Christopher Brown-Syed

Parents of Invention

The Development of Library Automation Systems in the Late 20th Century

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

This fascinating tale of the rise and fall of mini-computer-based integrated library systems (ILS) offers both an explanation of the technical workings-still being used daily-and a historical investigation. Parents of Invention: The Development of Library Automation Systems in the Late 20th Century traces the rise and fall of mini-computer-based ILS. In doing so, it offers an insider's view of the process of creation, the technical challenges, and the lasting contributions of librarians and programmers at a time when librarians and their automation needs forced computer companies to innovate. Organized around a series of interviews with computer programmers, librarians, and salespeople, the book discusses developments from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, focusing on the 1980s when both ILS and the mini-computer were dominant. It documents the time when a small group of computing vendors joined with large libraries around the world to perfect systems that automated functions such as circulation, acquisitions, cataloging, and online public access catalogs. A concluding chapter, contributed by Louise O'Neill, brings the story up to date with a discussion of current developments in library automation, including the adoption of open-source systems, open-access principles, and the Semantic Web.

---

Hinweis: Dieser Artikel kann nur an eine deutsche Lieferadresse ausgeliefert werden.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Libraries Unlimited
• Seitenzahl: 172
• Erscheinungstermin: 7. Juni 2011
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 254mm x 178mm x 10mm
• Gewicht: 337g
• ISBN-13: 9781591587927
• ISBN-10: 1591587921
• Artikelnr.: 29603337

Autorenporträt

The late Christopher Brown-Syed was editor of the journal Library & Archival Security; and taught at Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Inhaltsangabe

Foreword Commonly Used Terms and Abbreviations Acknowledgments Interviews
Introduction 1. Origins of Magic Era of Conceptualization Era of
Commercialization Making Systems as Error Free as Possible Advent of
Bibliographic Utilities Developing National Bibliographies Programming
Languages and ILS Bibliographic Databases, Bibliographic Utilities, and
Regional Library Consortia 2. Customers' Perspectives A First Experience of
Computing User Manuals Consortia Customers and Vendors Burlington Public
Library A View from Australia CLANN Goes Online AUSMARC Authority Files
MARC Records Communication Lines Incorporating Research Databases AARNET
and JANET CD-ROM The Customer and the ILS Vendor 3. At the Interface:
Librarians and the Vendor Environment Working Conditions Being on the Road
Fair Warning at Hiring Librarians as Trainers Librarians as Project
Managers 4. The Nature of the Vendors' Work Age of Respondents Education
and Training of Respondents Types of Work Performed Job Satisfaction Work
Environment Financial Benefits Summary 5. On Company Time Social: Cohesion
and Group Identity Recreation or Learning 6. Transformations Campus
Mainframes Plessey Data Systems Batch Mode Circulation Systems: York
University Geac Library Information System Upgrades and Migrations Requests
for Information The RFP Process Transformations: The Technologies
Transformations: Technical Aspects Characteristics of the Bibliographic
Data Small Capacities and Compact Computer Code Circulation Transactions
Cataloguing and Authorities Overnight Processing Local Initiatives and a
Typical Offline-Processing Cycle General Indications of System Activity and
Database Contents RAT 40K Computers and Peripherals Mainframes, Minis,
Superminis, and Micros Data Structures and Transactions-The Case of NOTIS
Library Requirements, Data Representation, and Transactions A Circulation
Scenario Accommodating Library Policies Acquisitions Systems 7.
Consolidation and Lasting Achievements The Business of Library Automation
Changing Business Models Product Maturation Competition Among Vendors The
Age Factor Advances in Computing and Information Science End of an Era
Conclusions 8. The Future of Library Technology Louise O'Neill Integrated
Library Systems Open Source Software Increased Focus on Library Users'
Experience of Technology Description and Discovery Tools Nonlocal
Information Resources and Delivery Mobile and Ubiquitous Access Other
Library Technology Future Directions Institutional and Digital Repositories
and Open Access Libraries as Publishers Adoption and Convergence of Library
and Nonlibrary Technologies Future Librarians and Technology Index