Library Information Systems:
From Library Automation to Distributed Information Access Solutions
Thomas R. Kochtanek and Joseph R. Matthews
A Review
If all library administrators had mentors like the authors of this graduate textbook, they would be well
equipped to find " ... computing solutions aimed at bringing the user and content together, which
is the essence of service within libraries of all types and sizes." The
authors use the term
"Library Information System (LIS)" to encompass both mature and new developments, including
Integrated Library Systems (ILS), online databases, Web-based resources, digital library collections,
and electronic books and journals.
The book contains fourteen chapters organized into four main parts: "The Broader Context",
"The Technologies", "Management Issues", and "Future Considerations". Each
chapter is liberally documented with notes and suggested Web resources or readings. A well-constructed
glossary explains concepts and acronyms, and the index makes it easy to locate specific content.
Part I begins with a condensed history of the evolution of library computing into today's complex
Library
Information Systems. In the last twenty years, legacy character-based Library Systems have acquired Web
interfaces. Bibliographic databases that once required professional searchers as intermediaries are now
end-user products, with search results often linked to full-text. The new market of e-books on demand is
developing, with digital library content not far behind.
Part II comprises four chapters that provide a compact but detailed overview of integrated library
systems design, open systems, telecommunications and networks, and standards. The discussion of how
Library Information Systems are designed covers the essentials of database structure, fields and
indexes, and how different types of records are linked. A useful comparison of the advantages and
disadvantages of commercial and open source systems, as well as hidden costs, is particularly
informative. The authors are right on target in recognizing the importance of XML as the future of
Web-based access to library records, the "...glue that binds two or more systems together".
Two interesting segments in Part II touch on the diversity of resources and approaches to searching. The
universe of information continues to expand exponentially, but human beings tend to expend the least
effort possible in finding it. Searchers are neither persistent nor consistent. The quoted statement of
Calvin Mooer, known as "Mooer’s Law", should be framed and mounted on all our office walls:
"An information retrieval system will tend not to be used whenever it is more painful and
troublesome for a customer to have information than for him to not have it".
A frank
discussion of the uses and hazards of committing to commercial or open-source software will be
particularly useful to young managers as they are approached by evangelists in either camp. Experienced
librarians who are often bombarded by the pronouncements of zealots will find the objectivity
refreshing.
The arcana of technical telecommunications and networking are clearly presented in a palatable manner.
This is necessary background for every future library administrator. Chapter 6 is a standout, a
comprehensible overview of standards that leaves the reader with an appreciation of their extreme
importance. It is gratifying to see a good overview of standards coupled with the advice that librarians
need to take an active role in developing them.
Section III is the book’s core, with six
chapters on strategic planning, system selection, impacts on staffing and services, implementation, and
usability. The chapters build upon one another, and are delineated with enough detail to stand on their
own as a manual for practicing librarians who are charged with shepherding such a process.
Part IV rounds out the book with a chapter on technology trends, and the unexpected bonus of a chapter
devoted to the history and future role of emerging digital libraries.
Overall, the authors sometimes paint a very detailed picture and at other times use a broad brush, but
their chosen treatments reflect long familiarity with the subject and good judgment. The end result is a
textbook that is, surprisingly, a good read, a valuable "refresher course" and vocabulary
builder for practicing librarians as well as a survey course for graduate students. Librarians who find
themselves with the task of planning and implementing a technology project can find what they need here
to get up to speed.
There is a sense of excitement in being on the cusp of change that
enlivens a textbook that must, of course, synthesize established developments:
"The current marketplace struggles to extend the physical library into the global,
digital environment where information takes on new forms and delivery possibilities… The major challenge
is to provide integrated access to collections, both paper and electronic, and to effectively link to
electronic or 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."
Both authors speak from authority and experience and have numerous books and articles to their credit.
Thomas R. Kochtanek has written extensively about information retrieval and library systems. He is an
Associate Professor at the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies, University of
Missouri-Columbia. Joseph R. Matthews brings a business perspective to the book, as well as technical
expertise on library automation and information systems. He is president of his own consulting
company.
Of course, any book on library systems and technology is focusing on a moving target and will inevitably
become dated. In this case, the well-wrought synthesis of history and trends will prolong the book’s
value as a reference work. The thoughtful reader will be rewarded by insight into how libraries got
where they are today, and where they are going in the near future. It will occupy a place in my personal
reference collection for a long time to come.
Published in 2002 by: Libraries Unlimited, Westport, Connecticut. (287 p.) ISBN: 1-56308-966-1 ($60.00);
1-59158-018-8 (pbk.-$47.50) A volume in the publisher’s Information Science Text Series.
Reviewed by:
Araby Y. Greene
Web Development Librarian
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, Nevada
Last updated: January 12, 2004
http://www.olacinc.org/reviews/lis.html
neumeist@buffalo.edu