Page 110 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Unit 6: Library Automation in Acquisition

When it comes to receiving materials, the system must be capable of accepting credits, refunds Notes
and partial order payments and provide real time update of vendor and account records.
But what if items are not received? The system must be able to produce claim notices and send
the claims electronically to vendors, or to the librarian. The librarian should be able to cancel
and resubmit orders without re-inputting record data.
Acquisition reports are needed to document performance statistics and summaries of work
done during the acquisition process in a specified time frame. In the past, they were compiled
manually, a tedious job. Nowadays library systems come with a graphical report interface that
enables point and click selection of appropriate date elements, time periods, frequencies, output
devices etc.
Acquisition and ordering systems in libraries cover the selection, ordering and accessioning of
items into the library’s collection. Computers are used:
to send order slips and ‘chasers’ for unacknowledged or overdue orders to the booksellers.
to produce lists of books on order

to keep accounts of money spent
to produce accession lists of recently acquired books
The detailed input to an acquisition system covers
new orders

amendments to existing orders
bookseller’s reports
acknowledgement of receipt of items in the library
Selection of new books can be done from commercially available services which disseminate
information about forthcoming documents, or directly from MARC tapes or any local inputs.
Two files are maintained in a computer-based acquisition system. One is the main file containing
records of all current orders. The second is a file with the names and addresses of booksellers
used by the library. A code number for each bookseller links the two files, so that booksellers’
information is not repeated in the order file. The system prints out the orders addressing the
appropriate supplier printing of orders can also be done on special pre-printed stationery that
can be sent directly to the book-seller.

By checking with the date of entering the order record into the file; ‘chasers’ can be sent to the
booksellers, if no information regarding the order has been received within a predetermined
time. When the item is received in the library, the order record with the bibliographic details
becomes the basis of the catalogue record. The edited record is merely added to the catalogue
file in an integrated system.
Other processes that can be performed by a computerized acquisition system are:
listing items on order, by author, department or subject;

new accessions listing;
notifying individuals who have recommended a particular book, about the receipt of that
book;

control of accounts;
production of relevant statistics to help management decisions.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 105