Evaluation of Library Automation software ppt.pptx
- 2. Introduction : The selection of a good and perfect software package is not an easy job. A package which does not perform as expected or which requires expensive modifications will shake its creditability to the librarians to purchase them. A change of finding a right package could be improved by setting up an evaluation process based on common sense.
- 3. The most important aspects considered for the evaluation of a producer are Vendor or producer System output System input Searching Security Training facility Equipment and Other considerations.
- 4. 1.Vendar or Producer of the Package : One of the basic concerns when evaluating a software package is to know the creator or marketing agency associated with the package. Questions to be addressed in this connection include: Does the vendor or producer have a reputation for reliability, responsiveness, and quality?
- 5. What other products has the vendor to his credit? Are these products still in use? Do the users rate the products very high. How many organizations have purchased this software package and what is their experience with it? What kind of support services are offered by the vendor?(i.e installation on your own computer, debugging, conversion services etc.,) It is the vendor geographically located nearer so that he can be responsive to your questions or problems.
- 6. 2.System Output: Essential to any computer-based system is the output. In other words, what the user and the library will receive from the system in response to queries. Both display on the VDU as well as printed listing capabilities must be examined. It is necessary to ensure the following aspects; It is the display format easy to understand and read? It can be display format be custom tailored? (i.e full record or specified partial record?)
- 7. It can printed lists and reports be generated easily as and why required? Can they be displayed on the terminal? It can statistical reports be generated when needed? It can a tape be generated as an output from the system?
- 8. 3.System Input: How information is to be entered into the system using the package is one of the most essential features to be ascertained before a software package is acquired. . For this purpose , the following aspects should be considered: Can MARC format be used for data input purposes? It will be possible to choose the input means? This is to say whether we could use key to tape or key to disk as input means? It is the procedure to add new items easy? Are the commands in this regard easy to remember?
- 9. It does the package have built-in-safeguards that tell us if an input error is made? Can we identify without difficulty the newly input items into the system? Can deletions of entire records or partial records be made easily? Does the package allow the users to specify needs? Will it accept variable length records?
- 10. 4.Searching facility : Once the user creates a database or an online catalogue using the software package, he will be able to easily locate items from it. In other words, the catalogue must be searchable. In this context, it is important to look for the following aspects from the package Is the query language easy to learn and easy to use? Is there a beginning user format that explains commands in detail and an experienced user format which bypass lengthy explanations?
- 11. It improper search language or commands are used, does the package provide for responses with intelligible error massages and alternative actions. Can all the fields in a record be made searchable or has the package any provision to make distinction between fields if desired? It is the package user-friendly? In other words , can most users perform a single search such as finding a book by its author, title or a single subject.
- 12. 5.Security: In case, the software package is used for the production of an online catalogue, the security of information contained in the catalogue must be ensured. In this context, it is necessary to know whether the software package possesses the under mentioned features: Are there different levels of pass words of different classes of users? If no pass words are used by borrowers, is the database secure from alteration by unauthorized users?
- 13. Does the package contain any features by which the usage of the catalogue can be tracked? If the package contain some or most of these features , then one can feel that it has normal security features built into it.
- 14. 6.Training Facilities: The level and quality of training available should also be considered before a decision to purchase a software package is taken. The following aspects are to be noted in this context: Are training classes for both the library and data processing staff available? Are sufficient and clear documentation and training manuals available? Are they available for librarians as well as for users? Can the uninitiated user learn to use the system? If not are there short of detailed lessons available for this purpose?
- 15. 7.Equipment: Before any decision is taken to acquire a software package for any library, it is necessary to know if computer equipment’s are already available in the institution. In case it is available then the questions that should be asked are Can the package be used on this equipment? What operating system does the package use? Is this compatible with available hardware? Is the hardware capacious enough in terms of immediate access and secondary storage?
- 16. In some cases it may so happen that the software package is chosen first and appropriate hardware obtained later. In such a situation, some criteria such as the following e viewed so that the package can be measured against system requirement; The record format to be used, including the number of fields, the maximum number of characters per field and the number of fields per record. The maximum number of records that the system will need to cater for. The type of manipulations that will be required for example adding, deleting, amending , searching , sorting , etc.,
- 17. 8. Other considerations Some of the other aspects to be noted are: What size of database can the package support? What are the sizes operating now and there any upward limits The format in which the software package is supplied. It may include disks, CDs and tapes of varying sizes. Often a variety of formats are available but one format may be suitable for the hardware configuration to be used and must be specified. Besides legal factors such as warranty and contract etc. also should be clearly spelt out to avoid aby future litigation.
- 18. 9.Conclusion : An automated library can provide better library services to their users and can maintain the library can’t do. The record keeping activities and various report generation becomes very easy in an automated library system.
- 19. Thank you…….