Library Technology Guides

My Systems Librarian column for the September 2008 issue of Computers in Libraries describes some of my ideas regarding the next generation of library automation software. One of the main failings of the current slate of automation products involves their inability to effectively manage both electronic and print content. Libraries must implement a whole suite of products in order to comprehensively manage their collections. I'm hoping that the next generation of library automation software does a better job of helping libraries manage content regardless of the type of media on which it resides.

As I look at the current state of the art in products available for managing electronic resources, it seems like there's still lots of room for improvement, especially in the areas of integration and interoperability. The products available for managing electronic resources now include a strong set of features to coordinate the information and automate the work related to this type of content. The main problem that I see lies in how to tie in electronic content with the library's broader environment, both in terms of the work performed by staff members behind the scenes and in the way that it is presented to users. continue reading...

(The full text of my Systems Librarian columns are available on Library Technology Guides 90 days following thier original publication in Computers in Libraries magazine.)

Marshall Breeding Jan 4, 2009 21:49:54 Link to this thread    

Over the last few weeks I have been collecting responses for a second round of the perceptions survey that I first conducted in 2007. I've now closed the survey and have written a brief article that presents the statistical outcome of the survey and gives some highlights of the results.

Here is a sample table from the report:

Just as I did for the 2007 survey, I created an interactive tool for viewing the statistical summaries and comments. The main tables in the article show statistics only for those products that had more than 20 survey responses. You can use the ILS Product Report to view the statistics on any of the products mentioned in the survey and to read the comments about that system, even if the number of responses did not meet the threshold. The comments that display have been edited to remove any text that identifies the individual or institution, preserving the anonymity of the responders. The narrative data in the comments largely corroborate the statistical responses and makes for interesting reading.

Marshall Breeding Jan 19, 2009 14:30:50 Link to this thread