- Email: [email protected]
Directory of automated library systems
Book Reviews
555
more so because the Dewey Decimal Classification is regularly updated and manages to be au courant to a degree remarkable for a universal system. Therefore, using it in an online system makes sense. The Markey and Demeyer research adopted a methodology agreed upon by a group of consultants who are experts in their fields. For practical reasons, not all of the suggestions could be acted upon, though they may be used in future experimentation. The result is a study in depth. The report covers the creation of an experimental online catalog for areas of the Dewey system, specifically prepared for studying subject searching. The methods used tested significant factors such as time, recall, precision and matching in the retrieved output, plus failure analysis when material was omitted, or where results were not what was anticipated. Finally, there is a discussion of how the Dewey Decimal System could be integrated into existing online catalogs and systems. The degree of detail in the text and its appendices should permit replication and verification. As a model, it is both well planned and well executed. The sponsors, OCLC, the Council on Library Resources and the Forest Press are to be congratulated on their sponsorship of such a careful study. This reviewer strongly recommends that the “Executive Summary” (pp. xxv-xliii) be published in a widely read professional journal in order to bring the work to the attention of a larger audience.
Columbia University (Visiting Professor)
PHYLLIS A. RICHMOND
New York. NY
Directory of Automated Library Systems. J. R. MATTHEWS(ED.). Neal-Schuman, don (1985). viii + 217 pp., $34.95, ISBN 0-918212-82-O.
New York and Lon-
Matthews, who has been examining automated library systems for a number of years [see, for example, his Choosing an Automated Library System (1980) and A Reader for Choosing an Automated Library System (1983)], has brought together a wealth of detail about currently available systems. The bulk of the directory is set up in nine comparative “exhibits” (or tables) that allow detail-by-detail comparison of 30 automated library system vendors. In addition to general information (such as staff size and number of customers), these exhibits give specific data on various system functions (acquisitions, circulation, online catalog, etc.) and equipment. The online function exhibit, for example, details database content, record structure and length, data elements, authority files, methods of access, stop word list, search structure (e.g. Boolean searching), user cordiality, display format, print formats, response time, security, audit and reporting, file updates, backup and integration. Each exhibit is well laid out and labeled. In the equipment exhibit, however, OCLC’s and Penn State’s data are missing, apparently because of a printing error. A second section provides vendor name, address and phone number as well as a listing of installation sites with address, contact person, phone number, installation data and number of terminals. Microcomputer software is arranged by function in a third section; each entry lists vendor, price, software and hardware requirements, minimum hardware configuration and a brief description. This section is independent of the first two, and although useful for libraries looking for specialized packages, it does not provide the detail that the first section does. Six indexes provide good access to vendors, hardware and microcomputer software. Matthews is aware of the limitations of a directory for a rapidly changing field. He suggests it be used in conjunction with vendor and user supplied information. Be aware, however, that information in the directory is vendor supplied, and “to the extent possible, confirmed by the author.” (p. v). The introduction points out other limitations of the directory: It does not cover reliability, response time, maintenance quality, trouble-shooting aid, financial stability and cost (which will vary with each library’s needs). The directory, nonetheless, puts in one volume much useful information for beginning evaluation. Ideally, it would be updated annually, but no such plan is mentioned. This directory will be useful to all libraries considering automation. ROBERT A. AKEN
University of Kentucky Libraries Lexington, KY
Personal Computers for Libraries. H. FALK. Learned $16.95. ISBN o-938734-10-5.
Information,
Medford,
NJ (1985). 174 pp.,
This book is intended for librarians or others who need an overview of what microcomputers can actually accomplish to aid library operations and services. It is written for the individual with no prior exposure to microcomputers or computing by an author who has published several other books on microcomputing. It is unfortunate that such an elementary level book as this is still much needed
555
more so because the Dewey Decimal Classification is regularly updated and manages to be au courant to a degree remarkable for a universal system. Therefore, using it in an online system makes sense. The Markey and Demeyer research adopted a methodology agreed upon by a group of consultants who are experts in their fields. For practical reasons, not all of the suggestions could be acted upon, though they may be used in future experimentation. The result is a study in depth. The report covers the creation of an experimental online catalog for areas of the Dewey system, specifically prepared for studying subject searching. The methods used tested significant factors such as time, recall, precision and matching in the retrieved output, plus failure analysis when material was omitted, or where results were not what was anticipated. Finally, there is a discussion of how the Dewey Decimal System could be integrated into existing online catalogs and systems. The degree of detail in the text and its appendices should permit replication and verification. As a model, it is both well planned and well executed. The sponsors, OCLC, the Council on Library Resources and the Forest Press are to be congratulated on their sponsorship of such a careful study. This reviewer strongly recommends that the “Executive Summary” (pp. xxv-xliii) be published in a widely read professional journal in order to bring the work to the attention of a larger audience.
Columbia University (Visiting Professor)
PHYLLIS A. RICHMOND
New York. NY
Directory of Automated Library Systems. J. R. MATTHEWS(ED.). Neal-Schuman, don (1985). viii + 217 pp., $34.95, ISBN 0-918212-82-O.
New York and Lon-
Matthews, who has been examining automated library systems for a number of years [see, for example, his Choosing an Automated Library System (1980) and A Reader for Choosing an Automated Library System (1983)], has brought together a wealth of detail about currently available systems. The bulk of the directory is set up in nine comparative “exhibits” (or tables) that allow detail-by-detail comparison of 30 automated library system vendors. In addition to general information (such as staff size and number of customers), these exhibits give specific data on various system functions (acquisitions, circulation, online catalog, etc.) and equipment. The online function exhibit, for example, details database content, record structure and length, data elements, authority files, methods of access, stop word list, search structure (e.g. Boolean searching), user cordiality, display format, print formats, response time, security, audit and reporting, file updates, backup and integration. Each exhibit is well laid out and labeled. In the equipment exhibit, however, OCLC’s and Penn State’s data are missing, apparently because of a printing error. A second section provides vendor name, address and phone number as well as a listing of installation sites with address, contact person, phone number, installation data and number of terminals. Microcomputer software is arranged by function in a third section; each entry lists vendor, price, software and hardware requirements, minimum hardware configuration and a brief description. This section is independent of the first two, and although useful for libraries looking for specialized packages, it does not provide the detail that the first section does. Six indexes provide good access to vendors, hardware and microcomputer software. Matthews is aware of the limitations of a directory for a rapidly changing field. He suggests it be used in conjunction with vendor and user supplied information. Be aware, however, that information in the directory is vendor supplied, and “to the extent possible, confirmed by the author.” (p. v). The introduction points out other limitations of the directory: It does not cover reliability, response time, maintenance quality, trouble-shooting aid, financial stability and cost (which will vary with each library’s needs). The directory, nonetheless, puts in one volume much useful information for beginning evaluation. Ideally, it would be updated annually, but no such plan is mentioned. This directory will be useful to all libraries considering automation. ROBERT A. AKEN
University of Kentucky Libraries Lexington, KY
Personal Computers for Libraries. H. FALK. Learned $16.95. ISBN o-938734-10-5.
Information,
Medford,
NJ (1985). 174 pp.,
This book is intended for librarians or others who need an overview of what microcomputers can actually accomplish to aid library operations and services. It is written for the individual with no prior exposure to microcomputers or computing by an author who has published several other books on microcomputing. It is unfortunate that such an elementary level book as this is still much needed