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Automation software is better than ever—and it even encourages sharing

By Walter Minkel -- School Library Journal, 11/01/2003

Integrated Library Systems: If your school's automation system isn't an integrated library system (ILS), chances are it soon will become one. An ILS blends districts' catalogs and collections into a single, unified database, or union catalog. This often means that for the first time, materials in an individual school's collection can be requested from anywhere in the district or region. An integrated library system also relies on one software system, rather than on several companies' products, as in years past. ILSs—such as Follett's Destiny, Sagebrush's Accent, and Dynix's Horizon—offer many similar features, such as remote access and the ability to manage a greater amount, and variety, of resources.

Although the Albuquerque (NM) public schools have been running well on Sagebrush's older Athena system for the last 10 years, Library Media Manager Omar Durant says it's definitely time to purchase an integrated library system. One big reason is that an ILS's centralized database is updated automatically whenever books are declared lost or items are weeded from the collection—something Durant's present system can't do. "We have 11 high schools, and it's not uncommon for students to move around among two or three of those schools," he explains. "Right now there's no easy way to check whether those students have textbooks out, or library books."

Durant estimates that it will cost approximately $300,000 to convert to a new system that will manage each media center's collection, as well as the district's textbooks and 8,500 videos. Library staff members will each need about six hours of training on the new system, and media specialists will need another three or four months to get teachers and students up to speed. But Durant thinks the benefits of an ILS far outweigh its considerable cost and the hassle of converting to a new system. Having the most current collection information at library users' fingertips will save everyone a lot of time, he says.

But switching to an ILS has a dark side. "If you're looking at a new system, you'll end up with a more complex system, whether you want one or not," cautions Jane Prestebak, program director of the Robbinsdale (MN) Area Community Education Center, who has seen many districts update their antiquated systems. Not every educator enjoys moving to a massive, centralized system, she says—especially media specialists who are migrating from an individual-building system to a district-wide one for the first time.

The biggest problem, adds Prestebak, is an individual's feeling of loss of control, or freedom, over the way a collection is managed. "When you join a system with hundreds of libraries sharing one system, the group has to make hundreds of decisions, and sometimes those decisions have been already made for you," she says. For example, some media specialists may allow their students to have three books overdue before they're prohibited from checking out more titles; while other librarians may tolerate only one or two overdue titles. But with an ILS, all of the district's media specialists must agree on a single set of rules.

Web-based Systems and Thin Clients: Unlike the earliest text-based automation software, the current crop is, of course, Web-based and graphic in nature, enabling students to navigate through hyperlinks from record to record, and hop easily from one type of material to another, such as from reference books to VHS tapes. Since the new automation systems require only a Web browser, they're not tethered to any particular kind of hardware, which means they work equally well on a Windows PC or a Macintosh. But some automation companies, such as Follett and Dynix, are now promoting the use of their software on thin-client terminals—an inexpensive alternative to full-fledged computers. Thin clients are simple devices that are driven by a server and have no hard drives or software of their own (see "Stretch Your Network ," August 2002, pp. 52–53).

Web and Database Searches Accessible from the Catalog: Since students often rush right to Google, instead of searching for books and other library materials, many vendors are offering the option of including recommended Web sites in their automated catalogs. Follett, for example, has created WebPath Express, a subscription database of Web sites for K–12 students ($595 per school). The company provides MARC records for the selected Web sites, and links to the sites will appear on students' search-results pages, alongside listings for books and other library materials. Carrie Jo Parmley, a media specialist at John Tyler High School in Tyler, TX, says that she and her students like WebPath Express because "the process eliminates extra searches —and time."

Librarians, of course, often want magazine and newspaper articles from their subscription databases to appear in a catalog search, and Follett's Find-It-All ($1,398 with two services, One Search and Knowledge Links) and Sagebrush's Pinpoint ($825 the first year, for schools with 500 students) do just that. Both software products enable students to search through everything available to library users—including the library catalog, Web sites, and subscription databases—and it's even possible to add other library catalogs, such as the local public library's or a nearby college's, to your own catalog.

Centralized Cataloging: Since an ILS requires that the same titles bear the same Dewey numbers and identical catalog records, library materials are now being cataloged centrally. But agreeing on the best method isn't as simple as it sounds, says Prestebak, because individual libraries often have their own way of doing things. For example, Esther Forbes's Johnny Tremain was originally published in 1943, but today most—but not all—libraries include a catalog record of only the 1998 hardcover edition, or perhaps one of the paperback or cassette editions. Every library, says Prestebak, must decide how many separate records it will create for a title, and its system must reconcile records that were created at various times by different librarians. "For a new system, the learning curve can be incredible," she says. "Training people and cleaning up data are your biggest expenses."

Generating Special Reports: Older versions of automation software had a tough time creating special statistical reports. For example, trying to create a report describing the age of your collection (sorted by copyright date, and the average age of titles in a particular Dewey category) usually required specialized—and often expensive—technical support from the vendor. But now, in response to numerous requests from districts and states, integrated library systems typically make it a cinch for librarians to create special reports. Dan Ritchie, a librarian at Kirkland Junior High in Redmond, WA, uses Follett's Destiny system to create sophisticated sets of statistics on the age and usage pattern of items in his library's collection; the system can also automatically generate letters and overdue notices that are then mailed to students' homes.

The Future of School Library Automation Systems: Technology, of course, never pauses, and the move toward integrated library systems is only one step in the journey. Automation vendors have plenty of proposals for the future of library systems. Follett, for example, has issued a white paper that proposes that someday each district will install and maintain its automation software in a single centralized location. Access to the catalog, circulation software, and system options, for both staff and students, would be through a standard Web browser. Thus libraries, which rarely need more than a browser to access their catalog, databases, and Web sites, would be able to function easily with a thin client, a desktop PC, a laptop, or even a handheld device, such as a Palm. The basic motivation for centralization, says Follett, is to cut maintenance costs, and let the system run effectively with the least amount of technical support.

Dynix, in a white paper of its own, says access to future versions of its Horizon Information Portal will one day be available through everything from hardwired workstations to cellphones. System users would simply type their requests into a new search tool, which would feature spell checking and a thesaurus in English, Spanish, and other languages. Dynix says that future versions of its products will enable users to rate resources, similar to the way that Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble's Web site let visitors offer their comments and reviews. Dynix is now working on a search tool that "will run two orders of magnitude faster than the current engine" with added search features, such as the ability to specify which catalogs to search first.

Will these systems of the future lead to automation nirvana? Don't hold your breath, says Bill Groth, head of technical support for the Baltimore County (MD) School District. "Is there such a thing as a perfect automation system?" asks Groth, rhetorically. "It hasn't been invented yet, but we're making strides in that direction."

Walter Minkel is SLJ's technology editor.