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 L526/5346 Library Automation
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Syllabus

Purpose: The purpose of L526 is to introduce students to the basic principles in selection, management, and development of library information systems. It will focus on the technology, the decision making process, and the standards related to integrated library systems, the online databases, e-journals and ebooks, web-based resources, and digital library collections.

Objectives: Students who have completed L526 will be able to:

  1. Identify major applications of technology in libraries and information centers and issues affecting their implementation.
  2. Identify and describe the building blocks of integrated online library system design: MARC records, metadata and other standards, database development, relational databases.
  3. Explain the process of evaluating an online integrated library system: specifications, vendor review, evaluation, customization, usability testing.

Readings:

Required Textbook:
Thomas R. Kochtanek and Joseph R. Matthews. Library information systems : from library automation to distributed information access solutions (IUCAT record).

Optional Textbook:
Rachel Singer Gordon. The accidental systems librarian.

Other readings:
Articles from other sources and/or web sites will be posted within the course calendar as needed.

Assignments:

Assignment I (30% towards course grade)
Assignment II (25% towards course grade)
Assignment III (25% towards course grade)
Presentation (10% towards course grade)
Participation in classroom (10% towards course grade)

Course Calender:

Date Topics, Readings and Assignments
Week One
Tuesday
June 24 		Introduction and Overview

Who is the instructor? My experience and my biases; Who are the students? your experience and expectations; Mechanics of class;

What is "library automation, and what is library information systems?"

Resources: Overview of IUCAT and the IUB libraries Home

Assignments:

  1. Send an email message to me (jiliu@indiana.edu), with an introduction of yourself, your experience in library automation and your expectations of the course.

  2. Readings, browsings and explorings for the next session:
    1. Chapter One of the required textbook.

    2. MARC Standards, and especially Understanding MARC Bibliographic -- a brief description and tutorial

  3. Take a look at:
    1. Libweb Library Servers via WWW
    2. lib-web-cats A directory of libraries throughout the world
    3. Libdex - Index to 18,000 Libraries
    4. Library Automation Resources
Week One
Thursday
June 26 		MARC, closer look of ILS, the OPAC and Patron Empowerment

Guest Lecture: Julie Bobay, Head, SLIS Library

  • The MARC record and the modern library catalog

Discussion of assigned readings and web sites from June 24

Assignment:

  1. Getting started with Assignment I

  2. Readings, browsings and explorings for the next session:
Week Two
Tuesday
July 1 		Design of ILS, Open Systems

Discussion of assigned readings and web sites from June 26

A quote from the book:

"Not that there is nothing new and exciting to look forward to! The current marketplace struggles to extend the physical library into the global, digital environment where information takes on new forms and delivery possibilities. But it is safe to say that experimentation with existing library processes is over, and that the focus has been for some time on new services, primarily those based on access to remote information services such as databases and access to digital collections. The major challenge is to provide integrated access to collections, both paper and eletronic, and to effectively link to electronic and paper copies. All of this, coupled with the transition to a Web-based library system, means that the library community is confronting another period of serious change." P. 16.

Digital content

  1. ILS features:
    1. client/server solutions based on distributed networking models
    2. graphical user interface
    3. Web-based OPACs
    4. database technologies
    5. TCP/IP Internet Protocol
  2. Database design (RDBMS: relational database management system):
    1. Database < Table < Record < Datatype
      1. datatype: CHAR, VARCHAR, INT, FLOAT, DATE, TEXT/BLOB, ENUM
      2. record: group of declared datatypes
      3. table: one or more records
      4. primary key: differentiate one record from another. unique
      5. auto_increment: A column with this function is automatically incremented one value
      6. not null: Signifies that the column can never be assigned a NULL value
      7. SQL (Structured Query Language) phpMyAdmin

Assignment:

  • Readings for the next session:
    • Chapter Five of the required textbook

Week Two
Thursday
July 3 		Telecommunications and Network

  • Metcalfe's Law
  • unidirectional, bi-directional, synchronous, asynchronous, blurred differences
  • LAN, wiring: twisted pair, coaxial, fiber optic, bandwidth
  • Ethernet (CSMA/CD)
  • Wireless LANs
  • Dial-up, ISDN, DSL, T-1, T-3
  • packet switching
  • satellite

  • Internet
  • OSI reference model

  • traceroute.org
  • Internet Traffic Report
  • Abilene

Assignment:

Week Three
Tuesday
July 8 		Relationships among UNICORN modules/tables and data processing

Guest Lecture:Spencer Anspach, Library Systems Analyst/Programmer, Information Technology (LIT)

Assignment:

Readings for the next session:

  • Chapters 10 and 11 of the required textbook
Week Three
Thursday
July 10 		Selection, Implementation, etc

Guest Lecture:Mary Popp, Public Services Librarian,Information Technology (LIT)

  • planning process
  • identifying specifications
  • the RFP process
  • doing research about options
  • implementation
  • user testing

Assignment:

Week Four
Tuesday
July 15 		Licenced Databases I: Overview

Assignment:

Week Four
Thursday
July 17 		Licenced Databases II

Guest Lecture: Paula Gray-Overtoom, Web Administrator, Monroe County Public Library

  • Technology and Public Libraries

  • Discussion of the assignments

Assignment:

Week Five
Tuesday
July 22 		E-Journals and E-Books I

Electronic Journals management issues

Assignment:

Week Five
Thursday
July 24 		E-Journals and E-Books II

Assignments:

Week Six
Tuesday
July 29 		Local Content I

Assignments:

Week Six
Thursday
July 31 		Local Content II

Guest Lecture:
Lou Malcomb: Head, Government Information, Microforms & Statistical Services (GIMSS) and Head, Geography and Map Library
Jeffrey Graf: Reference Systems Coordinator, Reference Department

  • Case study of a project
  • Endnote

  • Metadata

Assignments

Week Seven
Tuesday
August 5 		Digital Libraries I

Guest Presentation: Kevin Hinds, Follett Software Company

XML

Assignment

  • Chapter 14 of the required textbook

  • Indiana University Digital Library Program (DLP)
    Related Links

  • Digital Collections, Digital Libraries and the Digitization of Cultural Heritage Information by Clifford Lynch
  • Check out the New Library Clifford Lynch on information creation, management and organization in the digital environment
    A quote: "My personal view is that we're going to start seeing a two-layered model. We're going to see digital collections that are presented and managed in a passive way. They will function similar to a repository where stewardship is the major theme. Then you're going to find access systems layered on top of these, which may be more volatile. They may have shorter lives than the underlying collections. You may see the same collections presented through multiple access systems. These access systems will be not just retrieval tools, but analysis environments in some cases. We'll see a great diversity in these access systems -- what I call 'digital libraries' as opposed to digital collections. Some will be affiliated with traditional libraries; others will come from very different places, and will go very far out towards the 'active' end of the services spectrum that we were discussing, towards analysis environments and collaboratories. I think we'll also increasingly harness social and community capabilities in digital libraries, for example. Libraries (as organizations) have avoided this due to concerns and traditions around patron privacy, but commercial organizations like Amazon.com have been very aggressive and creative in deploying recommender system technology and other social filtering and personalization technologies. These will find their way into the next generation of digital libraries on the Net."

  • OAI
  • OAIster
  • ARC
  • UIUC Digital Gateway to Cultural Heritage Materials
  • OLAC

  • CiteBase
Week Seven
Thursday
July 7 		Digital Libraries II

Digital Libraries and OAI

Assignments

Week Eight
Tuesday
August 12 		Future: The Integration of Access
Week Eight
Thursday
August 14 		Presentation