However some of the above aspects will be mentioned briefly in this report. Library automation refers to the utilisation of a combination of hardware, software and people to improve management of the library and its resources. Library automation software usually comprises one or more of the following functions: cataloguing, acquisition, circulation, Online Public Access Cataloguing OPAC , serials control and interlibrary loan Bilal ; de Smet Library automation is an expensive and time-consuming task to initiate.
Expenses are usually due to the acquisition of hardware, software, cabling and human resources Idahosa Limitations in financial and human resources encourage staff to utilise free software. Although free software is attractive to small libraries, the hidden costs lie in the installation, self-training and adaptation of the software for local use Boss It is also published in a variety of languages, including, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
For this survey reference is made to English language articles because of the difficulty in retrieving and accessing foreign language publications and translating the articles. In addition to journals and web articles there are many other publications in the form of handbooks, manuals and guides. Rodriguez therefore groups the literature into three categories in her study. The second group deals with the technical literature concerned with the features of the software.
They have categorised the literature into five categories. In comparison the number of articles dealing with the practical use of ISIS is quite small. The final report of this survey have not been published. Hopkinson touches on training and mentions that organisations offer some sort of training sometimes as part of another course.
Textual databases are well suited for bibliographic applications which makes them ideal to use for the catalogues in small and medium sized libraries Buxton The ISIS program has developed into a group of software applications based on the same data formats. The importance of the format is demonstrated in information exchange.
These formats promote the exchange of bibliographic data. De Smet states that the powerful retrieval and formatting output functions of the ISIS program makes it well suited for the manipulation of bibliographic data.
This contributes to its popularity in developing countries. It was also adapted for library services within the ILO Hopkinson In the ILO decided that it could no longer support ISIS and made the software and the source code available to other organisations. The latest windows version 1. The next three software categories were developed and maintained by BIREME, Sao Paulo Brazil ; distribution is either for free or for a moderate fee which entitles support through the Internet.
Methodology A self-administered questionnaire1 consisting of open- and close-ended questions was used to collect data. This was conducted via email. The email survey was carried out during October Email addresses were obtained through three sources. The distributors were requested to circulate the questionnaire to other users.
The second source of email addresses was obtained from a world wide survey carried out by Ernesto Spinak in which he investigated the operating systems on which ISIS databases functioned. The third source was gleaned from literature sources. Microsoft Excel was used to analyse the data and generate tables. Country data from Tchougbe have been incorporated into Table 2 so that the geographic distribution could be determined and compared. A reference list of countries in Africa, obtained from the About.
Against this reference list the Survey of French-speaking Africa and the About. Limitations of the survey The distribution method of the questionnaire had a variety of limitations. Secondly, it was difficult to determine the exact number of questionnaires distributed and so a percentage response could not be determined.
Since distributors of the software were asked to distribute the questionnaire, it could not be ascertained if the questionnaire had been distributed to all their clients.
Thirdly, users that did not have email access did not have an opportunity to respond. Fourthly, language might have been a limiting factor as many users may not have been able to communicate in English. Results The results from the questionnaire and literature review are presented below in the form of tables. South Africa does not have a distributor.
There was no response from public or school libraries. Table 4: Number of staff in the organisation surveyed Country Staff no. The second highest had a considerably lower number of The user population ranges from 0. Discussion Due to the low response rate, results are not generalisable to the entire population. The low response rate was due to a number of factors discussed in the methodology section above. In this survey there are staff and user population figures with high values indicating large institutions.
A high user population makes automation essential to effectively manage the information resources of the institution. It should also be noted that some user and population figures on Tables 4 and 5 seem anomalous. This can be attributed to the fact that the questions were misunderstood. This is quite significant and is probably the result of having been associated with UNESCO and international agencies for a longer period of time.
The high percentage of users using version 1. This makes it possible for old computers to be used thus reducing infrastructure costs. These applications reveal that database creation is important with registration of users and online bibliographies forming other uses. This factor is especially important for developing countries where the cost implications are often critical.
The user support group is active with responses to questions and queries being quite rapid from a world wide group, in multiple languages.
There are also local user groups within the different countries for instance Zimbabwe has an active user group. The flexibility of the software allows users to develop bibliographies, databases and registrations of almost any kind. The last three categories in the advantages Table 10 are equally ranked. As organisations and institutions share information and data, they will attempt to standardise which includes using the same type of library systems. UNESCO does not have the capacity to provide in-depth training, but several institutions in developed countries, for example the Free University in Brussels, offer training as does the Institute of Development Studies in the United Kingdom.
It is expensive for users from Africa to attend courses in first world countries and training seminars have been run in some African countries to provide a more cost-effective solution, however these are not frequent or regular Hopkinson DeepBurner Free Portable works straight from your removable media, whether it's a USB flash drive, compact flash card, or even a good old floppy.
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