Personal computer software for library and information services: A checklist

Abstract

There is a shortage, in developing countries, of information about packages capable of supporting library and information services on a personal computer. This checklist provides practical information on more than 70 currently available packages.

Libraries and Information Services in many developing and newly industrialized countries are very eager to apply Information Technology in their organizations. In many cases it is not a lack of hardware that is holding them back; hardware in the form of IBMPC clones and compatibles is increasingly available at ever lower prices. The difficulty is one of software availability. While ‘productivity packages’ (word processors, spread sheets, and database managers) may be locally identified and demonstrated, information on software tailored to the particular needs of libraries is difficult to come by.

It is true that many library functions can be more or less adequately catered for by constructing in‐house solutions using productivity software as the building blocks. In developing countries, however, the necessary expertise may either not be available, or may be better employed on other projects. Ironically, there is no lack of library software, developed in the West, which could fulfil these functions; the difficulty is finding out about it.

The Singapore Integrated Library Automation Service (SILAS) is building a national database of Machine Readable Cataloguing (MARC) for the libraries of Singapore. It is developing a workstation for accessing this database which will be based on a PC‐compatible. It is therefore in a good position to assist Singapore libraries with the evaluation of appropriate PC software. As a first step, it has compiled and is maintaining a simple checklist of library‐oriented software known to work on the IBM PC and compatibles.

This list should be equally relevant to libraries and information services in any developing country, and is reproduced below. As well as a brief description of the package, the name and address of its publishers is given. Where possible, each entry also includes the price, and/or a reference to an appropriate review article. Packages have been categorized into 6 broad types of application, each represented by a single letter: