Library Automation Systems—A Brief Overview

To fill a gap in my knowledge of how libraries work, I decided to look into the question: “What is a Library Automation System?” This post serves as an overview only, since the subject is complex in many ways. I’ll explore other areas, such as how the system protects patron privacy information, in later posts.

A basic, working definition: “An automated library system is an information and communications technology (ICT) that interacts with users to perform specific tasks. It uses technology to support and enhance library functions in order to provide efficient and cost effective services to library patrons and library management.”¹ Another term used to describe the technology is Integrated Library System (ILS).

Such functions include:

• Cataloging
  
• MARC Records
  
• Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
  
• Circulation
  
• Inventory Control
  
• Reports and Reporting
  
• Serials Management
  
• Inter-library loans

Chances are that you’ve interfaced with a library automation system if you’ve searched the library’s catalog,checked out a book, or placed materials on reserve. Have you ever received a mechanical-sounding voice mail alerting you to an overdue notice? Those are two examples of how patrons interface with all or part of an automation system. Library personnel use the system to enter new acquisitions into the system, facilitate inter-library loans, and track circulation usage. Note that an automation system, or ILS, is used to manage the physical resources, not other assets, such as electronic databases, that are part of 21st-century libraries.²

A system, or set of systems, that manages multiple functions has a clear impact on the well-oiled running of a library. To be successful, the implementation of an automation system needs to be carefully planned and executed.

The process of matching a system to a library’s needs is complex and involves researching the needs of stakeholders and requesting quotes (RFPs) from vendors. There are a host of vendors — SirsiDynix, Ex Libris, and Polaris, to name a few — that offer solutions for libraries large and small. My local library uses a Polaris system.

Considerations taken into account in selecting an automating system include:

• Library type
  
• Annual circulation
  
• Number of items in the collection
  
• Number of simultaneous/concurrent users
  
• Cost
  
• Ease of use

Once a system is implemented, it continuously evolves and changes, like most technology undertakings, driven both by technical advances and the changing needs of stakeholders.

According to Marshal Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research at Vanderbilt University Libraries, the recent economic downturn has many libraries scaling back automation plans and even rethinking their ties to established platforms in favor of open-source technologies that do not have licensing fees.³ For those libraries without technical personnel to support an open-source implementation, application service providers (ASPs) may be the answer, according to Andrew Pace in TechTrends. In these situations, an outside entity hosts the system and the library interfaces with it through a web browser. ASPs are also known as software as service (SaS).

Have automation systems impacted libraries? Absolutely. But just as the image of the card catalog seems like a fuzzy memory, the idea of one integrated system also seems to be fading. Other technologies and system design approaches are pushing libraries forward, including cloud computing, APIs, and the idea of “knitting together’ various systems.²

As I conduct my library interviews I will ask about the considerations the library had in choosing their automation system.

Privacy?
A question that occurred to me is whether patron information is secure within the circulation piece of a system. I wasn’t alone in wondering this. Walt Crawford voiced his concern on this topic back in 2003 in American Libraries: “I don't believe there's any excuse for a general-purpose library system that ships with retention of circulation history as a default, or even as an option without loads of warnings.”⁵. In an age where people guard their privacy from identity fraud and unwanted marketing, they expect that it will be secure when they check out a book.

A resource to learn more about automation systems:
Mr. Breeding (referenced above) has a long history of reporting on automation systems in libraries and the automation industry. He is the author of the Library Tech Guides website that presents useful analysis on the systems and the industry.

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¹Schultz-Jones, B. (2006). An Automation Primer for School Library Media Centers and Small Libraries. Worthington, OH: Linworth Books. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=acd_gvrl

²Breeding, M. (2006, October). Knitting systems together. Computers in Libraries, 26, 9. p.32(4). Retrieved from:http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=pub_powersearch

³Breeding, M. (2009, March). Library automation in a difficult economy. Computers in Libraries, 29, 3. p.22(3). Retrieved from:http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=pub_powersearch

⁴Pace, A. K. (2005, September 20). Helping You Buy: Integrated Library Sytems. TechTrends, p.NA. Retrieved from: http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=pub_powersearch


⁵Crawford, W. (2003, August). The Crawford files: time for a privacy audit. American Libraries, 34, 7. p.91(1). Retrieved from: http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=pub_powersearch