Integrated Project in Veterinary Science, Agriculture and Environment - Assignment Example

Running Head: Integrated Project INTEGRATED PROJECT Name Course Title Course Instructor Date of Submission Integrated Project Background The University of Sydney Badham Library is the main library at the Camperdown Campus. It supports and serves students in the Veterinary Science, Agriculture and Environment and the school of Biological sciences faculties. The library is on the ground Floor of the Badham Building A16 and along the University of Sydney’s Science Road. At the point of my visit, a total of 9 staff was present. This included; the Team Leader of the Science Library team, the Team Leader of the Veterinary Science and Agriculture and Environment Library services team, the Faculty Liaison Librarians for the Agricultural and Environment, Biological Sciences and Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis, Psychology, and Veterinary sciences in addition to the Service Team Coordinator, Veterinary Science and Agriculture and Environment Library Services team, Service Team Coordinator, Science Library Services Team, Document Delivery Officer, 2 Course Reading officers and lastly the Manager Library Services and Technology officer. The Library technician is responsible for the IT system. The library uses the both the Innopac ILL and the Aerial System. The organizational structure of the library is included under the Library Services, Health, Law and Medical Sciences. This is indicated in the Diagram below. Source: http://sydney.edu.au/library/news/news036.html Project scope and Justification The society has had profound impact as a result of novel developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The availability of novel ICT creations and infrastructure has put pressure on the libraries to have their services offered both on the internet and intranet. This has resulted into the emergence of computer networking. Information networking in libraries involves the accessing and communication to the network information services by the end users. Most libraries in this era have increased their capacity and thus providing their services through IT base network infrastructures. Library networking thus involves the support of the all communication forms between users and existing libraries as well as the suppliers and the libraries through computer networking. This has necessitated the need for libraries to develop efficient information system that will have a database which will enhance efficiency in the tracking of issuance and collection of information resource materials (Lee, 2000). The novel integrated library management system as commonly referred to is resource planning enterprise system that will enhance the tracking of owned items, paid bills, orders that have been made in relation to the information materials and the information on patrons reflecting on borrowed materials. The system is to have rationalized database, two user graphical interfaces and database interaction software. The modules that are to be included in the system will include; cataloging, serials, the OPAC, circulation and the acquisition (Hartley, 2009). The implementation of a library integrated management system will ensure that all the items and patrons have an identification number thus being able to effectively track them. Secondly, the security of the items will be enhanced as stealing from the library will be minimized. The patrons will also have reminders in cases where they have to return the borrowed items. Additionally, the Information system will be of great use to the library officials and management as they will use it to order and acquire, invoice and receive, shelving of materials, circulation of resource materials. The tracking system will be able to track the penalties tagged on items that have not been returned or lost over a specific period of time. Moreover, the system will enable the libraries to conduct researches and enhance their knowledge on the reading trends and the materials that have a large number of readers or users (Hartley, 2009). For this to be assured, the library officials ensure that information within the database is not only accurate but complete. The effective design and installation of the system is to eliminate any forms of duplicate information as a result of redundancy. This will ensure that no space is wasted and that more relevant materials are stored in the system. All the information data is to be stored in a central place but in a manner that is classified according to the subject areas. This will ensure that the retrieval and analyzing of data is easier and faster (Kendall, 2011). The development of automated cataloging systems enhances speed, quality control and order to many library functions that would have otherwise consumed a lot of time and involved the use of intensive labor. The library systems that are integrated and the inclusion of catalogue systems that are online to check-in serials have changed the way that the librarians in many libraries work. This has witnessed the enhancement of catalogue access points by allowing the retrieval of material systems to be comprehensive and in a speedy as well as convenient. The information contained in the library information system can thus be accessed and shared by different persons at one given time and in a variety of locations (Swanekamp, 2000).. The search results in this format can also be on the email output mode and thus enabling an easy manipulation of data. Additionally, the available data could be easily reviewed and have current data input at a much faster pace and with minimal inconvenience to the library users. The library users