INMAGIC Plus Inter‐Library Loans system at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
| Pages | 24-29 |
| Date | 01 March 1994 |
| Published date | 01 March 1994 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040542 |
| Author | Jenny Harris,Louise Storry |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
INMAGIC Plus
Inter-Library Loans
system
at the
Royal
College
of
Veterinary
Surgeons
by Jenny Harris, Wellcome Library
and
Louise Storry, Soutron Limited
The INMAGIC Plus Inter-Library Loans
system
was launched
in the
UK in 1993
and
the
Wellcome Library
at
the Royal College
of
Veterinary Surgeons became one
of
the
first
users
of
the
package.
The basic structure
and
functionality
of
the system
are
described,
together with details
of
its implementation
at
the
Wellcome
Library.
Background
Soutron
Ltd act as UK
distributors
for the
US-based INMAGIC Plus text retrieval product.
The INMAGIC Plus Inter-Library Loans system
was however designed
by
Soutron
in the UK
using INMAGIC Plus
as a
development tool.
It
is therefore tailored specifically
for UK
needs,
in particular
for
The British Library Document
Supply Centre (BLDSC) lending services.
The system first became available
in
April
1993.
There
are
currently
20
libraries using
the
INMAGIC Plus Inter-Library Loan system
in the
UK. Users find that automation
has
reduced
the
time
and
effort previously required when carrying
out
ILL
activities manually.
The
system provides
complete control
of
loans from request stage
to
completion
and the
status
of
requests
can be
viewed
at any
given time.
The Wellcome Library
The Wellcome Library
at the
Royal College
of
Veterinary Surgeons began using INMAGIC Plus
in November 1993
for the
day-to-day management
of their inter-library loans. Soutron
Ltd
were
responsible
for
installation
and
on-site training
of
staff. The
library
was
already using
the
Soutron
Library System
for
management
of
cataloguing,
circulation, acquisitions
and
serials.
Sixty
per
cent
of
loan requests made
by the
Royal
College
are to The
British Library. They also have
reciprocal arrangements with nine libraries
and
several others
are
used
on an
irregular
basis.
The
library handles
an
average
of
275
requests
per
month. Around 86%
of
these are
for
photocopies
and
the
remainder
are for
loans.
The
library
is
used
by vets
in
practice, researchers, commercial
organisations, other libraries
and
college
staff.
A total
of
over
3,000
user records were transferred
to
the
Inter-Library Loan package
via
the Soutron
Library System interface. The user file forms
the
basis
of
the 'lookup' user index
and
records
can be
amended, added
or
deleted accordingly.
System structure
The package consists
of
three databases:
• ILLDEMO
— a
sample database which
provides examples
of
how
the
system
can
be used
• ILL
— a
ready-made structure
for
immediate
use
• ILLOLD
— an
archive database where
completed requests
can be
stored.
The
ILL
database provides users with
a
pre-
defined structure,
but
this
may be
customised
by
the
user
to
suit their specific requirements,
using
the
appropriate INMAGIC Plus tools
provided.
User friendly
The database
was set up
ready
to use and
staff at
the Wellcome Library
did not
take long
to
famil-
iarise themselves with
the
system.
All
requests
are
entered using
a
simple, easy
to use
data entry
screen. Completing
the
template
is
simplified
by
the provision
of
'lookup' files which offer
predefined terms
for
selection.
24
—
VINE 96 (September 1994)
To continue reading
Request your trial