Why Heritage?
The following article was written in 2006 and remains true when comparing existing web-based library systems with Heritage: we are generally unimpressed with the design, functionality and ease of use of web-based library management systems. However, IS Oxford now consider that web technology has developed to the point that it will soon be possible to achieve a similar level of functionality with a web-based system. As a result we have commenced on a program of redeveloping Heritage to be fully web-based.
Redeveloping Heritage to be fully web-based will be a very significant undertaking as Heritage represents over fifty man-year's of development. We wish to ensure that neither design, performance, ease of use or functionality are compromised as a result. Planning is still in the initial stages meaning that it is not possible to give a release date as yet although we are initially aiming to have it ready before 2010.
One other important distinction between the web-based Heritage and offerings from other suppliers is that we intend to provide the web-based product free to any existing users of Heritage Online with current maintenance contracts, just like any other upgrade for Heritage.
Heritage & Web-based Systems
Open any library or information management journal these days and you will be confronted with any number of advertisements for library management systems. The choice of products can be bewildering, and it is therefore vital for information professionals to have detailed criteria in order to narrow down their search.
In the last year or two, one of the fundamental questions has become whether a system is completely web-based, but why? When asked, most people will hesitate before offering reasons such as ‘Because that is the way things are going’ or ‘Because my IT staff told me to’. Certainly ruling out systems based on this criterion will help shorten a list, but only at the expense of ruling out a large number of sophisticated and mature products which can offer a broad range of benefits not found in these brand-new systems.
It is almost certainly true that any system worthy of consideration must have an online interface, but does this mean that the whole system must be web-based? There have recently been a number of articles expounding the merits of entirely web-based systems, not least as new systems need publicity to bring them to the attention of their potential purchasers. These typically lean on the idea that since the web technology is the latest thing, anything entirely based on it must be inherently better than other systems that are not. Thus they fail to acknowledge that whilst the web is excellent for some tasks it is not best suited to all. A hybrid approach that chooses the technology best suited to each aspect of a system’s usage can therefore offer not only better functionality, but more importantly far better usability.
The first area where web-browser based systems perform poorly is in intensive data entry. Heritage offers popup menus, lookups and authority files on all fields that may require them, ensuring that data consistency is preserved as the record is created – these are either not available in web-based systems, poorly implemented or very slow. It may also be necessary to enter all data for a record on one large form which is difficult to manage and necessitates a lot of scrolling around rather than using multiple pages. Often you only discover any errors when you come to save it, rather than when leaving a field.
Opening multiple forms at the same time is either not possible or poorly implemented restricting what can be done at the same time. You may need to move between cataloguing an item and issuing something else, without having to save the catalogue record first. Similarly related data can be brought up without first having to save and leave the initial record. Thus in Heritage, if you are cataloguing and wish to add a new media type to the list available, you can do so immediately without leaving the catalogue record screen.
The web has been around for many years now, but the technology is still relatively immature and is reflected in the simplicity of the interfaces of many web-based products. This can often be masked by making it appear like improved usability. For instance, being able to configure a data entry form exactly the way you want it can sound an ideal way of matching a system to your requirements. However, the ways in which data is entered and users navigate around a system are fundamental to its usability. Thus making a system easy to use should be primary aim of any system supplier. It is nevertheless a skilled and time consuming task whether carried out by a supplier or end-user, something that is rarely highlighted. Furthermore, being able to navigate a system without resorting to the mouse is also essential to efficient system usage and freeing up time to concentrate on more important issues.
There are other benefits to running a windows-based database product. There are often times when it would be useful to work on a copy of your system e.g. for running a trial on changes or upgrades. With Heritage you can easily make a local copy of your system and hence trial your changes or upgrade without having any impact on your live system.
Finally there is the unavoidable issue of cost - it is expensive to develop and deploy a web-based database which may be unnecessary for your planned usage, and this will be reflected in the cost of the product. We are integrating more and more Heritage functionality into our online version, and aren’t marketing it as a completely new system like some of our competitors. Upgrades to Heritage are free so no further large investments will be required once the system has been purchased.
Heritage Online, the end-user version of Heritage, is completely browser-based and offers search, output, SDI, issue, return, reserve and renew facilities, as well as ‘email the librarian’ facility for a variety of purposes. If you are running small satellite libraries you can use Heritage Online for all your circulation and enquiry requirements. Terminal Services can be used to provide access to the full management functions over slower network connections or from home, if remote working is required.
Our advertisements encourage users to look closer at our product and others. To date over forty man years of development work have been dedicated to Heritage and this is reflected in the finer details of the system. We don’t just develop new modules; we constantly enhance the core functionality in response to both customer and industry requirements, always keeping in mind that the primary purpose of a library management system is to actually make the librarian’s job easier. Many facilities these days must indeed be web-based, but as there are compelling reasons why the administrative functions should not be, make sure you look closer at products like Heritage too.