Vol. 8(1), pp.

17-21, January 2020

DOI: 10.14662/IJALIS2020.010 International Journal of
Copy © right 2020
Author(s) retain the copyright of this article Academic Library and
ISSN: 2360-7858 Information Science
http://www.academicresearchjournals.org/IJALIS/Index.htm

Full Length Research

Awareness of Library Automation among the

Professionals in Academic Libraries at State of Eritrea
Dr. S. Sivankalai

Associate Professor, Dept. of Library and Information Science, College of Science, Eritrea Institute of Technology, Mai
Nafhi, Asmara, State of Eritrea. E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 10 January 2020

Eritrea is the small country in Spine of East-Africa in which nine colleges serving under the Institutions
of. Higher Education (IHE), Eritrea. Some of the colleges haven’t well-equipped library facilities omitted
EIT this institute only Implemented library automation with RFID technologies through Open Source
Software (KOHA). However, not at all library is self-sufficient and they are growing organism. The main
impartial of the academic library is to deliver the right of entry to the important information in a little
potential period. In the era of the material blast, single horizontal the information converts the same
expensive and additional horizontal, the rising difficulties of the consumers and the weakening stages
of economics type’s actual essential condition to the academic libraries. Thoughtful this worldwide
believed, it is right important to the reason for automation of the academic libraries in the State of
Eritrea. The article notices that nobody of the 8 academic libraries is automated. The libraries variety
use of librarians with related exercise in computer applications fixed with in-house and supported
seminars and workshops. The study commends that parental organizations must give importance to
the improvement of library automation and digital library enlargement through open-source software-
based library automation systems.

Keywords: Library Automation, ICT, Digital Library, Open Source Software, OPAC and Eritrea.
Cite This Article As: Sivankalai, S (2020). Awareness of Library Automation among the Professionals in Academic
Libraries at State of Eritrea. Inter. J. Acad. Lib. Info. Sci. 8(1): 17-21

INTRODUCTION against computer the routine of the US library of

congress resulted in finally in the growth of MARC
The historical library automation was commonly (Machine Readable Cataloguing), first up the opportunity
recycled in the previous for the maintenance processes of libraries replacing bibliographic archives and hopeful
of the library. Nowadays it has used this one opportunity co-operation among books. In the 1970s the LMS (library
and comprises all those types of machinery which management system) developed the highest
libraries and information centers use for collection, maintenance implement in enormous libraries and this
processing, storage, retrieval, dissemination, and leaning was sustained complete the next two periods,
transmission of all kinds of information at local, regional, departure real limited libraries short of a certain form of
national, and international equal. Seeing since the 1960s scheme. These were the cumulative control in the routine
the major procedure of library automation was the use of of the particular computer; the cumulative majority of non-
PCs to collection bibliographic documents and to permit copyrighted software, hopeful race but just as highly
the circulation of routine. The scheme to a residence enabling cumulative conversation of records over webs,
18 Inter. J. Acad. Lib. Info. Sci.

and the growth of the internet. from related fields such as information retrieval fields
2011 (Breeding, Marshall) observed at the growth of such as information retrieval, automatic indexing and
library technology, converging on Library Automation, ILS abstracting and automatic textual analysis” (Kent, 1977)
(Integrated Library Systems), and the use of open-source
software. Supplementary subjects deliberated comprise What is the difference between library
the rivalry among chains of Integrated Library Systems computerization and library automation?
and exclusive library services sellers, the reductions in
library economics, and hearing between library facility I reflect there is no alteration amongst
firms finished the defilement of antitrust rule. 2011 (Rai, automation and computerization. Computerization is a
Namrata) debated the growth of LMS (Library wider duration and earnings ringing out any mission with
Management Software) and to suggestion out the the support of machine which finally moderates or reduce
features and leanings of software with different position to the human strength. Library automation means
bundles that deliver any net line for several of their consuming machineries for resounding out
components or overall net-based resolutions for all the library effort.
organization components. That article similarly pursues to
associate facilities and services and technologies
combined in the library automation System. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
An integrated library system (ILS) is an automated
library system (ALS) in which all of the functional The objective of the study is as
modules share a common bibliographic database. In an
integrated system, there is only one bibliographic record • To uphold the bibliographical records of all the
for a book. All transactions involving this book will materials, in a digitized and computerized form.
therefore be linked to the bibliographic record. An • To provide bibliographical details through to
integrated library system enables the library to link count how many things of library holdings of
circulation activities with cataloging, serials management particular access point.
etc. at any given time. It makes use of a file server and • To reduce the repetition in the scientific and
clients in a local area network. technical processes of housekeeping operations.
• To offer the access of the information at a quicker
and faster rate.
What is library Automation and Networking? • To contribute and crave up the resources through
library networking.
Library automation canister is clear purely as the usage • To execute the new IT processes to provide the
of computer and introduce you skills in the library. elevated and high quality of the information.
Description: Automation is a development of using the
technologies for relaxed functioning and good the moral Need for the Library Automation
authority and time.
From the above definitions, we can say that the need of
Definition of Library Automation library automation has several reasons. Need of
computers is present in all areas depending upon its
Library automation may be defined as the application of usage. They range from acquisition control, serial control,
automatic and semiautomatic data processing machines and cataloguing and circulation control. They are also
(computers) to perform traditional library house keeping used for library manager’s evaluation of reports,
activities such as acquisition, circulation, cataloguing and statistics, etc.
reference and serials control. Today “Library Automation” For the good administration of the library computers are
is by far the most commonly used terms to describe the used in all levels of work. Above all, the unique
mechanization of library activities using the computer. characteristics of computer made it the right choice for
(Uddin, 2009). the library in Eritrea state. Computers right from the
beginning are considered to aid man, in doing various
Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences operations
“Library Automation is the use of automatic and Eritrea State
semiautomatic data processing machines to perform
such traditional library activities as acquisitions, The idea and execution of the system of colleges has
cataloguing, and circulation. These activities are not come to stay for the last 25 years in the kingdom of
necessarily performed in traditional ways, the activities Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) in Eritrea. The
themselves are those traditionally associated with system of linking colleges was designed at a time when
libraries; library automation may thus be distinguished
 Sivankalai 19

