Discusses the implications of activity in the UK which has resulted in the preparation of library plans, and the introduction of best value and benchmarking for public libraries…
Abstract
Discusses the implications of activity in the UK which has resulted in the preparation of library plans, and the introduction of best value and benchmarking for public libraries. It provides a review of the distinction between benchmarks and process benchmarking; the development of benchmarking in the private and public sectors; annual library plans and best value, and the implications of the best value process for public libraries.
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The London Borough of Bromley began drawing up a specification for a system to replace the existing ALS system in August 1987. Preliminary discussions with a number of suppliers…
Abstract
The London Borough of Bromley began drawing up a specification for a system to replace the existing ALS system in August 1987. Preliminary discussions with a number of suppliers were held at the same time, and in August 1988 suppliers were invited to submit budgetary quotations based on the specification. Three suppliers were shortlisted and invited to tender during December 1988, following which the Geac 9000 system was selected; contracts were finally signed in March 1989.
The last few years have seen considerable advances in the field of computerised bibliographic control. In addition to the mainframe‐based systems such as MARC, there has been…
Abstract
The last few years have seen considerable advances in the field of computerised bibliographic control. In addition to the mainframe‐based systems such as MARC, there has been increasing interest in mini‐ and microcomputer systems for both technical processing and information retrieval. With these developments has come a re‐examination of the usefulness of bibliographic standards which have emerged since libraries started facing the needs of interlibrary communication. This reconsideration of standards has prompted among many librarians the idea that the advent of computerised systems means the end of the need for standardisation. There is a general feeling that it is no longer necessary to require cataloguers (if they figure at all in the argument anyway) to create records in the rigorous way demanded by the likes of the Anglo‐American cataloguing rules (AACR). The power of the computer, it is felt, obviates the sophisticated and resource‐wasting processing that goes on in cataloguing departments; and features such as boolean searching, truncation, etc, can get over the need for accurate specification of authors' names or the titles of documents.
Introduction This account breaks with normal VINE practice in that it combines both general product description with an account of an installation. Though the Geac Acquistions…
Abstract
Introduction This account breaks with normal VINE practice in that it combines both general product description with an account of an installation. Though the Geac Acquistions Module is not a newcomer to the library market place [Somerset has been using it for more than a year now], it has not yet been described in VINE and, given Geac's established role in library automation, it is time it was mentioned. Since there are sites live, it is also sensible to go for the more objective approach and look at the system in practice. However, the system sets out to be very comprehensive, trying to cater for, if not all eventualities and combinations of circumstances, at least a wide range of practices which any one user is unlikely to implement in full. Therefore, a hybrid approach has been adopted, with the Aston system described where feasible but with reference to other features which Aston does not yet use such as the serials handling subsystem.
Describes the establishment of a practical set of performanceindicators for Bromley libraries. Analyses what the set was intended toachieve, how the indicators were chosen and…
Abstract
Describes the establishment of a practical set of performance indicators for Bromley libraries. Analyses what the set was intended to achieve, how the indicators were chosen and what the selection criteria were. Covers the production criteria of how and when the indicators were to be made available and describes the set of indicators that was chosen. Finally, considers what was learned from the project and how the indicators are used in practice. Concludes that the main values of the indicators are as a practical management tool, as a means of pre‐empting problems, and as a platform for further informed questions; the main test of a good set of indicators is their fitness for purpose in pointing to whether the service is making a good job of delivering its own chosen objectives.