Catalogue Interfaces of Integrated Library Management Systems (ILMS): Experiences in a Proprietary and Open Source Software

The Central Library of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) has been automated by proprietary software (Adlib Library) since 2000. After 11 years, in 2011, the university authorities decided to shift to an open source software (OSS), for integrated library management system (ILMS), Koha for automating the library housekeeping operations. In this context, this study attempts to share the experiences in cataloging with both type of software. The features of the cataloging modules of both the software are analysed on the badis of certain check points. It is found that the cataloging module of Koha is almost in par with that of proven proprietary software that has been in market for the past 25 years. Some suggestions made by this study may be incorporated for the further development and perfection of Koha.

The Houston Academy of Medicine--Texas Medical Center Library management information system.

A management information system (MIS) provides a means for collecting, reporting, and analyzing data from all segments of an organization. Such systems are common in business but rare in libraries. The Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library developed an MIS that operates on a system of networked IBM PCs and Paradox, a commercial database software package. The data collected in the system include monthly reports, client profile information, and data collected at the time of service requests. The MIS assists with enforcement of library policies, ensures that correct information is recorded, and provides reports for library managers. It also can be used to help answer a variety of ad hoc questions. Future plans call for the development of an MIS that could be adapted to other libraries' needs, and a decision-support interface that would facilitate access to the data contained in the MIS databases.

Project done for the Library Management course

The aim of Library Administration course led by Professor Gilda Chacon is that in addition to understanding the theory to be developed objectives for good management, learn to apply to a library or a department. Our group through this study sought to determine in what way the principles and purposes of the administration are applied in the Reference Department of the Central Library of the National University. Importantly, we believe that the Department of reference is the union between the user and bibliographic, and that its aim is to keep the user the right information. The theoretical part of the paper is prepared based on guided reading and class discussion of the basic literature presented in the course syllabus, information corresponding to the reference unit was obtained through collaboration that the staff gave us the same through interviews, written data, reports and so on.

Learning by Doing in the Context of Modern Information and Media Literacy of Students in “Library and Information Management” in ULSIT Using the Digital Collection “Bulgarian Revival”

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of learning by doing as a practical tool for managing the training of students in "Library Management" at the ULSIT, Sofia, Bulgaria, by using the creation of project 'Data Base “Bulgarian Revival Towns” (CD), financed by Bulgarian Ministry of Education, Youth and Science (1/D002/144/13.10.2011) headed by Prof. DSc Ivanka Yankova, which aims to create new information resource for the towns which will serve the needs of scientific researches. By participating in generating the an array in the database through searching, selection and digitization of documents from these period, at the same time students get an opportunity to expand their skills to work effectively in a team, finding the interdisciplinary, a causal connection between the studied items, objects and subjects and foremost – practical experience in the field of digitization, information behavior, strategies for information search, etc. This method achieves good results for the accumulation of sustainable knowledge and it generates motivation to work in the field of library and information professions.

Digital Right Management (DRM) and Library Copyright Policy

The purpose of this paper is to introduce Digital Rights Management (DRM) and its implications for content producers, consumers, and libraries. Simply stated, DRM is a technology that allows copyright owners to regulate and manage their content when it is disseminated in a digital format, and it is the reason why some patrons cannot access some of the downloadable digital content provided by libraries. In the first part of this paper, we provide a short introduction to DRM by outlining the entities, the various technologies used as well as usage restrictions that come with DRM. In the second part of the paper are discussed the alternatives for the libraries, using DRM as a tool for library copyright policy and the main documents, which present the position of library organizations towards information legislation.

National Health System Virtual Library Viability Project (Spain)

Introduction: The ICT progress and development are making the set up of virtual libraries easier, with great advantages for users in terms of immediate access to vast amounts of library information, online resources, and services. Most of the Autonomous Spanish Regions are presently working on the establishment of virtual libraries with the aim of optimising economic resources destined to subscribe bibliographic information sources and offering qualified documentary services to Public Health System Professionals. The Ministry of Health and Social Policy, an institution unifying health matters, issued this Project to study the National Health System Virtual Library creation viability, in order to guarantee relevant scientific information access equity. Objectives: - To study the National Health System (NHS) Virtual Library set up viability. - To elaborate the Spanish territory health information resource map. - To identify the appropriate technological model. - To identify the documentary services to be offered. - To identify the more optimum functional, structural model. - To identify the economic model. Method: - To create a chart organization for the project´s management. - To organize Work groups. - To elaborate a standardised survey model for the libraries of the autonomous regions. Results: - Identification of the different Autonomous Region libraries of health models. - Recommendations for the NHS Virtual Library: - Functional, structural model - Technological model - Financial-economic model Conclusions: The fact that the Virtual Library would be an invaluable space for access to quality scientific information, as well as that the minimum services could be offered to every NHS user regardless of geographical situation, is confirmed. Accordingly, we thought about three different models to develop the Virtual Library, depending on this initial analysis, which will allow us to establish the most suitable model for the Spanish National Health System, considering its economic, functional and technological recommendations. It would be necessary to do a study for the NHS Virtual Library Set Up following the recommendations arising from this Project.

