HIT: Is Automating a Tiny Library Worth It?

[Richard Smyth <rsmyth@FREUD.MEC.EDU>]

Fellow LM-Netters:

I got many responses for my question "is it worth it to automate a tiny
library" (2500 book shelf space serving a student body of 250+ students).
One person said that is not worth it and acknowledged "am probably in the
minority."
Many responses included a comment about how it would save the librarian
time and thereby allow him/her to spend more time serving students.

I give you the highlights below of all those who thought it was worth it.
Thanks to all who contributed.

__________

Yes, yes, yes.  Keyword searching is as important for one student as it
is for 1,000.  The time spent filing cards can be spent helping kids.
Bibliographies are almost instantaneous.  Deletions are quick and easy.

__________

Yes, because you will get keyword hits and that alone will increase your
circulation or value of the collection probably 10 fold. Don't walk, run
to get automated.

__________

I would argue that automation is important no matter what the size of
your student population. Searching a collection electronically is far
more sophisticated than using a paper-based system because you can
combine terms using Boolean logic, and these skills are only enhanced
when your students encounter any other electronic information source in
the future. Students will only use electronic systems more and more, and
not just electronic card catalogs, especially if they go on to college.
And your administrative tasks are that much less time-consuming with
automation. For example, our district recently automated and in speaking
to a colleague at the elementary level this week, she said that before
automation, it took her all of Friday morning to get overdues out to
students, some 4 hours. Now it takes, and I quote, "four and half
minutes." This time savings translates into more contact with students,
less library down-time (she closed the library on Friday mornings), and
far fewer headaches.

__________

I would say yes, it is worth it.  Last year I automated my small library
of about 3,000 vols (in a school for about 180 students gr. 1-12), and
I'm already finding that it provides much better access to the limited
materials that we do have.  It also makes cataloging much easier and
improves circulation records.  But for me the primary reason to automate
was improved access to materials in the collection.

__________

My K-12 district has less than 250 students, and we have been automated
for 5 years.  Yes, it is worth it.  You will be able to know the value of
your collection, the value of an individual book, the checkout and
check-in process is easier - there are far more positives than negatives.

__________

I think this depends on whether or not you and other decision-makers think
that the students and staff in your school are worth it.  Are they worth
bringing into the present with online searching capabilities of your
collection?  Are they worth being offered the best and newest technologies
for information retrieval?  Are they worth preparing to compete with
students from larger and perhaps better equipped schools as they vie for
entry into colleges and the business world?  Are the teachers worth helping
to become more efficient users of their time and resources?  I know these
seem like harsh statements, but I had this discussion with a staff at a
3-teacher school in my county with a pretty decent library.  Why should
rural kids, kids in small schools, etc., not have access to the latest
technology which will aid them in becoming information literates, and
prepared for further education?  Why should teachers in similar settings
not have access to the latest and best information which will make their
jobs easier?  Just some thoughts.

__________

No library is too small to automate. We have a student body of 320 and our
library is fantastic. We are all automated -- we renovated our old gym 4
years ago and whether you have 50 or 1000 students, it is worth every
minute you take to get the library"up to snuff".

__________

You are actually faced with two issues re: automation. One is whether or
not to have an online catalogue and the other is whether or not to have
automated checkout. If you are going to have to refurbish the whole card
catalogue, you might as well put the thing onto a database. Inmagic is
now downloadable in its old DOS format FREE! for single user , i.e. for
you at your terminal. It's pretty expensive to barcode evrything for
automated checkout and my understanding is it's not worth it for under
5-7,000 volumes. We have no money, so what we get I'd rather spend on
books - don't know how you're fixed.


________________________________________________
Richard Smyth
Librarian/Cybrarian
Cathedral High School
Boston, MA
(617) 695-2306
rsmyth@mec.edu
http://www.cathedral.mec.edu

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