Software Programs to Use in your Library: : Descriptions, Evaluations and Practical Advice

Citation

Riley, B. (1998), "Software Programs to Use in your Library: : Descriptions, Evaluations and Practical Advice", Collection Building, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 181-182. https://doi.org/10.1108/cb.1998.17.4.181.1

An increasingly important task for librarians and information professionals is the evaluation and selection of software for their collections, and 303 Software Programs aims to help in this decision‐making process. Patrick Dewey has prepared a useful reference, providing a good starting point when looking for software which will do a particular job.

The scope of this book is wide, and the style is clear and very accessible. The simple introductory section provides some sound advice on technology planning for libraries and information that allows the reader to get quickly up to speed with the relevant technology issues for selecting software packages. The claim is made in the introduction that the book includes “nearly all available library‐specific software”, and the number of library‐specific software packages included is, indeed, impressive. The book also looks beyond library software to office suites, utilities and other, more general, software, providing a useful and concise introduction to a whole variety of software products for libraries.

The information provided in each entry is quite useful, although all costs given are in US dollars, and the vendor contact details are also all American. However, the book also includes Internet addresses, although the Australian reader may need to go to some extra effort to source Australian distributors for many of the products mentioned. The entries for each product typically include vendor, cost, system requirements, and comments. The comments provided for each product are simple, objective descriptions of a product’s capabilities and functions. Full vendor contact details are available in the appendix, and the majority of these include URLs and e‐mail addresses.

References to articles are sometimes included with an entry. These references are useful if one wants to look at any of the packages in more depth or obtain some more evaluative information. A description of the features that can be expected of each software category is included at the beginning of each section of the book. Advice to help one select an appropriate piece of software also is offered at the beginning of each section.

Software reviewed in the book is divided into 21 categories, with some categories providing a more exhaustive look at software than others. The first category, Accessibility for People with Disabilities, is not particularly exhaustive, and looks at only four programs. Accounting and acquisitions software are reviewed in some detail, as are bibliographic management packages, catalogue card production systems and software that will provide assistance with cataloguing. There is an interesting section on children’s reading and library skills programs. The section on circulation systems looks at a number of products, many of the products being especially useful for smaller libraries. There are also sections on database and file management systems, as well as desktop publishing and graphic presentation software. By far the most comprehensive, and perhaps the most useful, is the section on integrated library systems. The section on Internet packages and bulletin board systems is not particularly exhaustive and is already beginning to date.

303 Software Programs also provides a look at software for inventory control, local area networking, journal management, management and online catalogues. Also presented are an interesting array of reference service and reader’s advisory software and a variety of utilities. There is a useful (but by no means exhaustive) section on office suites and word processing packages.

The appendices provide some useful information. There is a list of “computer periodicals of interest” with publisher contact details. Also, there is an interesting suggested reading section and a limited list of Internet resources. A simple but effective glossary is also included, as well as a thorough index of software (by product name).

303 Software Programs to Use in Your Library is of use to anyone charged with the task of buying software for a library or information centre. The advantage of this book is that it brings together a diverse range of library software packages and describes what each does in simple terms. This book provides a good starting point for investigating software products that are available to assist with library tasks.