Page 10 - DLIS408_INFORMATION_TECHNOLOGY-APPLICATIONSL SCIENCES

Unit 1: Library Automation

Group these factors into critical issue areas that are likely to have an impact on the Notes
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 automa-
tion development consisting of a statement of purpose, goals and objectives for the library.
Strategic vision now 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.
For 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 catalog) 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.
Also 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 telephone companies for connecting
remote terminals or workstations to a central computer system.
CONVERSION costs are those associated with the creation of machine-readable biblio-
graphic and, for circulation systems, patron, records.
ON-GOING OPERATING costs include:
maintenance fees
utility costs
miscellaneous supply costs
telecommunications costs
salaries and benefits (if extra staff are hired).

System Specifications
At some point, there is need to re-formulate functional priorities into “functional specifications,”
which may be defined as what you want an automated system to do for you, including things that
your current manual system cannot do. “Technical specifications” must also be established. These
include standards that must be adhered to, system performance, operation, and maintenance, as
well as infrastructure requirements, such as stable sources of electricity and telecommunications,
and sufficient bandwidth.
Developing clear and accurate functional and technical specifications that are specific to your
library is one of the most important, if not the most important, activity that you will engage in as
you plan for your automated system. These specifications will carry you through the entire
procurement process, and will ensure that the system which most closely matches them will be the
most useful and the most responsive to your needs.

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