CLSI'S LIBS‐100 LIVE AT COVENTRY LANCHESTER POLYTECHNIC LIBRARY
| Pages | 26-32 |
| Published date | 01 April 1985 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040337 |
| Date | 01 April 1985 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
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CLSI'S LIBS-100 LIVE AT COVENTRY LANCHESTER POLYTECHNIC LIBRARY
During 1985 CLSI established itself as an obvious force in the UK turnkey
market place, acquiring 5 customers for its LIBS-100 system in the course
of the year. The first of these, signed up in April 1985, were the
libraries of Coventry City and Coventry Lanchester Polytechnic who jointly
went out to tender towards the end of 1984. Though the specification and
contract were a combined effort, the system selected to meet the OR
does,
in fact, run on two minicomputer systems each with its own LIBS-100
software and database. These pages look at the introduction of the system
into the Polytechnic Library, which went live with circulation control and
cataloguing in September 1985 and, at the time of my visit, were testing
acquisitions prior to going live early in 1986.
Previous automation and factors for change
Both cataloguing and circulation were already automated in the two
libraries.
In 1976, the City installed the Plessey 1B system for
circulation and ran cataloguing and processing of the circulation data on
the local authority's mainframe. In 1978, the Polytechnic Library was
brought into the system, though separate reader and book files were
maintained for each. Both systems were, of course, batch. The Polytechnic's
cataloguing data was keyed in from input forms completed by the cataloguers
and, since there were no validation routines, a tedious process of proof
reading and correction ensued. This plus the fact that the Plessey
equipment was ageing were an obvious impetus for change. A further factor
was the availability of funding: from the time the original system was
installed, it was intended to replace it in 83/4 and a capital budget, duly
adjusted when the Polytechnic Library entered, was set aside for that
purpose.
Capital, therefore, was forthcoming, though it was tied to the
level of funding anticipated back in 1976. Still with finance, there was to
be no significant increase in the revenue allowance so that the recurrent
costs for any new system had to fall within existing budgets.
The presence of existing systems exercised constraints on the requirements
for the new system. First, it was paramount that it be able to read the
Plessey barcodes on book and borrower labels. This gave rise to major
modifications from CLSI to their LIBS-100 software in order that it
accommodate simultaneously Codabar (for new stock) and Plessey codes.
Secondly, though a joint system was sought, each library wanted access to
its holdings to be unavailable to users of the other library: some means of
maintaining (or appearing to maintain) separate book and borrower databases
was essential. A final point arising out of the joint selection was that
the system was required to be equally strong in all applications' areas;
tasks and facilities accorded a low priority by one library were usually,
contrarily, regarded as essential by the other.
Hardware
To meet the OR, CLSI supplied two PDP 11/44s each with 2 x 300Mb disk and
PDP11/73 with a Winchester hard disk. At present one 11/44 runs the
Polytechnic's system and the other plus the 11/73 run the City's. Both
machines,
however are housed in a new air-conditioned machine room in the
Polytechnic Library. In future, the minis will be hard-wired together and
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