the number of colleges was small. There were only 8 reduced costs of operation. It might in fact increase them.
colleges at the time of Independence in 1993. Eritrea The benefit is really on improved services to users.
becomes the world's 181 independent country measuring Another pitfall for many libraries is data conversion. Care
about 45,000 square miles with an estimated population must be taken in developing an action plan for data
of 5,01,000 in July 2016 (Eden, undated Cite an conversion. Without a plan, it can go on and on. Systems
authoritative and dated source instead), given it a are available for copy cataloging and acquiring digital
population density of 96 persons per square mile. Eritrea records. Librarians must decide on standards and
is located in the siren of Africa; a region badly affected by procedures to finish data conversion in the least possible
conflict, war and drought. Despite of serious natural and time. Not as critical but nevertheless a cause of problems
war faced obstacles, the country is moving towards is the delay in the delivery of hardware and network
development in all sectors including economy and social components and the absence of facilities for fast access
services (Cite a document that highlights this). The to the Internet. In many cases, even telephones are not
Government of Eritrea is mainly giving focus on available at the site.
education (Cite a document that highlights this). . There
are 824 schools across the country (Ministry of Solution of Library Automation through Open Source
Education, 2005) in Eritrea, University of Asmara and the Software’s
Eritrea Institute of Technology (EIT) as well as several
other colleges and technical schools are functional. The Open-source systems are now competing with money-
other educational colleges affiliated to Ministry of making off-the-shelf systems. These open-source
Education includes the Marine Engineering College, systems are accessible free of charge through the
Massawa, the College of Agriculture, Hamalmalo, the Internet in worldwide and include the source codes of the
college of Arts and Social Sciences, Mai Nefhi, the package with our oven requirement customizations. The
college of Business and Economics, Halhale, College of user’s container manipulates the package to uniform their
nursing Barentu, College Library Ad-keih, Winna Institute requirements. The scheme is established through gifts
Library, Nakfa , and the College of Nursing and Health, from users. If the library has accomplished systems
Asmara (Efrem, 2006). analysts, librarians, library professional staffs and ICT
staff, open-source systems can be used. Then, the use of
Status of College Libraries in Eritrea off-the-shelf software that follows to values is suggested
as long as the library can have enough money the
The existing colleges of the State of Eritrea to provide acquisition price and the yearly conservation prices.
tertiary education are as follows:
Issues to reflect in choosing for open source
College of Agriculture, Hamalmalo, (CoA) systems are:
College of Arts and Social Sciences, (CASS)
College of Business and Economics, Staff willingness, information, and skill the systems
Halhale,(CoBE) frequently run under a UNIX operating system or
College of Marine Science and Windows operating system (OS) environment and an
Technology,Massawa, (COMSAT) open-source relational database management system
College of Nursing and Health, Asmara (CoNH) (RDBMS). Further staff exercises on the OS and RDBMS
(Efrem, 2006). may be wanted improvement group. The customization of
Eritrea Institute of Technology (EIT). the system is not possible through one person alone. It
Winna Institute, Nakfa (WI) has to be a team effort. Availability of Internet access,
regular participation in discussion lists is important when
Lock of Library Automation in Eritrea using open source systems.

