6th Entry
NaZibah KaMaRuddiN
Discuss on how useful an Integrated Library System (ILS) as a Management Information System (MIS)
“Open Source’ Integrated Library System Software
Integrated library system (ILS), also known as a library management system (LMS), is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed.
An ILS usually comprises a relational database, software to interact with that database, and two graphical user interfaces (one for patrons, one for staff). Most ILSes separate software functions into discrete programs called modules, each of them integrated with a unified interface. Examples of modules might include:
  • acquisitions (ordering, receiving, and invoicing materials)
  • cataloging (classifying and indexing materials)
  • circulation (lending materials to patrons and receiving them back)
  • serials (tracking magazine and newspaper holdings)
  • the OPAC (public interface for users)
Each patron and item has a unique ID in the database that allows the ILS to track its activity.
Larger libraries use an ILS to order and acquire, receive and invoice, catalog, circulate, track and shelve materials. Smaller libraries, such as those in private homes or non-profit organizations (like churches or synagogues, for instance), often forgo the expense and maintenance required to run an ILS, and instead use a library computer system. Each patron and item has a unique ID in the database that allows the ILS to track its activity.
Larger libraries use an ILS to order and acquire, receive and invoice, catalog, circulate, track and shelve materials. Smaller libraries, such as those in private homes or non-profit organizations (like churches or synagogues, for instance), often forgo the expense and maintenance required to run an ILS, and instead use a library computer system.
“Open Source’ Integrated Library System Software
Librarians often referred to ILSs as library automation systems or automated systems in the 1970s and early 1980s. Before the advent of computers, libraries usually used a card catalog to index their holdings. Computers came into use to automate the card catalog, thus the term automation system. Automation of the catalog saves the labor involved in resorting the card catalog, keeping it up-to-date with respect to the collection, etc. Other tasks automated include checking-out and checking-in books, generating statistics and reports, acquisitions and subscriptions, indexing journal articles and linking to them, as well as tracking interlibrary loans.
Since the late 1980s, windowing systems and multi-tasking have allowed the integration of business functions. Instead of having to open up separate applications, library staff could now use a single application with multiple functional modules.
As the Internet grew, ILS vendors offered more functionality related to computer networks. As of 2009[update] major ILS systems offer web-based portals where library users can log in to view their account, renew their books, and authenticate themselves for access to online databases.
 
 
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5th Entry
NaZibah KaMaRuddiN
Where are we going in library automation? - discuss what is the status of library automation in Malaysia/Asia.


Library automation can be defined simply as the use of  and networking technologies in the library.
Areas of Library Automation:
  • Automation of library functions
  • Use of electronic resources within the library (e.g. CD-ROMs)
  • Accessing remote electronic resources (e.g. the Internet)
  • Office automation (e.g. word-processing, spreadsheets, databases, etc.)
  • Patron services (e.g. computer laboratory, multimedia center)
Objectives of Library Automation:
  • To improve the level of service and quality of output
  • To fulfill needs that cannot be achieved by manual system:
    • Sharing of resources
    • Information that appears only in electronic format (e.g. CD-ROM, Internet resources, databases, etc.

Library Automation Steps

Planning is time-consuming, but it is usually cost-effective because time spent planning reduces the amount of time required for system implementation. Steps involved are:
Step 1: Describing existing library services and technology
  • Identifying existing services and functions provided by the library
  • Identifying existing technology being used in the library
  • Collecting and organizing basic statistical data
Step 2: Assessing needs and setting priorities
  • Who should be involved in planning?
  • Needs assessment
  • Identifying approaches to satisfy the needs
  • Setting priorities
  • Developing a preliminary budget
Step 3: Translating needs and priorities into specifications
  • Designing specifications
  • Preparing and distributing the Request for Proposal (RFP)
Step 4: Evaluating proposals and selecting a system
  • Making the first cut
  • Seeing system demonstrations
  • Analyzing vendor responses
  • Costs
  • Obtaining responses from vendor's clients
  • Making the final cut
Step 5: Putting your system into place
  • Contract negotiations
  • Hardware and software installation
  • Training
Step 6: Retrospective conversion and barcoding
Example of Library automation


This video shows that RFID technology has in the UHF space & can benefit vastly to large public/private libraries by eliminating the human element alongwith the potential for errors besides completely streamlining & automating the process
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4th Entry
NaZibah KaMaRuddiN
Overcoming the information gap
Measuring the accessibility of library
databases to adaptive technology users
 
This study evaluates the accessibility to adaptive technology users of subscription library databases commonly purchased by libraries. The study operationalizes current federal web accessibility legislation and international web accessibility standards by developing a checklist of accessible features and tests the extent to which features have been incorporated into the major databases and importantly, the effect of a feature’s presence or absence. Because online and digital environments possess the greatest potential to provide individuals using adaptive technologies access to information, this study of subscription library databases provides concrete and conclusive evidence regarding the current state of accessibility common digital resources purchased by libraries.

