LS 25A: Automation in Information Work

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LS 25A Automation in
Information Work

• Lecture Automated Circulation
  

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0.0 Introduction

• This lecture is the 2nd on library housekeeping
  applications. It covers
• Definitions
• The manual circulation process
• Circulation software functional requirements

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0.1 Learning Objectives

• Identify the 7 major circulation activities
• Identify the traditional files used for the
  function
• Explain the purpose of automating the circulation
  function
• Define the software requirements for an
  automated circulation function
• Summarize the management information generated
  from the process

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1.0 Definitions

• Housekeeping Applications
• This refers to the use of computers for
• acquisitions, cataloguing, circulation and
  serials control
• Usually the first activities that libraries
  automate
• Help to control the stock and improve service to
  users

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1.0 Definitions

• Library Management Systems Software
• Housekeeping software referred to in the
  professional literature as Integrated Library
  Management Systems software.(ILMS)
• It is special purpose software intended to
  develop and manage databases for supporting
  library housekeeping functions OPAC and
  community information-type services.

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1.0 Definitions

• Circulation
• the total number of items issued from a
  library in a given period.
• Harrod, The Librarians Glossary.
• The objective of a circulation system is to
  document availability through stock control

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2.0 Manual Circulation Process

• Major Activities in the manual process are
• Check-out
• Check-in
• Renewals
• Reservations
• Overdues
• Notices
• Accounting
• Circulation statistics Management Info.

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2.1 Check-out

• Also called Charging or Issuing
• Check-out establishes a link between user and
  item
• who has what, so that it can be retrieved
• Link between item user is the charge
• Every circulation system must capture charge data

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2.2 Check-in

• Also called Discharging or Return
• Check-in disconnects borrower from item
• Make the item available for loan again

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2.3 Renewals

• This is a special type of check-out
• Really an extension of the original loan but it
  is not automatic
• Some checks need to be made before extension is
  granted like
• Eligibility of item for loan?
• Is it even due yet?
• Is the borrower the same person?

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2.4 Reservations

• Also called Holds
• A users request to the library to hold an item
  on its return
• Multiple users can reserve the same item!
• This condition creates a queue and queue
  management processes must be adopted!

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2.5 Overdues

• Material not returned by due date
• Availability to other users is the key
  consideration
• Circulation function must be able to identify
  overdue items so that recall notices can be sent
  for their return

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2.6 Notices

• Several types of notices
• Recall notices for overdues
• Notices to users about items on reserve list
• Community bulletins
• A major demand on the librarians time

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2.7 Accounting

• Penalties are assessed for infraction of
  circulation rules
• Fines are imposed so accounting must address
• accurate calculation of fines
• collection of fines
• Documentation to support fees imposed and
  payments of fines

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2.8 Management Information

• Information is gathered from processing
  statistics which help management make decisions
  affecting circulation and the service in general
• How many items issued / returned each day
• How many notices were sent out
• Lists of delinquent borrowers
• Lists of overdue titles
• What class of materials are the most heavily used
  etc.
• Appraise and give examples of how some of this
  information could be used?

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2.9 Information Required to Support
Circulation

• 1 Listing of library materials
• What questions are answered by processing this
  data?
• 2 Data on what has been issued?
• 3 The due date for each item on loan?
• 4 Data on borrowers?
• personal details related to the user
• This data listed is required for control
  management purposes regardless of manual or
  automated system

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2.10 Manual Files Used in the
Circulation Function

• 1 The Catalogue
• For answering queries on the items in the
  collection available for loan
• 2 The Borrowers File
• Also called the Registration file
• 3 The Issue / Transactions File
• Link borrowers to items
• 4 Receipt System for Fines
• Receipt book, for accounting purposes
• 5 Management Information

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2.11 Manual Files in the Circulation Function

• Statistics collected for processing to provide
  information for planning and control like
• no. of daily loans
• the heaviest used subject areas
• the most active users
• the heaviest losers of library materials
• Usage patterns

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3.0 Automated Circulation

• Circulation was one of the earliest and remains
  one of the most widely-used of the
  housekeeping applications as it is often the area
  where many libraries first see the need for
  automation
• 1 To reduce crowding at the circulation desk
• 2 To maintain control over movement of stock
• 3 Availability of the software to automate
  function

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3.1 Automated Circulation
Methodologies

