School Media Center Software:

Management and Skills

By Jane Watson and Robed A. Gray

A s professionals in this rapidly-changing field, we recognize the essential need to integrate microcomputer utilization with a variety of school library related tasks. The purpose of this article is to

delineate specific microcomputer software which can be used to facilitate library services. In addi- tion, the article describes Apple software for use in elementary school media centers. Software se- lection, application, and utilization are examined. Software for school library management, as well as specific packages to assist teaching, are reviewed. Selection

In reviewing microcomputer software for use in school library centers, important criteria need to be utilized. The following list represents a partial list of some of the more important elements.

�9 The documentation should be comprehensive and clearly written.

�9 The program should be "user friendly." �9 The program should have adequate capacity

for processing as much data as required. �9 Vendor support should involve demonstration

packages on loan to school media centers. �9 The software should be directly related to a

major function of the school media center. �9 The use of the software should result in a

saving of time. In addition, school media specialists need to ex-

amine the RAM memory of software packages to prevent selecting programs that require a larger RAM that can be used on their machines. A RAM of 1.25 meg is becoming very common with some word processors, graphic programs, and desktop publishing packages. The purchase of RAM ex- pansion chips for the Apple IIGS would be a wise investment in light of the current trend.

In evaluating software, school media specialists need to use a wide variety of sources from profes- sional publications, general computer magazines, (i.e. In Cider), and software source guides, (i.e. TESS Guide). The Computer Teacher and Class- room Computing provide excellent reviews of a wide variety of microcomputer software. Library user groups and statewide directories are valuable references when selecting comprehensive school l ibrary p rograms such as c i rcu la t ion con t ro l systems.

School Library Utility Software Data management programs have great potential

in the school media center. Among the wide varie- ty of programs in this arena are those designed to maintain library catalogs; prepare subject bibliog- raphies; create files of information about student and faculty research interests; maintain lists of books on order; prepare serial holdings lists, class reading lists, and reserve book lists.

In examining programs designed to produce cat- alog cards, the media specialist needs to consider the following elements:

1. How easily can corrections be made? 2. Can cards be stored for batch printing? 3. Does the program have a preview before

printing card? 4. Will the program produce both spine and

book labels? In addition, some printers will not use thick

card stock or paper that has "microfine" perfora- tions. Special attachments are sometimes needed by printers to accept card material.

An example of a catalog card production soft- ware program is titled, Catalog Card and Label Writer, 4.0, (K-12 Micro Media Publishing). The package automates the typing of catalog cards, la- bels for book spines, checkout cards, and pockets. The documentation is an eighteen page booklet containing complete instructions, sample labels, and sample cards (author, title, shelf, and sub- ject). With the package, cards can be printed im- mediately while labels require the use of stored data. The program allows the use of 14 fields (cat- egories). For example, the following categories-- media type, title, author, copyright date, collation, book call number, price, subject, purchase source, description, and added entries---could all be used with this product.

Another software program for producing catalog cards is Quick Card by Follett. This very easy-to- use program is menu driven and follows AACR2 cataloging rules, as well as the Dewey and the LC systems. The basic fields used in the program are classification, author, title, responsibility, edition, physical descriptions, series materials, publica- tions, subject headings, and added entries. The form for the catalog card is seen on the monitor and completed by the user. In addition, the pro- gram will print a proof copy of the card for review

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 57

purposes. The documentation consists of a forty- page manuscript describing in detail all major as- pects of using this software package.

Acquisition software in the school media center requires the maintenance of a data base consisting of order information which includes price, order date, call number, etc. The Apple microcomputer software titled Accession Plus by Right On is very easy to use. The program allows school media specialists to input new books and to print subject and author listings. Book order information can be searched by subject, author, title, or call number.

Another acquisitions software program is titled Orderit by Right On. The easy-to-use package uti- lizes title, publisher, author, and order date as ba- sic fields. Entries can be searched by title or au- thor. If an error is made, one can correct the situ- ation by deleting a record and reentering data. A simple correction is not available with this pro- gram. Because of the inflexibility of the program, the package is more suited for use in small school media centers.

The production of bibliographies is another function performed in school media centers. A formal, highly standardized format is not neces- sary. An example of a program in this area is Bib- liography Writer by Follett. The Apple package uses seven basic fields: author, title, call number, city, publisher, copyright, and annotations (up to 159 characters). The program is very user friendly and allows for easy editing of data. Bibliographies may be added to the database, deleted, or printed.

The circulation system of a school library is a vital part of its everyday functioning. There are several programs that can help with this task. Cir- culation Plus by Follett used an Apple IIe micro. The program is a fully automated circulation sys- tem that maintains transaction information for cir- culation purposes, locates call numbers of materi- als, finds overdue items, produces reserve and overdue notices, records checked-out items, maiu- tains circulations statistics, and produces inven- tory reports. In this system each book has to be bar-coded with a bar code number assigned to each patron. This comprehensive and expensive software comes with detailed documentation in- cluding a demo disk and a toll-free telephone num- ber for assistance.

The Winnebago Software Company produces a program titled Library Circulation 1 for use on Apple II's with printer and bar wands. The pack- age covers circulation as well as label printing. The program can generate a physical inventory of all materials checked out by a certain student or by a specific topic, as well as provide daily and annual circulation figures. Overdue notices are automatically printed. The system will hold 19,000 materials.

