Voyager System Essays - Library Automation, Voyager, Library

Voyager System Section A This report contents information about the Voyager System used by the Access Services Department of Harvey A. Andruss Library. The computerized system function as an integrated library animation that depends on a network support service. It is linked to a main server in Shippensburg. This server enables the library to share information with the seven Pennsylvania state universities. So, the students, staffs, faculties and Pennsylvania residences can have access to educational materials. The focuses of the report are to describe the configuration of the voyager system and its operations, not forgetting the possible suggestion to improve the system. The Harvey A. Andruss Library is essentially responsible to provide services in the form of adequate resources of information. It mainly consists of over 300,000 volumes of Library collection within the range of Governmental Reports to periodical data. In addition to the general collection, the library has several hundreds periodical online and on its shell. For example, it has periodical of journals and magazines. They are updated as frequent as possible to issue that the information are current. Moreover, it has been estimated that the Library obtains close to 1700 current periodicals but hold stock of several thousands more. Anybody can have access to these periodical by checking the periodical holding list. This List is available to users on the computer stations, the Circulation Desk or the Reference Desk. Some of the documents are reserved on microfilm. The most common form of documents in this category is the congressional Records. For example, the American statistical Index and other form of information sources in the Library are the news bank, Newspapers, reserves materials, oversize books, career guidance collection, musical scores, sound recordings and Loan period. The organization and maintenance of the Library information are handled by the voyager system. The voyager system is an integrated library system. This system runs under Microsoft Windows operating system. It is a window driven program that was designed independently by The Endeavor Information Systems, Inc. However, it was configured to meet the requirements of Access Services Department. Since the circulation system is used to provide current periodicals upon request, a Local Area Network (LAN) links the voyager system to a mainframe computer in Shippensburg. The mainframe computer serviced as a server for the Library to have direct connection to the seven Pennsylvania state Universities. Since it has been made clear about the development and the intended purposes of the voyager systems, it will be necessary to consider the following questions. How was the voyager system configured to meet the requirement of the Library? How was policy groups created? How are the securities levels created and maintain? These questions responses lead to a complete understanding about the system configuration and specific functions. Now, let me respond to the configuration question. The voyager system was setup by a system administrator. The system administrator, who services as a supervisor, has to configure the system by entering the administration module and selecting system-wide. Then a viewing window will appear in which there are several option of icons. One of which is the location. A location is any specific branch of the voyager system. Its definition has to be unique and specify so that it can be a requirement of the circulation Services. For instance, the circulation Desk is a location, which has patron policy groups. The members defined in these groups are the undergraduate, graduate students, faculties and professors. They have to be identified in the configuration process so that an operator can have access to them. Although the definition of each location on the voyager system is important, each of the locations names, codes, and items have to meet the voyager software requirements. At the end of the definition of a location, it is now ready to be added to the voyager system. The administration module window is used to add all newly created location. Once it is inserted into the system, the location automatically put in the administration security profile. Even thought I have identified the method used to add a location to the system, I intend to describe the three locations types-the storage location, the happening location, and the print location. These locations have specific functions that correspond to their definition. The storage