The main problem in maximum automation schemes is Popular open-source Integrated Library System
the lack of willingness of staff to receive alteration and
purchase capability in using Information Communication Open Source Software (Koha) a full-highlighted open-
Technology and the ILS. This problem requirement is source ILS established by Katipo Communications Ltd in
lectured even previously in the systems examination New Zealand. It has engrossed the greatest designers to
period. Employer willingness is further simply lectured its double. It is presently preserved by IT staff from
than staff willingness. One more foremost drawback is everywhere the world. It is used in experimental libraries
the deficiency of funds to preserve the scheme. Budgets everywhere around the globe. It was possible to develop
of working and preserving automated systems can be a worldwide ILS. Practical maintenance is delivered
from top to bottom. Different workshops where the events through the internet and discussion online environment.
are immovable and automation characteristically The system operates under Linux or Windows, on any
increases profit, automation in libraries may not result in other web server, any SQL database system, and with
20 Inter. J. Acad. Lib. Info. Sci.

Perl modules. This (PHPMyLibrary) was started in the because all transactions can be viewed from the master
Philippines as a likely low-cost solution to library file/database. There is no redundancy in the data.
automation. Its board addressees are minor academic Many activities of a library are routine in nature; a few
and special libraries. Certification is lowly. Maintenance is are repetitive. Automation of these activities helps in
provided via internet and discussion online environment. managing the library's resources in a better way at the
It runs below Linux or Windows, PHP, and any SQL same time saving time, money and manpower. For
database system. Cataloging using the MARC standard example, once the bibliographic details like author, title,
is completely executed. Change from a CDS/ISIS edition, publisher, price, ISBN number, etc are entered at
database is possible. the time of ordering, the same data can be used for
accessioning, cataloguing (OPAC), and circulation. Other
Eritrea Institute of Technology (EIT). important factors associated with automation are speed,
and accuracy. One can imagine the time saved in
EIT has positively automated libraries in Colleges on an literature searches and in preparing bibliographies.
experimental beginning. The Koha software developed Automation also offers freedom from doing repetitive and
was used in the experimental implementation and the routine works as well as enables providing efficient
software is initiated to help the single-mindedness in all services properly and more efficiently cutting down time
salutations and the structures accessible are worthy and improving productivity
sufficient to automate college libraries
Disadvantages
To follow additional with the development of automation
in the EIT the following steps, recommended. These are standing by to using software and henceforth
are so-called off-the-shelf. There are advantages as well
RFID of books and making library book database as disadvantages in using them. The greatest
at colleges suitable for Koha software by disadvantages are the cost of purchase other software
Colleting Metadata from OCLC and hardware and the cost of maintenance. The library
Guiding One week' workshop for librarian and has to pay the supplying company an annual
library Staffs on library automation using Koha maintenance fee on top of the cost of the software.
software as well as the next features. a. Because of these costs, many libraries still do not have
an ILS.
o Procedure of RFID based scanners
o OPAC and Stock verification by Koha software. Unanticipated Efforts: A library may find that it
o Installation and maintenance of Koha software needs to do a great deal more work than
o Documents record and preservation/ organization anticipated to adapt the software to local needs.
of database Lack of coordination: The decentralized
o Adaptation of Koha software development of open-source software means that
progress can be chaotic and there may be delays
Advantages of LAS in addressing bugs.
Inadequate technical support Documentation
A library Automation system is more advantageous tends to be limited and aimed at developers.
than a non-automation system because. There is no Nearby generally is imperfect practical funding,
duplication of effort to create and maintain multiple copies particularly for consumers of the software
of bibliographic records. In a manual organization, cards Customization: Open source software may not
have to be entered more than a few times to deliver not offer the level of customization as it is being done
the same right of entry themes (author, subject, title, in case of commercial software.
etc…) to an item. In an ALS that is not integrated, the
records have to be entered more than once for cataloging
and again for circulation. The system automatically CONCLUSION
accesses the record whether the librarian is accessing it
for cataloging, circulation, reference, etc. Library staff and Still, the greatest of the college librarians do not have
patrons can have access to all pertinent information announcement services; a respectable mainstream of
about the document at any time, including the status of librarians have information on the Internet and email.
the document, that is whether it is on the shelf or out to a Meanwhile, modifications perform in Message Knowledge
borrower. The system records the transaction in the from time to time; the librarians must also be given an
master file as soon as the record is accessed, hence, at occasion to study them in instruction to advantage their
any given time the user will know the status of a readers. It is recommended that work-related training for
document. You are sure of the integrity of the database the staff on these outlines is essential. The information of
web methods of libraries is not talented. Greatest of the
 Sivankalai 21

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