Retrospective Conversion At Sac Library - A Case Study

Abstract

Machine readable conversion is the process of putting records into a form which can be stored and accessed by a computer. The major commitment in most library automation Projects is conversion of files i.e. library's inventory holdings and the serials holdings which present the greatest challenge in conversion, sometimes it becomes an obstacle to automation. The present paper discusses various retrospective services offered by OCLC. It also highlights several available and adopted techniques for retrospective conversion. Major recommendations by NISSA TIDSIRIINSDOC for retrospective conversion are presented in the paper. SACLIS database is a computer aided catalogue system for books, scientific and technical reports, articles, etc. Detailed discussion is made on the SACLIS database design for storage and retrieval facility and method adopted for retrospective conversion at SAC Library. Manpower training programmes at SAC Library are also elucidated.