EXPERIENCES AND PROBLEMS OF ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING ENCOUNTERED BY The UNIVERSITY OF BOCHUM LIBRARY

After five years' experience with electronic data processing at the University of Bochum Library it is now possible to derive some conclusions as to its practicability. The automation stage reached so far includes automation facilities with regard to circulation and alphabetic cataloguing operations, whereas other processes such as binding control, union catalogue of serials, acquisition, and classified cataloguing are only partially automated. As soon as the university library began its work in 1963 plans concerning the eventual automation of all operations were at once submitted, with the result that two departments never existed in traditional form, i.e. the cataloguing and circulation departments. The planners of the electronic data processing system in Bochum pursue the aim of building up an integrated system which includes all departments of the library. At the outset it was hoped to reach this end within a period of five to six years. But five years of practical programming have shown that it is impossible to develop an integrated system in such a short time. The automation of a department is effected in several steps. After finishing the basic plans the programming of a department takes from twelve to eighteen months. On this basis it was expected to complete a fully integrated system in five or six years' time. But in the course of operations it turned out that a lot of alterations and corrections are necessary, and this for two reasons: