‘Network your CD‐ROMs in fifteen minutes’: a non‐library supplier solution to a library problem
| Date | 01 April 1995 |
| Pages | 10-14 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040581 |
| Published date | 01 April 1995 |
| Author | Jon Shepstone |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
'Network your CD-
ROMs in fifteen
minutes': a non-
library supplier
solution to a library
problem
by Jon Shepstone, Former Systems
Librarian,
Christie Cancer Research
Centre
In
common
with most
other
libraries,
the
Kostoris Library
at
Christie Cancer Research
Centre
in
Manchester,
decided about
12
months
ago to
network their existing
standalone CD-ROM
system.
Not in
common
with most other libraries Christie decided
to
do
it
without the
use of
any specific CD-ROM
networking solutions designed
for
libraries.
This article will describe why
it
went down this
particular route
and
how successful
it
has
been.
The background
A number of years ago most libraries made a
major shift towards CD-ROM, allowing their users
free access to information sources previously
limited by access times and their corresponding
costs.
At Christie this leap to the laser disc tech-
nology was fully embraced and the obligatory
single CD-ROM drive was purchased, graduating
to the four tower when the prices became afford-
able.
This situation remained for
at
least three
years;
our
users
were happy, they were getting their
hands on
the information without the
use
of a
librarian and we were happy because we weren't
doing as many
expensive
online
searches.
As
the success of the CD-ROM service
we
offered
increased, so did demand. The timetable used for
booking access was getting increasingly stretched,
people started to ask about out of hours access
(perish the thought), complaining about people
hogging it for hours and just general dissatisfaction
with what was, a couple of years earlier, a marvel.
There seemed
no
other option than
to
consider
networking
the
existing standalone
system,
that's
when the fun really began.
The remit
The remit was simple enough. We wanted to
network our primary literature database, Medline,
across the whole Christie Site, or at least to those
areas
where the
computer network stretched,
twenty-four
hours a
day,
seven days a
week.
Simple
enough, although of
course
we had to be conscious
of
cost.
We don't have an equipment budget, so all
computer purchases have to be specifically asked
for from endowment monies, plus there were
currently three network protocols running on site,
Pathworks, Microsoft NT and Novell.
The supplier's solution
Any library in a similar situation to ourselves
would immediately contact a well known library
CD-ROM networking solutions provider, and we
were no different. There are lots of glossy adverts
in any library
journal,
so initially we went to those
who claimed to provide the best solution, which of
course includes them
all.
They are very keen to
come and describe in detail how their system is the
best and whatever your needs they have a system
to satisfy. Being perhaps a little ambitious we
initially enquired about hard disk storage. CD-
ROM is great, but it does have its limitations (yes,
really).
Speed has to be the main constraint.
Medline is a huge database (12 CD-ROM discs)
and transferring this amount of information is quite
a task, so the faster you can do it the better. We
also had a couple of
bad
experiences with main-
taining our CD-ROM
drives.
They are not the
most reliable things in the world, which is perhaps
understandable when they are expected to work up
to ten hours a day, but when they fail you want
them sorted out
promptly.
Sending them down to
the South of England by courier is not the most cost
effective way of fixing
them,
but
due to the
distinct
lack of people willing
to
touch
them,
often neces-
sary.
Another question was multi-platform.
We
had
VAX
terminals, PCs and Apple
Macs,
so the system had
to allow access for at least two out of the three.
Most suppliers can provide solutions for specific
requirements such
as
these,
but watch the 'add on'
costs
spiral.
It would seem that suppliers would
10
— VINE 101 (December 1995)
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