are offered online assistance while searching for materials and have the ability to access a vast full text view of materials thus saving a lot of time for the library attendants and users. The users are also able to use the resource materials via the remote access (Satzinger, 2009). Project Aim/Vision Design and implement a library information system to the replace the existing card system. The library will ride on the vision of providing a sound library resource center services to over 2 million people across the country. Project Objective 1. To develop an online library database system 2. Develop a sound risk assessment and management strategy to ensure efficiency in delivering library resource services 3. To train and hire personnel that will manage the library services with accountability Project standards The library system will comprise of the organization library system and a user Personal Library System for the server groups. The data base servers are to handle the requests from the remote as well as a variety of the system functions that enable the coordination of data that is to be entered and retrieved. The components of the library system are to be linked by a computer network that is interconnected. If at all a person’s request is not satisfying, feedback is relayed to the specialized information sources that are existing on the local computer network. The library system in this case is able to spawn thousands of exchanges within a moment. This is only possible as the system is able to query a variety of databases before it responds to the particular inquiry. The library system structure is demonstrated in the diagram below (Vukotic, 2011). This section shall describe the components of the library system and also describe their functions. The system will have eight components two of which are fundamental. To begin with, the Export/Import server will act as a primary boundary between library system and the external world. The import server will be an avenue to present the acquisition and contribution of the digital library. The vital interfaces of the system will be the import server. Secondly, the registration server component will be responsible for receiving the messages from or by hosting the arriving Knowbots that are carrying the information that are to be added to the Digital library system. The component will also register the new library user’s register the sources for the databases or any other form of components that is newly added on to the library system. The vital tasks of the registration server are the identification of the new objects that is in the system. The identifiers will however be assigned to more than one registration server (Vukotic, 2011). Thirdly, the cataloging, referencing and indexing server will provide the global referencing, indexing and cataloging services that will enhance the library content retrieval. The system is to be organized into multiple support cooperating servers. The system will also have the plan for this server to the ability to accommodate specialized indexes, alternatives, referencing and cataloging servers within the architecture. This will enable the library system to take an advantage of novel implementations and ideas without necessarily replacing or removing the older versions. This will require an older design that will be able to control the potentiality of the open ended interaction that will occur between the servers and thus avoiding congestion in the network (Vukotic, 2011). The patrons will also have reminders in cases where they have to return the borrowed items. Additionally, the Information system will be of great use to the library officials and management as they will use it to order and acquire, invoice and receive, shelving of materials, circulation of resource materials. The tracking system will be able to track the penalties tagged on items that have not been returned or lost over a specific period of time. Moreover, the system will enable the libraries to conduct researches and enhance their knowledge on the reading trends and the materials that have a large number of readers or users (Vukotic, 2011). There is need for the management to have clear criteria in the selection of an alternative referencing, indexing and cataloging system to be able to deal with the same or otherwise inter-related material. The knowledge information is to be partitioned and thus reducing its redundancy. One part of the indexing, referencing and cataloging server will be in charge of the electronic email messaging while the other will be responsible for the books and the other for the journals as well as other periodicals (Vukotic, 2011). The indexing, referencing and cataloging will also be useful in the locating of users and services in addition to the information on the library system. The function is to have an analog contained in the library’s electronic main domain. The name servers in this case will make it possible to find the mail boxes that are associated with the library users. The search of the user’s names is to be easy to save on time and assure adequate and effective accessibility. Additionally, each part of the Indexing, referencing and cataloging server is to be capable of carrying out a variety of functions that are to be invoked by the Knowbots arrival at server. The Kowbots who are arriving at the server are to perform one of the several specific tasks. This will include the cataloging or indexing new library acquisitions, the search for indexed or cataloged items and the collection of statistics in relation to the content and or the library usage (Hartley, 2009). When a new item is registered on the library system, the Knowbot is to be dispatched