USING DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS by Nina Platt & Mary Dzurinko Although creating an integrated library system with database management (DBMS) software is challenging and allows for individual customization, it may cost you more than the purchase of an "off-the-shelf" integrated online library system (IOLS). The learning curve, design, and implementation of a DBMS requires a commitment of time and expertise that most libraries and library staff do not currently have. For those libraries who wish to use DBMS products, there are several available, as outlined in the following article. The library's role in a corporation's knowledge management goal has never been more critical than at this juncture of the centuries. Staff downsizing, library closings, vendor mergers, and desktop Internet access force information professionals to adapt and alter their attitudes and the manner in which information content is collected, stored, packaged, and distributed. As the move toward digital and virtual libraries steadily increases, user friendly and affordable access to library resources -- catalog, circulation data, online databases and Internet, multi-media material, and research services -- is essential. "Knowledge Management" is not only the current buzz phrase among CEOs and CIOs, but also a mantra among library information professionals. Information, as Bill Gates has often stated, is, and will continue to be, a corporation's most valuable and important asset. In order to maximize that asset, all personnel and departments must have access to information resources, share these resources, and have the means to communicate with each other in order to produce a successful bottom line. Today many corporations "manage" their " knowledge" resources with Groupware. Groupware is a software application used to create and organize databases that are distributed and shared throughout an entire company or institution. Lotus Notes is a currently popular Groupware, offering users e-mail, discussion areas, database management, schedulers, and Internet access and the flexibility to customize databases for local needs. According to Nick Shelly, Lotus Chief Technology Officer who is quoted in the February 2, 1998 issue of Internet Week, Lotus Notes plans to release a "knowledge management platform" as " ... groupware, the next generation." NOTEBOOKS NOTEbookS is a commercial automated library system designed for Lotus Notes users. It takes full advantage of Lotus Notes features and has the same screens, views, and search capabilities used by all in-house Notes databases. NOTESbooks was developed and is marketed by Robert A. Schless & Company, located in Sudbury, MA. NOTEbookS modules, available individually or as a package, include Online Catalog, Circulation, Acquisitions, Serials, Serial Routing, Web Retriever. It also offers a Research Database and is installed at sites in the U.S. and Canada. This discussion of NOTEbookS is based on a visit to a local library where NOTEbookS is up and running, discussions with NOTEbooks users, the Screen Cam slides available on the NOTESbookS Web page, a conversation with Mr. Schless about his product and his presentation at Computer in Libraries'98, Arlington, VA. Libraries which have developed their own in-house Lotus Notes automated library system are not included in this discussion. The NOTESbookS catalog form for books, videos, CD-ROMs, etc. seems clear and straightforward, and contains standard cataloging fields. A union catalog is possible because of Lotus Notes replication, which allows synchronization of databases to simultaneously revise several databases. To update the catalog, acquisitions and serials records and holdings are copied (Copy to Catalog function) from their respective modules to the OPAC. A special feature of NOTEbookS is its Z.39.50 compliance. The user can directly import MARC records OCLC, Library of Congress or Internet Web sites and save them in a folder to compare and modify them later. Authority and subject files are contained in Tables and applied to records as needed. To access the OPAC, a user chooses the Browse Catalog button from the main NOTESbookS access screen. A sorted list of titles, displaying author, format, and location information, appears. Selecting a title from the list produces either a full or brief record. User requests for title check-out, purchase or ILL are sent to the library by Lotus e-mail. The Select View button allows title, author, location searches. The user can save searches for later review or research. The Lotus Notes Domino Web server makes database information available on a Web browser. Serials are cataloged in the Serials Module. The Browse Periodicals button on the main menu gives users access to serial records. A list of titles results and location, subscription numbers, issues received, and holding information appears when a title is selected. The Select View button allows titles, location, date received, and subject searches and the system also has a claim function. TOCs and other scanned-in data are full text searchable and e-mailed or printed and sent to users who can also request copies of articles. The Serial Routing module generates routing lists and provides global maintenance of routing functions. NOTEbookS users expressed concern about the system's handling of non-standard issue patterns, especially in regard to standing orders. The lack of the integration of catalog and serial records is problematic. For instance, in law firms almost all titles are "serials" in some sense, as most are frequently updated by supplements, advance sheets, and revised volumes. End users don't know what a "serial" is or what titles publishers and librarians consider a periodical, and moreover, they don't care. To require title look-up in two separate catalogs seems burdensome. NOTEbookS Acquisitions and Circulation modules are used by the library staff. Acquisitions tracks orders by title, format, requester, on-approval, vendor, charge back costs, and budget codes. Acquisitions records may be copied to the catalog, and orders and ILLs e-mailed directly to vendors. Circulation records include borrower, date, and due/overdue, and location information. NOTEbookS also accommodates barcodes. Reporting features were not reviewed. Research requests and projects, corporate and department reports, files, images, Internet searches, forms and local