Clare County Library: Computerisation
Clare
Library Service Leads the On-line World,
Irish Examiner, Tuesday, 27th February 2001
Information
Age Revolutionises Clare Library Services, Clare Champion, Friday,
2nd February 2001
Official
launch of Computerisation
One of the most successful information technology projects ever undertaken by Clare County Council is at present being implemented throughout the library system. The primary aim of the automation of the library system is to improve services to the public by increasing the knowledge and availability of existing bookstock, reducing the amount of time spent by staff on mundane tasks, and developing enhanced services. Clare County Library is presently planning the next phase of its automation of the County Library service.
The initial phase saw the successful creation of a database of over 200,000 books spread throughout the entire branch library network. Phase two included the implementation of cataloguing and circulation modules, the latter of which is now successfully implemented in the following branches : DeValera (Ennis), Sean Lemass (Shannon), Kilrush, Kilkee, Corofin, Tulla, Kilmihil, Newmarket, Scariff, Sixmilebridge, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Miltown Malbay and Kildysart and Lisdoonvarna.
The next phase saw the introduction in major branches of an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) for the general reader. While this facility is of course available in all branches through library staff, the public now have complete access to the entire library collection of books from their own terminals via TalisWebOpac.
Following on this, the introduction of TalisInform , a community information service, gives the public access to a huge database of information on all aspects of services and facilities in the county and farther afield.
In parallel with these developments, Clare County Library
Service also created its first Website on the World Wide Web at http://www.iol.ie/~clarelib.
This website has now been replaced by the new site, hosted on the library's
own server, at http://www.clarelibrary.ie. This website integrates the
first website, the Community Information service, and the Library's
Online Catalogue into one seamless service, being the fruition of Clare
County Library's partnership with the
Information
Age Town Project.
The library computerisation project is being co-ordinated by Anthony Edwards, Executive Librarian.