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The past. Exactly 10 years ago to the day (as this is being written), the author began teaching in information and library studies. At that time, the main computing resource was a small minicomputer hidden in a separate room to which several dumb terminals in a teaching laboratory were attached. A mile away at the other end of campus there was another teaching laboratory of teletype terminals — terminals which used paper rolls rather than display screens, with the result that the used paper cascaded onto the floor at the back of the machine. This had the two disadvantages (among others) of destroying forests and of not allowing students to hide their errors from the eyes of their tutors.

Information technology (IT) has been hailed as a great time and paper saver. How far is this true? Are you benefiting as much as you could from the computer on your desk or are you wasting time learning how to use complex software when it would be more cost‐effective to buy in expertise? This paper looks at what, for some, may be novel ways of using a PC and indicates areas where computer use may not be beneficial. The article is geared towards special libraries, but may have wider applications.

The introduction of an automated library system brings changes in the working environment. If job design within the altered environment is not considered, the result can be employee apathy/hostility and the use of the system in unplanned ways. The idea of ‘good’ job design takes into account the needs of the individual as well as the organisational objectives. Automation also affects staff structures. This paper examines, by means of a literature survey carried out for a master's dissertation, the need for, and principles of, job design and the effects automation can have, and discusses the possible influences on staff structures.

Inefficiency and physical complaints can be caused by poor workstation and job design. The main roots of these problems are identified and some solutions suggested. These solutions include redesigning automated workstations according to ergonomic principles, based on an analysis of the workstation use and its users. Suggestions for improving job design to optimise health include incorporating alternate work breaks, encouraging autonomy and improving feedback on operator performance.

The article discusses the use of microcomputers for the automation of the two remaining major library functions: circulation control and serials control. Both are concerned with controlling the movement of stock and both require software which can perform several different types of operation including the creation of printed outputs and financial control. Circulation control is about the issuing, returning and reserving of stock, and the pursuit of overdue items. It is also an especially rich source of management information. Serials control is primarily concerned with the registration of individual issues as they arrive and the claiming of missing ones. Subsidiary functions are ordering, binding control, circulation to readers, searching and financial management.

CALM, in the words of the supporting literature, “is a computer based library management system for use in book, film, slide, microfiche and other libraries”. Its objective is to “provide storage and retrieval facilities for day to day and time efficient management”. The program is designed to be adaptable for a variety of libraries, and provides the following functions: acquisitions and supplier information, cataloguing and classification, indexing (by keywords and thesaurus), keyword searching, circulation and loan control including reader information, printed reports and documents from the system, and an optional feature to communicate with remote information centres, such as Dialog and Blaise. The wide range of functions, however, individually lack many of the features important to libraries.

After selecting Hardwareand software, consideration needs to be given to their installation. This includes any necessary cabling and the design of the vdu workstation(s) for staff well‐being. Important decisions also need to be made about data security. The software may need to be tailored to meet library requirements and staff and readers trained in its use. Automation changes the nature of a job and consequently will have an impact on job design and on library procedures. These effects, as well as the software itself, need to be evaluated after the system has been operating for some time, both with a view to improving the existing system and considering possible future developments.

The bibliographic record is the link between the software packages discussed in this article: cataloguing and acquisitions. Cataloguing software ranges from sophisticated online public access catalogues to cheaper and simpler software designed to produce catalogue entries for an existing manual system (e.g. cards). The range of acquisitions software is equally wide encompassing packages which simply print an order from data which is keyed in to those which incorporate the whole process of acquisitions from the recommendation stage through to receipt and full fund accounting. This article, the fourth in the series, describes the different features with examples, and concludes with a discussion on the nature of integrated systems.

The first article in the series (The Electronic Library, 3, 3, July, 1985 pp. 200–209) introduced the reader to microcomputer terminology and to the main components—hardware and software—of a microcomputer system. This second article is largely devoted to more detailed description of the main hardware components: processors, internal memory, buses, external memory, printers and communications hardware. The importance of ergonomic factors in vdu and keyboard design is stressed. Multi‐user and network configurations are compared. Finally, the discussion of the role of the operating system, introduced in the first article, is extended.

Applications software of two types is discussed. First communications, file transfer and search assistance software which enables the microcomputer to be used for intelligent access to external databases. Second, software designed to support database creation and searching on local microcomputers. The facilities which may be offered by each type of software are described with examples of commercial packages.