Planning is a process to achieve long-term goals by means of analysis and evaluation of alternatives. The importance of planning in accomplishing a project successfully plays an important role. While planning for which library Automation Software is to install and while implementing the process of installing some steps and procedure are require to follow:

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  Planning

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• Planning is a systematic process to create or development of any specific project.

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• In the sense of library automation planning, a through study of the library’s existing system as well as the library’s vision is necessary to enable you to prepare a good technology plan and project proposal.

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• Library authority, library committee, librarian, library staff computer specialist should be involved while planning for library automation project committee.

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• Committee should first think about library’s nature, purpose, collection, type of activities, service, type of users, users need, budget of library, etc.

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• Actual status of the library is to be examined.

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• Committee should decide the objectives, goals or vision while planning for automation. By comparing the actual status with objectives of the project, the library’s primary requirements can be identified and determine, those requirements can be generated by knowing needs of we each modules – acquisition, Cataloguing, Circulation, reference, Serial/periodical control, Inter-library loan, statistic records, etc. All those requirements should be noted down on paper.

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• By knowing and identifying primary requirements library should search for the software’s available in the market.

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• Library will first ask or invite a software person, commercial software vendor to explain software’s application, feature, usefulness, their fees (if it is commercial), terms and conditions, etc.

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• By considering the evaluation criteria for library automation software package; library will decide the best package for their library, analyses and identify their needs and match it with features and functions of library automation software.

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• Library committee should negotiate with software suppliers in terms of:

  • Budget

  • Library’s requirement

  • Training to staff

  • Retrospective conversion of data from one software to other

  • Their customization feature

  • AMC- annual maintenance contract

  • Onsite or online problem solving

  • Backup facility

  • Cloud serving

  • OPAC/Web OPAC

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• Library will then finalize with suppliers for installing suitable software of library automation.

 

 

 Implementation

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        Implementation includes all activities after management has decided to automate the library and approved the plan.

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• Allocation resources - Resource include the hardware, network, the data, the staff, etc. identify each service  point and place a necessary hardware in a place, you must have computer necessary at circulation desk, acquisitions , accessing, catalogue, serial control, reference, etc. shared service like printing scanning could be done in a common centre  point  or the network.

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• Train the staff for effective use of software.

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• Do Pilot testing of software:

  • Check the format of bibliographical description of document

  • Put sample entries to recognize problem

  • Check conversion of data

  • Search in OPAC just for trial phase

  • Test and measure all modules of software

  • Remove problem if occur

  • Improve and customize as per need.

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