Page 168 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Unit 9: Library Automation in Circulation Section

Introduction Notes

Lending documents for home reading is a normal, regular and on-going activity of most modern
service libraries. When hundreds and thousands of documents are on circulation among readers,
it is necessary to design a system to operate and control the movements of documents in a
library. The work of circulation has, therefore, to be planned and managed with efficiency.
Circulation work of a library involves a group of operations that are specific, repetitive and
systematic. As a result automated circulation systems have been fairly successful from the early
days of library automation. Such systems require minimum set of essential data for carrying out
circulation activities and data may be captured in a variety of ways. Generally, circulation
modules of Library Management Software (LMS) include the facilities meant for inter library
loan (ILL), group library circulation (in case of branch libraries and common borrowing card for
a group of libraries) and also provide options for the maintenance of library resources.
The primary responsibility of libraries to circulate books is to permits readers to borrow them
for home reading. Circulation involves keeping records of books that are borrowed, to whom
they have been lent, for how long, etc., in addition to a system of issue and return of books at the
circulation counter. There are also provisions in a circulation system to get a bock renewed or to
reserve a book for obtaining it on loan.
Policy decisions are also determined to define the borrowing privileges of different categories
of members, i.e., what types of documents (textbooks, monographs, loose issues of journals can
be borrowed by registered borrowers (students, faculty, researchers, management in University
libraries) and the length of time for which the user may keep the borrowed material.
There are two popular and widely practised systems of issue and return of documents in libraries,
known as Browne and Newark Charging Systems. These systems have evolved and developed
over a period of time. After giving a quick historical background of charging systems, we will
give you a detailed description of these two charging systems with their relative advantages
and disadvantages. We also explain the types of records and files that need to be maintained for
operating charging systems as well as statistical records to analyse the use of books.
All this work is usually handled by a separate division of the library. We will give you a
description of the planning and management of the circulation divisions of a library. Certain
miscellaneous jobs like maintaining controlling and gate register and property counter, fall
under the supervision of this division.
You will see as you go through this unit that circulation work is routine and practical in nature.
Therefore, the observation of the various jobs in real contexts in libraries, will give you a better
and clearer picture of circulation work. This self-instructional unit provides useful background
information to develop a more practical knowledge of all the routines involved in circulation
work.

9.1 Circulation Work

Circulation work is the primary task of most modem service libraries. A collection of documents,
thoughtfully and painstakingly built up as a library, is meant to be used and hence should not be
allowed to idle on the shelves. In effect, every reader should find a book in the library useful to
him/her and every book should have a user. Libraries, therefore, have introduced a service, by
which books can be borrowed by users for reading at their own convenient time at their homes
or at any place outside the library, or even within the library in research cubicles or in the
general reading room. Such a situation however arises in university libraries or in libraries
attached to archives or museums. There are certain categories of publications which, for security

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