Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia Konyvtara

Institution name: Automation contact person: Aleph configuration:

Major developments since the last ICAU meeting

  1. Revision of converted (unrevised) material of the period 1986-1992 has continued. In cataloging, priority is given to new acquisitions and because of a lack in experts revision work cannot proceed at a pace scheduled earlier.

  2. The keying in of the UDC's medium version (by means of the CR function - from the list of terms with asterisks the equivalent number can be displayed) has been completed. The terms are in Hungarian and the whole set of UDC subject headings is now searchable as an index. However, the user, having located the term, has to key in the equivalent number to retrieve the documents. A more user-friendly process would be if this last phase (the keying in of sometimes complex numbers) could be eliminated and we are seeking the advice of other ALEPH-users on this matter.

  3. A new sub-base (GBL) was set up (EKI) last year containing the bibliography of cuneiform literature from 1940 to the present. (The last four years are still to be downloaded and edited.)

  4. With the implementation in June 1995 of MultiNet, the Library's ALEPH database is now accessible through the internet.

Major developments planned

As for hardware, in the long run our DEC 4000-200 will not be powerful enough to cope with the growth of the database and the proliferation of additional functions (eg. remote access via the internet). To resolve this bottleneck effect, we will need to acquire an Alpha server 2100 or above. This however brings up the issue (apart from the necessary funds) whether Open VMS is fully operable on an Alpha-based platform.

As for plans within our ALEPH database, we intend to carry on with our retrospective conversion project. Our short-term goal is to convert holdings going back 1970. We want to initiate a program concerning the incunabula and pre-1800 books preserved in the Library's Old Book Division. Apart from this, launching the modules Circulation and Serials are scheduled for early next year. Tests on circulation have been going on for a while, but there are hindrances to its smooth operation:

  1. The separation of revised and unrevised material into Global--Local libraries. Although the borrowers file is common, yet transactions can be performed only separately - a patron's loans from the MTA (GBL) and the M86 (Local) bases cannot be handled in a unified manner. The holdings of the records in the Local base (M86) are still missing and this demands a massive work of input. Nor do books belonging to this base have a barcode printed in them. Moreover, books prior to 1985 need a swift set of procedures on the spot before they are circulated. For the time being, the staff of the Reader service is not prepared for switching over to online circulation under these circumstances. Thus, an enhancement of revision might facilitate the introductionof this module, while the ultimate goal is the integration of these separate bodies of holdings.

  2. Some faults concerning an ALEPH password may also cause problems. The password of the Reader service is set to allow only Function: Cataloging - Subfunction: H, yet for unknown reasons it allows operation throughout the entire cataloging function. As the issue of privileges is sensitive excluding unauthorized personnel from internal procedures, this problem needs to be remedied by the support company.

  3. IUTIL 5/5 is deficient, as readers with statuses 1-10 cannot be gleaned. This utility fails to work in DEM and in the National Technical Library Budapest as well.
As for cataloging, it has been problematic for long that tools like CD-ROM records (MARC) can be used only indirectly. We would like to have the capability of importing MARC records directly into ALEPH. Yet UTIL 41 is not working and it is imperative that this utility be corrected as soon as possible.

The Academy Library's ALEPH database

The size of the database is ca 160,000 records and it contains the Library's book holdings from 1986 to 1995. The database is made up of the following sub-bases: