Page 162 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Unit 8: Library Automation in Technical Processing

14. The majority of libraries, regardless of total staff size, typically have so many professional Notes
librarians involved in electronic resource management.
15. Some libraries create task forces to deal with policy development issues.

Case Study Identification of Problems Faced by University
Libraries in the Process of Automation (Sri Lanka)

History of Library Automation in Sri Lanka
The Natural Resources, Energy and Science Authority of Sri Lanka (NARESA), currently
known as the National Science Foundation (NSF) obtained a computer in 1983 for the use
of the Sri Lanka Scientific and Technical Information Centre (SLSTIC). This can be considered
as a historical event because this was the first computer set up in a library in Sri Lanka.
NSF had to undergo a long process and meet problems to procure this computer due to the
attitudes of decision makers, computer scientists and librarians towards the use of
computers for library purposes (Yapa, 1998). Although the situation in Sri Lanka was such,
during the 1980s, most Western countries automated their libraries rapidly. UNESCO
developed CDS/ISIS by combining its own Computerized Documentation System with
the Integrated Set of Information Systems of the International Labour Organization and
there had been a rapid progress of library computerization activities in Sri Lanka after the
introduction of CDS/ISIS in 1987 (Yapa, 1995). This software was, and is, distributed to
libraries free of cost.
Automation of University Libraries in Sri Lanka
It was in the year 1986 that the first meeting of university librarians, Vice Chancellors and
the then Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) was held to discuss any
possibilities of automating university libraries (IUCL, 1987). The Inter University
Committee on Librarians (IUCL) emphasized the importance of automating university
libraries in order to be on par with the technology development taking place worldwide
and brought out issues such as inadequate funds to purchase computers, software and
insufficient trained staff etc. In 1991, UGC provided one microcomputer to each of the
eight university libraries namely: Peradeniya, Colombo, Moratuwa, Sri Jayawardenapura,
Kelaniya, Jaffna, Ruhuna and Open University (Dissanayake, 1995). UNESCO’s freely
available database software, “CDS/ISIS” was used by all the above libraries to enter
cataloguing data. In Sri Lanka, as in many countries, CDS/ISIS has been used widely as
money has not been available to acquire other software. Since then many library software
packages (CDS/ISIS, Purna, LibSys, Lib Suite, Alice and ISURU) have been used by university
librarians to automate the functions of the library.
Software Issues
Software and matters related to software play an important role in the process of automation
of library functions. Information received on the software packages used for library
automation shows that the UML was using LibSys software and the UCL was using Alice
for Windows software. LIBSYS is a fully integrated multi-user library system incorporating
the latest in information technology. LIBSYS, though a powerful system, is easy to operate.
The library staff can begin to use it without prior programming or computer skills. It
ensures high productivity because of minimal data entry requirements, maximum possible
integration of functions and sophisticated search facilities. Built around its own centralized
Contd...

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