flashback, Companion and PROSE, and distributed Y2K compliant updates at no charge. To be Y2K compliant, IBID users must be running Version 11.11 or higher. (The version number appears in the upper-right corner of IBID screens.) Ingram began its Y2K Project in 1997. Charles Marshall, the project™s director, told PW, "I think the bookselling community is particularly sensitive in following updates. But although we™ve been continually releasing updated compliant versions, owners still need to install it and make sure that their underlying hardware and operating system is Y2K compatible." Just in case, Ingram™s customer technical support team will be working Saturday, January 1, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

"Ingram alerted us that there was a compatibility problem between Flashback and Books in Print Plus," said Tom Culbreth, owner of Little Professor Book Center in Durham, N.C. "But they immediately sent new software that was compliant, and after running it, we were updated."

City Books in Seattle has little to fear, according to owner Cindy Russell. "Our IBID system is Y2K compatible, but we regularly grandfather our nightly backup tapes for seven days. So, at worst, if something happened, we™d have yesterday™s backup tapes. We™re also located in a hospital area, so I think if there were any electrical or phone problems, we™d be one of the first areas restored."

A few owners actually did make some changes. Ed Hermance, owner of Giovanni™s Room, Philadelphia, found that his old computer system was not Y2K compatible. Rather than just update it, he opted to become IBM compatible through Wordstock. "It™s not like we put out all this money just for Y2K, but it was a considerable investment to make the change and increase the number of terminals we have."

Barbara Theroux™s Fact and Fiction in Missoula, Mont., changed and upgraded its accounting system to Peachtree. In fact, she is still racing the clock, transferring old information into the new system. "We intended to start this earlier," she told PW. "We thought that by this point we™d be much further along but we™ve checked and have been reassured that everything is Y2K compatible. The first thing we changed over was accounts payable, so publishers can rest assured."

Final tips

While it appears that most booksellers' computers are Y2K-compatible or have been easily upgraded, there are still a few things to consider. Rick Warren suggests stores check with their Internet provider to make sure that everything is Y2K compatible. "If you use your computer for e-commerce, it never hurts to ask," he advised. "Make sure you are using the latest version of that provider. If you™re on AOL, you should be using version 5.0, which has the latest version of Netscape [4.7]."

"Macintosh users have nothing to worry about with their operating systems but you should check programs that have been cloned off PCs," Warren noted. "Mac operating systems have never had a problem with the year 2000 and neither has the UNIX system. A lot of Internet providers use UNIX, which is great. But some use WindowsNT, which needs Service Pack4." Windows 95™s Y2K update can be downloaded off the Internet or from a disk. Windows 98 is already Y2K compatible.

If problems are discovered after running a utility package, owners should book an appointment with a local computer sales and service store. According to Warren, the average cost of such a visit (not requiring new equipment but having the store make changes) is $75-$150. "This is the maximum price and should cover finding problems, changing dates, running a report and checking the results," Warren said. "You should be in and out in 35 minutes."

Considering there is now just a little more than a month left before the end of 1999, it™s good news that the Y2K scare boils down to running simple diagnostics and perhaps spending $100 to fix problems. Although the Y2K checkups have been a boon for Rick Warren™s business, he insists he will not miss it when the flurry dies down in mid-January, when he can refocus on selling books. "If I have any parting advice," he said, "it™s ˜Don™t panic.™ "