CR2 Technologies launches SaaS based Library Management Software in India

CR2 Technologies Ltd launched CYBRARIAN – Asia’s first revolutionary Library Management Software System based on SaaS (Software as a Service) model – was launched by CR2 Technologies Ltd. CYBRARIAN is a next-generation web-based, seamless and fully integrated Library Management Software System hosted on a Remote Server. This is based on SaaS concept where users have to pay-as-you-use basis.

CYBRARIAN allows the librarians to access and run the software with the help of an ordinary low-cost PC having a web browser and they can carry out online all the transactions like Acquisition, Cataloguing, Circulation, Periodicals Management (PMS), Article Indexing, Reports Management, etc. as if the entire application is running on their desk.

“One can access the application anytime (24×7x365) from anywhere, and from any machine with built-in webOPAC facility in the software. At a very low hosting fee, CYBRARIAN provides users facilities like Software Usage, Secured Data Storage & Management, Virus Protection, Backups, Patch Management, Product Updates, Technical Support, Maintenance etc. CYBRARIAN follows all the international standards like MARC21, Z39.50, AACR2, MARCXML, ISO 2079, etc. and is having UNICODE (Multilingual) facility. The most attractive feature of CYBRARIAN is that librarians or Resource Centre Manager can customize the application as per their requirements without the help or need from the software vendor. Moreover, the reports can also be self-customized,” said Suyash K, CEO, CR2 Technologies Ltd.

SaaS is a new model for delivery of software over Internet. It is a shift from packaged software to Software as a Service (SaaS). In this new model, the user is saved from the hassles of buying licensed copies of software like OS, R/DBMS, Application Software, Antivirus, etc. They are also not required to buy costly hardware like Servers, PCs, Networking components, etc. The user is also free from the daily problems of installation, management, maintenance, backup, security, etc. The initial cost of investment and recurring cost every month is as good as nil. The recruitment of expert IT professionals can also be avoided.

Technology in Libraries

The increasing role of technology in libraries has a significant impact on the changing roles of librarians. New technologies are dramatically increasing the accessibility of information, and librarians are adapting to the evolving needs of users that emerge from the adoption of these new technologies.

The most significant example of how technology has changed the role of librarians in the last 50 years has been the move from traditional card catalogs to online public access catalogs (OPACs). Librarians had to develop software and the MARC standards for cataloguing records electronically. They had to purchase and run the computers necessary to use the software. They had to teach the public how to use the new technologies and move to more virtual working environments.

The same could be said of other technology developments, from electronic databases (including the Internet), to logistical functions such as barcodes (or in the near future RFID). Many librarians provide virtual reference services (via web-based chat, instant messaging, text messaging, and e-mail), work in digitalization initiatives for works in the public domain, teach technology classes to their users, and work on the development of information architectures for improving access and search functionality. These examples illustrate some of the ways in which librarians are using technology to fulfill and expand upon their historical roles.

Increasing technological advance has presented the possibility of automating some aspects of traditional libraries. In 2004 a group of researchers in Spain developed the UJI Online Robot. This robot is able to navigate the library, look for the specified book, and upon its discovery, carefully take it from the shelf and deliver it to the user. Because of the robot’s extremely limited function, its introduction into libraries poses little risk of the employment of librarians, whose duties are not defined by menial tasks such as the retrieval of books.

Library RFID Management System

An RFID tag is the most important link in any RFID system. It has the ability to store information relating to the specific item to which they are attached, rewrite again without any requirement for contact or line of sight. Data within a tag may provide identification for an item, proof of ownership, original storage location, loan status and history.RFID Tag consists of an integrated circuit and an antenna combined to form a transponder. RFID tags collect the energy to operate from a Radio Frequency (RF) field emitted by a reader device; therefore they do not need a battery. When energized by a radio signal from a fixed position reader or handheld scanner, the tag returns the stored information in order that the item to which it is attached can be easily located.The chip also has a “multi-read” function, which means that several tags can be read at once

IBM OmniFind Yahoo : a Free Enterprise Search Tool

Yahoo and IBM launched IBM OmniFind Yahoo : a Free Enterprise Search Tool, through which 50,000 documents of 200 fyle types can be indexed. It is a single configurable interface for internet and enterprise search, says IBM.

It is a challenge to Google Mini, which costs $9,000 to purchase.

Download from http://omnifind.ibm.yahoo.net/