notes are stored in the NOTEbooks Research database. Here the library staff tracks requests, ongoing and completed research projects, time spent on a request, and project costs. This database is a true "knowledge management" database. REPLIC-ACTION Casahl Technology, Inc. markets Replic-Action, " a client/server-based data integration, replication and migration system to access, transform, migrate and synchronize date between Lotus Notes and multiple [ODBC compliant] external databases. Replic-Action acts as a front-end for libraries which are in a Lotus Notes environment, but have a "non-Lotus Notes" online library system. The existing system is used for acquisitions, receiving, cataloging, and circulation; the OPAC is viewed as a Lotus Notes application. LOTUS NOTES AND NOTEbookS The NOTEbookS automated library system is a choice for libraries in a Lotus Notes environment. Several librarians interviewed for this article indicated that management’s goal was to have company-wide Notes databases. Thus, if the library wanted to install an automated library system, it was "NOTEbookS or nothing else." It can be argued that for corporations which have Notes groupware, NOTEbookS is a perfect fit. Notes is a true knowledge management tool. Users and library staff are familiar with Notes workflow, require no special training, are comfortable searching Notes databases, and Notes IT support is already in place. And the ability to easily create and maintain a union catalog is an excellent feature. But NOTEbookS does have drawbacks. It is not a relational database nor does it have the record linkage available in relational-like off-the-shelf IOLSs. In this regard, it is interesting that NOTEbookS is marketed as an "automated library system"; the word "integrated" does not appear very often in its product literature. The fact that the catalog and the serials are separate databases may impact negatively on library technical services and patron use. In order to take full advantage of NOTEbookS Notes capabilities, the library database administrator should be familiar with Lotus Notes programming and functions. All libraries must customize online systems for local needs, and NOTEbooks is no exception. This takes time, staff, and budget resources. MICROSOFT ACCESS Libraries are also exploring the option of using Microsoft Access for development of their integrated library systems. Access is a relational database management system available for purchase as a stand-alone product or as part of Microsoft Office. Its inclusion in Office and ubiquitous presence has made it one of the most popular database development tools in use by business today. So the management’s question is: If it is available on everyone's desktop shouldn't it be used? Or, as many overworked IT managers are quick to point out, if it is the corporate standard, shouldn't in the library use it instead of introducing yet another software tool for IT to learn and support? While Access is touted as a database for all users, in reality the most effective use of its powerful features requires a large learning curve on the part of the database developer. In most organizations a library automation projects is a low in priority for the IT staff. Thus, it falls on the librarian to manage the implementation of an IOLS. If this, as in most cases, adds additional management responsibilities to the librarian's duties, it makes sense to look outside the organization for IOLS management and implementation. This may mean the purchase of an commercially developed IOLS, supported by a vendor or looking to consultants to assist with system planning and implementation. Are libraries using Microsoft Access? The answer is yes and no.
With few exceptions, it appears that if libraries are using Access, it is to develop applications that support individual functions, not to set up an integrated system. While librarians are not now making heavy use of Access to do their own development, that may change in the near future. Library schools such as Dominican University (formerly Rosary College) are requiring students to demonstrate competency in the development and use of an Access database. SQL SERVER While Microsoft markets Access for use across the organization, it is clear to most developers that Access does not elegantly handle a high number of concurrent users (some suggest that Access databases be ported to SQL Server if they have more than 40 concurrent users). These developers have turned to another Microsoft product, SQL Server. SQL Server is a relational database management system designed to run on Windows NT in order to provide distributed client-server functionality. One advantage to using SQL Server is the tight integration with Microsoft's BackOffice product used by many companies to build their Intranet and provide access to the Internet. Many vendors, who market library systems that have traditionally run on mainframe or mini-computers, are now working with database management systems (whether proprietary or third party) that support the NT platform. This development has mainly occurred because many IT shops have made the move to NT for most applications in their organizations and are pressuring vendors to follow suit. LIBRARY SYSTEMS DEVELOPED USING MICROSOFT ACCESS OR SQL SERVER If few libraries use Access or SQL Server to develop their own in-house system, are there IOLSs available that use these products as a development platform? Several vendors market such products. Aurora Information Technology Aurora Information Technology (AIT), a relatively new vendor located in the United Kingdom and Australia, has developed a system that gives buyers a choice of the database or databases they want to use for their system. Those libraries implementing the traditional functions like cataloging, circulation, etc. can choose Microsoft Access, SQL Server, or any ODBC compliant databases, i.e. Sybase, Oracle. Those libraries that need the ability to manage full-text are able to implement Odyssey's ISYS or Fulcrum's SearchServer for that purpose. Regardless of the database tool used for development, AIT delivers a system that provides cataloging, circulation, OPAC, Z39.50 client, web tools, MARC support, multimedia capability, image viewers, and multiple language support. Since there are no installations of this product in the United States, the information gathered for this paper comes from the vendor's