A CASE FOR STARTING EARLY
Automating your library will eventually involve some resources beyond your current budget. Library automation is an investment, and like all investments it involves resources, but also has a lot of paybacks.
Some librarians defer computerization until the budget for this has been approved, but that strategy will prove costly for two reasons: the library staff will not be ready, and the data will not be ready. When the budget does come, your 'opening date' for the new system will be delayed because of these reasons.
NOT COMPUTERIZING your catalog NOW will cost you MORE when you eventually automate. My advice to any librarian who is contemplating automation (and who does not have the budget yet) is to STOP typing cards and to START entering data into a computer. Making a card catalog, especially with a typewriter, that somebody else will re-encode to a computer later on is a double waste of effort. Computerizing the catalog (or data conversion) is the single most time-consuming part of library automation.
On the other hand, starting to computerize even without a large automation budget will show initiative on the part of the librarian and convince management to invest more with a budget for full-scale automation.
LIBRARIES IN TRANSITION
Librarians who do consider computerizing their catalog (before going into full automation) would need to have at least one computer in the library, and appropriate software to enter their data with. I call this the 'transition' phase, and the librarian will almost always use a database or cataloging software to encode the data about her books. The selection of the database/cataloging software is crucial as there are many options in features and price.
Data must be structured so that it can be imported easily into the desired library automation software once it is purchased. The standard data structure among these types of software is Marchine Readable Cataloging or MARC. It is preferable to use software that comply with MARC, however it is not always supported. When a general purpose non-MARC database management software (DBMS) is used, the MARC conversion cost has to be considered.
Word processing software generally work with unstructured data and are therefore not recommended for use in cataloging.
Almost always there will still be a need to print cards as long as the full automation system is not in place, but this time the computer can do the job better and faster. If card printing feature is not available, indexed reports may substitute. The necessity of the card printing feature depends on the length of time before a suitable online public access catalog (OPAC) is set up. If it is expected that years may follow before the library automation budget will be approved,then the card printing feature is worth the investment.
For the internet-connected library, copy cataloging is a viable option since a quality MARC database can be produced very fast. It could take only take one to five minutes to create a quality MARC record using copy cataloging. This process involves searching the internet for the MARC record of a book as cataloged by other libraries, and downloading or copying the same to one's own database.
SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
The following software solutions are options for a librarian who decides to computerize her catalog. While none of them is a full-fledged library automation software with all the functions, all will allow the creation of a structured database and save the thousands of hours in conversion work later on. Some will have additional functionality that will immediately add to the productivity of the library staff.
A. CDS/ISIS
This software has long been a reliable standby for the Philippine library community, dating back to the early 90s. It is a free text-oriented DBMS produced by Unesco and distributed in the Philippines by UP Institute of Library Science (for a minimal fee, to cover the cost of diskettes and documentation). Although a little difficult to learn for the designer, it is quite friendly to the end-user if the database has been designed well. For the typical library, there are ready-made database designs like ARALIN, used by major universities, which can be easily converted to MARC when the time comes to automate. DOS, Windows and Unix/Linux versions are available.
B. Bookwhere
This software enables 'copy cataloging' from hundreds of libraries worldwide, including the Library of Congress. It is actually a Z39.50 client which connects to Z39.50 servers and downloads MARC records corresponding to the search term entered into it (for more information about Z39.50, refer to http://www.loc.gov/z3950/agency). Typically one would enter the ISBN of a book and search several libraries to find and download it's MARC record. Several libraries can be searched at the same time, but the search time increases with each additional library. An optional editing module called MARC Notepad is needed if the library will do the MARC editing before the library automation system is acquired.
C. MARC Magician
This software allows user-friendly entry of MARC records, as well as checking and correction of entered or imported records. It's knowledgebase of MARC rules is extensive, allowing the novice cataloger to enter records that fully comply with MARC rules. It has existing templates for entering data that will fully comply with the most popular library automation systems, such that data entered into MARC Magician would hardly need editing once transferred. Templates for different material types like books, videos, CDs, maps, etc are also built-in so that it is quite easy to do original cataloging of these materials. Mitinet can also globally edit several records or the whole database using a feature similar to search & replace used in word processors.
For the library in transition, the most attractive feature of this software is it's ability to print cards that conform to AACR2 specifications. It is the only software in this lineup that does so. However, all the others except CDS/ISIS, connects seamlessly with MARC Magician to produce cards.
D. MARC Studio
MARC Studio is the brand name for BookWhere and MARC Magician bought as a bundle. Since the two work seamlessly together, the resulting product has the best features of both, and comes at a lower price than buying them separately.
E. Follett Circulation Plus
In the long run, the most straightforward way to do your automation is to be able to use one module of a full-fledged library automation system, enter your data, and then buy the rest of the modules as you need them. Even if the cost of such module is higher than the options above, there will be no data conversion headaches and there is only one piece of software to learn. Such is the logic behind Follett's library automation system which consists of Circulation Plus, Catalog Plus and WebCollection Plus, all of which can be bought separately. A library with a limited budget can start with Circulation Plus which includes the following applications: circulation, cataloging, inventory, acquisitions, and reports/statistics. A single computer can be used for all the applications above, and many one-person libraries operate using Circulation Plus. There is no OPAC in Circulation Plus; OPAC is added using Catalog Plus when the database is ready.
The time for adding an OPAC and putting the card catalog to rest should be a major decision for the librarian despite it's seeming simplicity. OPAC would require a multi-user license since one or more students/patrons would be accessing the database simultaneously with the librarian(s). This also requires a local area network (LAN) and a server running Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP, Novell Netware or Linux.
Libraries who wish to put their catalogs on the internet typically purchase WebCollection Plus. There are many other optional add-ons to Follett for different types of libraries, but all of these can be done from a common economical starting point: Follett Circulation Plus.
CLOSER THAN YOU THINK
If you ever thought that library automation is beyond the reach of your library, I hope the above choices opened your eyes to the possibility of automating soon. If you have data already in some structured, machine-readable format like CDS/ISIS, Access, Excel or dBase, they can be easily converted to MARC. Contact Electronic Information Solutions Inc. (EISI) at Tel. Nos. (632) 843-6571 / 750-9606, email info@eisi.com.ph , Fax No. (632) 750-9686 for help in assessing the possibility of automating your library even with a small budget.