Computers For Librarians

Computers for Librarians is aimed primarily at students of library and information management and at those library and information service professionals who feel the need for a book that will give them a broad overview of the emerging electronic library. It takes a top-down approach, starting with applications such as the Internet, information sources and services, provision of access to information resources and library management systems, before looking at data management, computer systems and technology, data communications and networking, and library systems development. It also provides an interesting set of case studies, which help to put theoretical and technical issues into context. Computers for Librarians can be read as a survey of where we are in terms of the electronic library, but it is also intended as an educational resource, and includes self-learning aids such as learning objectives, keywords and review questions for each chapter.

Keep pace with the constant technological changes you face every day as a library technician Computers in Libraries examines the impact of integrated library management systems, digital resources, and the Internet on the functions and operations of library technicians and assistants. The book provides a practical understanding of library system software, networks, online information and access, portals, open URL linking, and the fusion of digital and print collections. Each chapter opens with definitions of the most commonly used terms and closes with review questions for classroom use, making it equally valuable as a textbook and as a professional resource for updating work skills. The roles of library technicians and assistants have changed dramatically in the past twenty years as computers have transformed every area of day-to-day library operations. And nowhere have those changes been more obvious than when dealing with online data that hasn’t undergone the same quality control and selection processes traditionally used with library resources. As ordering and cataloging processes have been streamlined, and reference and research services have been turned into twenty-four hour help centers, Computers in Libraries is a practical guide to keeping pace with the changes you face—every day, in every aspect of your work. Computers in Libraries examines: how computers work Internet protocols and applications integrated management system structure and administration acquisitions financial management online cataloging standards circulation parameters and policies course reserves serials control the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) resource sharing standards searching online databases creating online content digital libraries and electronic publishing bibliographic standards and practices Computers in Libraries is an important resource for library professionals striving to stay a step ahead in their field and for students who will need to be up to speed on the technological aspects of library work.

A library computer system is the software used to catalog, track circulation (where appropriate), and inventory a library's assets. It is intended for home, church, private enterprise, and other small- to medium-sized collections. Larger libraries typically use an integrated library system to manage the more-complex activities, such as acquisitions, interlibrary loan, and licensing online resources. With distributed software the customer can choose to self-install or to have the system installed by the vendor on their own hardware. The customer can be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the application and the data, or the customer can choose to be supported by the vendor with an annual maintenance contract. Some vendors charge for upgrades to the software. Customers, who subscribe to a web (hosted) service, upload data to the vendors remote server through the Internet and may pay a periodic fee to access their data. Modern libraries are constituted within and by a tradition of techniques and practices that represent a hundred years of codified professional knowledge. This book provides a historical overview of this tradition that created a complex environment of expectation and misunderstanding for introducing library automation. This book attempts to delineate and discuss the applications of the computer that have been behind the technological revolution of library science. The aim of the book is to mainly enhance the readers' understanding of the ways in which computers have heralded the invasion of technology into library science, with special attention to the emergence of digital libraries which promise to make libraries and their information completely at the mercy of our fingertips.

Lists of figures and tables. An overview of computer-based library systems. Hardware aspects. Software aspects. Storing and retrieving information. Telecommunications aspects. Setting up computer-based systems in libraries. Acquisitions and cataloguing systems. Circulation control. Serials control. Local information retrieval systems. External online search services.