Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 09:34:19 +0530
From: Subbiah Arunachalam
Here is an article by a well-known professional and columnist. Many Indian
librarians may find it useful. Although this article talks of commercial
products, I thought it could trigger some research and action among
computer-savvy Indian librarians. Best wishes.
Arun
Cool Tech Tools for Libraries
By Paula J. Hane
While thinking about topics for this article, I was struck by how frequently
I'm drawn to discussing search engine developments, enterprise content
management solutions, and visualization interfaces-kind of techie stuff.
What about some good, solid news about libraries, I thought? So, in
reviewing the news and developments over the last few weeks, I was pleased
to find a couple of interesting announcements of products that offer
libraries real help in doing their jobs better. And, guess what? The
products are the result of some neat technological advances-they're cool
techie tools.
I've been following news about applications for Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) for more than a dozen years. The April 1992 cover story of
Database magazine (which I edited at the time) was an introduction to GIS
and detailed the linking of maps and databases for business applications.
Now, a small, privately owned company in Pasadena, Calif., called CIVIC
Technologies (http://www.civictechnologies.com) is helping libraries use a
specialized GIS tool to help deliver more effective public services.
Marc Futterman, president and CEO, is an architect who used GIS in city
planning and realized the potential for libraries to take advantage of
similar tools. In 1999, he co-founded CIVIC Technologies, which offered a
customized GIS application designed specifically to help librarians
understand and use their data for planning and decision-making purposes. The
company uses GIS technology developed by its business partner, Environmental
Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), a well-known GIS developer. Last
year, LibraryDecision was introduced as a Web service. Since then, a variety
of public libraries throughout the U.S. have selected it to better match
library services to user needs, reallocate resources, revise service area
boundaries, and plan for new facilities.
LibraryDecision helps librarians analyze, visualize, and interpret
demographic data (census and local geographic data) in combination with
information from their ILS on patron usage, collections, circulation, and
facilities. Combining these and other diverse sources gives librarians a
clear picture of their community and provides insights into the patterns of
library usage and service demand. Current customers of LibraryDecision are
incorporating ILS information from Dynix, TLC, and Innovative systems.
According to Futterman: "We designed LibraryDecision to be useful to a
diverse range of public libraries and each of our customer's conditions are
[sic] unique: size, location, and population. What they have in common is
the need for a robust, but affordable, GIS tool set that will enable them to
intelligently plan for and manage the delivery of more effective public
services."
LibraryDecision has a tiered pricing model, depending on the number and type
of libraries. A small, single-library jurisdiction can expect to pay under
$1,000, while the cost for the largest multisite library might be $15,000.
Futterman said the company would be announcing partnerships with some of the
ILS vendors and was looking at future joint-product development with ESRI.
I hear from a colleague that there are two other GIS applications for
libraries: GeoLib (http://www.geolib.org), an IMLS grant program at
Florida State University, and CybraryView (http://www.cybraryn.com). I
haven't checked them out yet, but you might want to if you need planning
assistance.
One company that is well-known in library circles is Sirsi Corp., which is
celebrating 25 years in business. The company just announced several
innovative products that build upon its Sirsi Rooms technology, which
provides content in the context of "virtual rooms." The new Sirsi Digital
Community Center Kiosk is an ATM-like device with a touch screen monitor
that makes it possible for libraries to deliver information, resources, and
services to people and places that might otherwise not have access to the
physical library.
Fred E. Goodman, president of Public Information Kiosk, Inc.
(http://www.pik.com/pik), Sirsi's partner for the kiosk device, stated:
"The kiosks are the first units designed to deliver community information,
resources, and services in an unattended environment, providing users with
self-service options 24 hours per day. The kiosks are easily installed in
shopping malls, government office buildings, senior citizen complexes,
hospitals, transportation centers, and other high-traffic locations where
citizens live, learn, work, and seek information."
The kiosk device plus the virtual room construct gives libraries a chance to
make a real difference in public places in their communities, delivering
valuable content and resources geared to specific needs. It greatly expands
a library's service capabilities and extends its reach and visibility.
Sirsi also introduced the Sirsi Digital Heritage Room, powered by Sirsi
Hyperion Digital Media Archive and Sirsi Rooms technologies. The new
Web-hosted solution provides libraries with an easy and cost-effective way
to preserve images, documents, and more. It is especially designed for
libraries that may not have the resources for scanning collections, data
loading, or administering a server with digital content. Sirsi will scan and
bulk-load the images and associated metadata, which is fully searchable. As
an optional feature, the textual material in the collection-newspapers,
documents, journals-can be indexed and searched using full-text search
capabilities licensed from Convera Corp. The product is scheduled to be
available in the spring of 2004.
Cool technology that helps libraries provide better library services. I like
it.
Paula J. Hane is Information Today, Inc.'s news bureau chief and editor of
NewsBreaks. Her e-mail address is phane@infotoday.com
mailto:phane@infotoday.com.