Impact of Information Communication Technology (ICT) on Professional Development and Educational Needs of Library Professionals in the Universities of Kerala

The shift from print to digital information has a high impact on all components of the academic library system in India especially the users, services and the staff. Though information is considered as an important resource, the use of ICT tools to collect and disseminate information has been in a slow pace in majority of the University libraries This may be due to various factors like insufficient funds, inadequate staff trained in handling computers and software packages, administrative concerns etc. In Kerala, automation has been initiated in almost all University libraries using library automation software and is under different stages of completion. There are not much studies conducted about the effects of information communication technologies on the professional activities of library professionals in the universities in Kerala. It is important to evaluate whether progress in ICT has had any impact on the library profession in these highest educational institutions. The aim of the study is to assess whether the developments in information communication technologies have any influence on the library professionals’ professional development, and the need for further education and training in the profession and evaluate their skills in handling developments in ICT. The total population of the study is 252 including the permanently employed professional library staff in central libraries and departmental libraries in the main campuses of the universities under study. This is almost a census study of the defined population of users. The questionnaire method was adopted for collection of data for this study, supplemented by interviews of Librarians to gather additional information. Library Professionals have a positive approach towards ICT applications and services in Libraries, but majority do not have the opportunities to develop their skills and competencies in their work environment. To develop competitive personnel in a technologically advanced world, high priority must be given to develop competence in ICT applications, library management and soft skills in library professionals, by the University administrators and Library associations. Library science schools and teaching departments across the country have to take significant steps to revise library science curriculum, and incorporate significant changes to achieve the demands and challenges of library science profession.

Concepts about risk management in libraries : Notes for characterization

El presente trabajo revisa la bibliografía sobre gestión del riesgo (GRi) que ha aparecido en los últimos tiempos, intentando anclar sus nociones, recomendaciones, pautas y estándares al ámbito de las bibliotecas y centros de documentación e información. Se analiza su utilidad, realizando un balance sobre la bibliografía consultada, proveniente tanto de Argentina como de distintos países. Se concluye sobre la necesidad de aplicar los procesos y los estándares inherentes a la GRi a los de las unidades de información para evitar los peligros o las amenazas en distintos ámbitos tales como el financiero, comunicacional, tecnológico, humano, ambiental, entre otros

Panoràmica dels sistemes de gestió de biblioteques al segle XXI

In the past decade, a number of trends have come together in the general sphere of computing that have profoundly affected libraries. The popularisation of the Internet, the appearance of open and interoperable systems, the improvements within graphics and multimedia, and the generalised installation of LANs are some of the events of the period. Taken together, the result has been that libraries have undergone an important functional change, representing the switch from simple information depositories to information disseminators. Integrated library management systems have not remained unaffected by this transformation and those that have not adapted to the new technological surroundings are now referred to as legacy systems. The article describes the characteristics of systems existing in today's market and outlines future trends that, according to various authors, include the disappearance of the integrated library management systems that have traditionally been sold.

A virtual exhibition of open source software for libraries

Frequently the choice of a library management program is conditioned by social, economic and/or political factors that result in the selection of a system that is not altogether suitable for the library’s needs, characteristics and functions. Open source software is quickly becoming a preferred solution, owing to the freedom to copy, modify and distribute it and the freedom from contracts, as well as for greater opportunities for interoperability with other applications. These new trends regarding open source software in libraries are also reflected in LIS studies, as evidenced by the different courses addressing automated programs, repositorymanagement, including the Linux/GNU operating system, among others. The combination of the needs of the centres and the new trends for open source software is the focus of a virtual laboratory for the use of open source software for library applications. It was the result of a project, whose aim was to make a useful contribution to the library community, that was carried out by a group of professors of the School of Library and Information Science of the University of Barcelona, together with a group of students, members of a Working Group on Open Source Software for Information Professionals, of the Professional Library Association of Catalonia.

Towards personalization in digital libraries through ontologies

In this paper we describe a browsing and searching personalization system for digitallibraries based on the use of ontologies for describing the relationships between all theelements which take part in a digital library scenario of use. The main goal of thisproject is to help the users of a digital library to improve their experience of use bymeans of two complementary strategies: first, by maintaining a complete history recordof his or her browsing and searching activities, which is part of a navigational userprofile which includes preferences and all the aspects related to community involvement; and second, by reusing all the knowledge which has been extracted from previous usage from other users with similar profiles. This can be accomplished in terms of narrowing and focusing the search results and browsing options through the use of a recommendation system which organizes such results in the most appropriatemanner, using ontologies and concepts drawn from the semantic web field. The complete integration of the experience of use of a digital library in the learning process is also pursued. Both the usage and information organization can be also exploited to extract useful knowledge from the way users interact with a digital library, knowledge that can be used to improve several design aspects of the library, ranging from internal organization aspects to human factors and user interfaces. Although this project is still on an early development stage, it is possible to identify all the desired functionalities and requirements that are necessary to fully integrate the use of a digital library in an e-learning environment.

