Management information and library management systems: an overview
| Published date | 01 February 1994 |
| Date | 01 February 1994 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045280 |
| Pages | 109-117 |
| Author | Shelagh Fisher,Jennifer Rowley |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Article
Management information
and library management
systems: an overview
Shelagh Fisher
Department
of Library and
Information
Studies,
Manchester
Metropolitan
University,
All Saints,
Manchester
M15
6BH,
UK
Jennifer Rowley
Department
of
Business
and
Management
Studies,
Crewe+Alsager
Faculty,
Manchester Metropolitan
University,
Crewe,
Cheshire CW1
1DU,
UK.
Abstract: Management information facilities transform
the library management system into a much more effective
management
tool.
Three levels of management
can
be
identified
—
operational,
tactical and strategic
—
and each
of these has its own unique management information needs.
Earlier work on the use of management information in
libraries and
the
development of management information
systems demonstrates that progress in these areas has been
slow. Management information systems comprise three
components: facilities for handling ad hoc enquiries;
facilities for standard report generation; and management
information modules, or report generators that support the
production of user-defined
reports.
A list of standard
reports covering acquisitions, cataloguing, circulation
control,
serials and inter-library loans is
provided.
The
functions of report generators are explored and the nature
of enquiry facilities
reviewed.
Management information
tools available in library management systems form a
valuable aid
in
decision
making.
These should be further
exploited and further
developed.
1.
Introduction
The facilities for management information in library manage-
ment systems (LMS) are reviewed in this article. Manage-
ment information facilities transform the LMS into a much
more effective management tool. Typically, LMS maintain
records of the transactions associated with the operation of
a
library. Typical modules are acquisitions and ordering, cata-
loguing and OPAC, circulation control and serials control.
Some systems also offer a dedicated management informa-
tion module, but in other systems the management informa-
tion facilities are associated with the other modules, such as
the acquisitions and ordering module. This article reviews
both distinct management information modules and also
those
facilities that are part of the other modules
in
the system.
LMS are now well established and many have been in the
market-place for some
years.
Traditionally the focus has been
on the control of the transactions, with limited attention to
management information. In recent years library managers
have not only been required to produce more management
reports for their managers, but are under more pressure to
justify their activities and to manage an effective library.
Management information systems (MIS) are an important aid
to the manager in decision making and planning, and may
generate appropriate control and monitoring data.
This article starts with a brief review of the relationship
between transaction processing systems and management in-
formation systems. This is followed by a review of previous
work on the topic of management information in support of
library management.
The central section of this article is a summary of typical
components of management information modules in LMS,
based on a wide review of a number of
systems.
The type of
reports generated by such systems and the range of functions
that might be expected in a report generator
are
reviewed. The
final section discusses the scope for further development and
the
potential for the use of these systems by library managers.
2.
What
is
a management information system?
Information systems can be divided into three broad catego-
ries:
transaction processing systems, management informa-
tion systems and decision support systems.
Transaction processing systems deal with the well struc-
tured routine processing of data within an organisation. They
focus on the maintenance of records concerning the transac-
tions performed in an organisation. Such systems track trans-
actions and it should be possible to extract and summarise
data about these transactions. As such, transaction processing
systems generate basic data for input to MIS and there is a
close relationship between these two types of system. LMS
are the transaction processing systems in most evidence in
libraries.
Most LMS boast some facilities for generating man-
agement information. These facilities are the focus of this
article,
but before we proceed
to
examine these further it may
The Electronic Library, Vol. 12, No. 2, April 1994 109
To continue reading
Request your trial