In addition, the micro can play a useful role in improving the appearance of the school media center. Print Shop (Broderbund) is a well-known, easy-to-use, graphics program for the Apple mi- crocomputer. Media specialists can make signs, banners, and letterheads with this package. With Print Shop GS and an ImageWriter II, school li-

58 Tech Trends

brarians can add color to the products. Another graphics program, Print Magic (Epyx), allows free placement of graphic elements and increased reso- lution (clarity) of visuals. PaintWorks Gold (Ac- tivision) is an excellent program for developing colored visuals. The program will also run on an Apple laser printer.

To reward student assistants with a certificate, Award Maker Plus (Baudville) is the choice for the job. The program has a large library of pre- made certificates ready for use. Using high resolu- tion, the program prints sharp visuals with color borders (on ImageWriter II). The menu-driven program is extremely easy to use and is an excel- lent choice for certificate production.

In addition to library utilities and graphics pro- grams, school librarians should be able to use a word processing program. AppleWorks (Claris) is a comprehensive, integrated software program containing a word processor, database, and spreadsheet. The three parts of this program can provide a school librarian with a basic tool for computerizing many library-related functions. A li- brarian in a small school library would find this program to be very useful. A new GS version of AppleWorks has increased the functions of the software program. In addition to the three sec- tions in AppleWorks, AppleWorks GS has a com- munication program, a graphics section, and a page layout program (desktop publishing). The mouse-driven AppleWorks GS also runs on the la- ser printer for excellent quality prints. The pro- gram c o m e s wi th a t u t o r i a l and d e t a i l e d documentation.

Another word processor, PFS Write (Software Publishing), is an excellent choice for school me- dia center application. The program is easy to use with complete documentation. The 80 column pro- gram uses simple commands with accurate on- screen display. It will also output to an Apple la- ser printer for excellent quality. On the reverse side of the disk, one finds an effective spelling checker. PFS Write is a very good word processor for most library-related data processing needs.

Multiscribe GS (Claris) is a word processing program that can import graphics from a variety of sources, can draw, print in color, use multiple fonts, and use the laser printer. Multiscribe GS is a mouse-controlled program which is very easy to use. If the school librarian has access to an Apple IIGS, Multiscribe would be one program that should be reviewed. Teaching Library Skills with the Computer

The teaching of basic library skills represents a major element in the library program. The soft- ware described in this section is designed to be used in a elementary school library.

One program that individualizes the teaching of library skills consists of a kit containing twelve disks, a teacher's guide, and student worksheets. The package is titled Elementary Library Media Skills (Combase). Discovering, organizing, and lo- cating resources and developing research and study skill represent the major divisions of the software. After using the software and gaining

skills, students participate in a very engaging trav- el agency game.

The Calico Company offers a program for teach- ing elementary student (3-6) basic library skills. Almanacs introduces students to the use of differ- ent types of almanacs. The company also pro- duces Bartlett's Familiar Quotations for use on the Apple which introduces students to the use of this famous publication.

Ripley's Library Research Skills (Visual Educa- tion) is designed to be used in grades 4-6 and in- cludes disks, filmstrips, and tapes. In this simula- tion, the object is to proceed through the library by answering questions about encyclopedias, al- manacs, atlases, and other reference tools. The filmstrip provides information concerning library sources. In addition, the software uses large print, animation, and graphics in the design of the pack- age. The management program in the systems disk allows the school media specialist to keep track of the student's performance and, in addition, main- tains the student's location in the program. When using the package, students are automatically placed at the point in the program at which they left off at the previous session.

Troll has produced a program titled Let's Learn About the Library, which focuses on media skills related to using the card catalog, fiction and non- fiction titles, and biographies. Each lesson encom- passes the use of learned information followed by a practice session. The program also includes a simulation activity in which students find books in the library.

Seekit: The Isle of Mem (Grolier) is one pro- gram in the "Knowledge Explorer Series". The New Book of Knowledge encyclopedia is a neces- sary reference tool to use with the program. The software contains three skill levels of using alpha-

betical order to locate a topic in an encyclopedia. Another program, Using Children's Magazine Guide (Combase), provides information concern- ing the use of magazines, other indexes, and the Children's Magazine Guide.

Oryz Press has produced a software program ti- tled Bookbrain which is used by students in grades three to seven. The package contains a database of fiction books. The four data disks hold over 700 entries with brief content description. Initially, students answer questions to determine the read- ing difficulty level and book preferences. Using the eight subjects, users can search the database by title, author, or subject.

To keep track of the grades produced by stu- dents in the library skills program, school librari- ans can use Gradebuster 1,2,3 (Gradebuster). The menu-driven program is a gem in the teacher utili- ty field. Test Bank (Big G Software) is an excel- lent example of a low-cost and effective testing program.

In conclusion, this article has reviewed a varie- ty of software programs for use in school library operation. By using microcomputers, the school li- brarian can automate major functions and have more time for helping individual students. The microcomputer can enable the school librarian's role in becoming more effective and more professional. �9

Jane Watson is the Reference Librarian at Lehigh County Community College in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. Robert A. Gray is an Associate Professor in the Department o f Audiovisual Com- munications at Kutztown University, Kutztown, Pennsylvania.

LIMITED TIME OFFER!

A limited number of RTD Research Proceedings from the 1989 AECT National Convention are available. Over 40 research papers on topics such as:

ORDER NOW [ ] Interactive Video

[ ] Distance education methods and results

[ ] Animation and learning

[ ] Satellite communications in the high school

Get your copy today! 686 pp. Softbound.

Send your check or money order for $35 (incl postage and handling) to:

Michael Simonson, Editor RTD Research Proceedings Iowa State University N-31 Lagomarcino Hall Ames, Iowa 50011 Telephone: 515-294-6840

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 59