The LIBRARY PROGRAM: DOS-Based Programs for Automating Library Tasks from Microcomputer Business Systems

摘要

The LIBRARY PROGRAM is a DOS-based group of programs produced and distributed by Microcomputer Business Systems of Amity, Oregon. Microcomputer Business Systems originally specialized in consulting services but for the last three and a half years has emphasized program development. The LIBRARY PROGRAM began as a project for a church library environment but has grown to include small school libraries as well. The developers have had as goals for the product to maintain compatibility with older XT-class computers and to maintain affordability for smaller institutions. The LIBRARY PROGRAM, now in its third major version at $95 for a single-user license, does both. This is a program that would be adequate for the smaller library, with a limited collection and limited daily circulation. However, it is also a program that might be purchased for any one of its features. The LIBRARY PROGRAM does not, in my opinion, quite yet qualify as a full-featured, fully integrated library information management system. Rather, it is a collection of programs, accessed from a common master screen, that automate many library tasks. In this review, I follow, where possible and appropriate, a model developed for integrated library automation programs by Marshall Breeding (1994) in The Essential Guide to the Library IBM-PC. Volume 13: Integrated Library Systems. I adopt this format and ap- proach for the sake of providing consistency and a basis for comparison to other products reviewed.