Automating Media Centers and Small Libraries: A Microcomputer‐based Approach, 2nd ed.

This is the second edition of a work originally published in 1997. As with any book concerned with automation or the use of computers in libraries, it risks being out of date as soon as it appears. It attempts to cover, in a practical and systematic way, the main steps and activities involved in the automation process. As a consequence, some aspects are merely mentioned without too much depth whilst other aspects are covered in some detail. The book deals with automation in media centres or small libraries and is aimed at both students of library automation and practitioners who may be involved in an automation project. The Introduction tells the reader what changes have been made in this new edition and describes the organisation of the book.

Chapter 1 provides a brief historical account and overview of automated systems with a particular focus on the small library and the use of microcomputers. The author presents a list of benefits of library automation that is useful for anyone having to justify automation to their senior managers. These benefits are balanced by a brief discussion of the disadvantages – that it is costly in terms of time and money.

Chapter 2 covers preparation for automation. There is useful advice about how to acquire knowledge through reading relevant journals, attending conferences, and talking to fellow professionals. This is followed by a discussion of how to assess the need for automation ranging from staff and user needs, to the library or organisation’s mission and goals, and an analysis of each functional area. Useful breakdowns of activities within some of these functional areas are provided together with sample forms to use to gather data on the levels of activity of each of the main functions. Subsequent analysis of the data, the author claims, will allow the library manager to determine and prioritise what functions should then be automated. The chapter ends with some advice about how to seek funding for the project.

The rest of the book attempts to cover both factual and sometimes quite technical information about the hardware and software side of automation and the various options available to the small library, and practical advice about how to prepare for the successful implementation of automation. For example, chapter 3 covers system architecture and hardware configurations and chapter 7 covers networking (including types of network, network components and typologies and wireless local area networks).

Chapter 4 covers the selection of the system and how to go about preparing a request for proposal (RFP). There are over 40 pages of a sample RFP based, according to the author, on her lengthy experience of automation, consultation with colleagues and examination of RFPs developed by other libraries and media centres. This information will be particularly useful for both students and practitioners.

Chapters 5 and 6 are about implementation. The former focuses on the preparation of the collection ready for introducing the new systems. This includes weeding the collection and conducting an inventory (or stock check) prior to retrospectively converting manual catalogue records into machine‐readable form. There is discussion about how to go about doing the retroconversion – either using an outside agency or doing it yourself. Much of this is sound advice, but very much geared to the North American situation. All costings are in dollars and based on typical salaries and charges in the USA. The need for bibliographic standards is covered and MARC 21 and its record structure are described in some detail. The chapter ends with discussion about barcoding and associated procedures. Chapter 6 then goes on to describe various aspects of implementing the system including site preparation, installation and testing, system maintenance, training (staff and users), evaluation of system use and database maintenance.

Chapter 8 covers system migration, something that the small library will have to consider within a few years of taking the step to automate. Chapter 9 briefly discusses the online catalogue and the benefits of having your OPAC on the Web. This is followed by the last chapter, which looks at the future of the OPAC in the light of recent developments in library automation.

Each chapter ends with a list of references to works cited in the text and one or more activities specifically designed as class‐based tasks or field exercises for students (although practitioners could learn from trying out some of them as, say, knowledge elicitation exercises). There are lots of Web addresses and names and addresses of suppliers to which readers can go for product and services information (all based in North America). There is a bibliography and a useful glossary (of technical/library automation terms and acronyms), and an index. The strong North American bias to the book makes it not quite so useful for a UK audience. The price also is a bit prohibitive for students. However, it would be a useful addition to library school bookshelves and to the resources available to the small library, in the education sector in particular, although it may not be so useful for special libraries in the private or industrial sectors.