• 1 Use a light-pen scanner or a flat-bed scanner,
  set in the surface of the circulation desk, to
  read bar-coded library materials
• 2 Use of bar-coded borrower cards
• Each item in the collection available for loan
  has to be labeled with the appropriate bar-code
  label
• Bar-code labels are supplied along with the
  circulation software
• Bar codes are generated by the computer once the
  library enters the appropriate code for each
  label

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3.12 Automated Circulation Methodologies

• Some circulation software limited and cannot
  support bar code labels that hold the full
  bibliographic data for each item but only numeric
  data for the item
• accession no. or ISBN
• ISSN for serials
• Libraries may add other codes, e.g.
• copy 4th copy of title
• class. no.

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3.13 Automated Circulation Methodologies

• Automated circulation systems come with both
  scanners and keyboards
• Scanners minimize human error (?)
• Keyboards are needed for remote renewals
• Bar-coded borrower cards are prepared by the
  library
• Each card is assigned a unique number
• Card contains other information on the customer

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3.2 Functional Specs for Circulation
Software

• Circulation software should allow for
• Development of a Transaction File
• the registration of users Borrowers File
• Access to OPAC

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3.3 Specifications Transaction File

• Contains 3 things, usually
• Item out on loan bar code ID
• To whom Users ID
• Due date numbers only
• Contains numeric data only
• Working file that is updated every time an item
  is issued or returned
• This file supports check-out / check-in /
  renewals / reservations

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3.4 Functional SpecsBorrower File

• Updated each time a user joins or leaves the
  library
• Note that usually it is the users ID
  that is scanned into the circulation terminal.
  The library collects additional personal data and
  connect that to each ID number
• Borrower File supports the Transaction File

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3.41 Functional SpecsBorrower File

• Example of a record in the Borrower File
• ID 123
• NAME Jones, Susan
• ADDRESS 1University Close,
• Kingston 7
• TEL. [phone]
• STATUS Faculty

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3.42 Functional SpecsBorrower File

• Libraries have different ways of coding the user
  ID. In addition to the base number generated by
  the computer, codes could be added to identify
  categories of users
• 123 A for Junior Readers or Undergrads
• B for Young Adults or Postgrads
• C for Adults or Faculty etc.
• The ID is the Key Field
• Link the Transaction and Borrower Files

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3.5 Functional SpecsThe OPAC

• Provides the bibliographic data for the item out
  on loan
• numeric data on borrowed items in Transaction
  File
• Bibliographic data is needed in order to write
  notices and answer author/title queries at the
  Circulation Desk
• The item code is a Key Field
• Link the OPAC the Transaction File

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3.6 Special Features of Circulation
Software

• Identifying and intercepting delinquents
• circulation staff should be alerted to a
  delinquent borrower if they attempt to issue more
  materials to that person
• Human over-ride
• To allow for human decision-making about fines
  and borrowing privileges
• The ability to change a pre-determined loan
  period
• Alert staff when overdue book returned
• circulation staff alerted when an overdue book is
  returned so that the fine can be charged

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3.7 Functional Specs Management Information

• Circulation software must produce report for
  management decision-making as well as control
• Some reports
• identification of heavily-used titles
• Passed on to Acquisitions
• identification of heavily-used class nos.
• Passed on to Acquisitions
• identification of heaviest users
• useful for planning additional services
• Notices

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4.0 Functional Specs Input Processing

• Note that both humans machines are involved in
  the circulation process
• Computers make contribution
• Librarian makes a contribution
• Librarian must identify input for computer and
  interpret output from computer

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4.0 Functional Specs Input Processing

• Setting Limits is human and intellectual and
  requires
• the librarians judgement User needs
• the application of evaluation criteria
• setting limits for areas such
• loan periods
• number if items allowed each category of user
• extending loan periods
• amount of items on loan
• forgiving fines etc.

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4.0 Functional Specs Input Processing

• Some other important tasks librarians must retain
  responsibility for
• User registration
• Data entry to the Transaction File

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4.0 Functional Specs Input Processing

• COMPUTERS MACHINES can do
• storage of various files
• automatic calculation of due dates
• calculation of fines
• generation of notices
• renewals loan extensions
• control of number of books loaned
• blacklisting of borrowers
• automatic re-registration
• stock movement control
• history files borrowing patterns of user
• generation of management data