Brief History Of Library Automation: 1930-1996 :: essays research papers fc

Brief History of Library Automation 1930-1996     An automated library is one where a data processor musical arrangement is used to manageone or several of the librarys key functions such as acquisitions, serialscontrol, cataloging, circulation and the public access catalog. When exploringthe history of library automation, it is possible to return to early(prenominal) centurieswhen visionaries well before the computer age created devices to assist withtheir ledger lending systems. Even as far back as 1588, the invention of theFrench " moderate Wheel" allowed scholars to rotate between books by stepping on apedal that turned a book table. Another interesting example was the "Book index finger", developed by Albert Cotgreave in 1863. It housed miniature books torepresent books in the librarys collection. The miniature books were part of adesign that made it possible to determine if a book was in, out or overdue.These and many more examples of ea rly ingenuity in library systems exist,however, this paper will focus on the more recent computer automation beginningin the early twentieth century.The Beginnings of Library Automation 1930-1960     It could be said that library automation development began in the 1930swhen punch circuit card equipment was implemented for use in library circulation andacquisitions. During the 30s and early 40s progress on computer systems wasslow which is not surprising, given the Depression and World War II. In 1945,Vannevar Bush envisioned an automated system that would store information,including books, personal records and articles. Bush(1945) wrote about ahypothetical "memex" system which he described as a machinelike library thatwould allow a user to view stored information from several different accesspoints and look at several items simultaneously. His ideas are well cognize as thebasis for hypertext and mputers for their operations. The first appeared at MIT, in 1957, with the development of COMIT, managing linguistic computations,natural language and the ability to search for a particular string ofinformation. Librarians thence moved beyond a vision or idea for the use ofcomputers, given the technology, they were able make great advances in the useof computers for library systems. This overtake to an explosion of libraryautomation in the 60s and 70s.Library Automation Officially is Underway 1960-1980     The advancement of technology lead to increases in the use of computersin libraries. In 1961, a significant invention by both Robert Noyce of Intel andJack Kirby of Texas Instruments, working independently, was the integratedcircuit. All the components of an electronic circuit were placed onto a single" handicap" of silicon. This invention of the integrated circuit and newly developeddisk and tape storage devices gave computers the speed, storage and ability