Planning for Integrated Systems and Technologies: A How‐To‐Do‐It Manual for Librarians

Citation

Jackson, A. (2003), "Planning for Integrated Systems and Technologies: A How‐To‐Do‐It Manual for Librarians", Library Review, Vol. 52 No. 2, pp. 85-86. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530310462233

They say the most stressful event in an adult’s life is buying and moving house. If you’re a librarian, however, you’ll find this process a piece of cake compared to the purchase of an automated library management system. If you’re involved at all, that is. You may find that the responsibility for such a massive hardware and/or software investment is farmed‐out to the IT department, none of whom are familiar with your policy issues, user needs, or staff workflows. Conversely, how can you effectively argue for what you need when faced with a level of technology so far beyond your ken? The stress involved may not be limited to your own institution, either: chances are, you will be part of a consortium bid in order to reduce costs, with committees to be called, compromises thrashed out, deadlines set, finances sliced‐up. It can all get very nasty.

Adapted for the non‐US market, Planning for Integrated Systems and Technologies should be consulted before the first irrevocable step is taken. Split into three main sections, the first lays out the basic groundwork: deciding who will be involved, needs‐assessment, SWOT analysis, creating a map of existing technology within the library, and organizing brainstorming sessions. The second section addresses consortium issues, preparing an operational requirement document, the tendering and selection process, implementation and training. The overview of “open” and “restricted” tendering guidelines will be essential for first‐time system purchases. Finally, a section dealing with maintenance issues: data conversion, barcoding, and MARC standards. The brief overview of MARC is perhaps insufficient to be of real use to the uninitiated, but, as with every chapter, the further reading notes and relevant Web links are well‐chosen.

The authors have taken a lively, no‐nonsense approach, with their “manual” including plenty of exercises, checkpoints and to‐do lists. With the ICT environment moving at such a rapid pace, there are certain developments which have not been addressed; for example, CERLIM’s HARMONISE project (www.mmu.ac.uk/h‐ss/cerlim/projects/harmonise.htm), which seeks to identify common system requirements across all library sectors and thus save both buyer and vendor a great deal of time and money. One rather depressing aspect of the book is the poor level of proof‐reading, with basic typographical errors in most chapters, and (annoyingly) one URL link mis‐spelt in the notes.

As a whole, when read in conjunction with real‐life, anecdotal accounts such as those contained in Planning and Implementing Successful System Migrations (Ed. Graeme Muirhead, Library Association, 1997), this book will provide a solid basis on which to begin a first‐time purchase and also act as a useful reference guide for those who have already undertaken such a project. When your new system costs as much as a small cottage in the Cotswolds, advice of this kind will make life a lot easier.