Aberdeen College has selected OLIB7 to manage library administration and OPAC services. With no automated system in place, the college needed a system that would improve services to students, save staff time and enhance the IT skills of the students.
With over 6,000 fte students, Aberdeen College is the largest college in Scotland. Students and staff will access the catalogue using OLIB7's WebView interface, which will be made available college-wide.
Acquisitions, cataloguing and circulation management functions will be implemented initially, with live operation planned for September 1999. Serials management will come on stream during 2000. OLIB7 will reside on a SUN server and will be delivered to all three college sites, using the college's fibre-optic network infrastructure.
To build the OLIB7 catalogue, the college will be matching their ISBN with an external records supplier, and will then import catalogue records. The college also plans to link into their MIS system, to transfer student records into OLIB7.
David Morley, Head of Information Services at Aberdeen College, outlines the college's ambitious plans for the future, "The college is committed to a 20% growth in computer-based learning this year. Therefore whilst we needed to streamline our administration functions, it was important that the new system could develop with us as we move into new areas, such as internet and resource-based learning and Z39.50 services".
