Computerisation in the Library

Lim-Yeo Pin Pin, LINUS Editor

The Library started thinking about automating its operations in June 1973. A Committee on Library Mechanisation was set up to survey the Library's book charging system and periodicals control system, and to study possible systems for mechanising these two operations.

The Committee's first project was the periodicals control system. In 1974, data on 3000 periodical titles were input into the University's computer to enable speedy printing of periodical information for accounting and other administrative purposes. The system enabled the Library to estimate the cost of journal subscriptions by subject collections and by year, including price increases. The Library also generated a printout of library periodical holdings in December 1977 from the database.

In March 1975, the Committee completed its Report and Recommendations on the Choice of a Computer-based Charging System. The report is the result of a preliminary study of the capabilities of five computer-based book charging systems in use in other academic libraries as compared with the features of the manual system. A year later, the Library submitted its recommendations for the computerisation of its loan system to the Vice-Chancellor. A Library Automation Committee was set up in September 1979 as the sucessor to the Library Mechanisation Committee.

The NUS Library was given free use of MINISIS, an online database management system designed by the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC). The Library formed a MINISIS Project Committe in January 1981 to plan and implement a pilot project to test MINISIS suitability for acquisitions, cataloguing and information retrieval. By March 1982, the testing was satisfactorily completed and it was decided to proceed with using MINISIS.

However, MINISIS was not able to handle loan transactions. Hence the Library decided to get one customised for its needs. A pilot automated circulation system was designed by the Computer Centre and tested in March 1981.

In October 1982, a new Library Automation Unit was set up to plan and coordinate the computerisation programme of the whole NUS Library System. A HP3000 computer was delivered in October 1983, and ten terminals were installed, 8 in Central Library, 1 in Medical Library at Sepoy Lines and 1 in Law Library. With the help of Computer Centre staff, the programmes for the Computer-based periodical control system were rewritten for use on new library computer. Seven databases were established containing 33,971 records. Besides using MINISIS for cataloguing and serials control, new databases were created for the Library's periodical indexing project (PERIND) and Singapore conference papers index for 1970-82 (CONFIND).

LACS in use at the loan counter

The Library Automated Circulation System (LACS) was further enhanced by the Library staff and first implemented at the Law Library in December 1983. With the successful implementation at Law Library, the Medical Library at Kent Ridge Campus was the second implementation site for LACS. In 1984, a database of library members was created in LACS. New laminated library membership cards with barcodes were issued to allow the cards to be read by a light pen. By June 1985, after implementation in Central Library, LACS was operational in all libraries. This is the result of barcoding all the volumes in the libraries and entering the data for each volume in the LACS database.

By June 1985, the MINISIS software applications for acquisitions, cataloguing and information search were fully implemented in all libraries. This meant that the major functions of the library were fully computerised. At the time, the HP3000 computer held 7 databases containing 650,000 LACS records and 109,656 MINISIS records, and supported 32 workstations.

Computerisation brought about many benefits. For the users, it meant faster processing of new books and a shorter waiting time at the Loan Counter as they no longer need to fill out their particulars every time they borrowed a book. For the staff, it meant automating many of the tedious and routine tasks and being deployed to perform other more value-added tasks. For example, staff in the Cataloguing Department no longer needed to type, sort and file catalogue cards. There was also no necessity to type book cards and book pockets which was needed under the manual loan system.

Manual loans-1960's

However, without enough terminals to allow users direct access to the catalogue on MINISIS, a Computer-Output-Microfiche Catalogue (COMCAT) was first produced in June 1984. The COMCAT was produced quarterly until 1992.

Using the COMCAT

Due to the ever expanding collection, the library computer capacity was quickly used up and needed to be upgraded. In 1988, tenders were called for a fully integrated and more powerful library system. In 1989, a Library System Upgrade Implementation Committee (LUPIC) was established to ensure the successful implementation of the project. Five Module Implementation Teams were set up for the Acquisitions, Cataloguing, Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), Serials Management and Circulation modules. The contract was awarded to AWA Computers to install the SEA-URICA System on a McDonnell Douglas computer. By July 1990, the Cataloging and OPAC modules were ready.

Staff helping students learn to use LINC when it was launched in July 1990

The Library's OPAC called LINC (Library INtegrated Catalogue) was launched on 2 July 1990, in time for the new academic year. It was the culmination of over two years of planning and preparation which included the retrospective conversion of over 300,000 records from the card catalogue as well as the transfer of 200,000 records from MINISIS. On 1 October 1990, LINC was made available 24 hours a day via NUSNET. Users could now access the catalogue from any terminal connected to the campus network, without stepping into the Library.

Acquisitions was the next module implemented in May 1991. By May 1992, the Serials Module was ready, which meant that users could check whether a journal was held in the Library and whether a particular issue has been received. This was followed by the Circulation Module in October 1992. LINC now carried information on the loan status of library materials. Users could also reserve materials and check their own membership record using LINC. When staff and student cards started using smart card technology, the Library made sure it could read the new cards at the Loan Counter.

By June 1993, LINC was released for international access via Internet. External members of the Library could also apply to access LINC through dial-up access. The Library system migrated to a higher-capacity computer, an IBM RS 6000/R24, in December 1994. This meant a faster response time for users when they check for an item in LINC.

In April 1995, the Library launched its electronic document management and retrieval system called Library InfoGate, jointly developed with Wang Computers. Library InfoGate uses Wang's OPEN/Image software to capture and convert images, together with BRS/Search retrieval software to search the databases. The NUS Library is the first university library in the region to use this technology to store, retrieve, and disseminate documents to its users. Library InfoGate is the Library's response to the global trend in developing electronic libraries and creating digitised collections. The ultimate objective is to provide library users desktop access to bibliographic data, text and images of selected materials via NUSNET.

Compiled from annual reports of the Library

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LINUS July 1995, NUS Library