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Concourse
(Jean)
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Athena
(Amy)
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Features
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Concourse by Book Systems is a Windows-based Integrated Library Automated System used by many public libraries in Alabama.
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Athena is not longer available to new customers and is now only supported through Follett Software
Company.
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| Cataloging |
This is one of the main reasons libraries have automated systems. Materials can be added or deleted. Bar codes, book labels, spine labels, and shelf lists can be created. MARC records can be organized and maintained.
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This is one of the most important features. Collections can be seperated, titles and copies can be added, barcodes can be produced, records can be modified, MARC records can be imported. See and see also references can be added to fine-tune searches. It is possible to create, delete, backup and restore as well as generate collection statistics. |
| OPAC |
Greenville uses OPAC for the convenience of patrons, however Concourse offers a webOPAC which we do not yet use. Also available on webOPAC are Author's Notes, Annotations, Book Reviews, Cover Images, and Fiction and Biography Profiles.
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Athena has the capability of a visual OPAC. The user can switch from a text search to a graphic search. A visual OPAC provides images of book covers, excerpts of chapters, video clips, audio files, magazine articles and Web site addresses. It also provides friendlier access for children, beginning readers, and special needs students. |
| Circulation |
Portable barcode scanners are used to check books in and out. Records of overdue books and fines are recorded and patron information is organized. Overdue notices and holds for materials can be printed out, but Greenville still does this by hand. |
Circulation tasks are divided into two areas: daily and administrative. Daily circulating activities include: 1. checking out items - due date is automatically calculated, the circulation and patron records are updated immediately, a built in safety feature is included that prevents checking out restricted or reserved items. 2. Checking in items - fines are automatic but can be changed, reserved books are flagged so they will not be returned to the shelves. 3. Viewing item status - tells if item is on the shelf, on loan, reserved, lost, etc... 4. Viewing patron status - information on patrons such as books on loan, reserves, fines, phone numbers, etc... can be looked up 5. Renewing items - automatically updates the records 6. Reserving items - a particular copy or the first available can be chosen for reserve, reserved books are identified as well as the patron 7. Record in-house use - books that are used in the library can be tracked as well as those that are checked out.
The administrative tasks are: 1. Maintaining patron information - viewing and updating patron information is easy as well as adding new patrons 2. Producing overdue and fine notices - prints out notices to be sent to patrons 3. Generating statistical and other reports - lists overdues, fines, items on loan and other circulating items to allow for keeping abreast of the library's circulation. 4. Setting loan periods and other circulating parameters - can be customized to meet the needs of the library 5. Backing up circulation data - the process of backup and restore are made easy
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| Inventory Control |
The entire library can be inventoried or just sections at the time. This is done with a handheld barcode scanner which is tedious at times.
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Missing items can be identified. Inventory conflicts are identified such as items that are cataloged as lost or withdrawn but end up on the shelves. Collection changes can be tracked. Taking inventory is made easy by simple scanning barcodes of materials and Athena logs them in and from there the missing items, conflicts, etc... can be found. |
| Searching |
Materials can be ordered and materials can be reserved in advance for a future date. This feature is not available in Greenville.
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The search feature is available for finding library items, determining whether an item is in the library, preparing a bibliography, accessing patron information and configuring the search features. There are three types of search: quick - search for an author, title, or subject, advanced - fine-tuned searches such as by catalog information, publisher, call number, visual - predefined searches such as by award winning books. |
| Reports |
Concourse has twenty-two preconfigured reports available such as accession lists and shelf lists which can be customized and filtered to suit the library's needs.
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Many reports can be retrieved such as inventory, barcodes, materials on loan, overdue materials, students owing fines, usage statistics, activity reports, patron reports by groups and activity, reserves, items on hold and items on loan. There is an "All Reports" tab that when clicked on gives a list of all the reports that can be generated. |
| Media Booking |
Barcodes can be added to DVDs, VHS, audio books,and CDs making this media available to the public. |
This is available as barcodes can be printed and placed on the media that will be loaned out to classrooms. |
| Inter-Library Loans |
This feature would be available on a system with web access, but we do not have this in Greenville. |
This Athena webserver feature allows patrons to request reserves on items in their home library and also allows patrons and librarians
to request interlibrary loans from other libraries.
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| Backup and Restore |
This important recovery feature insures that all information on the database is saved daily. Information is saved on tapes at the Greenville library. Remote Backup is available, also, and would be especially beneficial after a disaster. |
Very important feature of any system. Backup and restore can be done of the entire system and each catergory such as inventory, circulation, cataloging. It is recommend that three backups be made so that a rotation can be started where the oldest backup is replaced with the newest. The backups can be made to the hard drive, a floppy disk ( which should be reformatted every fourth time it is used and replaced every six months, or to some other device such as a server. |
| Maintenance |
High-speed Internet and a web based browser are used for Concourse updates and file maintenance. There is also tech support available. |
Some of the maintenance is preventative such as creating backups while others can optimize the performance such as hard drive maintenance and checking. The system, collection(s) and circulation should be backed up at set intervals and rotated out. Checking fine tunes the indexes which Athena uses to find specific information, like looking at the index of a book. Checking circulation should be done at least every other day with a backup at the end of the day and a check at the beginning. Checking collections should be done after large quantity's are added or deleted. Inventory maintenance is typically done once a year. Hardware maintenance should be done by a tech. |
| Web Access |
WebOPAC is available so that patrons can access library resources anywhere or anytime. KidZviZ is for PreK through 3rd grade and is very user friendly for children. Web Access, however, is not available in Greenville. |
Athena WebLink - Gives patrons the tools to take advantage of all the Internet has to offer. It is simple for patrongs to access web sites, electronic files, and provides a Reference Search feature that allows a search of the library to be carried over to a search of many pre-determined online resources. |
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