7th Entry - Discuss on the needs of evaluating a library software before you decide to purchase it for your library - what do you look for when you do

What is Library Software?

Software that used by libraries for library technology

Why we will evaluate before purchase library software?

In any endeavor in which we make a substantial investment of money, energy, and time or other resources, we like to know what kind of return we are getting. The ability to evaluate the return on our investment gives us the basis on which to choose between alternative. So an evaluation is basically a judgment of worth. It is a matter of comparison of actual result with external standard, in the light of existing institutional realities which may be relevant to evaluating the future trajectory of the program or services and provide an objective basis for decision making. Software evaluation is quite a difficult task; we have to consider the following procedure, features and aids to evaluate software packages. Before we purchase software its good for libraries to consults other libraries that have experience using libraries software’s because we don't want software that which did not support all necessary technical needed.

What we will look before purchase

1. Documentation / procedure on the software - Existing literature: go for the software after carefully examining the existing literature and documentation on the particular software. Training: does the company or authority of the particular software provide training? Where and how the training is conducted, whether it is online, Onsite should also be consider. Manual: does the training is accompanied by easy to follow supporting print material or manual. How good the manual is?

2. General features of the software Various computer platform: the various computer platform needed to run the software i.e. server, wireless connectivity, hard disc space needed etc. Multiple platforms: does the software able to run in multiple platforms such as windows 2000, windows N.T., windows98, 95 etc. Capacity: The restriction in total number of database /information /records in a database it can handle effectively. Speed: Speed of operation in different environment.
Flexibility: Flexibility to handle of records of variable sizes.
Standardize data format: Does it use standardize data form for importing and exporting of data.
De-bugging facility: De-bugging facility and scope of proper error message while executing the software.
User friendliness: Does the system easy to use?
Does the system empower the experienced user with short cut and flexible tool .
Does the system easy to learn ?Is the system menu driven. Are the command mnemonic based?
Effectiveness: Does the system meet the specification. Reliability: Does the search give consistent result?
Expandability: Is the system permit addition Total cost of the software: Does the system comes in different module i.e. available in only circulation module, circulation plus cataloguing module. What is the total cost of the system?

3. Services Acquisition: Does the system carry out duplicate checking while entering the data. Does it have the capacity to print accession register? Data entry and editing: How effective the system is for data entry? Is the software provides easy way for editing of records? Is insertion and deletion of records are easy?

Circulation: provision of facility for issue, return, computation of fines, reservation of document etc.
Serial control: Provision of monitoring multiple issue of a serial , provision of grace period for receiving the serial , provision of renewal, overdue alert, entering the abstract of a serial. OPAC: Provision of reservation through OPAC, provision of searching OPAC from outside the library, provision of searching the OPAC and web simultaneously (Meta search) using a single word search.
Library administration: The software should allow generating different reports i.e. collection statistics, circulation statistics and also should be helpful to create your own specialized report to meet your specialized need.
Enhanced MARC data: Manny software allows to catalogue website, E-Books, AV resources in addition to the library resources. These website are added by the library media specialist manually.
Updating: Does the library automation system company from their own site help to install, upgrade (web based updates), and patches or simply to help you with a particular function.

4. Security Provision of access restriction to certain records/ fields. Is there any provision for students and staff to log in and log off on their own? How new modification/ new version of the software to be obtain by the librarian? Power out feature: Is there any power out feature included? There should be a manual hand scanner available to check material in and out that can easily be connected to the computer system once its back up and running. Future exist cost: In near future if you want to switch over to another packages then the cost involved in such cases should also be consider.

Post installation Does the vendor give performance/ service warranty? Post installation support from the vendor.



Reference

"Library Technology Guides." Library Technology Guides: Key Resources in Library Automation. .
"Criteria for Evaluation of Library Software Packages - LISWiki." Main Page - LISWiki. Web. 08
Noorhidawati Abdullah. “System implementation: ILS evaluation, site preparation & retrospective conversion” Lecture, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.