Page 170 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Unit 9: Library Automation in Circulation Section

2. Circulation work includes……………………, i.e., charging and discharging. Notes
3. As circulation counters are usually located close to the …………………… gates of libraries,
the circulation division of a library may also control the gate register and the property
counter.

9.2 Circulation Systems

A circulation system helps a library user in the use of books and other library material that have
been sent by the technical processing division of the library to the maintenance division most
effectively.
The components of circulation systems will normally include:

a file of registered borrowers,
a record of all loan transactions,
a system of charging and discharging,
a renewal mechanism for extending due dates for return of books, and reservation of
books already on loan for members who need them.

In addition to these, the circulation division may be required to take responsibility for the
shelving of materials, recording and maintenance of circulation statistics and protecting the
collection to ensure its fullest long-term use. It also helps to remove any obstacles between the
individual user and the library material.

9.2.1 Historical Development

The charging system which presently exists in Indian libraries has evolved over a period of
time. From a simple register system of recording loan transactions, circulation systems have
now evolved into sophisticated computer-based systems. A number of factors have contributed
to this evolution and development. Firstly the concept of librarianship has shifted from excessive
conservation and preservation of books to increased concern for public use of books. Secondly
public library systems are fast developing. There has been a phenomenal increase in book
collections which are accessed by a large user population. In fact, the development of charging
systems is closely linked with the growth of public libraries. Therefore, it became necessary to
develop more liberal set of rules and simplified procedures for the circulation of books.

Several types of systems were developed. We shall attempt a quick review of these systems, in
four broad groups as given below:
Register systems

Card systems
Semi-mechanical systems
Automated systems

Register Systems

The earliest method of charging books for home use was a relatively simple one of writing the
author, title and borrower’s name in a ‘Day book’. A ‘Day book’ was a register that recorded all
daily transactions sequentially in a register. Later, this method was superseded by the `Ledger
system’ with separate pages for each registered borrower. Each borrower’s transactions were
recorded in his/her respective page. This avoided the tedium of searching through the `Day
book’ for a single entry.

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