Microcomputer application in a library for document ordering and delivery

Abstract

The CSTI Document Delivery Service (DDS) of the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) was compelled to examine alternative systems for request handling, record keeping and invoicing when its manual system could no longer cope with the ever increasing volume of requests. A fully computerised system on microcomputer was chosen and developed by a senior programmer in the Institute. It is now possible for a relatively small staff to handle the large and increasing volume of requests routinely and with ease. The system is also used for in‐house invoicing, accounts queries, credit control and automatic generation of statistics for record keeping and forward planning. This system has proved to be very flexible and it has led to a number of initially unforeseen advantages. One such advantage is electronic request transmission to the British Library Lending Division (BLLD) on its Automatic Request Transmission (ARTTel) system. Another is the possibility of using a similar system for the transmission of requests to the CSIR's Scientific Liaison Offices overseas. The link to the CSIR computer network also presents the possibility of using the DDS microcomputer as a terminal on the mainframe for archival purposes and for accessing the electronic mail service.