[229] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Library Automation Questions
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Mon May 11 12:34:05 1992
Date: Mon, 11 May 1992 10:49:43 CDT
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L%UHUPVM1.BITNET@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS%UHUPVM1.BITNET@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.BITNET>
4 Messages, 114 Lines
1) Printing date due cards
2) VersaPoint Braille Printer
3) Keeping CDs safe
4) Cataloging resources: the format is not the display
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Please reply directly to the author, not PACS-L. Thanks
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From: polly@lpl.org (Jean Polly)
Subject: Printing date due cards?
How does your library handle date due cards?
Has anyone used a line printer to generate these? We are hand stamping 2500
of these a day and staff members are getting repetitive motion disorders.
The Gaylord catalog shows labelers (like the guns they use to put price tags
on cans at the grocery store) but this seems like it could become a problem
too. They also suggest use of Model C chargers (remember them?) to
individually machine stamp the cards. Again more handling.
Hasn't anyone figured out a way to automate this yet? I don't want to print
a label because it would be more handwork to affix it. Our automated circ
system has no provision for printing a "cash register-like receipt".
Any suggestions?
Jean Armour Polly INTERNET: polly@LPL.ORG or polly@nysernet.org
Liverpool Public Library OTHER: polly@well.sf.ca.us
Liverpool NY USA VISION: "Don't postpone joy!"
"There is no more Far Away." -- David Wilcox, acoustic musician
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From: Linda Langschied <LANGSCHIED@ZODIAC.BITNET>
Subject: VersaPoint Braille Printer
Are any libraries using the VersaPoint Braille printer for visually
impaired students? What applications are you using the printer for?
Are you satisfied with its performance?
Please respond directly to me, and thanks in advance for any
information.
Linda Langschied
Alexander Library
Rutgers University
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From: pfa@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (PF Anderson)
Subject: Re: Shareware Library/CDs Safe
How we keep our CDs safe is by checking thme out the same way we do
for manuals and oddball software programs:
we take the persons ID, and keep it until they return the item.
If they don't return the item, we have the options of them
paying for it, having their university library priveledges
withdrawn, or not graduating and related repercussions.
We've had no problems! We even permit faculty to check out
CDs overnight -- how's that for a shocker!
Pat Anderson
Barnes Learning Resources Center
Galter Library
Northwestern University
303 E. Chicago Ave
Chicago IL 60611
pfa@nwu.edu
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From: irma.holtkamp@hyperion.lanl.gov
>From: "Walt Crawford" <BR.WCC@RLG>
>Subject: Cataloging resources: the format is not the display!
>As a "library folk," I must take issue with Billy Barron's
>comment...
> The MARBI spec will allow you to catalog it, but what
> about us non-library folks. It looks like an unreadable
> mess in that format.
>I will assert that virtually *all* of the online catalogs
>Billy Barron assiduously promotes access to are based on
>the USMARC formats. Are they all "unreadable messes"?
>I'll go further: without "MARBI specs" and the USMARC format,
>we wouldn't have the wealth of available information on the
>net that currently exists.
>Criticizing MARC because the communications format itself
>is not designed for direct reading is like criticizing
>PostScript because it's hard to read an .EPS file directly!
>(For that matter, ever tried to read a typical word processing
>file as a straight ASCII file--say WordPerfect, for example?)
>The communications format *communicates* information between
>computers; it was never designed for direct end-user use,
>but makes it quite easy to reformat information for end users.
>Is a MARC format the best way to provide coherent access to
>Internet resources? I have no idea. Would the experience of
>librarians in providing controlled vocabularies and meaningful
>access points improve such an access mechanism? You betcha.
>One additional note, with respect to Gord Nickerson's
>comments in the same PACS-L merged message:
>Are we really serving users better by tossing them into
>enormous realms of unprocessed data with no designated access
>points than we did through cataloging? Personally, I don't
>believe it for a second! (No, I've never been a cataloger.
>I respect them and what they accomplish, though.)
Walt,
Thank you for so clearly stating the purpose of MARBI specs and the USMARC
formats! You gave all of us catalogers a boost today by recognizing the
value of our efforts to make sense of bibliographic data.
Irma S. Holtkamp
Los Alamos National Laboratory Library
P.O. Box 1663, MS-P362
Los Alamos, NM 87545
Phone: 505-667-3063 FTS: 843-667-3063
Fax: 505-665-2948
E-mail: irma.holtkamp@hyperion.lanl.gov
