Criteria for selection of a library software in different types of libraries.

[Awdhesh K. Dubey]

Following criteria might help the librarians to select the right software for other housekeeping operations:

1. Who are the developers, whether an institution, or reputed company or few individuals. The preference is for institution and second preference is for the reputed company. One has to be skeptical about the software developed by individuals as there will be no continuity
2. How many times the software has been revised since the time of its first launch.
3. How many parameters are available for each module. More the parameters better will be the flexibility and needs no or minimum customization.
4. Whether the software has facility to import bibliographic data available in ISO2709 format and similarly export of  data in this format
5. Training and guidance after installation
6. Whether available on major operating systems.
7. Whether it is web interfaceble
8. Whether it can be interfaced with the e-mail system of the campus network.
9. Whether it has taken care of Y2K compliant
10. How many installations it has got in the country, since when and major clients.
11. Whether it can offer OPAC and different rights to different logins

[DR MD GULNAWAZ AZAM]

Mr. Awdhesh what you say in point no 9 i.e. Y2K compliant, do you know Y2K problems, it was 10 year back problem of software development. Some early software institute was set year as 80,92,93,99,00 that means last two digits of year. So on that time the software system how differentiate whether it was 1900 or 2000 and after 31 December 1999, how we calculate the fraction of days either its follow 1900 or 2000 because computer only display 00 as according to their settings and When 1 January 2000 arrived, some minor errors was occur, specially database management system and some spreadsheet package such as MS EXCEL ,after this problem entire software development house already update of Y2K problem.