Library automation. Some personal reminiscences and a risky look into the future

Abstract

One of the most imporlant tasks is to develop library systems which are of direct benefit to the library users. Management information should be preferred to obtain information on readers habits and to develop an optimum acquisition policy. Relying on a better utilization of accessing large libraries via data communication channels, the bibliographic cataloguing to full depths in our own library is unnecessary; indeed, less information is sufficient to find a book. It was the reason to develop the MINICS system for minimum cataloguing and data entry at the Library of Loughborough University of Technology.