Information access represents a fundamental need of citizens within any society. From understanding legal rights and obtaining medical information, to attending school and earning a college diploma, all individuals in theory should possess unhindered access to a wide variety of options and tools capable of completely fulfilling informational needs. However, a growing gap exists between individuals with unrestricted access to information and information resources and those persons with limited or no access to the same information, in spite of the increased proliferation of information sources, such as the worldwide web.
The purpose of this study is to address problems associated with the accessibility of academic library databases. This study evaluates 32 databases and measures their accessibility to users of adaptive technology. Based on the results of this study, 72 percent of the evaluated databases were rated as marginally accessible or inaccessible, reflecting a low level of compliance to federal web accessibility legislation and international web accessibility standards. To measure database accessibility to adaptive technology users, this study operationalized accessibility into ten component parts as the Tatomir Accessibility Checklist (TAC) and tested each database on each component. Findings of this study can be used both by those who purchase and manage databases in libraries to identify the most accessible databases and by designers of the databases to improve specific features.

Electronic journals and the digitization of library collections and projects such as the Google Books Projects offer unprecedented access to books and other written and visual materials to people with the technological and economic means to obtain these resources. In the digital era, access to web sites and digital resources for mainstream technology users occurs almost instantaneously. However, the load times for users of adaptive technologies remains unacceptably slow, often taking several minutes, rather than several seconds, for the resources to fully load. In spite of the fact that federal web accessibility legislation and international web accessibility initiatives have been enacted for over a decade and a half, a majority of library databases are largely inaccessible to adaptive technology users and fail to meet basic accessibility requirements established under federal law and international standards. While the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped network of regional and sub-regional libraries provides adequate access to popular fiction and non-fiction materials, individuals interested in pursuing scholarly topics who have a visual disability find that approximately 50 to 80 percent of print and visual materials remain inaccessible (Lee, 2005).

Few professionals and thus few institutions realize that incorporating accessibility features into web sites, interfaces and digital materials can be accomplished in a cost effective manner, with negligible expenditure of monetary and human resources. Likewise, few are aware that making digital resources accessible actually increases the usability of digital resources to the benefit of multiple user groups, not simply adaptive technology users. This article examines digital database load time in relation to the presence or absence of TAC (Tatomir Accessibility Checklist) features and argues that accessibility should be defined by a clearly delineated list of specific and tangible features and characteristics to make it easier for information professionals to make informed decisions about the purchase of digital resources with the assurance that they will be accessible to all users.

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3rd Entry
NaZibah KaMaRuddiN
WINISIS
 Introduction
The major features of the CDS/ISIS software are:
  • the handling of variable length records, fields and sub fields, thus saving disk space and making it possible to store greater amounts of information;

  • the handling of repeatable fields;

  • a data base definition component allowing the user to define the data to be processed for a particular application;

  • a data entry component for entering and modifying data through user-created data base specific worksheets;

  • an information retrieval component using a powerful search language providing for field-level and proximity search operators, in addition to the traditional and/or/not operators, as well as free-text searching;

  • a powerful sort and report generation facility allowing the user to easily create any desired printed products, such as catalogues, indexes, directories, etc.;

  • a data interchange function based on the ISO 2709 international standard used by leading data base producers;

  • an integrated application programming language (CDS/ISIS Pascal and the ISIS_DLL), allowing the user to tailor the software to specific needs;

  • functions allowing the user to build relational data bases, though CDS/ISIS is not based over a relational model;

  • powerful hypertext functions allow to design complex user interfaces.

    A Windows interface between CDS/ISIS and IDAMS, the UNESCO software for statistical analysis, has also been developed.

