More and more, libraries that have made a considerable investment in developing their own inhouse automated systems are seeking to capitalize on their investment by offering to sell the software for replication at other libraries.
A recent brochure from the Washington University School of Medicine Library provides details of its Bibliographic Access & Control System (BACS). BACS is a modular system which provides online public access to monographs and journal holdings, and controls all library circulation, cataloging, and serial activities It includes an acquisitions subsystem which allows ordering and receipt of items, and associated fiscal control.
The system runs on DEC PDP 11 hardware using software written in Standard MUMPS. Barcode labels are used as unique identifiers for journals, books, and library patrons.
BACS is an integrated system supporting five modules: acquisitions, circulation, an online public access catalog, and two bibliographic files (one for monographs, the other for serials). The two master bibliographic files serve as the base upon which circulation data and transactions are manipulated and provide the records which are searchable in the online public access catalog. The acquisitions files exist in parallel to the bibliographic files; neither file has any direct connection with, nor effect on, the other. The serials module is derived from the PHILSOM Serials Control System, a serials network run by the School for a group of twenty-five medical libraries throughout the country. All files are accessible from any terminal, restricted only by preassigned operator parameters.
[Contact: Betsy Kelly, BACS Coordinator, Washington University, School of Medicine Library, 4580 scott Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110. (314) 454-3711 or Dr. Simon Igielnik, Director, Medical Computing Facility, 700 5. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110. (314) 454-2960.]
