Home | Developments in Integrated 
Library Systems (Summary)
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Acquisition. It is likely that publishers will put their own RFID tags in all newly published books, though at the moment there is some discussion in the booktrade about how much information to put on the tags.

• The information stored on the publishers’ tags should be adequate for the use of libraries saving time and money in reprocessing.

• The publisher’s RFID tag could be unobtrusive, perhaps resembling a logo.

• The tag would function as a unique identifier for each item enabling invoices to be processed using the tag.

• The ability of RFID to deal with many items at once would then greatly speed up the processing of books before they appear on the library shelves.

Self issue, return and auto-bookdrop. Because it can deal quickly with many items at once and does not require them to be in any particular position, RFID is ideally suited to self-service.

• Library users could return items by dropping them through a letterbox or putting them on a conveyor belt.

• They could issue them to themselves at a machine which could be anywhere in the library, not necessarily near the exit.

• RFID will of course identify any reserved items.

Prevention of theft. The technology resembles that currently in use in that library users have to pass through a gate which emits a noise if anything is illicitly removed.

• RFID works even if the user has issued the books to himself, by deactivating a theft alarm when the book is correctly issued.

• When the alarm goes off, library staff not only know that an item is being removed from the library without permission, they know which item it is.

Finding missing and out of order items. Part of the equipment of an RFID library is an “wand” which scans tags as it is passed along a row of shelved or piled books.

• The wands can be primed with the IDs of missing or wanted items and books can be searched for in a much less labour intensive way than before and with a greater chance of finding things if they really are present. A sound is emitted when the IDs being looked for are scanned.

There are a number of companies offering products aimed at the library market for integrated systems: Texas Instruments, 3m, Checkpoint Systems and Gemplus.

FUTURE AGENDA

RFID
RFID technology is still rapidly developing and can be expected to become more powerful, more robust, more versatile and cheaper in the foreseeable future. Tags are now capable of being read from considerable distances, probably greater than would be necessary for indoor purposes depending on the power of the transmitter and the tag. There is no doubt about the power of this technology to transform libraries.

If the book trade incorporate RFID tags inside newly published books which can act as unique identifiers, then libraries may need to gravitate to this technology, especially as laser technology currently in common use is obsolescent and may not be supported by manufacturers indefinitely. These changes will affect employment patterns in library work, there could be fewer unskilled jobs in library work and many time-consuming clerical routines could be transformed. The new technology needs time to settle down; the libraries testing it now are pioneers.

Library management systems are already, and will increasingly, move into the area of providing user information services:

Resource Discovery
One of the newest developments now being produced are resource discovery portals which can search library catalogues and other data sources (community information databases, local journal databases, Amazon, Google, specific web sources, etc.) simultaneously and provide users with information on a subject taken from a wide variety of sources.

Guided access
This is a tool which enables the user to see "just the best" material in a certain category from a variety of sources. It is a web-based tool which harvests resources from library catalogues, websites etc. to produce a multimedia listing of quality resources. It requires no special software, and gives scope for a library to involve others (e.g. teachers) in compiling lists of resources. Editorial controls are incorporated.

Access to content
Systems are now going further than providing references to content (as in library catalogues) and providing access to digital content itself e.g. to e-journals, websites, and locally digitised material such as local studies photographs.

Integration
Customer relationship management software is being installed in some local authorities. Library management systems will be embedded in these systems to provide a one-stop-shop service. For example, a user will be able to renew library books at the same time as asking a different department a question about council tax.

LINKS

International
This site provides links to the major library automation vendors.
http://www.libraryhq.com/automation.html

Cyprus
All public libraries can obtain free of charge the ABEKT library system.
http://bibliocyprus.lib.ucy.ac.cy/opac/zConnectENU.html

Czech Republic
The most common system is LANIUS.
http://www.lanius.cz/

Greece
The most commonly used system in Greece is AVEKT, a software developed by the National Documentation Centre and distributed free to all libraries
http://www.ekt.gr/

Iceland
In the next few years all Icelandic libraries are to be served by a common and centrally operated system. A contract has now been signed between Ex Libris and the Icelandic Minister of Education, Science and Culture for the licensing and implementation of the ALEPH 500 library automation system and Ex Libris' MetaLib and SFX software products. This includes the National and University Library of Iceland, Reykjavík City Library, other public libraries, university libraries, research libraries, school libraries etc.
http://www.exlibris-usa.com/products1.html

Lithuania
Libraries use the DOBIS LIBIS system.
http://www.elias.be/dobis/dolipo.html

Luxembourg
The most commonly used system in Luxembourg is ALEPH.
http://www.exlibris-usa.com/products1.html

Netherlands
Hoogezand-Sappemeer public library
The public library service tested RFID at for six months ending December 2001. The system tested was that of 3M.
http://www.mikro-vayla.fi/did/hoogezand.html

Singapore
National Library Board.
An implementation of RFID in its public libraries
http://carl.org/news/nlblive.html

Slovenia
COBISS (CO-OPERATIVE ONLINE BIBLIOGRAPHIC SYSTEM AND SERVICES)
All public libraries participate in this system developed by the Institute of Information Science (Maribor, Slovenia).
http://www.cobiss.net/cobiss_platform.htm

Spain
REBECA on line launched by the SGCB as an experience of co-operative cataloguing between the State Public Libraries. Currently, all Spanish libraries can search the REBECA database and download its records online through the WWW or Z39.50 server.
http://www.mcu.es/REBECA/index.html

United Kingdom
WILL (What's In London Libraries)
Aims to link up all the catalogues and community information databases of London's public libraries. Using a product from Crossnet Systems Ltd called DScovery, a single web interface will be developed to allow users to simultaneously search a range of resources across the city.
http://www.llda.org.uk/will/index.html

Home | Developments in Integrated 
Library Systems (Summary)
Full Text: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4