to the cataloging, indexing and referencing server. This will ensure appropriate guidance in the indexing and cataloging. The database servers are to accommodate the existing databases as well as the services. Additionally, it is to provide a logical framework for the novel databases which are organized around the Knowbotic information retrieval and storage. The server is to bridge the gap between the databases that already exist. This will make it able to provide support to the already existing and new Knowbots as well as the enabling of interchange messages between the Knowbots (Satzinger, 2009). Sixth, we will also have the Statistics and accounting component that will collect and store data in relation to the use of the library system. This will be essential in the relaying the Billing server with relevant data. The Billing server which is the seventh component will be essential in the sending of payment due invoices the users of the library. Lastly, the representation transformation servers will be responsible for ensuring a vast degree of heterogeneity (Arms, 2000). The chart below represents the Library Structure. The network drivers and the operating system are at contained at the lowest level of the figure. It is not necessary for the personal library system to be networked however, it is highly common for one to find work stations that are interlinked with the local area network. This is necessary for them to be able to access the dial up communication facilities. The simplicity and convenience of the devices is not shown in the diagram. The created library system is to support the execution of multiple processes. If the personal library system is to effectively operate, the library system is to have a combination of device drivers that are appropriate contained in the transport protocol. The transport protocol will enable the library system to provide an avenue for the library users to access the external services of the library (Hodge, 2000a). The system will thus use the DOD TCP/IP/UDP, the ISO TP/IP or any other multi-vendor or packet oriented protocols. The library system will require using at least three protocols if it is to occupy a place that is useful in the common networking environment. The library system is to have an ability to support an electronic message transport agent. This will thus require the system to either have the Multimedia Messaging Protocol, the Simple mail transfer Protocol or the Mail Handling system Protocol. The teleportation is also required in this case to have the system to support DLS and PL system components (Swanekamp, 2000). Gantt structure  Task Duration First quarter Second Quarter Third Quarter Equipment purchase     Risk Evaluation   Implementation phase     Evaluation Phase     Maintenance     Audits   Payment reminders       Cataloging       Registration       Indexing       Referencing        Project governance and accountability The maintenance of the library will involve a high level of governance and accountability. The team will involve an administrative unit that will consist of a financial and audit officer. The audit officer will look into the payment tracking system as well as the payment records to attest their authenticity. The IT section will also consist of a tracker that will prevent any possibilities of hacking on to the system. The IT section is to design a tracker to assess payments and offer reminders to the same. The administration team including the library team leader will ensure that all the constituent library sections are working to their uttermost effectiveness (Tillman, 2000). Budget The table below shows the budget to be used in the implementation and running of the novel Public Library System. All the amounts are in Australian dollars. Items Estimated price New equipment 5,000 Replacement of equipment 25,000 Maintenance of software 55,000 Staff 345,000 Telecommunications 56,000 Training and capacity building 10,000 Total 526,000 Risk assessment The management is to perform a risk assessment that will include the risk that the library will incur especially in the introduction of the online indexing, referencing and cataloging system is to have on their efficiency and availing of learning resource materials to its customers. The advantages that the new system will have over the card system are to play a vital role in the implementation phase of the new library system. The library is to invent ways through which they are to avert risks and offer the best services to their consumers (Kendall, 2011). Reference Kendall, K. & Kendall, J. (2011). Systems analysis and design. (8th ed. Global ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson. Satzinger, R. & Burd, S. (2009). Systems analysis and design in a changing world. (5th ed.). Cambridge Mass.: Course Technology. Hartley, S. (2009). Project management: principles, processes and practice. (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Education Australia. Vukotic, A. & Goodwill, J. (2011). Apache Tomcat 7. Berkley, US: aPress. Arms, W. (2000). Digital libraries. Cambridge: MIT Press. Hodge, G. (2000a). Best practices for digital archiving: An information life cycle approach. D-Lib Magazine, 6(1). Lee, S. (2000). Collection development for the electronic environment. Binghampton, NY: Haworth. Swanekamp, J. (2000). Cataloging at Yale University in 2000: Challenges and strategies” in Carter, Ruth, ed. Managing cataloging and the organization of information: Philosophies, practices, and challenges at the onset of the 21st Century (373-385). Binghamton, N.Y.: Haworth. Tillman, H. (2000). Evaluating quality on the Net. [Online]. Available: http://www.hopetillman.com/findqual.html Read More