Abstract
A description of the first six months of a project to convert to machine readable form the entire shelf list of the Libraries of the State University of New York at Buffalo. IBM DATATEXT, the on-line computer service which was used for the conversion, provided an upper- and lower-case typewriter which transmitted data to disk storage of a digital computer. Output was a magnetic tape containing bibliographic information tagged in a modified MARC I format. Typists performed all tagging at the console. All information except diacriticals and non-Roman alphabets was converted. Direct costs for the first six months were $.55 per title.
Highlights
In 1965 a systematic program of automation was begun in the Libraries of the State University of New York at Buffalo
There are three general areas usually considered for automation in a library: acquisitions and accounting, the card catalog, and circulation control
An analysis of the system indicated that conversion of the card catalog to machine readable form would provide the greatest improvement in library services and operations
Summary
In 1965 a systematic program of automation was begun in the Libraries of the State University of New York at Buffalo. In 1966, a proposal for converting the shelf list to machine readable form (7) was presented to the Library administration It pointed out the many improvements in patron services, the advantages to the Library staff, both professional and clerical, and the monetary savings to be realized by such a conversion. It was anticipated that with a minimum of further training, the typists could identify and tag information as they were typing it at the console. This assumption was critical to the success of the project, since the Library could not afford the professional time necessary for complete pretagging of bibliographic information. At the end of this period, appropriate clerical staff had been trained to supervise minute-to-minute operation
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