Web site and discussions with the Director of Application Development. The modules produced by AIT include: The Aurora Cataloguer provides catalogers with both a MARC and a non-MARC interface for cataloging, authority control, validation, context-sensitive help, and the ability to receive and return MARC records using the Z39.50 protocol. The Aurora Explorer and Aurora Web Gateway provide end users with access to library resources and more. "Through a single standard interface, the Aurora Explorer can present data held in local structured and unstructured records, Community information, and material retrieved through a search across a network, whether Web, WAIS or Z39.50." Users can view traditional print, full-text, multimedia, and images. The Aurora Circulation provides check-in and check-out, reservations (holdings) management, and access to both user and item information. Reports are generated using the third party product Crystal Reports. The Aurora Locater manages access to Z39.50 resources. Integrated with Cataloguer, it has the capability to capture and import Z39.50 resources directly into the catalog. The Aurora Helper can be used as a menu tool for simple access to other Aurora module or as a "web oriented help application." The Aurora Loader includes two tools: One loads catalog records from a variety of formats; the other loads controlled terms which "creates headings for pre-loaded authority records, and formulates preferred and non-preferred headings and thesaural relationships." The Aurora MARC Viewer allows the cataloger to examine batches of MARC records before loading them into the catalog. Other utilities include multimedia file support, an image viewer, enhanced access for visually impaired, and multi-language support. Maxcess Verso Maxcess Corporation, a library system vendor in Greenville, MD, has recently released a new product called Verso. Verso, available in a solo version for single users, a standard version for small to medium libraries, and an enterprise version for larger organizations or smaller organizations looking for more functionality, uses SQL Server as part of its complex multi-tier architecture. While some vendors have developed Web OPACs for use with their products, Maxcess has gone one step further. The architecture also includes the components needed to use a Web browser for both staff functions (cataloging, circulation, etc.) and end user access. Although the database that is at the heart of the system is the MSM database management system from Micronetics, SQL Server is used with Crystal Reports to provide for the processing of administrative reports. The system includes cataloging (with authority control and MARC support), circulation, full-text retrieval, a Z39.50 client and an OPAC module. Future releases of the system will also include serials management, acquisitions management, and OCLC on-line record loading. OTHER INTERESTING PRODUCTS Best-seller WebSuite Start Best-seller Inc., known for its Best-Seller and Portfolio products, has recently introduced WebSuite and WebSuite Start. While WebSuite uses a proprietary database system; the product that may interest librarians is their WebSuite Start software. This product, free to libraries (they are hoping that libraries will use the free product and then want to upgrade to the full WebSuite version), includes a tool that can be used to "convert an existing catalog (MARC, dBase format, ASCII Label, or ODBC) to a Web-ready OPAC." It may be worth investigating for libraries planning to make their OPAC available on an Intranet. Cold Fusion 3.1 Not specifically a library product, Cold Fusion is an application development system for the Web. Web developers use CFML (Cold Fusion Markup Language) to create web pages which, when used in conjunction with the Cold Fusion Application Server, support updating and querying any ODBC compliant database. Applying this technology to a library catalog that has been developed using Access, SQL Server, Oracle, etc. allows development of a system that supports both library staff functions and end user needs. One caveat: while Cold Fusion is fairly simple to use when compared to some other development tools, it requires the developer to know how to develop a database structure in whatever DBMS is being used, how to code HTML, and finally how to use Cold Fusion. If all a library needs is a Web OPAC, then WebSuite Start may be a better solution. CONCLUSION With the ever changing needs of end users and the questions being raised by IT managers, librarians are looking for innovative ways to manage information. Knowledge management theories force information professionals to carefully evaluate their choice of information delivery systems. The basic consideration in choosing any information system is how such a system fits into the corporate goals. An integrated on-line library system is the most efficient and cost-effective way to integrate library information and services with corporate intelligence databases. However, the rapid development of IOLS technology and its integration with Web browser technology present information managers with serious choices. Before any IOLS is considered for purchase or development, the following questions should be considered:
In the end, the choice of an IOLS depends upon management directives, cost factors, and library and IT staff expertise and support. Please Note: We would appreciate hearing from vendors not listed in this article who use Microsoft Access, Lotus Notes, Microsoft SQL Server, or other database management software packages being used in organizations for other purposes as part of your development platform. Please send an e-mail to webmaster@ilsr.com describing the DBMS used. A list of the products with their corresponding DBMS will be added to the end of this article. Also, if there are libraries who have developed in-house IOLS systems using a DMBS or Lotus Notes, we would like to hear how you did it. Please send an e-mail to webmaster@ilsr.com briefly describing what you did and if you will be willing to talk to other libraries who are interested in creating their own system. Responses will be posted here. This article was originally presented at IOLS '98 New York, NY, May 14, 1998. © 1998, Information Today, Inc. Reviews || Vendors || About ILSR || Contacts || Home Copyright © 1998 Mary Dzurinko &
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