    From the outset, CDS/ISIS was created as a multi-lingual software, providing integrated facilities for the development of local linguistic versions. Thus, although UNESCO distributes only the English, French and Spanish versions of the package, user-developed versions exist in virtually all languages, including special versions which UNESCO helped in developing, for Arabic, Chinese and Korean.
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    2nd Entry
    NaZibah KaMaRuddiN
    MICROSOFT ACCESS

    Microsoft Access is a database software package. A database is an organized collection of records. Telephone and address books are examples of paper databases. With Access, can create a computerized database. For example, Access to organize the students who attend a school, the courses they take, and the instructors who teach them. After create an Access database, they can search it, manipulate it, and extract information from it.
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    1st Entry
    NaZibah KaMaRuddiN
    Role of Librarians and Libraries in Managing Digital Information
    Digital libraries are an emerging concept, as today's libraries routinely provide information and services in digital form. As the nature and role of libraries have changed in response to the new digital environment, new applications and services have been developed. Many practitioners have reported on these changes in the digital workplace (Association of Research Libraries, 2000; Croneis and Henderson, 2002; Stoffle, et al., 2003).

    From the conventional role as static storehouse of information, the library has matured into a proactive model of information generation and effective dissemination. The revolution in computer, information and telecommunication technology is bringing about significant changes in all types of libraries. Availability of powerful computers at affordable cost, spread of telecommunications networks to even remote areas, advent of internet, increasing interest in creating digital content are some of the significant forces accelerating the pace of changes in functioning of our libraries.
    Licklider (1965) refer to a digital library “Library of the future” referring to a fully computerized library. Later, Lancaster, F W (1978) termed digital library as “Paperless Society”. Presently many synonymous terms like “Electronic Library”; “Virtual library”, “Library without walls”, “Paperless library” are used. The three main characteristics of digital library are the storage of information in digital form, usage of communication networks to access and obtain information and copying by either downloading or online/offline printing. 

    Digital Information
    A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete (discontinuous) values.
    By contrast, non-digital (or analog) systems use a continuous range of values to represent information. Although digital representations are discrete, the information represented can be either discrete, such as numbers, letters or icons, or continuous, such as sounds, images, and other measurements of continuous systems.
    The word digital comes from the same source as the word digit and digitus (the Latin word for finger), as fingers are used for discrete counting. It is most commonly used in computing and electronics, especially where real-world information is converted to binary numeric form as in digital audio and digital photography.

    Role of Librarians
    * To acquire, give access to, and safeguard carries of knowldge and information in all forms and to provide instruction and assistance in the use of the collections to which their users have access.
    a) To provide intellectual access to information in any format
    b) To evaluate available sources of information
    c) To organise and structure information
    d) To ensure the preservation of information
    e) To provide specialised staff to offer instruction and assistance interpreting resources and access to resources.

    Librarians in the virtual library environment are related to the new technologies making digital libraries possible, and the techniques necessary to deliver new forms of information resources and services. In providing access to information, the librarian in the virtual library environment must consider the requirements of any digital resources - any hardware or software necessary, the most effective way to refer patrons to the resource, and whether availability is limited to a defined user group. Young (1998) called this the 'knowledge navigator' role. In navigating access to knowledge, librarians in the virtual library are confronted with the repercussions of the shift from 'ownership to access', and the resulting rights to access considerations which must be specified and negotiated in contracts and licenses.
    The virtual library environment requires a new technical set of competencies for librarians which were not previously required. Skills such as creating web pages, building and maintaining computer networks, designing search interfaces are sought after in today's library employment market. Indeed, Schuyler (1999) advises, 'the next librarian you hire should have significant web skills'. The level of technical sophistication required by librarians in the virtual library environment is already leading to a blurring of distinctions with computing professionals. As the virtual library environment continues to develop there may be an even greater demand for professional staff with either computing or librarian qualifications

    Libraries
    * About preservation, dissemination, and use of recorded knowledge in whatever from it may come. The role of libraries in the electronic age has gained widespread acceptance.

    Libraries and Digital Libraries :
    Slide 3


    ¢to provide open access to institutional research and support research and learning .
    ¢To enable the library collection to stored, managed and used more systematic.
    ¢to store and preserve other institutional digital assets, including unpublished or otherwise
      easily lost
    ¢to create global visibility for an institution's scholarly research.
    ¢to collect content in a single location.
     Digital Library
    Digital libraries basically store materials in electronic format and manipulate large collections of those materials effectively. Research into digital libraries is research into network information systems, concentrating on how to develop the necessary infrastructure to effectively mass-manipulate the information on the Net. The key technological issues are how to search and display desired selections from and across large collections.


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