C.S.I.T.A. Centro Servizi Informatici e Telematici Ateneo - Universita' di Genova


Institution name: Library contact person: Automation contact person: Aleph configuration:
The Library System of Genoa University is based on a Central Service and 14 Faculty Libraries.

During 1995 the University of Genoa is still working on retrospective conversion of monografies and serials: monografies are recovered by convertion from previous automation systems and by traditional methodologies; serial are imported from ISSN compact and from the CD of Library of Congress. It was planned for the next months that also the retrospective conversion of monographies will be made using utilities on-line and CD-ROM downloading. At present time in database there are about 200,000 records. About OPAC we are testing the Client-Server to inquire ALEPH-database by WWW. Actually there are still some problems and we hope EX-LIBRIS is interest in its developement.

About Circulation common rules for all libraries were defined and the file of borrowers was imported. Each library is provided with badge readers and optical pens.

For Acquisition the file of vendors was imported. The full use of the module will be possible only when ALEPH will yield controlled inventory number, as we previously asked.

In the next months and the early months of 1996, University of Genoa is improving the following services:

Experiment with services of information retrieval

by establishing local online access within our library management system, ALEPH Users - students and professors - will be able to use four database in a custom ALEPH installation. During the first three months this experiment will be free. The database available will be: "Environmental science & pollution Management database" and "Expanded Life Sciences collection Plus Marine Biology & BioEngineering Databases" of the Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, "Periodical Contents Index" of the Chadwyck-Healey "Inside Information" of the British Library Supply

The aim of this experiment is to made the potentiality of online search known and to estimate the cost and the interest in this service.

About cataloging

To guarantee the standardization of Genoa's catalog we have a mind to adopte UNIMARC format, that also the National Italian Bibliography use.

The adoption of a MARC format makes easier both the rectrospective and current cataloging from bibliographic utilities (e.g. OCLC) and from CD-ROM (e.g. National Italian Bibliography , CD-MARC).

Moreover an improvement of correctness of catalog will be provided.

The aim is to make better the quality of records by correcting mistakes and deleting duplications that were yielded in the authority files by retrospective conversion.

Rectrospective conversion

The plane of retrospective conversion forecasts the recovery of at least 39,000 records and will be made using both, utilities on-line and CD-ROM downloading.

Experiment of the 3M Self Issue System

The aim of the experiment is verifing the possibility of allowing the overnigth access to authorized users to borrow books by oneself, in libraries with open shelves. A self issue system 3M (self-check 5210) will be acquired; it will be installed in the Matematics Departement Library where there are open shelves, all books are registered in ALEPH and provided of barcode.
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