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Unit 5: Management of Library Automation

possibilities in a collaborative setting. Group interaction is an important contributing factor in Notes
the success of the goal, which is to develop and sustain library automation in the years ahead.
Here are the basic steps involved in this process:

Plan on a two-day, intensive planning effort.
Ask participants to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the library’s
environment (known as “SWOT” factors in strategic planning) that are characteristic of or
that confront the library.

Group these factors into critical issue areas that are likely to have an impact on the libraries’
future in developing and sustaining automation.
Ask participants to identify ideas and perceptions in relation to the question: “How do
you see the library providing user-friendly, cost-effective automated services in five years?”
Through a method of your own devising, ask participants to prioritize all of the ideas that
come out of the above two “brainstorming” exercises.

Ask participants to shape these priorities into the draft of a strategic “vision” for automation
development consisting of a statement of purpose, goals and objectives for the library.
The strategic vision must provide the framework or context for the next step in the automation
process, which is to determine which library functions should be automated and in what order
of priority.

Example: Processes that are repetitive, occupy large amounts of staff time, require
retrieving information from large, unwieldy files, or are high-profile functions of the library
(such as the public catalogue) are prime candidates for automation.

Determining the functions that you wish to automate and their priorities relative to each other
is important for all sorts of reasons. If needs and priorities are clear, functions can be automated
in phases, allowing for more effective use of frequently scarce funding. Moreover, it is a way to
develop credibility with funding agencies and be able to take advantage of “sudden” funding
opportunities. Finally, evaluations of systems and options will be easier and more productive if
you are able to match your highest functional priorities against the corresponding modules
available in the marketplace.
Planners need to be aware that there are certain cost elements involved in the installation and
operation of any automated system. These may be summarized as follows:

Planning and Consulting Costs include direct, out-of-pocket costs (e.g., hiring a consultant)
and indirect costs (e.g., training staff) associated with getting started.

Purchase of the System includes the cost of acquiring the initial system hardware and
software, as well as the cost of preparing a site for the computer system.
Telecommunications costs are those fees paid to telecommunications companies or agencies
for connecting remote terminals or workstations to a central computer system.
Conversion costs are those associated with the creation of machine-readable bibliographic
and, for circulation systems, patron, records.

Additions to the Existing System may be required to maintain performance specifications,
to accommodate new users, or to allow for additional automated functions.

On-going Operating costs include:
maintenance fees

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