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Unit 12: Library Automation Services

to locate resources in a file or database as the result of a search using attributes or Notes
relationships of the resources;

to identify a resource (i.e. to confirm that the entity described in a record corresponds to
the entity sought or to distinguish between two or more entities with similar characteristics);
to select specific item that is appropriate to the user’s needs (i.e. to choose a resource that
meets the user’s requirements with respect to content, physical format, and so on or to
reject a resource as being inappropriate to the user’s needs);

to acquire or obtain access to an item described (that is to acquire an item through purchase,
loan, and so on or to access an item electronically through an online connection to a
remote source);

to navigate a bibliographic database (that is through the logical arrangement of
bibliographic information and presentation of clear ways to move around, including
presentation of relationships among attributes).
In automated setup access to library collection is provided through Online Public Access Catalogue
or OPAC. OPAC of any modern LMS is fully integrated with other modules, accessible through
LAN and WAN and allows users:
to search, either combined or specific for all formats (books, journals, computer files,
maps, sound recording, musical scores, visual materials, manuscripts and archival
materials);

to find a range or levels of records (from full bibliographic records to brief, minimal level
records);
to see standard and customised display of records in all status categories (fully catalogued,
provisional records, confined copy, on order, in process, lost, withdrawn);
to know item-level circulation status information in real-time and note of items have
special locations (in transit, reserve etc.) or status (recalled, on hold etc.);

to search multiple words or phrases in one, more than one, or all fields;
to apply various search operations within and across all fields such as Boolean operators
(OR, XOR, NOT, AND), Positional operators (SAME, WITH, NEAR, ADJ) and Relational
operators (‘less than’, ‘greater than’, ‘equal to’ etc.);
to indicate which fields are to be displayed for a retrieved record at the time of display,
printing and downloading.

Web-OPAC Service

Web-OPACs are next generation of OPACs. Web-enabled OPACs allow users to search library
catalogues and access other services from any client at anywhere at any time. It helps libraries to
overcome space and time barrier in accessing services. Any machine with a standard web browser
can act as a client because the mechanism does not require installation of any additional client-
side software.

Article Indexing Service

Modern automation packages also provide facility to create and index database of articles or
papers published in the journals subscribed by the library. The abstracts of papers/articles may
also be included in the database. Such a database allows specific and combined searching by
author, title, keywords etc. and produces number of user specific services like table of contents

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