Page 77 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Library Automation

Notes 6. Hardware and Third Party Software Requirements: The vendor should provide a complete
list of hardware requirements (processor type and RAM) for server and client machines,
operating system requirements and back end RDBMS (with version) requirements.
Evaluation should be based on total cost for minimum hardware and third party software
requirements of the package.
7. Performance Testing: Any LMS should be evaluated by checking some performance testing
like transaction throughput capacity and response time, hardware functionality, module
functionality, conversion testing, database loading, index building etc.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
6. …………………… services includes patron self-service through RFID and smart card.

7. …………………… should be based on total cost for minimum hardware and third party
software requirements of the package.
8. Any LMS should be evaluated by checking some …………………… performance testing.

9. …………………… services includes customised report generation, GUI based user interface,
reservation facility, interlibrary loan module, multi-lingual support.
10. …………………… services includes acquisition, cataloguing, circulation, OPAC, serials
control, bibliographic format support, data exchange format support, article indexing,
retro conversion, standard report and system administration.

4.3 Trends and Future of Library Automation Software

The rapid developments of ICT have changed the libraries over the last few decades. The library
systems all over the world are going through a process of transformation to address the effects
and implications of technological change. In response to the needs of the hour, library automation
packages are gradually being upgraded to satisfy diversified demands of library authority, staff
and users by incorporating various epoch-making features. Some of these features are selected
for discussion here on the basis of their importance and utilities in library management.
1. Unicode: Unicode enables the input and display of different languages of the world in
their native scripts. Unicode complaint LMSs are able to dynamically change language at
any point without affecting other system users.

Example: A librarian could catalogue a record in English, and then change languages to
enter record in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, etc.
Unicode is a character representation standard like ASCII. ASCII is one byte (8 bits) code
and can represent only 28 i.e. 256 characters, whereas Unicode is two byte code (16 bits)
and can represent 216 i.e. around 65,000 characters. As a result Unicode standard can
represent all the scripts of the world including some obsolete scripts such as Bramhi and
Kharosti. Unicode provides two encoding formats – UTF-16 (default) and UTF-8 and the
present standard (Unicode 4.0) can represent 50,000 characters. The fully functional multi-
lingual system requires the Unicode support by operating system, programming
languages, application software and word processors. Unicode support for LMSs is essential
in multilingual countries like India.
2. Z39.50 Information Retrieval Protocol: The growth of shared cataloguing and cooperative
cataloguing initiatives allow capturing bibliographic data from remote library servers

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