The integrated e-biblio cataloguing system

The system enables cataloguing and collecting all types of library collections in the MARC21 format. Each type of bibliographic description (book, audiobook, magazine, film, multimedia, board game, puzzle, map etc.) has a special template with the minimum number of MARC21 fields to be completed. Its basic functionality is downloading bibliographic descriptions from the Hybrid Central Catalogue. In the absence of a bibliographic description, library employees may add their own by filling out a simple form (knowledge of MARC21 is not required). Once added, the description is immediately accessible by all other libraries and lists who entered it and where. During the process of compiling collections, entries in the library’s inventory book are automatically created and the types of literature are intuitively marked, e.g. textbooks, school readers etc.

The e-biblio system allows users to save and edit borrowers’ personal data and define all limits (loans, reservations, accessing) individually for each reader. The system automatically queues readers who reserve books in the library’s online catalogue and sends e-mails to borrowers when the books or other materials they have borrowed are past due. For all libraries integrated with Librus Synergia, the process of registering students in the library is disabled, as their data is automatically downloaded from Synergia.

The e-biblio system lets library users read materials on site in the library via its electronic reading room module. Everyone registered at the library is automatically authorized to use this module. Thanks to this, the system builds statistics on access and visits to the electronic reading room.

Electronic inventory of library collections compares data loaded by the library employee with data stored in the database. It enables generation of the relevant protocols and post‑audit reports. Thanks to the use of barcodes and barcode readers, the entire process is rapidly performed, and the system automatically informs about the status of each item (on the shelf, lost, on loan etc.)

The most important option in this module is the school library journal kept entirely electronically. In the latest version of e-biblio, librarian-teachers will find that entering all the relevant activities in the journal has been simplified. The current journal records all visits, loans and readings by group (students, teachers etc.). The e-biblio system also has the capacity to generate full reports on acquisitions and cataloguing of collections pursuant to Ministry of Culture and National Heritage guidelines as set forth in the Regulation of October 29, 2008 on the method for keeping records of library materials (Journal of Laws No 205, item 1283) as well as other reports upon the librarian’s request. All reports and statistics can be saved in PDF format or exported to an Excel file; some statistics are presented in the system in the form of graphs.

The catalogue is automatically available to all library users via the e-biblio system. They have immediate online access to all collections via OPAC, which they can use to reserve items and renew loans provided they are registered at the particular library. The full history of loans is available in the user’s account. OPAC also includes school reading lists for particular classes and bibliographic lists generated by librarians.