Marketing culture of Finnish research libraries : an analysis of marketing attitude, knowledge and behaviour

The aim of the present dissertation is to investigate the marketing culture of research libraries in Finland and to understand the awareness of the knowledge base of library management concerning modern marketing theories and practices. The study was based onthe notion that a leader in an organisation can have large impact on its culture. Therefore, it was considered important to learn about the market orientation that initiates at the top management and flows throughout the whole organisationthus resulting in a particular kind of library culture. The study attempts to examine the marketing culture of libraries by analysing the marketing attitudes, knowledge (underlying beliefs, values and assumptions), behaviour (market orientation), operational policies and activities, and their service performance (customer satisfaction). The research was based on the assumption that if the top management of libraries has market oriented behaviour, then their marketing attitudes, knowledge, operational policies and activities and service performance should also be in accordance. The dissertation attempts to connect all these theoretical threads of marketing culture. It investigates thirty three academic and special libraries in the south of Finland. The library director and three to ten customers from each library participated as respondents in this study. An integrated methodological approach of qualitative as well as quantitative methods was used to gain knowledge on the pertinent issues lying behind the marketing culture of research libraries. The analysis of the whole dissertation reveals that the concept of marketing has very varied status in the Finnish research libraries. Based on the entire findings, three kinds of marketing cultures were emerged: the strong- the high fliers; the medium- the brisk runners; and the weak- the slow walkers. The high fliers appeared to be modern marketing believers as their marketing approach was customer oriented and found to be closer to the emerging notions of contemporary relational marketing. The brisk runners were found to be traditional marketing advocates as their marketing approach is more `library centred¿than customer defined and thus is in line of `product orientation¿ i.e. traditional marketing. `Let the interested customers come to the library¿ was appeared to be the hallmark of the slow walkers. Application of conscious market orientation is not reflected in the library activities of the slow walkers. Instead their values, ideology and approach to serving the library customers is more in tuneof `usual service oriented Finnish way¿. The implication of the research is that it pays to be market oriented which results in higher customer satisfaction oflibraries. Moreover, it is emphasised that the traditional user based service philosophy of Finnish research libraries should not be abandoned but it needs to be further developed by building a relational based marketing system which will help the libraries to become more efficient and effective from the customers¿ viewpoint. The contribution of the dissertation lies in the framework showing the linkages between the critical components of the marketing culture of a library: antecedents, market orientation, facilitators and consequences. The dissertationdelineates the significant underlying dimensions of market-oriented behaviour of libraries which are namely customer philosophy, inter-functional coordination,strategic orientation, responsiveness, pricing orientation and competition orientation. The dissertation also showed the extent to which marketing attitudes, behaviour, knowledge were related and impact of market orientation on the serviceperformance of libraries. A strong positive association was found to exist between market orientation and marketing attitudes and knowledge. Moreover, it also shows that a higher market orientation is positively connected with the service performance of libraries, the ultimate result being higher customer satisfaction. The analysis shows that a genuine marketing culture represents a synthesis of certain marketing attitudes, knowledge and of selective practices. This finding is particularly significant in the sense that it manifests that marketing culture consists of a certain sets of beliefs and knowledge (which form a specific attitude towards marketing) and implementation of a certain set of activities that actually materialize the attitude of marketing into practice (market orientation) leading to superior service performance of libraries.

Building Next Generation Consortium Services – part 1: Background for Change

Kristiina Hormia-Poutasen esitys CBUC-konferenssissa Barcelonassa 12.4.2013.

Towards multi bibliographic format support in Invenio

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Sistemas de gerenciamento de bibliotecas: riscos decorrentes do processo de migração de dados

This work aims to analyze risks related to information technology (IT) in procedures related to data migration. This is done considering ALEPH, Integrated Libray System (ILS) that migrated data to the Library Module present in the software called Sistema Integrado de Gestão de Atividades Acadêmicas (SIGAA) at the Zila Mamede Central Library at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) in Natal/Brazil. The methodological procedure used was of a qualitative exploratory research with the realization of case study at the referred library in order to better understand this phenomenon. Data collection was able once there was use of a semi-structured interview that was applied with (11) subjects that are employed at the library as well as in the Technology Superintendence at UFRN. In order to examine data Content analysis as well as thematic review process was performed. After data migration the results of the interview were then linked to both analysis units and their system register with category correspondence. The main risks detected were: data destruction; data loss; data bank communication failure; user response delay; data inconsistency and duplicity. These elements point out implication and generate disorders that affect external and internal system users and lead to stress, work duplicity and hassles. Thus, some measures were taken related to risk management such as adequate planning, central management support, and pilot test simulations. For the advantages it has reduced of: risk, occurrence of problems and possible unforeseen costs, and allows achieving organizational objectives, among other. It is inferred therefore that the risks present in data bank conversion in libraries exist and some are predictable, however, it is seen that librarians do not know or ignore and are not very worried in the identification risks in data bank conversion, their acknowledge would minimize or even extinguish them. Another important aspect to consider is the existence of few empirical research that deal specifically with this subject and thus presenting the new of new approaches in order to promote better understanding of the matter in the corporate environment of the information units