#7 Technology

Check out the following:

http://www.when.com/

http://jplwestregional.blogspot.com/

http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/

http://goingtorain.com/


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In my career working in libraries - as a page in the Orange County/Osceola County System; a clerk at Strozier Library at FSU; a children’s librarian in the Charlotte/Glades County Library System to present a Senior Librarian with Jacksonville Public Library I am amazed with the technology changes I have seen in how a library operates. Just look at how the process of checking out a book has changed.

As a page we first checked out books with a Gaylord System which bit small chunks out of the card which were found in the backs of the books. Each time a chunck of card was taken, a library card number was printed onto the card from the metal plate inserted into the paper card. The small chunk allowed the machine to check the book out to another customer by moving down the card, so the new number imprinted did not imprint over the first number.

This system gave way to one in which we made copies of the card found in the back of the book and the library card. This microfilm was developed giving us a record of who check out what, when. Looking up overdue customers was sure a pain.

After that we had one that was computer based. When an item was checked out you inserted a slip of paper with the due date. etc into the back of the book. When the item was returned these slips were run through a mammoth computer so the staff would know who did not return their books and hence were overdue.

When I came to JPL things were migrating from a similar system to a computer based system – earlier version of SIRSIS.

I don’t even know if I should bring up go from paper card catalogs, microfilm readers to internet and wifi. :-)