Insider's Guide to Library Automation: Essays of Practical Experience

by John W. Head, Gerard B. McCabe

Overview

Libraries are becoming increasingly automated. Many libraries have already become automated, and librarians have had to confront a new set of problems in their jobs. Many other libraries are not yet automated, but will soon be acquiring new technology and new problems. This book provides detailed techniques for coping with the problems inherent in automation. While other works offer thorough coverage of the library automation process, this volume provides case studies of the personal experiences of librarians who have had to solve problems related to automation. Included are case studies from large academic libraries, special libraries, public libraries, and smaller libraries.

The first section of the book includes chapters on locally developed library automation systems and how those systems have adapted to change. The second section contains chapters on selecting, buying, and installing automation systems. The third section includes chapters on the sharing of automated systems by different libraries. The fourth section, on database maintenance and conversion, contains chapters important to all librarians. The fifth section discusses the management of automated systems. The book concludes with a bibliographic essay that overviews developments in library automation technology and lists sources for further information.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313283659
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/18/1993
Series:	New Directions in Information Management , #30
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

JOHN W. HEAD is Associate Professor in the library science department at Clarion University, Pennsylvania, and has worked in public and academic libraries. A member of the American Library Association and the American Society for Information Science, his interests include information retrieval, library automation, and research methods.

GERARD B. MCCABE is director of libraries at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. He is the editor of Operations Handbook for the Small Academic Library (Greenwood Press, 1989) and Academic Libraries in Urban and Metropolitan Areas: A Management Handbook (Greenwood Press, 1992).

Table of Contents

Locally Developed Systems: Automating the American Medical Association Headquarters Library Catalog: From Preliminary Decision-Making to Bring Up Our In-house System
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Locally Developed Automated Library System
Library Information Access System at Pennsylvania State University: A Migration Story
Library Automation . . . By Trial and Error
Backups and Alternatives
Library Automation on a Small Budget
Selecting, Buying, and Installing Automation Systems: Selecting and Installing a Second System
Non-Request for Proposal and Library wide: One Approach to System Selection
Coordinating a Library Automation Project
Life on the Bleeding Edge
Linking Automated Resources in the Public Library
Cooperative Systems
Implementing an Integrated Library System in a Shared Consortial Environment
A Square Peg in a Round Hole? A Community College Library's Experience as a Participant in a Cooperative Integrated Automated System Shared with Public Libraries
Database Maintenance and Conversion : Database Conversion: East Straoudsburg University's Experience
Data Conversion: The Emporia State University Experience
Cleaning Up and Reconciling an Installed Database of Machine Readable Cataloging Records
Management Concerns in Automation : The Library Automation Project: Is it Ever Really Done?
Perspectives on Regional Library Networking: A Chief Executive Officer's Public and Personal Views
Authority Control in an Online Environment: A Consortium Approach
Computer Center or Library Director: Is There a Choice?
An Overview
Library Automation Technology
Glossary
Index