A MULTI‐USER INTER‐LIBRARY LOANS SYSTEM FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER LIBRARY
| Pages | 3-10 |
| Published date | 01 March 1987 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040378 |
| Date | 01 March 1987 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
A MULTI-USER INTER-LIBRARY LOANS SYSTEM FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER LIBRARY
The flavour of the moment seems to be Inter-Library Loans, with a spate
of packages reaching the market place. Some of these are from commercial
turnkey suppliers (e.g. AIM from Dawsons and TINLink from IME); others
are the result of in-house developments such as EXILE (described in the
previous issue of VINE) and the package described here from University
of Lancaster Library Computing. The University of Lancaster Library has
had a computer-based inter-library loans operation since October 1985.
The first system was based on an IBM PC/XT and was single-user written
in dBase III. However, in a department dealing with about 12,000
applications per year, it was found that the work flow was hindered
because of congestion at the single keyboard. Therefore, in November
1986,
the dBase III system was replaced with the current system, a
multi-user one, running under the PICK operating system. The system is
one which handles the administration or housekeeping routines involved
in the requests of loans from other organisations; it does not, so far,
handle the lending of items from Lancaster, or whichever library is
running the system, to other libraries. The early version, too, was
tailored to handle the initial requests to BLDSC only, though the system
does now include a menu option for requests to other locations
(currently under
development).
Hardware
The system runs on the IBM-PC/XT or PC/AT (or compatibles) with the PICK
operating system. Two basic configurations are possible. The standard XT
or AT can be fitted with two serial ports to give a 3 user system:
typically, one of the ports would be devoted to communications and a
terminal would be attached to the second serial port, making a two
keyboard system. Larger configurations can be accommodated by replacing
one serial port with a four port extension, converting the two keyboard
system into a 5 keyboard system. Also required, of course, is a printer
for letters and reports. Lancaster supplies the user with the PICK
operating system software and with the ILL Management System. The number
of records stored
will,
of course, depend on record size, size of fixed
disk and whether other PICK systems are co-resident on the PC, but,
typically, Lancaster estimates that a dedicated ILL system holds around
50,000 records on a standard 20 Mb disk. However, currently when an item
is archived no data is destroyed, which means that all reports, letters,
notes,
reapplications, overdues etc., associated with the item are
retained as part of the archive record. If, after a certain period
subsequent to archiving e.g. 6 months, the record was trimmed to
essential data, the capacity could be increased.
Communications may be handled in one of two
ways:
either by using the
PICK communications product, MAINLINK (optionally available through
Lancaster as part of the
package),
in which case the system remains
multi-user and allows the transmission routines to be run in background
from one terminal while the remaining terminals continue working on the
3
To continue reading
Request your trial